The Dill Family

Road Trip to South Dakota!

I know a few weeks ago I was writing about how next summer we would make the long drive up to South Dakota when the girls were a little older... but then we had a change of plans! Last week I was talking to my sisters and we thought we should all try to get up to South Dakota this summer to see our Grandma Lois who will be 99 in two weeks. Grandma had been saying she really wanted to see the grandkids and meet Hollyn and Layla so we thought we better go up while she is still doing good. Our plan was to all fly together- Kim, Sara, me and the 5 kids. We must have spent 5 or 6 hours trying to find plane tickets for all of us to go together and it just wasn't going to happen unless we wanted to spend a fortune and go on different days. I decided we probably wouldn't go. The next morning I woke up checking for tickets and same thing, so I asked Brent what he thought about driving and he thought we should do it. So we quickly found someone to watch our dogs and started packing. Kim and Sara did find tickets for them to go together and they leave today! Anyways...we drove the 16 plus hours in one day! The girls were awesome! I expected it to be such a long and miserable ride, but it wasn't at all! Brent and I took turns driving every 3 hours. We said that we will definetly drive that trip again since the girls are such good travelers!
We had a great time in Pierre. I was happy that I was able to get to see my childhood house before my parents move out the end of the month. I had lots of good memories in that house.
And Grandma Lois was so excited to see the girls. I can't believe she is 99 and still has such a great memory! We had a nice time visiting her in the nursing home...we looked at the birds, ate lunch and then took grandma for a walk....actually Hattie took grandma for a walk. Hattie insisted that she push gradma "all by myself"....she did pretty good except running into the rain gage once!! : )
Oh and we had a little excitement...a 3.4 earthquake! Crazy! An earthquake in Pierre, SD...that is unheard of! We were all in the house getting ready to leave when we heard these loud booms and our house starting shaking! We thought it was either a sonic boom, a tree falling, plane crash or gas pipe break. Later on the news it said it was an earthquake! So there in Pierre, we were all in our first earthquake!
Even though our trip was short, everything about it was great..the weather, the food ( Pierre donut shop, zesto, Cattleman's), spending time with family and even the long 16 hour drive! We are so happy we decided to do that little last minute trip!

Hattie was being silly in the car....Hollyn was laughing at her too!

Tiffany, Hollyn and Kirsten

Papa Rick got to see the girls when he stopped in Pierre on his drive to Sioux Falls! Nana Cathy wanted to come to Pierre but was too busy at her work since it was Sturgis Rally time!

Hollyn eating Papa's icecream...later she had her own cone!

I opened my trunk with tons of my old toys...Hattie loved playing with my old cabbage patch dolls and these " Katie and Jodi" dolls that Jodi and I bought about 15 years ago!