Heading Back to Minot

We left north Mississippi early Tuesday morning heading back to North Dakota.  We were trying to soak up all the trees before we hit the prairies again.

 As we travel across our country we are amazed at the beauty that lies everywhere.  Our God is such a loving heavenly Father to grace us with such beauty.

As we headed north the corn was smaller but the canola was blooming beautifully.  Fields and fields of bright yellow plants.

The skies were blue for most of our trip but as we headed past Minneapolis we encountered a pretty serious storm and tornado warnings.  We spent the night in Fergus Falls, MN and the last few miles of our trip were pretty scary.

The next day we headed on to Minot with clear skies and no problems.  It was so good to get home after such a whirlwind trip and I think we will try to fly next time.

The Wedding

We finally made it to the wedding with just a few minutes to wait.  The bride is our niece, Katie.  She wore her mom's wedding dress and made a beautiful bride.  Her 90 year old grandfather walker her down the aisle and her father performed the ceremony.

Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Brock

The bridesmaid's dresses were very cute.

The bride's sister, Bailey.

The groomsmen, Trey, in the center, is the bride's brother.

The bride dancing with her dad.

The wedding cake was very unique and delicious.  Each layer was a different flavor.

A groomscake only a fisherman could love.

Unexpectedly we were all treated to some hot air balloons flying overhead.

Always fun to watch.

My brother, sister and me.

The girls of our family, well, some of them.

Jenny is another of our nieces and Linda is her mom.  Donna is my sister and the mother of the bride.

Hope you enjoyed the wedding as much as we did.  Now for the long trip home.

Rushing to the Wedding

We left North Dakota for our niece's wedding in south Alabama after work last Thursday.  It takes about 24 hours to drive.  This is just north of Bismark, ND and the first of many legs of this journey.

We were looking forward to visiting with family and friends but not looking forward to the very long drive.

The weather was great for traveling.

 We drove straight through overnight and arrived at our son's home in north Mississippi Friday evening.

It is always a great time visiting with our grandchildren, even though they are growing up so fast.

This is our oldest grandson, Christian.  He is 17 and just finished high school.

The 3 still at home having fun.

Caleb is 14 and will be starting high school this year. Lauren will be in 7th grade.

GrandDaddy doing what we both felt like doing.

Saturday morning we all helped pack the vehicles to head to Alabama.

Google said it would take us 7 hours to reach the location for the wedding but it took almost 9 hours.  We arrived just in time and had to rush to change clothes but were thankful for a safe arrival.

Pictures of the beautiful bride to follow later this week.



Sunday Phunnies

What I Want in a Man
Original List:
1. Handsome
2. Charming
3. Financially successful
4. A caring listener
5. Witty
6. In good shape
7. Dresses with style
8. Appreciates finer things
9. Full of thoughtful surprises
10. An imaginative, romantic lover.

Revised List (age 42):
1. Nice looking (prefer hair on his head)
2. Opens car doors, holds chairs
3. Has enough money for a nice dinner
4. Listens more than talks
5. Laughs at my jokes
6. Carries bags of groceries with ease
7. Owns at least one tie
8. Appreciates a good home-cooked meal
9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries
10. Seeks romance at least once a week.

Revised List (age 52):
1. Not too ugly (bald head OK)
2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3. Works steady -- splurges on dinner out occasionally
4. Nods head when I'm talking
5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10. Shaves most weekends.

Revised List (age 62):
1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3. Doesn't borrow money too often
4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5. Doesn't re-tell the same joke too many times
6. Is in good enough shape to get off couch on weekends
7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8. Appreciates a good TV dinner
9. Remembers my name on occasion
10. Shaves some weekends.

Revised List (age 72):
1. Doesn't scare small children
2. Remembers where bathroom is
3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4. Only snores lightly when asleep
5. Remembers why he's laughing
6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7. Usually wears clothes
8. Likes soft foods
9. Remembers where he left his teeth
10. Remembers that it's the weekend.

Revised List (age 82):
1. Breathing
2. Doesn't miss the toilet

A Treat at Best Buy

We had to run into Best Buy the other afternoon and we received a real treat alongside of the parking lot.

These little prairie dogs live in this grassy area right by the parking lot.

This one was a little farther away but I still captured the shot.

These little guys are so cute but something tells me they can probably be very vicious.

They sure are fun to watch though.

Sunday Phunnies

Senior Romance

An older couple was lying in bed one night. The husband was falling asleep, but his wife was in a romantic mood and wanted to talk. She said, "You used to hold my hand when we were courting."

Wearily he reached across, held her hand for a second and tried to get back to sleep. A few moments later she said, "Then you used to kiss me."

Mildly irritated, he reached across, gave her a peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep. Thirty seconds later she said, "Then you used to bite my neck."

Angrily, he threw back the bedclothes and got out of bed. "Where are you going?" she asked.
"To get my teeth!"

Heading South

This weekend our niece is getting married in south Alabama and we are heading to the big event.  We haven't been on the Gulf Coast (our home) since January and are looking forward to the visit.

Katie and Josiah are getting married Saturday evening in Foley, Alabama.  We are looking forward to meeting Josiah and wishing them a blessed marriage.  Katie is my sister's oldest child so this will probably be a little difficult time for Mom and Dad.  They are very pleased with Josiah but having your first child leave home is always a bit trying.  Thankfully the newlyweds will not be moving too far away and they will visit often.

We will also get to visit our grandchildren this weekend.  They will be at the wedding and then heading out of town for another wedding.  We will only have a day with them but we will cherish every moment.

Our home church is in south MS and we look forward to visiting there this Sunday.  We sure do not get to visit our church family often enough so this is something else we look forward to this weekend.

And lastly, our house.  We will have a chance to visit our house and pick up a few things.  We are so grateful to have a house sitter while we are out of town.  They are taking care of the day-to-day concerns of our home and we look forward to visiting our house next week.

Hoping to have lots of pictures to share when we return.

Big Sky

We took a ride southeast of the city to do a little exploring.  It was a fun way to spend a summer evening.  We opened the windows and took our time driving and looking.

We have been amazed at the number of birds in North Dakota.  Our first pheasants were seen up here.  There are hundreds and hundreds of water fowl; ducks, geese, herons and many I have never seen before.

The most amazing sight in the countryside is the sky.  I know Montana is supposed to be Big Sky Country, but it is hard to imagine a sky bigger than North Dakota's. 

Our home is near the beach on the Gulf of Mexico and looking out over the water the sky looms large but if you turn to the north the trees and buildings block the sky. Not in North Dakota. 

Once you leave the cities you can turn in any direction and see for miles and miles. It is very awe-inspiring and absolutely beautiful.

A storm in the distance is easily seen and the sky changes are visible for miles.

North Dakota is lacking in a lot of things, but natural beauty is not one of them.

Let's Head Further North

My hubby and I had to visit a job site in Lignite, ND.  Lignite is about 6 miles from Canada and it is our furthest north site.  It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the drive.

Heading north on highway 52 we passed many rolling hills with dates of graduating classes emblazoned on them. 

The only real city we go through on the way to Lignite is Kenmare, ND.

Every city up here has a token gas station.  This is the one in Kenmare.

This marsh is just west of Kenmare.

The Souris (Mouse) River

The Danish Mill is in the heart of Kenmare.

The whole grain is poured into this container.

The grinding wheels.

The fresh ground flour comes out here.

We leave Kenmare and continue heading north.

The long, long road heading north.

The road drops into this steep valley and...

rises up this high hill.

As we turn onto the road heading to Lignite-this is the view to the west.  Can you see Montana?  It is only about 20 miles away.

This is the view to the north.  These trucks are coming from Canada.  The trees in the background are in Canada.

This is the eastern view.  Lots and lots of nothing.

This is the south and the outskirts of Lignite.

Welcome to Lignite!

The mandatory gas station for every town up here.

This is the job site that we drove all the way up here to visit.

Then we headed back home.  Lignite is about 90 minutes from Minot.  A very long drive but it was a gorgeous day and we took our time and enjoyed the scenery.