Celebrating Adoption Day & 30 Year Reunion

On the third night of our vacation to South Dakota we met my family and went out to a Chinese Buffet place where you could try a little of almost every known cuisine to mankind.  We were giving gifts to Penny for her Adoption Day, since it was 8 years since she officially became a member of our family.  Somehow the staff must have noticed and assumed it was a special celebration.  They came and gave her a special candle for birthdays, which magically opened like a flower.  It was so incredible and made for a very special memory.

The next day, Saturday, we went out to the small town where Chandra had attended high school.  The small, private Christian high school was having a Ribs at the Ranch celebration and honoring certain classes, of which Chandra's was one, since it's been 30 years since her graduation!

 

The highlight was getting to see a couple of classmates who made it. 

 Actually, 1/3 of our class made it, including me (Chandra), since we had a total number of 9 in our class when we graduated!  It was wonderful to see Michelle and her husband, Mike.  Mike was just a year older than us at the Academy.  

 

And it was awesome to see Sandy, her husband Rob and her adorable children.  It's fun knowing that we both have been blessed to become parents through the incredible gift of adoption.

 

 

  

 

It was also fun to see all of the changes on campus.  The most significant change was the addition of an arboretum. 

 It seemed strange to walk the hallways, again and to think that I was younger than Penny is now when I walked these halls as a student!

Is it possible that this young woman is now growing up to have a new, independent spirit, herself?

My prayer for her is that she will always know the peace that comes from God in her life!

 It was kind of a bittersweet experience, as I also thought about our classmate who went to heaven just a year after graduating.  And it was strange to see so many changes.  I used to stay overnight with my friend, Soukie, so many times and now where her house once stood, there is this empty lot.

 

But, I was reminded of many happy memories, too, especially as the sun went down, of the incredible blessings that I received by growing up in this beautiful place of peace, with so many wonderfully supportive people in my life.  It all served to grow me up in my relationship with my heavenly Father, whom I knew had created this gorgeous world, as a gift for His children.

 

Summer Trip 2017-- Day 3 Pioneer Village & Madison

The third day of our trip we woke up to MUCH cooler weather in Madison, SD!  The only problem with the cold front coming through was that it brought very strong, gusty winds along with it.  But, it still was a relief since it had been 106 degrees two days prior when we were driving through western NE!  It was only in the 50's with the winds gusts making it feel even colder.  But, we decided to put our jackets and long jeans on and venture out to Prairie Village that day. 

 

I remembered going there as a kid.  But, beyond that, I didn't remember anything about it.  It's a fun place to visit and is located right next to Lake Herman.

 

Jay especially enjoyed the part of the museum about the trains.  Unfortunately, the train only runs once per week on the weekend and we were visiting on a weekday.  But, it was fun to see the depot and the roundhouse as well as lots of model trains. 

 

 

I even found the engine which my brothers had when they played with their toy train set. 

 

The most interesting train car they had on site was a car that was actually used as a Chapel.  The name of the train car was "Emmanuel", which means, "God with us".  And even at present couples sometimes get married in that train car.

 

 

 

It was also fascinating to see the poster with hobo symbols, given the fact that Jay's Grandpa went through a stage in life when he lived as a hobo, traveling across the country and taking odd jobs as he moved about. 

Too bad we don't live closer, or Jay could be a railroad volunteer!

We also enjoyed seeing a variety of buildings.

 

My favorite, which brought back great memories was the country church.  I was actually baptized as a baby in a country church that looked very much like this church.

 

It was also fun to see the schoolhouse, which was similar to the one that my dad went to for his elementary school days and my mom attended in Montana.

 

It was also amazing to see the very first building which Lawrence Welk performed in.  I still remember watching his show every Saturday night after we took baths to get ready for church the next day.  They moved this building onto the site and renamed it the Lawrence Welk Opera House.  It was originally a building for the Socialist party.

 

Naturally, we got to see old cabins and houses.  I don't suppose that the pioneer women really looked like this!

 

 Jay poking fun at Penny by making rabbit ears behind her back!

 

 We even caught a criminal while we were there!

Chandra tried to play the piano, but it was so cold that she kept her gloves on and the piano was a bit out of tune!

Penny found one of the first models of electric cars.

 

Jay relaxed outside while we ladies went upstairs in one of the old hotels and found some nostalgic old toys like the doll house that Chandra's mom used to play with.

 

Jay got to pretend to drive a "tractor".

 

Unfortunately, the carousel wasn't running, because it's in need of some repairs.  But, they are getting close to raising all of the money needed to fix it.  Maybe next time we come back it'll be operating again.  It's the only remaining steam powered carousel left in the U.S.

 

We had a lot of fun but started getting headaches from the intense cold wind, blowing plenty of pollen around.  Besides, we were famished, so we decided to go eat at a 50's Diner restaurant, which Chandra's cousin, Kelly recommended.  It's owned by his wife, Beth's brother.  Here were some funny old signs inside.

 

After that we drove around Lake Madison and saw the gorgeous homes built around the lake.

 

 Next, we headed to Sioux Falls and that evening we had fun with Grandpa and Grandma and other relatives, but we'll save that for the next entry....