Trail of Tears

(or how I got a scholarship)

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Many, many moons ago, white man come to Indian territory. Ug. He come with squaw. Him see land, it good.

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White man build wigwam, say land his now. Him tell Indian, “no come back”. Ummm.

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Braves fight. Ug. Many go to happy hunting ground. Squaw say wait, no more die.

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Squaw go to big chief washington, cry heap big tears. Wahh. Big chief have wise plan:

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Make tribe inside big tribe. Ummm. Indian live with white man.

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White man keep land. Indian make heap big money. Friends now.

 

Editors note: Amy, Stacie and Lance are registered Potawatomi Indians and visited their tribal grounds in OK. Amy and Stacie received college scholarships from their tribal benefits. Indians were always good at survival.

Precious Moments

Our trip was filled with many happy memories. We all enjoyed a stop at the St. Louis zoo.

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“Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the spider to the fly.

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Lance wasn’t so sure about the carousel – didn’t laugh, didn’t cry, just rode.

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We all loved the penguins!

And while the kids merely tolerated the car ride, they loved the breaks!

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Wrestling match during a lunch break.

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Posing with Aunt Stacie in TN                             Sacked out after a hike.

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Stacie and I saw a billboard advertising the Precious Moments museum, so on a whim we persuaded Brian to stop and see what it was all about. There were some beautiful Bible paintings and there were many larger-than-life replicas of the dolls.

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Precious Moments – How could life with these two cuties be any different?

Fall

In celebration of the time change (had to come up with something) I thought I’d post some fall pictures from our vacation.

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Look

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Leaf

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Lake

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Landing

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Lance (and family).

And speaking of fall…here’s a video that Benj. put together of our hiking activities.

Weekend surprise!

My Mom called Friday morning with an exciting plan to visit us that very day! Apparently she was getting desperate to hold a baby, thus proving my theory  that if you put enough cute pictures of the grandkids on the web, grandma will have to visit. Aunt Katie came too 🙂

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We had a whirlwind tour of Ft. Worth attractions. First stop was the Stockyards where we watched a cattle drive – Lance kept staring down the street in awe after the cattle passed.

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Next stop was the zoo, where we got up close to the gorilla,

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actually saw the hippos moving,

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and were entertained by the big cats –  hearing the lions and tigers roar!

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However, Lance’s favorite by far was feeding the birds!

 

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Our last stop was the Botanical Gardens where we enjoyed the fountains, the flowers and the peaceful atmosphere.

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Ivy was voted angel of the day.

Hiking

And now back to our regularly scheduled program: Tips for the Trail

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For optimal fun and safety, always hike in groups.

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To minimize lost persons, use the buddy system very small children,…

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… consult your map often and stay on the trail.

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Dress appropriately for the weather.

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Bring back up forms of transportation…

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… and plan hikes of appropriate length for all involved.

Tips for being one with nature:

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Plant life is fragile, respect the woods.

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Only use dead and down wood.

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Look around for creatures in their natural habitat.

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And finally, even if the nature guide says they taste like bananas, don’t sample the foliage.

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