Saturday Pet Blogger Hop - South Dakota Trip

Lexi, Nitro, Tallulah, Bailey, and I are excited to participate in this weeks Saturday Pet Blogger Hop. Special thanks goes out to our Pet Blog Hop hosts, Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers, and Confessions of the Plume! If you would like to read some entertaining pet blogger posts in the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, just click on one of the host links above or click on the purple Pet Blogger Hop button on the right side of our homepage.

                                                         

                                                                South Dakota Trip

Since I don't get home to South Dakota very often to visit my family, I thought you all might enjoy some of the photos I took of an old fashioned South Dakota ranch wedding. The photos start the day I arrived on the ranch, through the surprise bridal shower for my niece Lisa, the day of her wedding and the days following her wedding. 

The following photos were taken at my brother Jim's ranch when his daughter Lisa Marie (my beautiful niece) married her sweetheart Brian. Lisa and Brian are huge dog lovers just like Chris and I. They travel the country  with their four faithful hound dogs.

I flew in a couple of days early to help with the wedding preparations. We had so much fun eating, visiting, decorating and of course taking photos of family and friends. I hope you enjoy a peek into our family as much as I did spending time and sharing this amazing journey with them. Congratulations to Lisa and Brian!

The driveway leading into my brothers ranch....you guessed it...it's called 2 Horse Ranch!

Once you get down the driveway this is what you see. Perfect name for the ranch don't you think?

This is Sugar my niece Lisa's beautiful Paint horse. 

Sweet Sugar! She is 24!

The gate that goes to my brother's barn. 

Someone gave this old antique windmill to my brother. Little did he know when he accepted this gift he would have to hire a huge crane to get it home. I love this old windmill and I'm sure glad he put the effort into getting it on his ranch. It symbolizes the Old West.

One of their many hound dogs....

I loved this kennel my brother built for the dogs when company comes over. The dogs seemed very relaxed in their kennels even when there was 125 people celebrating all around them the day of the wedding. I did not hear one dog bark the whole time the reception was going on.

This photo is of two of my sisters and I along with two of my nieces at the surprise bridal shower (I'm in the center). The shower took place at Prairie Berry Winery. It was a beautiful setting.

It seemed like there was pretty babies in every direction!

The blushing bride-to-be! Surprise!!!

More of my nieces.....good looks run in the family ...don't you think?

This is the flower girl Miss Seneca smelling the flowers at the winery. She is such a doll!

This is a photo of all my sisters and I along with my niece Christina (upper right) and my little niece Maebella (lower left) right before the wedding was about to take place.

The beautiful bride being lead to the alter by my brother Jim (her dad) on her horse Sugar.

The exchange of the wedding vows.

I just love the horse in the back ground don't you?

 Mr. and Mrs. Brian Jansen!

Black gold...Texas tea....

 My sweet brother Jim - Father of the Bride.

 My beautiful niece Lisa and I after the ceremony.

The weather was 82 degrees and breezy. The perfect wedding day on 9-10-11

 My niece Lisa with my sisters and I. 

 All three of my beautiful nieces. (from L to R) Jessica, Lisa and Christina

The day after the wedding we headed next door to my sister's ranch to saddle up her mini horse to lead the little kids around the ranch.

 This is my sister Liz's Welsh cart pony. She gave us all cart rides and it was a blast! That's Lisa the bride, Seneca in the middle and my sister Liz driving.

This was the view from the front seat of the pony cart.

 The kids had a blast on the ponies!

Before I left for the airport to return home, my sister Liz took me out to lunch at a new restaurant called The Dakota. Right in front of the Dakota stands this massive amazing metal sculpture by John Lopez called "Dakotah" which symbolizes the true spirit of the West.

Below is a video of some of John's work. He is truly an amazing artist.