Rainy Day Games

For the most part weather in Montana – and especially Bozeman – has been absolutely beautiful.  Days are in the 80’s and 90’s, evenings are pleasantly cool.  We’ve enjoyed walking EVERYWHERE.

However, Monday afternoon we were surprised with an incredible rain shower and some hail.  The rain was fascinating to watch and I don’t believe there was much hail damage – it was just a nice change of pace.

What was funniest to me was the rainy-day activities Elayna invented for the day.  We have brought lots of toys but she was satisfied with two socks, a few rocks, a plastic tub, a few books, and a LOT of imagination.

    

I think she needs some friends again….

A few other fun daily activities:

The backyard pool

Soccer  in the park

Push-ups with the Fenno Boys

Elayna has had a really fun time!!

Our Fishing Picnic on the Gallatin

The waters stall but a breathe of time

And the sun kiss softly on the trees

And in the wildness, river’s-edge

Is only you, is only me.

      

Bozeman Checklist–MT Wk3-5

Since we’re pretending to live in Bozeman for 3 weeks, there’s a ever expanding list of ‘must dos’ to make sure we get the full Montana experience.

1)  Visit MSU, reminisce excessively about boring classes and snow and people we used to run into.  Take a picture with the new Bobcat statue.

 

2)  Visit the Rocking R Bar with Ara and mourn the old bar, remember the explosion, admire the new rebuilt-bar.  It is a beautiful building but not the same.

3)  Eat Rosa’s cheese bread with ranch dressing.  We’ve been here a week and a half and already ordered it twice.

4)  Visit the Museum of the Rockies.  Elayna was so fascinated by the dinosaurs that she ran from exhibit to exhibit, shouting and pointing.  The frog exhibit was my favorite.

5)  Breakfast at the Stockyard Café.  It’s my brother Nate’s favorite place.  The day proceeded with a trip to the Farmer’s Market and ended with Nate and 2 friends sleeping on our lawn.  They also had been to the new R-Bar.

6)  Celebrate our 13th Anniversary!!!  Thank you Chris and Jim for watching E for us while we enjoyed a much needed evening out!  Dinner at Looie’s – Delicious!

7)  Climbing the M with Uncle Nate!  Elayna made it the entire way – with some help from mom.  Oh, I guess mom made it the entire way too…

8)  Show the pretend house off to family and friends.  We’ve loved eating in the backyard with Jesse and Kami Moore, relaxing on the front porch with most of my family, weekend visit with my brother, walking around Bozeman with Jerry and Carol.  It’s a house worthy of sharing.

9)  Children’s Museum with E.  It’s a fun little play space and E loved the plane in the yard.

10)  FISHING.  We haven’t been out much but we have season passes to make use of.

A Picnic in Red Lodge–Aug 18, 2011

We have rare moments when God truly smiles on us:  schedules perfectly align, weather is breathtaking, and Gordon manages to find the perfect empty campsite for a family picnic in Red Lodge.  We are very thankful Margene was able to organize everyone, the Jerry and Carol were still in Montana, and that we were able to have some a wonderful afternoon together!

Fishing Rock Creek:

  

  

Relaxation, wildlife, and horseshoes:

  

The Pretend House–MT WK3-5

When we decided to spend an extended amount of time in Montana, we instantly knew we wanted to rent a home in Bozeman.  Bozeman is where we met, where we were married, and the town that most feels like home to us.  It has a busy downtown, beautiful tree lined neighborhoods, and fun college edge.  I love Bozeman.

Finding the perfect house to rent for 3 weeks wasn’t quite as easy.  After debating several options, we decided on a 4-bedroom rambler across from Cooper Park – easy walking distance to both MSU and downtown, lots of space for us both to work.

So far this home has far exceeded my expections.  It’s beautifully designed and original with fun little reading spaces and room for us to spread-out.  E has a nice play-space in the basement, Aaron has a dedicated office, and Nate even has his own bedroom/bathroom when he visited.  And I love, love, love walking around, enjoying the park and neighborhood, and pretending we live in Bozeman.

        

Week at Camp–MT Wk2!

It is rare for us to completely unplug, relax, and just spend some time together as a family.  We were blessed to be able to do that at Clydehurst Christian Ranch – a beautiful facility up the Boulder River Valley that Aaron worked at through high school and college.  The camp has no cell reception, internet is slow and clunky, and there’s not a TV to be found.

This left us forced to spend time together!  We went for hikes and picnics, Aaron and I played in the volleyball tournament (and won!!), we took naps and fished and read.  Elayna was entertained by daily children’s programs and we didn’t cook or clean the entire week!  It really was wonderful.

Elayna’s highlight was by far the horses!!  She LOVED her daily kiddy ride with Mom.  Grandma Carol even took her on the day they visited.

  

Of course, more than anything else, we FISHED.  The Boulder River has some spectacular trout waters and Aaron was armed with a new rod made by Jerry.  Elayna even has a new Barbie fishing pole (no fish on that one though) so we spent almost every day in the river.

     

Official fish count:  Aaron 12, Courtney 1.  And I also split my boots.

We caught up with some good friends too – Paster Steve and Priscilla Matheson who were the speakers for the week.  We had a great time winning the volleyball tournament with them and Scott and Carla Brownson!

It was hard to come back to civilation after such a relaxing and fun week.  It was definitely a time we’ll remember and cherish as a family – hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to go again some year.

Rodeo’ing it up–MT Wk1!

We are already 3 weeks into our 5-week stay in Montana and I find myself already behind in documenting the visit.  I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised – we’ve been extremely busy and having a great time.  I’ll do my best to share a few memories before all hope is lost….

Our first week was spent in Winston with my family.  Our first few days were raining and chilly but we still entertained ourselves visiting Gonzo the horse, picking Grandma Rubie’s raspberries, and practicing with the new Barbie fishing pole. 

The highlight though:    THE BOOTS!!!  She would have slept in them if we had let her she loved them so! 

 

   

 

The second half of the week was devoted to Broadwater County Fair and Rodeo – the highlight of my hometown and guaranteed to be a fun time.  We started on Friday with a trip to see the animals and the Stick Horse Rodeo.  E loved the rabbits and sheep, and she was a great sport about the rodeo (she practiced a lot with the other kids but didn’t actually perform solo when the time came for it).  Fun day for sure!

Saturday we spent out on Canyon Ferry lake with Gary and Linda Litle.  They have a great house and fun boat and this was a really special treat for my whole family.  Surprisingly, we don’t get out to the lake very often (even though its close) so this was an extremely fun day.  THANKS Gary and Linda!!

Sunday was back to Townsend for parade, barbeque, and rodeo.  My mom and grandma work the barbeque with Cattlewomen and its always a great meal.  We also really enjoyed catching up with neighbors and friends.  The downside:  we had to leave before my brother rode his cow in the rodeo – sorry Nate!  [he didn’t make time]