Y Tournament

Since Nathan's team had less than a handful of games this past winter due to weather, they played in the Aberdeen Y Tournament.

The 7th graders placed 3rd in their bracket.

The freshman team also had a successful tournament and placed 2nd in their bracket.

NSU Science Fair

Both Landen and Nathan placed 1st in their respective categories at our local Science Fair this past year, and so earned a trip to the NSU Science Fair.

Landen won a U.S. Air Force Award for his project that tested the shape of ship keels.

Nathan did not place at NSU with his project that tested different types of manure fertilizer, but he was on the Northwestern Quiz Bowl team that placed 2nd.

Spring flooding

We had a few days of rushing water as the snow and ice began to melt.

It had been several years since we have had flooding around our farm. The worst part is the inconvenience of not having our usual roads in and out of the farm. We are thankful for the moisture, though, and that nothing was damaged.

Grand Canyon

Perhaps--maybe--an equally grand experience in Arizona was the Grand Canyon. :)

It was the 2nd time we had found ourselves within driving distance, and so we decided that this time a road trip was in order for the day before we returned home. 

Our trip started with a forest of saguaro cacti near Mesa, progressed into a forest, which still held snow, and even included mountains. 

We thought it might be hot, as the forecast for Scottsdale was in the 80's, but we learned that the Grand Canyon doesn't share the same forecast. The day was cool, and the rim of the canyon still had snow on it, too. After finding a place to park during a busy day at the canyon, we did a little hiking around the rim.

The colors and scenery changed several times as we hiked around a small part of the south rim and then drove farther east. It was even prettier in the later afternoon as the sun highlighted different areas.

Garth Show #6--Glendale

This year's vacation destination was decided in November when we secured two tickets to see Garth at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, on March 23. 

Here are a few highlights we learned/experienced while in Arizona . . . .

1. Reserve your car ahead of time. 

We arrived at the airport to find--no cars! This had never happened to us before. As it turns out, it was a busy weekend for Phoenix, and the concert wasn't even first on the list of events. As we hopped in the taxi to drive to another rental place, the taxi driver said he hadn't heard the name Garth Brooks in a long time. Whaaaattt? I told him my husband hears me say it too much. :) At that point, I realized we weren't in South Dakota anymore, where Sioux Falls devotes pretty much all of its news coverage and attention to Garth for weeks ahead of time and weeks after, too!

2. Reserve your parking spot--because it's fun.

Because they were expecting 75,000 people for the concert and another 25,000 for other events in the Glendale area, it was suggested to reserve a parking spot and arrive between noon and 4 p.m. to avoid the worst of the traffic. We arrived at about 1:30 p.m. and, after turning around several times to find the right parking lot, finally found the Red Lot. We were caught off guard when the parking attendant asked us our name. We answered "Melius." They found our name on a list and let us in. We felt so important. That was fun. :)

3.  Discover the area. 

Since we had several hours before the show, we walked a few blocks away from the stadium and found the Westgate Entertainment District. It was here where we met some nice Garth fans, and were glad we arrived at the restaurant when we did after the rest of the 75,000 started to arrive. We finally entered the stadium an hour and a half or so ahead of time--plenty of time to walk around and meet some more Garth fans.  I even got to take an excited couple's photo. So fun.

4.  If you're not going to stand/sing/dance/scream for 2-3 hours, watch Garth on TV.

No matter how many Garth concerts I go to, I always fall into the anticipation that builds in the seconds before it starts. I feel like I'm 18 again and back in Bismarck, ND, at my very first concert as the clock counts down to 0. . . the music starts and Garth appears. . . . always in a different way. 

And then I choose to remain 18 until it's over. . . standing/singing/dancing/screaming and crying as he sings "The River" and the place lights up.

A huge shout out to Section 204--thank you, thank you, for getting into the concert so that I could, too. :)

Section 204 wasn't close enough for a sign or an air hug from Garth this time, but the concert was a fabulous experience as always. As we drove back to our rented condo, David asked if I was "Garthed-out." 

Never!

And that brings me to my final point. . . .

5. Life is short. See Garth as much as possible.

With 6 shows at about 3 hours each, I have been blessed to spend about 18 hours of my life in the same room with Garth singing along to the music that has made up so much of the past almost 30 years of my life.

Garth said he is hoping for 30 more years.

I will be there.

**Thank you to our children's grandparents who made this trip, and several others, possible!! :)