Faith's Monumental Visit to South Dakota

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When I received my niece, Sydnee's graduation announcement in the mail, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to visit my brother and his family for the first time at their home in Spearfish. I also thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see Mount Rushmore, which I had never seen before!  My nephew in Nebraska was graduating that same weekend, and my sister Dawn and I tried to put together a plan where we could go to both of their graduation receptions. I knew though, that Faith would feel left out and would want to go, too. I also knew it was going to be difficult to find someone to look after Faith over Memorial Day weekend.  Our finalized plan involved Dawn traveling to South Dakota with me and Faith and then her flying to Nebraska by herself. Faith and I would then drive back to Bismarck by ourselves.  3 adventurous travelers  I must admit, as the trip got closer, I started to get a little anxious about how Faith was going to do with so much drivi...
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A 40th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

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On June 3rd of this year, my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. It wasn't until this past weekend, however, that they were able to celebrate the momentous occasion with their five kids, eight grandchildren, and a few of their siblings as well.

The festivities began on Friday when my family arrived from Nebraska, Montana, parts of North Dakota and from across town right here in Bismarck. My youngest sister and younger brother fed the large group at a picnic at Sertoma Park with grilled burgers, hotdogs, homemade potato salad and lots of other goodies.

On Saturday, we all reunited where the celebration continued on the Lewis and Clark Riverboat on the Missouri River. Unfortunately, due to the high winds, the boat was unable to go anywhere but it was nice, nonetheless. It did not escape anyone's mind that last year around the same time the very parking lot on which we all parked our vehicles had been well under water.

Faith loved her first time on a boat, even though it wasn't going anywhere!

The family took advantage of the opportunity of all being together by taking lots and lots of photos. Amber, my sister-in-law said that before marrying Mark she never knew of such a crazy picture-taking family.

The highlight of our time on the riverboat was my parents renewing their vows. It was a very sweet moment and us girls and maybe even a few of the guys were all in tears. My brother Todd did a great job officiating and stating what a rarity 40 years of marriage was in today's society.


Mom and Dad are definitely to be commended for raising their five kids in times of hardship and some of the challenges that they faced, including a few near-death experiences in the oilfield for my dad. They serve as a great example for me, my siblings and our spouses that no matter how tough it gets, it is best to stick it out together!

The Lawlars and their wonderful, great-looking spouses!

Dad and mom with the whole family.

After the riverboat experience, we all went our separate ways to get ready for the 40th wedding anniversary dinner held at the Bistro. We had a beautiful private room, delicious food, great conversation and a fantastic slideshow that Amber so beautifully put together.

The slideshow took us all down memory lane from the time my dad was a little boy riding a Shetland pony to he and my mom's high school prom. There were lots of photos of us kids growing up and of course photos of the eight grandkids who are already growing up way too fast. An added bonus was that we all received a copy of the slideshow on DVD as a parting gift!

Enjoying a great dinner in honor of my mom and dad

It was a wonderful weekend, and we will all have many memories to take away from this celebration. I'm sure it will be a time that is instilled in the hearts of my parents for many years to come.

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