Finding Springtime Fun in the Black Hills

After my parents returned to California last week the house felt very quiet (& a bit lonely). Not to mention, the dishes are not getting done nearly as quickly :)

We had a really fun visit with them and were overwhelmed by their gererousity in working on house projects with us as well as taking our family out to eat a number of times, purchasing some needed home improvement items and buying groceries for us. They also babysat so Jason & I could go on our first kid-free date in over a year (we got to celebrate our 11 year anniversary on the actual day!)

My parents perfectly timed their visit for the start of Springtime here in Rapid City (in the middle of MAY!) and we all got to enjoy the beauty of the season.

Even with my Mom's walking boot we did quite a bit of exploring in the region: visiting the DC Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish on opening day, stopping at the geographic 'Center of the Nation', wandering the beautiful grounds at the 'Chapel in the Hills', checking out some awesome aircraft at the Air & Space Museum and picnicing at the beautiful Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.