Justin and I have officially moved to La Crosse, WI! We arrived (with much help from our wonderful parents) on Saturday and moved most of our belongings into our apartment that evening. We settled things in a bit on Sunday and then promptly left for a 4 day trip to Custer, South Dakota. The trip was a combo celebration: 2 year anniversary (today!), 2 graduations, and the beginning of residency. Exciting stuff!
Our first day we drove 11 hours to Custer, SD, arriving around 7 pm. After checking into our hotel we took advantage of the hotel hot-tub and fell asleep after vegging in front of the TV.
The next morning we discovered that we had neglected to find and bring an inhaler for Justin amidst the moving rubble… oops! We made a few pharmacy phone calls, picked up the inhaler, and were on our way to a full day of hiking! We spent our time in Custer State Park, beginning with Harney Peak and finishing with Little Devil’s Tower. It took us about 7 hours to finish the hikes, but they were BEAUTIFUL! You can see some pics here We finished the day with a few more hot tub soaks and then a nice dinner outside at Sylvan Lake Lodge. It was a beautiful day - we only wished we could have a few more weeks of days like that!
The third day we slept a wee bit later (apparently our out of shape bodies protested the strenuous exercise ;)) and took on a shorter hike called Sunday Gulch. Though this trail didn’t boast a stunning vantage point, the trail itself was our favorite. The gulch descended adjacent to a waterfall so we made our way down the slippery rocks with the welcome assistance of hand rails. (Thank you park rangers!) With the weight of our bodies supported almost entirely by our arms, we were able to gingerly pick our way down the ravine. It was a fantastic hike, but the precarious positions coupled with water at our feet didn’t allow many pictures of our adventure. You’ll have to take my word for it or go see for yourself!
That evening we visited Mt. Rushmore and stuck around to see the lighting ceremony. It was a fun time and gave us a new perspective of the monument. Did you know that they had initially planned to make the sculpture extend beyond the faces and include their shoulders and suit coat/military coat? They ran out of money and the sculptor died so it was “completed” as you see it today. That factoid left me preoccupied, trying to imagine what it might have looked like. Either way, it is an impressive feat!
Our last day we woke up a bit earlier and made our way back home. We made a pit stop at Wall Drug, of course, and then proceeded to Sioux Falls, SD. We had heard that the falls there were pretty impressive and we were not disappointed! Definitely a worthwhile stopping point if you’re driving by. We arrived back to our apartment in its full glory of moving disarray, just in time to crash 
Now that we’re home, Justin is starting orientation today and I’m continuing to settle in. I’ll post pictures of our new home once we’re a little more presentable 
Let the Residency Begin!
Thank you, ice storm!!