Today is our last day with the Ketchum girls. This is a hard day.
We did start our day off at the pool again. I had a rough night with the baby, so I stayed in the hotel room and took a bath.

We packed up and headed to Deadwood. The kids watched a reenactment of the shooting of wild Bill Hickok, while I was on the phone with the airline getting details sorted out. Then we went to the broken boot Goldmine. We got other great tour. Then we panned for gold outside their yard. 

  
Then, the moment we have all been dreading: the airport. A little background. These kids are the closest family we have. Our home has been a second home to them for years now, and they are there a few nights a week. They are my kids’ best friends. A huge part of our lives. And we will miss them terribly.

So, the airport. It’s tiny. One terminal, three gates. You can’t get lost. I had my crew say goodbye to the girls before I walked them into the airport. Some more tears, but, honestly, saying goodbye is easier in a parking lot. I was able to get a gate pass to take the girls all the way to the gate, which was good, because we ran into a few issues. First, their checked bag was overweight. So we scrambled to move stuff to their personal bags. Except in our haste, we moved toiletries over (liquids) and got tagged for that coming through security. And, for some reason, the X-ray machine started going haywire for poor Cassandra, so she got the special treatment. But we made it through. The flight was delayed, so I stayed until the incoming flight was on the ground. Then I said goodbye. Hugs to last a year. A storm of tears. Much love. Until this moment, I didn’t realize how much my precious girls love ME. I know they love my kids, but I never thought about how much I mean to them. It made my heart ache. I will miss them terribly.

And then, the drive back. I like driving at night, but this was a little brutal. No sleep, leaving at 10pm, a 4 1/2 hour drive. I had Aunica sit up front to keep me awake, but what kept me awake was keeping her awake! That last half hour was pretty loopy, but we made it at 2:24am. Back together, back to my family.