Cruise 2012

Okay, so I know my last post about dating was a little heavy about my journey in dating and how I emotionally had to deal some things to get to the point that I am. I did that because I know there are other widows out there who have the same fears that I had. I did it because I know wanted people to know that moving on from my past was a very hard thing. A very good thing for us- but hard. 

But, 

Dating has not been all difficult. Dating Kyle has been amazing, in fact, many of you know that Kyle and I are engaged! I’m so excited. He’s amazing and I’m happier then I ever thought I could be especially considering where I was eighteen months ago. Dating him has been such a fun adventure. We’ve had plenty of trails that we’ve had to deal with and get through together. Dating this time around, after having been married for six years, is a totally different ball game. Dating as a single mother adds a whole new element to it. Trying to blend our two families together has been a roller coaster. 

But we’ve already handled so much and I know that we can handle lots of the things that are going to get thrown our way because of our pasts and families and just life. I know we’ll be a stronger couple because of it. 

We’d only been dating for three months when we went of a cruise together with a group of friends. How crazy is that? 

The craziest thing is that we booked the cruise only a week after we’d started dating. :) I have to admit that I was a little freaked out to book a nonrefundable cruise with this guy I’d only been dating for a week. I mean, what if we didn’t like each other in three months?

I’m so glad that I did. We had so much fun! 

Here are just some of the highlights from our fun on the boat. 

 

 

 

 

Yes. We had an odd number of guys to girls. Jen's husband, Clint couldn't make it so Jen came to be the chaperone for Kyle and I. Akward. Sorta. Awesome. YES! This is one of many pictures of Kyle and his two women. :) 

 

The first day in Cabo San Lucas. We stayed on the beach for most of the day. When we got hungry, we had to go find some authentic tacos. 

 

Cabo the second day, we went on to a ziplining tour where we rappelled and rock climbed our way through a desert canyon. 

 

In Puerto Vallarta, we rented a van and spent the day touring around the authentic parts of Puerto. My favorite part of the trip was going to a non-touristy beach, making friends with some guys, hanging out at their house and snorkeling with equipment that we rented from him. We saw sting rays and turtles. 

I LOVED this trip. It was so amazing to go and spend ten days with Kyle. 

One thing that I’ve really love about dating Kyle (okay, I could go on for a long time here…) is that it’s just been real life. There is no show, no pretending. I think the first time he came to my house, there were dirty dishes in the sink, toys all over the floor, Leah was freaking out about something and I had to spend some time calming her down and getting her ready for bed. Not exactly the greatest impression, eh? 

After having been married and then being alone for as long as I have, the thing that I want most is just normal real life. 

I can’t wait to have Kyle come home from work each night. I can’t wait for boring evenings of dinners, playing with the kids, getting them ready for bed and watching TV together. I’m excited to work in the yard and run errands, for lazy Sunday mornings and dealing with the kids. 

We’ve even planned a very small, very simple wedding. I just don’t care about a wedding. I want a marriage. 

Those are the things that I used to take for granted and now it sounds like a perfect, real -life fairy tale. 

Hopefully, with another cruise or two :) 

Black Hills Part 2

Okay, so I realize that this is a ridiculously long post. So long that blogger is forcing me to do it in two posts. And no one besides me and Steph will really care. But here I go, journaling away.

*If you really want to follow or journey through the Black Hills, start at the last post*

After Jewel Cave, we spent the rest of the day doing touristy stuff around Keystone and Custer. 

 

 

I was really excited to find out that there really was a Custer County Market. I wrote one into my book and thought I was totally making it up. Now I have to rewrite my book to make it match what’s really there. *sigh* this book will never be done.
 

We splurged and had an awesome sisterly dinner and made good friends with the waitress there all the while hoping that the weather would miraculously clear so we could go rock climbing on Saturday. 
 

Boo. 

It was the worst day. The cancelled our tour and refunded our money. That was seriously what we’d come to South Dakota to do. Everything else was just a bonus. We were there to rock climb. 6 hours with a guide to teach us everything about rock climbing. Boo. Boo. Boo.

We decided to go hiking on some trails that took us right up to Cathedral Spires. I was excited to get up close with them and see them again. 

This is what I found:

 

This was Thursday. 
 

 

This was Saturaday. 

Can you believe that fog?? You couldn’t even see them at all. Though I was disappointed about the weather on this trip, I would've been SO angry if the fog had been this thick the whole time and I never got to see the Spires at all.

 

The hike was still really cool - hiking through the snow-- The fog gave the whole place an eerie feeling and again made me feel like I was stepping right into my book. 

At the end of the trail, someone placed all the logs in a giant peace sign. 

The trail map marked this trail as “strenuous” Which, I guess it would be if you were a 400 lbs man with arthritis.  

 

This is me. Trying to look like I've been on a stendous hike. 

 

Stephanie does a much better strenous face.
 

See the top of that spire? That's some of our rock climbing friends. That's the closest we got to rock climbing this whole time.

 

On the day we had to leave, this is what we woke up to sunny, blue skies. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I guess we’ll just have to go back there and try to rock climb. 

It was seriously the most amazing trip EVER. It wasn’t a traditional trip like Disneyland or the beach. We just went to some random location and learned everything about that place and I LOVED it. 

On the way home, I took some NON-DROWSY Dramamine so I wouldn’t get car sick while I was working on my pictures - the label lied. I was so tired, I was loopy. I had to pull over and make Stephanie drive for two hours while I passed out. AGAIN: Greatest sister ever. A few days after , I found that she'd stolen my phone and took a picture of me sleeping - mouth open and drool running down my chin. 

I thought about posting it. 

But I won't. 

I don't love you THAT much Steph :)