A Noteworthy November

Let me begin by filling everyone in on my health. So the results of the heart monitor confirmed everything the EKG said, I have a 1st degree Atrial Ventrical Block. The good news is, my doctor doesn't seemed to be worried about- she told me I can resume all normal activities and unless I start to feel light headed or have fainting spells then they will put me on meds to help regulate the heart beat. In the meantime I'm still trying to figure my new normal- abnormal heart beat and not stress about it. I've also emailed my dad's friend who's a cardiologist just to get his thoughts on everything. Again, Thank you so much if you've prayed for me and my heart situation. God is good and for now things are great.

Now for some pictures of course... A lot of pictures of course :)

 Mt. Rushmore

 Powerful words at the Crazy Horse Monument Museum

 Broncos SuperBowl Trophies came to Valor

 Tally with the Broncos Cheerleaders

 Aricin's soccer team

 He scored his first goal this fall and got his first trophy

 We made a Thankful Tree for November

 With her new princess dolls from her birthday

 Had a sweet visit with one of my besties and bridesmaids, Kimber

 Operation Christmas Child- the kids loved this

 Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

 Aricin's new buddy Kailan

 The Badlands 

 More of Mt. Rushmore

 The girls

 Aricin and Kai

 Us with Fernanda (Producer for Shark Wrangler TV show)and Brad (In the band Dispatch)

 Crazy Horse Monument

 We found a horn

 We just started the Elf on the Shelf tradition keep posted for more pics in December...

 Aricin's new favorite book- He makes me replace the kids name with Aricin and the baby brother's name with Oliver

 Same author, Talia's new favorite book. She makes me repalce her name and the dogs name with our dog, Jeremiah.... what would we do without Library's

 Aricin thought it was the coolest thing to see dead honey badgers and porcupines- they had just killed them to make a headdress for a pow wow

 Aricin and his buddy Cody watching Mitchell Laso a horse at their house

 Tally and Aricin's turkey's on thanksgiving on the res.

 More Badlands

Sorry at the lack of order in the pictures, they were kind of all over the place. So for Thanksgiving we got invited to go to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with a small group of people (10 adults and 10 kids). We made an awesome Thanksgiving feast, and were able to deliver some firewood, blankets, and clothes to them. It was awesome to be able to go on our first mission trip together as a family. Pine Ridge is in the southwest corner of South Dakota and has a population of about 30,000 people. The 3 counties that make up pine ridge are the poorest 3 counties in the country. The unemployment rate is 80% and the alcoholism rate is also 80%. The suicide rate is extremely high and the conditions that these people live in is heartbreaking. A lot of people are living in hold FEMA trailers donated after Hurricane Katrina via New Orleans- these trailers are coated with visible mold and yet it's better then anything else. We stayed at a Casino on the Res which you would think is a big money maker, but we learned last year each resident on the res. got a check for about 27 cents from the profits. Each Lakota tribe member is given land on Pine Ridge and a lot of times the land is inaccesable so they lease the land out to wealthy american ranchers who consequentially made Billions last year- a lady we met told us last year she got a check for $24 dollars for the year to lease her lands to the ranchers. The whole situation is both frustrating and heartbreaking. As you drive the roads on the Res, you pass lots of markers showing where people have died from drunk driving- it's eerie. One of the days we were driving and Aricin asked "Why are the peoples houses hear all old and cracked? We don't they just buy new houses?" We told him that they didn't have enough money to buy new houses. His response "Well mom, why don't we give them some of our money to help them." Aaron and I looked at each other and smiled because he's getting it- we want our kids to have broken hearts for others and to desire to help others. Our time at Pine Ridge was good and hard. We went to the Wounded Knee Massacre and learned a little about America's history with the Native American's and it's sad. The more i learned the more embarassed I am at how we treated the Native American's. So many Indian Chiefs were shot in the back under a white peace treaty flag by our soldiers- it's terrible. All and all we look forward to returning to Pine Ridge and reconnecting with some of our new friends on the reservation.