You're going WHERE!?

So this last weekend was spent in South Dakota. I think one of my favorite things about this trip was actually telling people where I was going.

Me: Guess where I'm going for the Fourth of July!

Someone: Where!?!?!?

Me: South Dakota!

Someone: ... Seriously? What the heck is in South Dakota??

And it would go on from there. I loved seeing people's reactions. Well, in case anyone wasn't aware, James has family that lives in South Dakota, so we went to go visit. Also, I left my camera in Kera's car, so I don't have pictures right now, but I'll try to remember to post them later.

It started out last Wednesday night. Kera and I left at about 6 PM to start our long journey. We left so late in the evening because her adorable boy Ethan would then be able to sleep for most of the drive. The drive with Kera was actually really really fun! We didn't stop talking once until one of us needed to nap. So I slept for about give or take 2 hours, and then I took the wheel and let Kera drive. It was really fun! And the drive, although it took about 13 hours, actually went by really fast. It pretty much rocked. I love road trips :D

Then we finally get to South Dakota and visit with Angela (Kera and Kenzi's mom) and I'm finally able to go to sleep. They have a pretty sweet shed that has AC and is set up for people to hang out in, so I slept in there for a few hours. After that, we went to visit some family. That pretty much sums up the first day.

The next day was when Derek and James finally left to come up. They left on Friday morning. Derek and his son Cameron came up from Arizona to Utah on Thursday night, picked up James, and kept driving all the way to South Dakota starting early Friday morning. So, that day was spent just hanging out and getting to know everyone. Then James and Derek finally arrived, but they were so tired from the long drive that they pretty much just went to bed, while Kera, Kenzi, and I went to see Eclipse! It was seriously so good. Sooo much better than the first two movies! I liked it a lot :)

The next day, we all went to the river! We had a wave runner that we all took turns driving, and some people went tubing, and we spent a lot of time just swimming. It was great being able to get to know all of those people and to spend time with James doing activities we don't normally do.

Then there was Sunday! I went to church with everyone, and Kera and I were trying to figure out which classes to go to for the 2nd and 3rd hour. We decided that since she had her little boy Ethan that we'd visit the nursery, and then help Kenzi teach her lesson. However, little did we know that we'd get stuck in nursery! As soon as we got there, the other adults left, and left Kera and I alone there with kids we didn't even know. I was really annoyed that people would just hand over their jobs to people who didn't even go to that church. After church, the rest of the day was just spent relaxing and enjoying each others company. We watched the fireworks from on top of their hill in the back yard, and it was sooo pretty. Pictures to come soon...

The next day, we went out to the river again. James, Kenzi, Angela and I decided to take some kayaks out and we went for a couple of hours down the river. It was absolutely beautiful and so much fun, and not to mention a great exercise!

That night we all played games together like bananagrams, battle of the sexes, and catch phrase! The next day was spent just relaxing and getting ready to come back to Provo. The drive was a lot longer on the way back due to the many stops we had to do, but all in all, I had a lot of fun. This vacation was definitely worth it, and I got to know James' family better and have a great time!