Visiting the Smiths - Wyoming and Colorado

I had such a great time reuniting with the Smiths last week. It was great to see how Kayla and Sierra have grown. They did have school while we were there, but that didn't stop them from introducing my girls (and me) to DDR. Actually, Jenn turned it on for us while the girls were still in school. DDR stands for Dance, Dance, Revolution.

In Dance Dance Revolution, a player must move his or her feet to a set pattern, stepping in time to the general rhythm or beat of a song. During normal gameplay, arrows scroll upwards from the bottom of the screen and pass over stationary, transparent arrows near the top (referred to as the "guide arrows" or "receptors"). When the scrolling arrows overlap the stationary ones, he or she must step on the corresponding arrows on the dance platform. Successfully hitting the arrows in time with the music fills the "Dance Gauge", or life bar, while failure to do so drains it. If the Dance Gauge is fully depleted during gameplay, the player fails the song, usually resulting in a game over. Otherwise, the player is taken to the Results Screen, which rates the player's performance with a letter grade and a numerical score, among other statistics. The player may then be given a chance to play again, depending on the settings of the particular machine (the limit is usually 3-5 songs per game).

OK, a lot of words to describe a relatively simple game. Until you actually try it! I had so much fun laughing at my complete lack of coordination. I actually earned a letter score of "B" for a song, but it was on EASY. Katelynn was quickly enthralled and often would be found there, dancing to Barbie's Princess and the Pauper music. When Sierra returned home, she and Katelynn had lots of fun dancing side by side. Many of the pictures turned out blurry, due to the fact that the girls were moving so fast. :)

Eli and Abbey had fun getting out of the truck and trailer and stretching their legs. They quickly made friends with the Smith's newest addition - Milo. I'm ready to steal him away!! Milo is the perfect dog for the Smith's, laid back, but definitely seeking attention, and so attached to his people. I enjoyed getting to know him. Beth declared that she was going to buy Milo, so it was pretty easy to figure out what she thought of this gorgeous gray dog.


Abbey and Eli also charmed the girls and Kraig. They kept bringing various dog toys to the captive audience so the objects could be thrown, REPEATEDLY. Kraig enjoyed playing with them, because they bring the ball back, I guess Milo hasn't mastered this yet. Eli kept trying to snooker Jenn into throwing things for him, but she seemed immune to his "puppy dog eyes."

The only portion of our trip where we had company was from Cheyenne, WY to Colorado Spring, CO. Once Kraig and the girls returned from work/school on Thursday the entire troop of Stringer/Smiths headed south. Jenn and the girls joined us in the truck, while Milo kept Kraig company in the van. How GREAT it was to have 3 hours of ADULT conversation!!! All 5 girls in the back watched Cinderella 3, constantly telling the Moms "You're too loud."

We made it to camp at the US Air Force Academy and said farewell to Kraig and Jenn - we knew we would see the girls later in the weekend.