One last adventure

The last leg of my two week vacation was spent at my parent's house in western South Dakota. I arrived late on Thursday night and stayed through Sunday. This particular weekend is the biggest weekend of the year for the little town of Isabel...it's time for the Isabel Celebration. Four days of barbeques, parades, rodeo, school reunions, etc. I missed Thursday's events but was able to attend all the rest beginning with the all-school reunion on Friday night.

My dad, my sister, and I all graduated from the same high school. While none of us were in an honored class since the overall class sizes are so small it's always an "all" school reunion and a good time is had by all. The reunion is held in a very nice Pavilion with finished floors, log interior, two bars and a concession stand area, and this year new tables and chairs. It all looks great but check out the chairs...

Do you think I should send this into Jay Leno?

This year there was a bit of a surprise. Mom and Dad "forgot" to tell me they had been chosen as the King and Queen of the parade. The Isabel parade is typically a lot of antique tractors, a few little kid floats, lots of horses but everyone shows up for it. I don't have any pictures but as we were lined up waiting to start we even had a run-away...two draft horses took off with a wagon and it's occupant. Poor Aaron held on for all he was worth but those horses weren't stopping. That cute little kid brushing his horses tail was in the middle of the road not even 5 minutes prior to the team roaring through...my poor mom was scared to death as were the rest of us sitting there.

I was proud to drive Mom and Dad down main street and got a kick out of them throwing out candy for the 5 blocks we had to go. Dad wouldn't wear hs crown but mom kept hers on for the route. These are a few of the kids who benefited along the route. The two on the left our sisters and the one on the right is a daughter of a classmate of my sisters. All close family friends.


The Isabel Celebration isn't complete without a bit of rodeo action. The youth rodeo was held on Thursday, a full day of timed event slack on Sunday, plus the two regular rodeo performances Saturday AND Sunday night. Roping, saddle bronc, bareback, barrel racing, goat tying (yes, that's my sister tying the goat to a stake...don't ask), and of course bull riding. A good time was had by all. Didn't know about my country side, did ya? ;)

HNT...Os had the camera

Does it surprise you Os had the camera? I was sitting there enjoying my mud pie and Os was snappin' pictures. Gotta love him!

Happy HNT

A Montana Last Supper

Even though Rachel and I had a long day coming back from Glacier Park I needed to head to the Brewhouse with Os for a pint or two. He had three quaffs and I stuck to one pint and a piece of carrot cake. It's a bit of a cheesy shot with my Glacier Moose hat and tee but I was tired, it was late, and they were clean. I think I even bought the old man his beer that night! What a nice date I am :)

The following night I wanted to hit my favorite restaurant for what was the SECOND time in one summer...an extra special treat. Heather and I made it here for burgers and Mud Pie in June and this particular night Os and I went for the Montana beef. I had my steak covered in mushrooms and blue cheese; his steak was still moo'ing.







































































And you can't eat at The Windbag without a piece of Mud Pie; Oreo cookie crust, three inch thick layer of coffee ice cream, a sticky fudge layer, and slivered almonds...pure sweetness. Good thing Megan showed up before we left or I would have eaten that whole piece by itself. Never mind the "half" carafe of wine I ordered. They might as well have brought me the whole damn bottle...it wasn't a half at all.

One Word

Stole this one from Kelly. Just something easy to post while I try to figure out what do post about my trip.

1. Where is your cell phone?
Table

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?Husband/Wife?
Private

3. Your hair?
Red

4. Work?
Chaotic

5. Your father?
Grumpy

6. Your favorite thing?
Glacier

7. Your dream last night?
Strange

8. Your favorite drink?
Water

9. Your dream car?
Avalanche

10. The room you're in?
Family

11. Your pet?
Cats

12. Your fears?
Loneliness

13. What do you want to be in 10 years?
Mom

14. Where did you hang out last night?
Heidi's

15. What you're not good at?
Trusting

16. Eyebrow rings on the opposite sex?
NO

17. One of your wish list items?
Camera

18. Where you grew up?
Isabel

19. The last thing you did?
Breakfast

20. What are you wearing?
Suit

21. What aren't you wearing?
Bracelet

22. Sex?
Often

23. Your computer?
Custom

24. Your life?
Busy

25. Your mood?
Mellow

26. Missing?
Affection

27. What are you thinking about right now?
Stamping

28. Your car?
MOOSKIS

29. Your work?
Trauma

30. Your summer?
Short

31. Your relationship status?
Dating

32. Your favorite color?
Yellow

33. When is the last time you laughed?
Today

34. Last time you cried?
Today

35. School?
Done

HNT...A trip remembered

I've been home for three days and I'm all ready homesick. I sat this night above on the shores of Lake McDonald soaking in all the air and ambiance I could. Montana makes me feel better! Enjoy the view. Happy HNT

A Wedding Review

Here are the good majority of my pictures from the wedding. I will grab the boyfriend's later as well as purchasing some of the professional ones to share with you all as well. Until I have more time...enjoy the show!

Back in Minnesota

I rolled in late last night and have posts of pictures to share and stories to tell but they will have to wait a bit. I need some sleep. I worked about 5 hours today and now I'm going to take a snooze before I fall over. Too much driving yesterday! More Glacier, wedding, and rodeo pictures to come...

HNT...Hidden

Before I go any further I please ask for your prayers and thoughts for all those back home in Minneapolis. For those of you who haven't turned on the news I-35 in Minneapolis collapsed today killing at least 7 people. I have accounted for nearly all the friends I worry about but one guy didn't show for volleyball according to the team so I just sent off an email to check on him. For those families who don't know yet, for those mourning, and for those shaken, please pause a moment.





Rachel and I just got back from Glacier National Park. I snapped a quick shot of my view as I drifted off for a 40 minute nap on the banks of Hidden Lake with my legs in the cool glacial water. What a treat! Three days smoke free with views like this...I wish all could dip there toes in the water but for those who can't; please enjoy the view. Happy HNT!

A little bit of catch up

There are pictures , stories, and slideshows to come but this is what you get tonight. Yes, Heather and Kevin got married. Yes, my boyfriend made it and I think even liked it a bit here. Yes, Rachel and I survived another Glacier National Park trip. We spent two nights at Avalanche Campground and finished off the trip with huckleberry ice cream at Lake MacDonald. More to come.






There were plenty of Big Horn Sheep at the half way mark from the Hidden Lake Lookout to Logan Pass.

We are going to hike to where? That's right. From the look out to Hidden lake is 1.5 miles but we dropped 750 feet. It was well worth the trek though.

How can you not love these views? I'm proud to be an "Outdoor Chick" and I'm even more proud that I successfully made the hike back up.

It isn't a hike to the Hidden Lake Lookout without a few mountain goats.

Queen of the World!

HNT...special spa edition

The morning started beautifully then filled quickly with smoke as the fire north of town flared. But by the time we were done with our spa day it was blue big skies again. Joslyn, Heather, and I were joined by Joslyn's mom at the spa and had a wonderful afternoon.

Chocolate coffee, water with lemon, and a great robe...what more can a girl ask for?

The bride was a bit vegged out at this point. And she still looks radiant!

These pretty toes kicked over the bottle of nail polish after she got a full pedi with a flavored scrub and everything. Silly girl!

Joslyn, Heather, and I half way through the afternoon.

I moved out of the pedi room so Joslyn's mom could start soaking. That little settee was wonderful and I was nearly asleep.

A finished product for all of us :)

I couldn't just do a plain pink and white mani...I did pink on pink. Now that this is posted, I'm taking a quick nap before another pre-wedding function.

HNT...a not so bashful bride

This week I'm posting a picture of my best friend Heather. This young lady is tying the knot this Saturday and she's ready to take on the world. Can't ya tell? Please wish her all the best in the world, she means the world to me and seeing her this calm and collected just days before her big day makes me so proud.

The gals got together for a nice dinner and then hit some of our old stomping grounds (actually made it to the first bar after dinner and that's where we stayed). A good time was had by all, the bride is tired now and we are all home safely.


Have a wonderful HNT!...the wedding chaos has begun!

Always an adventure

There is always an adventure when I head out west. This time the heat was just too much for my car. As I mentioned yesterday, my car overheated as I drove over McDonald Pass on my way to Deer Lodge. I made it over fine but then the car got hot and hot fast. Well, I got the radiator flushed and all seemed well. Last night the light came back on and this morning it was still on. I took it in again, it was low again and they recommended I have a radiator shop take a peek. They took a peek...there's a crack in one of the tank portions of the system at the point where the water is the hottest. I could replace just the tank but it's cheaper to replace the whole system. I'll be spending $380 to fix my sick car.

Last night I did have a wonderful time at York though. Os let me borrow this picture. This young woman is getting married in 3 days! 3 days! The celebration starts tonight with a girls only dinner. Should be a good time for all of us. Gosh, I'm so excited for here! I love ya Heather!

Dinner and a View

I eat when I travel. There aren't very many places where I have lived nor visited that I don't have a "favorite" place to eat at. You know...the crab at the Wharf in San Francisco, the Cuban place in Norfolk VA, City Cafe in Rochester. In Montana I always stop at Miles City's 4B's restaurant for a cup of tomato soup. In Helena, York burgers are always on the list. This trip is no exception.

Tonight Rachel, Os, Heather and I made the annual trip. This place is an old cabin moved to it's current spot. They serve burgers. That's it. Burgers. They have a few appetizers too if you want. They have a full bar, keno machines, and a pool table. Dollar bills cover the walls, you've all seen mine from my going away party four years ago in past posts.

Tonight was no exception to my usual. See the grease on the bun. It's delicious. You can see the big slab of onion hiding under the burger. This is the mushroom and swiss; yes, the whole piece of onion when on that baby. Just mayo and a touch of ketchup. Pure heaven. "MY" drink when I have a burger at York is a Caeser. Vodka, Worchestorshire sauce, Pepperchini pepper juice, fresh pepper, and homemade Clamato Juice. It's a "lighter" version of a bloody mary. I have ordered this drink in numerous states and none of them taste right. I even had some place ask me if I wanted a beer chaser to go with it. UH? I had four of them tonight and won't have another one until I come back next year.

Dinner, of course, was with a view. It finally cooled off a bit today (didn't get to 90 degrees here) but you can still see the forest fire haze in the first picture. But talk about "Big Sky". No matter where you look it's amazingly majestic.



Another beautiful Montana sunset in the books on this great trip. The only hitch in my day was a bone dry radiator on my way to Deer Lodge but two nice young gentleman having lunch at the Avon cafe helped me out with a jug of water and a half jug of coolant to get me home. Cars fine and I'm grateful for Jon and Brian today. Another example of why I miss Montana.

Sweet Home Montana

1251.7 miles in 2.5 days, 18 hours worth of the new Harry Potter on CD, 4 stops for gas, a few extra stops for potty breaks, 100 degree temps, one dead pheasant, and a pleasant conversation with a hottie South Dakota high patrolman and I’m back in MONTANA! It’s wedding week! My best friend Heather will be saying her “I do’s” this coming Saturday and I’m in town for the next 10 days.

First things first, no spilling the beans on Potter. I have three hours left to listen to. Tomorrow I’m driving over the mountains to meet a friend for lunch so I’ll have at least 1.5 hours more to listen. My boyfriend is flying in on Friday for the wedding and I have to drive up to Great Falls to get him so if I haven’t finished it by then I should be able to. It’s pretty darn good so far but I definitely wouldn’t read it to a small child. This one’s completely dark.

Saturday evening about 70 miles from my parent’s house I got pulled over by a South Dakota Highway Patrolman. He was very polite, asked me if the car I was driving was mine, gave me a verbal warning and sent me on my way. Very nice man. I rolled into Montana then Sunday evening after a night in my old bedroom. The skies are blue without a cloud to be seen and the temps just kept rising as I moved westward. A pleasant 75 degrees when I left Rochester, MN to a dry dusty 107 at lunch time yesterday. Now I’m in Helena and it’s not quite a 100 degrees out but the skies are filled with a haze of forest fire smoke from a fire north of town.

No exciting pictures yet, it was too darn hot to get out and take any a long the way yesterday. I'll see what I can catch maybe for a sunset tonight with the smoke in the air, usually gives some pretty colors. In spite of the heat though I'm grinning from ear to ear and tonight Rachel, Os, Heather, and I are going to devour a grease dripping Howard's Pizza at home with a cold Kokanee.

July Non-Fiction Review

Title and author of book? If You Lived Here, I Would Know Your Name by Heather Lende

What led you to pick up this book? The big awkward MOOSE on the cover of course! My aunt wanted to buy me something when I was in Duluth for Grandma's Marathon so I let her get me this book.

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending!
The author is a local journalist in Haines, Alaska. The book chapters begin with excerpts from her column "Duly Noted". The chapters tell the story of life in this small Alaskan town. The topics of life, death, friends, the outdoors, children, pets...and how they are all related make this a down to earth story sat in a beautiful land.

What did you like most about the book?
Finding my friend Andrew Friske's name in one of the Duly Noted sections! We went to college together. But I also have always had a fascination with Alaska and Heather's story make you feel like you really "know" the locals. The stories she tells about the locals touched my heart and made them seem like friends too.

What did you think of the main character?
There wasn't really a "main" character to this story other than the author who is sharing the stories of the community. Heather's love for this community as an adopted Alaskan stirred the feelings I have as an adopted Montanan. She moved to this community and now is one with it and it's people. Heather embraces life and takes on the challenges of living in remote Alaska as an adventure not a burden.

Share a favorite scene from the book.
As staff of the local newspaper, Heather also writes the obituaries for the paper. She doesn't write just any obituary, she takes the time to tell the story of the individual. I think the most touching story she told was of a friend of her children's who was killed on his fishing boat at a very tender age. Just the way she honored him not only in her obituary but in the chapter in the book was very moving. It captured the spirit of the community.

What about the ending?
The ending made me smile a content smile while silent tears fell down my cheeks. I wanted to hear more stories of this little community and I'm ready to book a flight to go visit.

Rockin' Girl Bloggers

Lime and Kelly nominated me as a "Rockin' Girl Blogger". The honor of recognition from such Rockin' gals themselves made me smile this week. Now it's my turn to give a shout out to a few other Rockin' Girl Bloggers but not before I give a few kudos to these two.

Lime caught my attention first with her love of life but now I value her for her genuine love of people. This woman has a heart purer than gold and a spirit as big as the heavens. From her tie dyed "happy" socks to her beautiful wild locks, this gal is one Rockin' Chick! She has lived life and is kind enough to share it with us all while she continues on new adventures wither Mr. Lime and the Limelettes. Thanks for being a friend!

I found My Utopia through Lime and this is one blog I can judge by it's cover. One quick glance down her sidebar and you know Kelly has a true love of books. She works some long hard hours but finds escape and a solid ground in the books she reads and so openly shares with her readers. Through Kelly I found the Non-Fiction Five Challenge and am expanding my own reading library. She's had some tough times too and was there for her husband's family staying strong herself as well. We continue to swap reviews of books but I think the reason she's so Rockin' is she's a Northern with those quality Northern characters of honesty and loyalty.

Boobs, Injuries, and Dr Pepper is my comic relief. This woman is brutally honest about life and isn't afraid to share even the craziest mishaps with her readers. Her audience is quite large but it hasn't gone to her head. Her satire about work, her kids, and life down South have made me laugh until I cried on days I wanted to cry myself into oblivion. Crystal's stories aren't all peaches and cream but even the ones which tug at your heart strings will still make you laugh. She has recently found the love of her life and I'm happy for her. They have a beautiful new baby too! She Rocks!

Leesa actively contributes to my Peace of Mind on a daily basis. I left Montana for my job in Minnesota 3 and a half years ago. Through the pictures and stories of her Montana escape, Leesa keeps me sane. The mountains of Montana bring a peace all their own to any own who takes the time to listen to them. This fellow adopted Montanan has listened well. She is a rockin' independent woman in touch with her surroundings. She recently found new digs in Seattle as well so now she has the perks of her mountain retreat and the conveniences of the city with it's own culture to explore. Her cats are by her side as she begins another adventure. Thanks for bringing Montana back to me every day!

This last gal literally rocks! Robyn took an immense amount of time this past year to organize a series of benefit rock concerts to help a friend. This was all on top of so bravely and openly going through the lose of her mom. My own mom is dying of cancer and having watched this young, strong woman care so lovingly and whole heartedly for her mom through the very end has given me my own strength. This young woman is a loving wife and mother who rocks what ever she sets her mind too!

There are many, many other rockin' gals out there too! For all the ones I read and have become friends with, I'm grateful! To Lime and Kelly for the nod...thanks for making me smile!