My 6,000 Mile Road Trip - Part 3

Ben's graduation from EOD training was an exciting event for all of us.

We are so proud of him as it is a tough school to get through. He finished 2nd in his original class. 

Military ceremonies are always neat to go to.

 They fill me with such a sense of patriotism and appreciation for those defending our country.

Grandpa and Ben

Grandpa, Ben and Grandma

They held the graduation at the EOD Memorial Wall. Sobering yet it fills you with gratitude and admiration for those willing to put their lives on the line.

Ben's class before graduation.

Grandpa had the honor of pinning Ben's crab pin on.

Me, Ben and DJ

I love this boy (young man :) to the moon and back!

Heather, Ben and Danielle

EOD Memorial Wall

A pretty restaurant next to the one we celebrated Ben's graduation at.

I have no idea what kind of flowers these are but they were so beautiful!

They have fun together :)

Each one a wonderful gift.

This was where Ben picked for his graduation dinner. It was fabulous!

My 6,000 Mile Road Trip ~ Part 2

We took 3 days to drive from South Dakota to Florida.

 My original plan was to take a day or so longer than that so we could sight see on the way down but......all 3 of us were so excited to see Ben and spend time with him that we decided to just get there! 

We spent our first night in Clinton, Missouri and our second night in Tallulah, Louisiana. 

We saw some beautiful country between Clinton, MO and Little Rock, AR. I would love to go back when I had time to just explore all the back roads. Branson was fascinating to me (even with the hour or so we sat in traffic!). It's so pretty there. 

Driving through part of Louisiana into Mississippi and then into Florida we started feeling claustrophobic as there seemed to be continuous lines of trees along the road. 

We just wanted to see the country we were driving through. 

We dropped down out of Jackson, MS into Mobile, AL. 

We picked up I-10 there and took it through Pensacola then over to Eglin AFB, FL where Ben was. 

We had time to kill when we arrived on Okaloosa Island as Ben was still in school. We found our condo then ate a yummy meal at The Crab Trap across the street ( oh, that crazy, busy street! ). Those hush puppies were amazing!

One of my very favorite men in the whole world :)

Inside The Crab Trap

This was underneath The Crab Trap

 

Parking lot decor

Floyd's Shrimp House ~ next to The Crab Trap

My Ben! I'm so proud of him ~ I sure do miss him though!

Ben asking Grandpa if he will pin the EOD crab pin on for him at graduation. Of course Grandpa was thrilled.

It was such a great experience eating out in Ft. Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island and Destin. Everywhere we went the atmosphere was interesting and fun. The food was fabulous no matter where we went! This picture is inside of Helen Back's.

Out back at Helen Back's.

Curious name ~ Great food! I had a french dip sandwich with cream cheese on it.

Destin Harbor Boardwalk ~ This was a fun place to walk around. So many eye catching colors not to mention the incredible Emerald Coast it's located on!

 

 

Look at the lovely sugary, white sand.

This cracked us up ~ Hadn't seen one before.

 

 

DJ and the girls were able to fly down for a couple of days. We celebrated Dani's 21st birthday at the condo :)

 

Part 3 next...

My 6,000 Mile Road Trip - Part 1

 

Road trips........That wonderful feeling of packing up the car and hitting the open road.

Driving away from your home, your town, your state. Leaving behind the routine of daily living and heading for unknown adventures.

May 21st I did just that. I headed for South Dakota to pick up DJ's mom and dad. 

Our destination was Okaloosa Island, Florida to visit Ben and be there for his graduation.

 I have a huge dislike for flying and I had the time so I decided a 6,000 mile road trip was a much better idea! 

My in laws were more than happy to join me, even though they don't mind flying.

 I'm so glad they did! We had a wonderful time.

 I will always look back fondly on that time with them :)

Wyoming - on my way to South Dakota

This church caught my eye as I was traveling through miles of prairie land. Yes, I had to stop and explore a little bit :)

Simple but beautiful. I am sad to say that when DJ and I went to South Dakota two weeks ago this church was completely burnt to the ground. That sweet little tree is now a black pole against the blue sky. St. Basil's Church was on the National Register of Historic places. Local families had restored it and took care of it for many years.

Pretty day on the prairie.

So many stories inside those walls.

I'm thankful for all the farmers who work so hard.

Part 2 coming soon :)

Hello :)

There is a gentle but steady rain this morning.

 The air has a coolness to it that reminds me of an early autumn day.

I've been studying through Psalm 119 this summer. 176 verses repeating the theme that God's Word is truth, more powerful than any law on earth, able to keep us from going astray if we take time to study and know His ways.

I encourage you to spend time with God today. Search His Word. It is Truth and Life to all who seek Him.

I am going through pictures that go clear back to April!

I have quite a few blog posts to do from those pictures :) A two week trip to Oregon (including 2 days at the beach with my younger sister :) , a three week road trip to Florida with my wonderful mother and father in law ( we had such a good time :), outings up in the mountains, and so on.

So, I will be back soon to share some adventures with you!

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

~Psalm 119:105

A Walk Under Beautiful Blue Skies

 We've had such a mild winter so far. Our highs have been in the 50's and low 60's quite a bit in the past month. This past weekend we took the dogs up to Pineview Reservoir and let them run on the beach. 

They were so happy! 

There is still a layer of ice on much of the water but that didn't keep the boys from running in the water :)

Koda

Koda, DJ and Max ~ The ice was such a pretty blue.

 

The boys running in a little swirl of fog.

It's very shallow where Koda is walking on the ice.

The sky was so blue and it was 60* ~ we wore tshirts. Not your average Utah February weather!

 

 More wisps of fog.

Reflection of trees.

My best friend :) I admire him so very much!

We also took the boys up to Old Snowbasin Rd. and walked a few miles. They love getting out in nature as much as we do!