Hay Creek RanchNemo, South Dakota For all my apprehension and anxiety about this trip, my week in South Dakota has been an experience beyond words.

Spontaneity is not one of my gifts. My family might actually think that’s a significant understatement. A few years ago when I chose the word

I keep flowers in vases around my house for way too long. Long past their prime. Long after they have started to wither and fade.

I grew up in rural Pella, Iowa. My family firmly planted in fields outside a small and fairly tight knit community. And while I heard