Back in Williston ~

Hey ya'll... 

I've been distracted for a while now, I sit down to type...and nothing.  I just can't think.  It's not that I don't have anything to say...yeah, right, hahaha!...I always have something to say ;).  Things have just been even crazier than normal lately and I've been busy dodging the curve-balls of life.  On top of all that dodging, we have been sick.  So yeah, a hefty dose of brain fog over here.  Anyway, the sun is shining in North Dakota...it's finally starting to warm up a little (YAY!)...and we are well on our way to feeling like ourselves again.  I still don't know what to say, I've gotten sooo far behind on here, so I am going to do what I've done before when this happens...just start going through my pictures and talking about them.  Lucky ya'll ;).  Forgive me if I sound crazy, it's only because I am ;)...

Shopping in Minot, North Dakota...

gots to practice your Judy Chop...yes, that's what they were doing ;D

they wore me out, ya'll...and they don't even look slightly tired.  kids...

soooo windy! hahaha!

I told ya'll about our shopping adventures in Wyoming and Montana, well we weren't done yet.  After running around Minot, we were able to either get everything we needed or at least figure out what sizes to order online from home.  Shopping for winter gear when you are starting from scratch is a pain, ya'll.  For real.  One of the younger kids asked me if we couldn't just migrate south instead...hahaha...funny.  Apparently the birds are smarter than us people sometimes ;)...

Pumpkins and teeny, tiny toothpick teepee's for fall...

The kids crafted and I baked.  This year was the first time that I actually cooked up a whole pumpkin.  I don't know why I have never done it before, for some reason it just intimidated me.  Well, take it from me, don't fear the pumpkin...it's easy!  We have even gone on to bake up some acorn squash, butternuts, and spaghetti's...all easy and super yummy :).

The moon from our balcony...

...cause I like the moon :).  Living in an apartment has not been the fun adventure that I thought it would be.  Probably because the apartment is in Williston, North Dakota...'nuff said.  I still think living in an apartment in a big city would be fun...someplace where you could walk/take public transportation everywhere...and actually have places that you want to go and interesting things to do...yeah, the opposite of here.  NYC, Boston, SF, Seattle...maybe someday.

The lake...

Oh how we love the lake (Lake Sakakawea, btw)...

driftwood <3

Definitely too cold to swim in the fall, instead we stick to the shore.  Having a rough day?  Go to the lake...it's guaranteed to cheer you up :)...

Oh my goodness...these next pictures...

...show our newest addiction.  Coffee!  Oh boy...yes, my kids drink coffee.  We bought one of those single serving coffee makers, you know the one, and I'm not so sure it was a good idea...hahaha!  We had to pretty quickly make some rules for the coffee consumption around here.  More hot teas, less caffeine, etc.  So funny ;).

This picture right here...

blurry, but that's the beginnings of the SUNRISE my friends ;D

...proof that I have actually been up and out of my house BEFORE the sun is up.  HAHAHA!  I'm the complete opposite of a morning person, so if you know me in real life, you know this is a big deal ;))).  One of our Bountiful Baskets sites here in Williston is pretty early in the morning and the sun is barely starting to light the sky by the time we head back home with our veggies/fruits...

And back to the lake...

...always :)...

This was the first time that just the kids and I went fishing.  They go with just their dad and not me all the time, but he was away working.  I don't touch squirmy bait, I don't touch squirmy fish, so I don't take kids fishing...it's just not one of my talents ;). 

"mountain climbing" up the steep bank using a stick for the rope ;)

Dan told me that the biggest boys knew what to do/and could do it, all I had to do was drive them...

...and he was right!  The kids did great, I was so proud of them :). 

We (well, they) fished til sunset, then we packed it up and headed back to our car.  So beautiful...

See that light in the distance?  The flame?...

That is a flare.  I don't like them, but that's what it is.  This one is HUGE.  It sounds like a jet engine roaring when you go by it...they had to put up those panels because it is so intense.  You can still feel the heat from it way down on the road...

At the end of the lake road, there were some horses this day...

We just had to stop, my girl looooves horses :)...

She stood there, watching them watch her until it got too dark...

Her wish is to have a horse of her very own...that makes it my wish, too.  One day, baby girl, one day...

Summertime in the far north...

If I had to sum up our summer in just two words, it would be...Lake Sakakawea.

To be more precise, Lewis and Clark State Park...the swim beach...

Close enough to Williston that we didn't mind making the drive a few times a week.  The drive itself was beautiful, those wheat fields <3...

...yet far enough that apparently most people don't bother.  Only once was the swimming area full, and that was on a holiday.  The rest of the summer it was blissfully empty.  Usually just us and one other family with kids.  Perfect for the kids, perfect for the parents :).

We would always pack a picnic the night before and have everything ready to go, not wanting to waste a minute of our lake time doing that kinda thing.  The summer days this far north are not guaranteed to be sunny and warm.  So, when the forecast says warm you make the most of it.

Daily admission to the park is $5 per car or you can get a one year pass for $20 that is good for all state parks in North Dakota.  Obviously we went with the pass, but if you are only in the area for a day or two the daily price is cheap, too. 

Once we reached the parking area for the beach, the kids were always a ball of wiggles.  "Can we go?  Can we go?  Can we go?"...hahaha

When everyone had grabbed something to carry, they could "go".  I have never had such eager helpers ;).

The lake is huge, at nearly 200 miles long it is one of the largest in the country... 

Sand, sun, and waves.  Does it get any better :)?

Well yes, it does if you are a certain little boy that loves sticks.  This place is stick heaven...big ones, little ones, all sizes...

so much pretty driftwood

They had the best time making things...rafts and boats, tipi's, forts...

who needs pool noodles when you can float on logs ;)

they found some rope and began building a raft...

if they ever get it finished they might just sail away ;)

We didn't really see much wildlife down there, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when you're running around barefoot and in a bathing suit.  We saw a few snakes and more dragonflies than I have ever seen in my life.  Clouds of them, it was neat...

While we preferred the warm days for swimming, the cooler days didn't keep us away.  On those days we would load up our fishing poles and go to a different part of the lake (still in the same park) to do some fishing...

...and playing with more sticks ;)...

The fishing was good, we always caught something.  Often we'd let them go, but the ones we took home to eat were really good...

It just amazes me that we pretty much always had the place to ourselves.  I just can't imagine NOT wanting to go out there...for us, getting away from town and all the noise was not optional.  Not for me anyway.  I like towns for the physical conveniences they provide, they can be fun.  But natural spaces are where I feel truly alive.  Corny?  Maybe.  But it's true.

Ya'll can have the cities and towns, I'll take this anyday...