PART I

My trip to take the kids to visit Ron was a rocky start! We were going to go conference weekend (the first weekend in April) but the big boss was going that same time.  I didn't want to get over there and just be in the way the whole time!! So...we waited. I thought about going as soon as the boss left, but then I wouldn't be around when my best friend Pam had her baby! (Ron knew she was going to come first for this one!!) I told her I would take her 3 older kids becuase her mom wasn't going to be around for this one! She had her baby  I went and picked them up the next Friday.  They came and played while I got everything packed and ready to go on Saturday! When I took them home my brakes randomly started smoking...BAD!  Luckily Taylor was there checked them out and thought they were okay, but said to bring it to him at the shop and he'd take a closer look before I left. He couldn't tell what the problem was so I took off to Menan to see everyone before we left.  It happened again.  I decided I better take it to the tire store before I left on our trip.  I didn't want to get stuck in the middle of nowhere Montana with bad brakes!! Saturday morning the tire store said that I had a bad caliper and they couldn't get one until Monday!  I called Ron and told him the bad news, 15 minutes later he called me back and said his brother Blair was headed to go get one and to meet him in Idaho Falls ASAP!  By noon we were fixed and ready to go.  But by now I was exhausted and still had to pack the car, so we went to bed early and got up and left at 4:30 Sunday morning.  Madilyn was so happy she couldn't stop smiling!!

Landon wasn't sure what to think!

After a few hours int he car Madilyn finally crashed!

and Landon was having a good ole time watching movies and eating snacks!

The plan was for me to meet Ron in Stanley.  When I got to Glendive he wasn't even close so I changed my route and headed to Killdeer!  We finally got there, met him at the truckstop where he was doing his laundry!  The kids were bouncing off the walls playing with dad!  Madilyn had it in her mind the that she was going to stay with dad and me and Landon were going back home by oursleves.  She kept asking when we (Landon and I) were leaving!! She got to ride with Dad to collect paperwork on the way up to Stanley, while Landon and I followed in the car! Madilyn was in high heaven...Landon on the other hand didn't agree one bit!  His feelings were hurt and he cried and cried and cried!

This is what their canyons look like! Can you imagine driving this stretch in a semi, 3 inches of ice on the roads, and NO GAURD RAILS?!?!

The landscape is completely different than anything I have ever seen!

This is about as much as we saw of Ron...always on the phone!  My farmer has turned into quite the business man, bluetooth and all! (Although, he's still just as rough with his phones and can't keep one for more than a month!)

The kids did AMAZING for how much time we spent in the pickup!

They made the best of their time in and out of the pickup!

While we were there we swiched back and forth sleeping in hotels and in the motor home.  Tuesday night I wanted to stay in Dickinson.  Ron's trucks were closer down there and it would give us a good head start on our way back home.  We called every hotel in Dickinson EVERYTHING was booked, we even tried all the little dinky towns outside of it! We didn't find any vacancies until BEACH, ND...the last town before crossing the border into Montana! We were lucky to get the room that we did!  The little old lady running the inn said she had been turning people away all night!  Fifteen minutes before we called she said she looked and had one key left! It was an old motel, with only one bed. But we didn't care...and neither did the kids!!!