changing lanes, changing scenery

after struggling to get the bikes reloaded on the back of the car this morning, we continued on I-90 to the badlands and wow, what an amazing sight! such beautiful rock formations and colors - it was truly breath-taking!

after leaving the badlands park, we stopped at wall drug to witness the spectacle the billboards had been advertising since wisconsin. we found it pretty amazing and crazy just how many people had invaded the little town of wall, south dakota, to visit wall drug.

mount rushmore and crazy horse were next - both very cool to see...not cool enough to pay for, however, so we took photos from the road. we're jobless, remember???? :)

now we're in gilette, wyoming, for the night (note to chris: gilette wasn't one of the cities we looked up on your computer either...sure wish we had your trip program)

we're continuing to enjoy every second of our adventure as we continue to get closer and closer to our new home in portland. thanks for your love and your prayers - please keep the comments coming. sending love and hugs across the miles.... the girlz

here are some pictures from today - enjoy!

our hotel in chamberlain, sd



the world's largest prairie dog statue before entering badlands national park in sd


the gift shop beside the prairie dog statue



the badlands



no explanation necessary :)



crazy horse

heeere they are

your patience has been greatly appreciated and our patience continues to be tried and tried again (wireless internet issues)...here we go...
corn statue in olivia, mn - the corn capital of the world


granite falls, mn - great advice, we think


mn's bro's farm equipment


south dakota sculpture park or as we called it, a shark with horns


the famous corn palace in mitchell, sd

highway 23

today was another early start for us, although not 4:30 a.m. early. after spending a little more time with mn's sis, bro-in-law, niece and nephew, we headed toward my (mn's) birthplace and the city in which i grew up, which was such a cool experience to share with lucky. we were also able to spend time with my parents, bro and sis-in-law for lunch, then it was off to brookings to visit my alma mater, south dakota state university. not much has changed since i graduated more than 10 years ago, but it was fun to show her my old stomping grounds.

we are currently in chamberlain, south dakota. the terrain here is so incredibly beautiful, it's almost other-worldly. we're taking in each moment, holding it close, and loving each and every adventure that comes our way.

now it's off to get some shut-eye, as we're both extremely exhausted.

thanks for reading and thanks for your love. sending love and hugs across the miles...the girlz

(happy birthday karol!!!! we love you!)

oh, and we'll have pictures on the blog tomorrow evening - we've been experiencing some minor technical difficulties. please hold for station identification, and thanks for your patience.

Objects in the mirror

we began our adventure early this morning – 4:30 a.m. to be exact. we loaded the backseat of the car – which was no small task – and hit the road around 6:45. despite leaving later than we wanted, we made great time. we traveled along 74 west thru illinois and then caught 39 north up into wisconsin. we saw plenty of corn and beans – some dirty, some clean. our pit stops were kept to a minimum and i (lucky) stayed jacked up on mountain dew for a good part of the day. i think i still have a buzz. that’s some scary stuff, i tell ya.

kandinsky did really well. she meowed for about 30 mins then remained quiet the rest of the time. she’s out exploring now – eating a little and using the litter box so we are very grateful for that. her travel bag worked great except her little nose is a little chapped from pressing against the “netted” sides. we think she has a hard time seeing it so she tries to walk thru it.

our stop over in eau claire to see mn’s aunt turned out fantastically. two of her aunts were there – much to our pleasant surprise – and we had a wonderful visit/first meeting. they are very sweet ladies and we enjoyed answering their questions and listening to them banter.

we arrived in savage, mn around 6 p.m., said our hellos and took a short walk around the sis and bro in law’s neighborhood. we also explored a house which is only half built – it was fun describing what we thought each room was going to be. we dined at buffalo tap so my girlie could get her fill of “real” cheese curds. i didn’t care for them – too salty, but my burger, fries and beer were outstanding. after that, it was back to the house for dessert – french silk pie and culver’s ice cream – followed by tours of the kids’ bedrooms, mario racing games on the game cube and finally billiards. we had a stupendous time hangin with the fam and are looking forward to some much-needed shut eye. here are some photos from our first day… more to come.

love to y’all – the girlz

nerves and butterflies

we're both nervous now.... in less than three days we're leaving all we know - our comfort zone - to start a life somewhere new. we're leaving behind good friends who would do anything for us (and have done so much!!! we love you guys!!!) to see what it's like to meet new people in the pacific northwest. we're leaving our beloved indianapolis, the place that brought us together, to explore a new city....

we've got our faith and each other to get us through.

peace and love...the girlz

(by the way, thanks for the comments bri - keep 'em coming! love you cap'n undies!)

family arrival and departure of an old friend

my mom, brother and nephew arrived yesterday evening (this is lucky, by the way) after a long trip from atlanta. we had pizza at our favorite joint, datsa pizza - which began with outside dining but ended with us grabbing our food and ecoutrements and heading for cover as a vicious summer storm rolled in. the pizza was spectacular - as always - and a good time was had by all. after returning to our apartment and lining the floor with air mattresses, it was time for a peaceful night's sleep. ha ha.

the morning brought the departure of mom and jj - the jeep that my papa bought from us. it was sad to sit in jj for the last time and realize we're no longer members of the "wrangler waving club". such is life. we're moving on to bigger and better things and we're looking forward to having so much more with less.

one week until lift-off!

the adventure continues - to the indiana bmv, autozone, post office, the vet, mailboxes etc., petsmart...we could go on and on, but will save you the gory details. i'm quite certain neither of us has EVER run so many errands in so few days. we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel as our to-do list begins to shrink.

T-minus seven days until we begin our journey to our new home. woo hoo!!!!!

love and hugs to family and friends. we'll continue to keep you posted.

the long and winding road

it's a strange feeling to know in 4.5 more days you won't have a job. no regular paycheck deposited by the overnight fairy every two weeks. no dragging yourself out of bed in the morning to a job you haven't enjoyed for longer than you can even remember. it's easy to slip into the monotony of everyday work in order to pay for things you fill your life with. do those items bring true joy and happiness? are they worth the frustration and stress that comes with most jobs we work? worth the destruction of soul we must endure? we reached a point where the things in our lives aren't as important as our souls. we'd rather have the experience of life than a house full of stuff.

our saving grace has been working together. i'm not sure how i could've gotten through this complete insanity if mn wasn't in the thick of it with me. plus, the craziness that goes on here is so hard to believe, i doubt she would've believed me if she weren't seeing it for herself.

we're making lots of lists in hopes of making sure everything gets done that needs to get done. we've sold a few things we listed on craigslist and are hoping the consumers will continue to pursue the items we're hoping to rid ourselves of. sometimes i think the gypsies probably had it easy - never own more than you can carry in your wagon or on horseback. "things" really seem to weigh us down.

i'm looking forward to journeying across the country - driving through states i've never seen. exploring the same landscapes the early settlers explored. whenever we talk with people about what we're doing, they never fail to comment using the word "adventure". that's always been a integral word in our vocabularies so, for us, it's a good sign to hear other use it in reference to what we're doing.

our adventure begins in 14 days. i can't wait.