Sorry I haven't updated recently, we've been really busy.
Let's see, where to start? We've been hither and yon and just about everywhere, in Minnesota and the Dakotas and now we're in Colorado. There's a lot to cover, so keep your seat belt fastened and your hands inside the car at all times. Thank you.
Let's see, where to start? We've been hither and yon and just about everywhere, in Minnesota and the Dakotas and now we're in Colorado. There's a lot to cover, so keep your seat belt fastened and your hands inside the car at all times. Thank you.
We got to Grandma's house on Tuesday night. I know I sort of promised that I'd have a fish story for you, but we didn't actually go fishing, so I don't have any. Sorry.
Wednesday:
The turtle races were interesting, though loud. Apparently, people race their turtles in heats of 20, the winners going on to the final. Since there were over 500 entries, this took a very loud, crowded while.
While we were in line to get our turtles, someone behind us had brought a black lab, properly on a leash. The dog was startled by something and started to bark. The man behind me turned around and began chewing out the dog's owner. "Can't you see there's a ton of kids here? Someone could get hurt!" The owner responded that she hadn't thought that it would be a problem, but that she would take the dog away.
Ok, seriously, this is a black lab. They're one of the calmest breeds on the planet. I can see a kid getting scared, maybe, but no one's going to be hurt, except perhaps the ears of those standing very close to the barking dog. Still, this is a free country, and he's allowed to say what he wants. So all I did was mutter something to Grandma along the lines of "He could have been nicer about it."
He heard me. He turned around. "Well, do you agree with me or not?"
I forget exactly how it went, but I told him he might have a point,but he could have been nicer about it. He responded that you couldn't be polite when there were lives on the line. I responded that the dog was well restrained, which he denied. I pointed out that a leash was restraining, that there was really nothing else you could use to restrain a dog when you're out, and that the dog wasn't trying to attack anyone or run, he was just standing there barking. He turned away, so I let it drop.
Grandma had been trying to get me to "calm down, just let it go," and I think she was relieved when he turned away. Suddenly someone poked me from behind, and I turned around, half expecting another onslaught.
"Young lady," the woman behind me said, "I'm really glad you stood up for what you felt was right." I just about fell over. I was not expecting that at all. It was a little unnerving.
Thursday:
We went to a farmer's market, and one of the booths had a number of crafted items. I'm going to try to do that in UT too. I got the directions, and they're so easy!
After lunch, we went to a little pioneer museum, and then went tourist trapping along the two blocks of the downtown of their little town.
That night, I got the email from the ballet academy that threw my world into chaos (see previous post). I think I'm really only now getting over the shock and tension of that night.
Friday:
We went to the Headwaters of the Mississippi. Apparently, there are at least three places where the springs turn into rivers that combine into the top of the Mississippi. This particular place is the official Headwaters because it goes the longest before it hits the other rivers. This tributary also has the only place the Mississippi flows north. My sisters were wading across the river, and I debated joining them, but when C12 slipped and twisted her ankle, I decided against it. With an audition right after I got home, the last thing I need is an injury right now. But I had a good time anyway.
Saturday:
We went to a lake, and found some really pretty rocks. I was really tired, so I didn't swim, but I did wade a bit. The rest of the day, we spent relaxing.
Sunday:
We went to church, which was at a lake that day since they were doing baptisms. We hung around for the picnic and met some of the youth group. It was cold, so we didn't go in the lake and therefore didn't find more rocks.
Monday:
We left Grandma's house, and went as far as Bismark. Standard road trip day, complete with rest stops, squabbling, rumble strips, and uncomfortable behinds.
Tuesday:
We had lunch and spent a couple hours with Bekah Kjos, one of my bestest friends. I met her four years ago, and have only seen her once since then. We've been using Facebook and such, but it just isn't the same. Then we went to spend a day with some other friends.
Wednesday:
We went to a city in SD called Rapid City, where they have a walk-around tour of statues of the presidents. At the gift shop associated with the tour, we were talking with the guy who worked there, and somehow we got on the topic of the Declaration of Independence. A dispute arose as to the wording, and I cited it correctly, pulling up a copy on my phone to prove my point. The guy offered me a job! It was the first job offer I've ever gotten, but since it was in SD, rather than UT, I had to turn it down.
Thursday:
We left SD, leaving our emails, and getting theirs in return. They had a little girl about J9's age, and for some reason she wanted to be around me almost more than she wanted to be around J. She emailed me right after we left, though it took me a minute to figure out a couple of the spelling glitches. I'm sure that will improve. I think I'm going to turn into a mentor. Not sure I'm ready for that. I suppose I'll grow the same speed she does, but it's still a little nerve-racking.
We stopped in Ft Laramie, which is had been turned into a museum. It was pretty cool, especially some of the quilts in the houses. How anyone could sew triangles that tiny is beyond me. Despite the stop, which added another hour to our eight-hour trip (seven hours driving, one hour of stops), we made it to our cousin's house in Denver in time for dinner.
Today:
We mostly relaxed today, but we went to Walmart because we were running out of several things. While we were there, I noticed several pairs of sneakers that were almost half-off. We've done so much walking this trip that my sneakers are starting to run down. I managed to find a pair that I liked and that fit pretty quickly. On sale, they were $9. The original price was around $15. My current pair of sneakers cost around $20. I was quite proud of myself.
Tomorrow, apparently, my cousin has planned to have a small Civil War-style "ball", doing some of the dances she learned when her homeschool group paid for a company to teach them dances and stage an authentic ball. I asked her if I could teach an Irish dance I learned during the intensive this summer, and she said I could. I've been wanting to do Waves of Tory at home ever since I learned it, so I can't wait!
Sunday we'll be going home, and Monday is my audition. Needless to say, I've been practicing.
So that's my trip so far, and that's the plan for the last few days. Sorry it took so long to get this posted.
Wednesday:
The turtle races were interesting, though loud. Apparently, people race their turtles in heats of 20, the winners going on to the final. Since there were over 500 entries, this took a very loud, crowded while.
While we were in line to get our turtles, someone behind us had brought a black lab, properly on a leash. The dog was startled by something and started to bark. The man behind me turned around and began chewing out the dog's owner. "Can't you see there's a ton of kids here? Someone could get hurt!" The owner responded that she hadn't thought that it would be a problem, but that she would take the dog away.
Ok, seriously, this is a black lab. They're one of the calmest breeds on the planet. I can see a kid getting scared, maybe, but no one's going to be hurt, except perhaps the ears of those standing very close to the barking dog. Still, this is a free country, and he's allowed to say what he wants. So all I did was mutter something to Grandma along the lines of "He could have been nicer about it."
He heard me. He turned around. "Well, do you agree with me or not?"
I forget exactly how it went, but I told him he might have a point,but he could have been nicer about it. He responded that you couldn't be polite when there were lives on the line. I responded that the dog was well restrained, which he denied. I pointed out that a leash was restraining, that there was really nothing else you could use to restrain a dog when you're out, and that the dog wasn't trying to attack anyone or run, he was just standing there barking. He turned away, so I let it drop.
Grandma had been trying to get me to "calm down, just let it go," and I think she was relieved when he turned away. Suddenly someone poked me from behind, and I turned around, half expecting another onslaught.
"Young lady," the woman behind me said, "I'm really glad you stood up for what you felt was right." I just about fell over. I was not expecting that at all. It was a little unnerving.
Thursday:
We went to a farmer's market, and one of the booths had a number of crafted items. I'm going to try to do that in UT too. I got the directions, and they're so easy!
After lunch, we went to a little pioneer museum, and then went tourist trapping along the two blocks of the downtown of their little town.
That night, I got the email from the ballet academy that threw my world into chaos (see previous post). I think I'm really only now getting over the shock and tension of that night.
Friday:
We went to the Headwaters of the Mississippi. Apparently, there are at least three places where the springs turn into rivers that combine into the top of the Mississippi. This particular place is the official Headwaters because it goes the longest before it hits the other rivers. This tributary also has the only place the Mississippi flows north. My sisters were wading across the river, and I debated joining them, but when C12 slipped and twisted her ankle, I decided against it. With an audition right after I got home, the last thing I need is an injury right now. But I had a good time anyway.
Saturday:
We went to a lake, and found some really pretty rocks. I was really tired, so I didn't swim, but I did wade a bit. The rest of the day, we spent relaxing.
Sunday:
We went to church, which was at a lake that day since they were doing baptisms. We hung around for the picnic and met some of the youth group. It was cold, so we didn't go in the lake and therefore didn't find more rocks.
Monday:
We left Grandma's house, and went as far as Bismark. Standard road trip day, complete with rest stops, squabbling, rumble strips, and uncomfortable behinds.
Tuesday:
We had lunch and spent a couple hours with Bekah Kjos, one of my bestest friends. I met her four years ago, and have only seen her once since then. We've been using Facebook and such, but it just isn't the same. Then we went to spend a day with some other friends.
Wednesday:
We went to a city in SD called Rapid City, where they have a walk-around tour of statues of the presidents. At the gift shop associated with the tour, we were talking with the guy who worked there, and somehow we got on the topic of the Declaration of Independence. A dispute arose as to the wording, and I cited it correctly, pulling up a copy on my phone to prove my point. The guy offered me a job! It was the first job offer I've ever gotten, but since it was in SD, rather than UT, I had to turn it down.
Thursday:
We left SD, leaving our emails, and getting theirs in return. They had a little girl about J9's age, and for some reason she wanted to be around me almost more than she wanted to be around J. She emailed me right after we left, though it took me a minute to figure out a couple of the spelling glitches. I'm sure that will improve. I think I'm going to turn into a mentor. Not sure I'm ready for that. I suppose I'll grow the same speed she does, but it's still a little nerve-racking.
We stopped in Ft Laramie, which is had been turned into a museum. It was pretty cool, especially some of the quilts in the houses. How anyone could sew triangles that tiny is beyond me. Despite the stop, which added another hour to our eight-hour trip (seven hours driving, one hour of stops), we made it to our cousin's house in Denver in time for dinner.
Today:
We mostly relaxed today, but we went to Walmart because we were running out of several things. While we were there, I noticed several pairs of sneakers that were almost half-off. We've done so much walking this trip that my sneakers are starting to run down. I managed to find a pair that I liked and that fit pretty quickly. On sale, they were $9. The original price was around $15. My current pair of sneakers cost around $20. I was quite proud of myself.
Tomorrow, apparently, my cousin has planned to have a small Civil War-style "ball", doing some of the dances she learned when her homeschool group paid for a company to teach them dances and stage an authentic ball. I asked her if I could teach an Irish dance I learned during the intensive this summer, and she said I could. I've been wanting to do Waves of Tory at home ever since I learned it, so I can't wait!
Sunday we'll be going home, and Monday is my audition. Needless to say, I've been practicing.
So that's my trip so far, and that's the plan for the last few days. Sorry it took so long to get this posted.
pointe4Jesus
~Dancing for Him Who died for me.~
And of course the best part of your trip must have been in North Dakota.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Bekah! :)
DeleteWe need to move to the same city when we're done with college so we can see each other all the time!