Mt. Rushmore and the amazing state of South Dakota

So here is the really long post about our trip over Memorial Day weekend to Mt. Rushmore. There are a lot of pictures, so I'm warning you, but how could there not be with a place like Mt. Rushmore. Dave and I planned this trip with his sister Michelle and her husband Scotty at the beginning of the year and we were all so excited to go!! Dave's aunt and uncle live in a place called Torrington Wyoming which is about 3 hours from Mt. Rushmore so we wanted to go before they are moved again by his uncle's work. The drive was not that bad because we had the amazing travel DVD player and we were able to go with two amazingly fun people, Michelle and Scotty. We had so much fun talking and laughing. So I will explain the pictures as they go down. Enjoy!
This is the Mammoth site on the way to Mt. Rushmore. These are actual Mammoth bones they are still digging up

This is a replica of a mammoth bone.

Wildlife we saw on the trip, bison

This is in the Wind Cave, we took so many pictures here but here are a few.

Yea, for Mt. Rushmore!! Dave took amazing pictures with our new camera so here is a close up.

The monument is way bigger than any of us thought and is amazing in person, nothing like pictures.

This is the best shot that Dave got, in my opinion. The history of this monument is fascinating and if you ever get the chance to go, take it.

Dave and I with Mt. Rushmore in the background

Dave felt like we were getting engagement pictures with this pose but look at that shot with the heads in the background, amazing

The night we were there for the lighting ceremony it started to mist and get foggy, here is a cool shot with the fog.

They invited all the veterans on the stage and then retired the flag and sang the national anthem. I of course cried and thought of my mom and sister who are so patriotic and would have loved it!!

This is the original scale model used to carve the faces

The next day with the fog, good thing we got pictures before, the fog was pretty cool though.

Here is the gang, the fog in the background of course covering the heads.

If any of you get the chance to go or want to put this place on your bucket list I would recommend it. There is nothing else like it in the world. And there is more to do there than you think. South Dakota is not that bad, just remember to get a portable DVD player before you leave!!

Hilarious!!!! You will want to read this post!!

So the other day Dave got his letter from the camera people from his graduation. Dave just looked at the pictures and then handed it to me. I didn't look at it right away but later that night as Dave and I were sitting at our desks I picked up the letter and started laughing hysterically. Dave thought I was laughing at his picture and he got mad and said we were not going to order one. I could not stop laughing and he was getting even more mad. As I handed him the letter I said "Look at your name at the top of the letter". As Dave looked at it he read it out loud "Dave WONKA Kelly". That's right folks, his middle name on the graduation picture letter was WONKA. Even typing this I am laughing hysterically. I asked him what he put down on the piece of paper because I can see him doing something like that at graduation and he said he put down "David Scott Kelly". Well needless to say we ordered a picture and it will say at the bottom "David Wonka Kelly". So now dave's nickname is Wonka, make sure to call him that the next time you see him. He thought it was funny to, but not as funny as I did. I can't tell enough people about it :) I love you David Wonka Kelly!! :)

Happy Birthday Dave

Dave's birthday was a nice relaxing one at home this year. He's worked really hard at school and just wanted to be at home. I was surprised because normally he likes parties but I was happy to just have a night at home with my sweetie. We went to dinner, which ended badly because dave got food poisoning and threw up that night. But he got some cool presents, including a brand new really nice camera. He also got a cool Chuck Norris T-shirt, a star wars kite, the star wars legos Tie Fighter and a new addition to our Ticket to Ride game. Here are some pics. Happy Birthday sweetie!!
I was lazy this year and didn't make a cake. Dave said he wanted cupcakes. So instead of making a million for two of us to eat I bought some at that cupcake place on Highland Drive. They were delicious!!

Happy 31st Birthday sweetie!!

Finally!! The Graduation!!

So the day finally arrived, Dave's graduation. Dave has worked so hard at school. Technically he's not done because he has to go summer semester but I told him he needed to walk for me and for his parents. He didn't want to but I told him it was "closure" for the hard work that he has put into getting his degree. Dave has loved school. He majored in Political Science and really enjoyed his classes. I just wanted to be the proud sappy wife and brag about his accomplishments. Dave has never let anything get in the way of his education and that's one of the things I love most about him. We both value education and the opportunities that it brings into your life. Dave had some hard times with concentrating and his ADD but he persisted and I am so proud of him. He never used that as an excuse to not going to college even though he could have. Congrats sweetie, I love you and am so proud of you!!

I gave Dave some cuff links that he told me he wanted. I figure they were fitting for a political science major. He thinks they are really cool!!

Our little garden

So this is a post about Dave and I's first garden. Since we don't have our own house/yard yet Dave's grandparents allowed us to use their backyard to plant some vegetables. So we planted them a few weeks ago. We planted pumpkins, mini pumpkins, corn, squash, tomatoes, strawberries, and zucchini. We have no idea what we are doing so we will update the blog when we actually see something other than leaves.

Corn

Tomato plants

My little bro's graduation

So this post is for my mom than anybody. I am bragging about my little bro. but it's for my parents on their mission that couldn't be to Jarom's graduation from Snow to get his associate's degree. Not only did my sweet husband go with me, but we cheered on my little brother at my Alma Mater. An associate's degree may not seem like a lot but it's a milestone in the long road of education. I loved Snow college and starting my long road of education there, even though at the time I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My little brother does know what he's doing and I'm really proud of him. He's going into Geography with an emphasis in Geographical Information Systems. He could one day work for the CIA. Cool, huh? Anyways, here are some pics from his graduation, there is a video at the end for my parents to watch, enjoy mom and dad.

My husband and I standing in for my parents since they couldn't be there. We screamed loud for the whole family!!