After our vast assortment of flight itineraries and travel plans, we all (finally) made it to my grandparents house in South Dakota. One of the main reasons that we returned to the US this summer was to celebrate my Grandparents fiftieth anniversary- congratulations Grandma and Grandpa! A couple of days after arriving in SD, my Dad’s two brothers and their families joined us for a family get-together in the Black Hills to celebrate this milestone in the Headrick family.

While in the black hills we drove through the beautiful Custer State Park- spotting buffalo, prairie dogs, and deer on the way. We also enjoyed many river-side picnics, mountain hikes, and campfire s’mores together throughout the weekend on top of visiting Mount Rushmore for the first time.

The night of their anniversary, my Grandpa unpacked his slide projector to show us some photos of his time in Vietnam where he served as a pilot in the Air-force. I’m thinking we have a hidden photographer in the family because his photos were exceptional! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture some of the best shots, so these will have to do.

On the six-hour drive up to our cabin at the beginning of the trip, I had the opportunity to listen to Grandpa’s stories of his life as a pilot in the Vietnamese war. I am so honored to have had this chance, hearing about his life at that time is such an honor.