Springtime out West {A Trip to South Dakota}

It's that time of year again... time to visit my parents out west! Joe and I hadn't been back to South Dakota since August, so we were well overdue for a trip.  We coordinated with my sister and her husband to drive up together, and Joe and I flew in to Denver instead of Rapid City, since it's about twice the price to fly direct to little R.C.  We had a great long weekend, full of eating, drinking, talking about cooking, laughing, cooking, and then drinking some more!  Plus a little gambling, some outdoor exploring, and a little more eating. It was such a relaxing trip, and wonderful to spend some time recharging with some of my favorite people.

Quick lunch with my brother on our way through Fort Collins!

We had to take a quick sibling picture. I'm sad I didn't get to spend
more time with my bro, but glad we at least got to have lunch.
Brendan, we'll just have to see you in California next month!

Wyoming was flat but pretty, up until it started snowing a bunch! 

We had to visit the Independent Ale House, my dad's favorite bar. They have a great selection of craft beer on tap, and a lot of it is more local to that area. It's a pretty friendly place, and way more our style than a lot of the other places around Rapid City.

Toasting the fact that they married in to an awesome family!

No trip to Rapid City is complete without a trip "downtown"...

Far too excited about making crepes!

Doughnuts are an important part of vacation.

I love letting my mom cook for me. She's got mad skills.

When we managed to leave the kitchen, it was time to head up to Deadwood. We've been there before, and love the wild west vibe combined with some classic gambling. The highlight of this trip was playing live blackjack at one of the tables, but apparently you're not allowed to take pictures! I was proud that I was able to entertain myself for hours while only spending $5.00. Cheap date, right?

It's hard to take good pictures in a casino,
but I thought the dark picture was kind of fitting.

I was far too excited by all that gambling!

And back to my parents for a little more eating and drinking. I wish we lived closer to my whole family, but at least we get to really enjoy our time together a couple times a year. I'll keep trying to convince them all to move to Chicago, as unlikely as it might be!

It was real, South Dakota. 

I'm pretty sure my parents won't call you home forever, but we've had some good times. 

Thanks for giving us city slickers a taste of the great outdoors!