NAPid city

here i am on monday recalling the events of the weekend. ill give a brief recap...great friends, ryan, misti & baby abigayle (okay, she's still one with misti, but she was definitely present and accounted for) flew in late thursday for an exciting weekend in good old rapid city. pat and i thought of all the fun (two to be exact) things we could do mid winter in the dakotas. the first was skiing/snowboarding at a nearby slope but probably not the best option for abigayle hiding out in utero, so onto fun idea #2, hanging out at our favorite local winery and enjoying the huge stone fireplace and incredibly friendly owners. again, not a great option for baby abigayle. selfishly, we did not want to discourage some of our favorite people from making the trip all the way from seattle to visit us, so we promised fun would be had all the while secretly knowing there really isnt much to do when it is 20 below with the wind chill. alas, our friends arrived and we made plans to see mt. rushmore (always a hit with visitors) except it was cold. i dont mean just kind of cold. i mean you couldnt feel your fingers, your snot froze immediately and you couldnt stop shivering cold. after less than 5 minutes outstide soaking up the sight of mount rushmore along with the 30 mph winds, misti jumped back in the car with tears (lots of them) streaming down her face. initially, i thought she was recovering from some emotional trauma she had just endured, but even numb, she was smiling and telling me it was the "brisk" wind that caused the tears. how do you top that kind of fun??? you head to the winery, do some wine tasting, warm up by the fire and eat some really yummy breads and cheeses (unless youre the preggie friend, misti, in which case you graciously and patiently wait for the fun to not involve substances that could harm your baby). friday night entailed naps, dinner, another nap and bedtime. on saturday, after everyone had morning naps, we went to the other b.d.s (big damn statue as pats uncle vince calls it), crazy horse. yep. its just crazy. but at least the visitor center is just a few feet from the car and we were able to brave the elements of extreme cold to make it inside. very interesting. saturday afternoon naps led into dinner and after dinner naps and during a&m beating the heck out of k.u. naps. we kept apologizing for the lack of f-u-n to be had here in the coldest weather we have ever personally experienced in s.dakota, but it didnt make us feel any better. on sunday, we went to church and had to cut the afternoon nap short in order to make it to the airport. the drive to the airport is certainly the most scenic drive in the city with broken down buses hanging out in pastures and the worlds most expansive trailer park (that ironically looks abondoned if not for the unbelievably high volume of cars parked throughout). i always try and encourage friends to book flights arriving in the evening so we can pick up after work and depart in the evening so we can maximize the time of fun, but the truth is, i just dont want that pitiful drive to and from the airport to be the first and last impression of our current place of residence. im sure ryan and misti would have noticed the scenery if they weren't struggling to stay awake having missed their nap. ah yes. a great time with friends with a great amount of naps packed into the already busy itinerary of fun. we are just hoping some of our favorite friends allow us to redeem ourselves as tour guides at our next place of residence...korea.