The long awaited picture of Me and my deer.

Jay took me to the Boiling River for Christmas. Here I am walking where the Boiling River (hot)meets the Gardner River (cold).

Christmas Morning!

Our Christmas Tree 2006

Jay cutting down our Christmas Tree

We had Thanksgiving this year at "Pete" and Vern's house just outside of Bozeman. It is gorgeous! They have solar powered heat for the whole house. Pretty neat.

Thanksgiving Feast

Jay the Hunter

Dear Tag: $24
Driving to Livingston: $15
PBRs: $6
Shooting a rifle for the first time and actually hitting the deer: PRICELESS

Pictures of the deer coming soon...

Shooting a deer might only take a second, but cutting up the meat takes hours.

Yum, meat.

Stew and Matt contemplate beef instead of venison.

Recent Montana visitors, Justin Terp and his girlfriend Tanya Meyer...you may recognize them from American Family Insurance and Aldi in Manitowoc.

Sunset from our apartment window

New Jobs and Visitors from Home

October has been a fun-filled month to say the least. Jay and I have both been working full-time jobs and occasionaly finding enough time to take a quick walk or jog together in the evenings. Jay is working retail for a outdoor gear shop called Northern Lights Trading Company. He gets to oogle over expensive skis, boots, sleeping bags and soft-shell jackets every day. Unfortunately, his employee discount doesn't start until he puts in 90 days of work. He attends weekly meetings where product reps come in to teach the employees about their products and he frequently leaves with little treats like hats, socks, wool-long-underwear shirt thingie, plastic bowls that fold together from being flat, etc...So, he likes working there.

I am working as a legal assistant for the same firm Jay worked for last fall. I work for a different lawyer than he did...actually, I work for two of the lawyers there. It has been a challenging position so far, mostly just because I have to learn how to balance priorities for two lawyers and make sure I get the important things done for each person. All in all, it is a great environment to be a part of. The firm is small, 6 attorneys, one receptionist, one office manager and 5 legal assistants. I have my own office, desk, computer, laser printer, phone, two windows, etc. It is nice, although my walls are bare and I am having a hard time trying to find things to decorate them with. I bought two plants last weekend which brightened up the room instantly making it a little more bareable to spend all day in. Also, there are snacks in the kitchen (pretzles, triscuts, cheese-its and soda) which are always a temptation.

So far, our biggest challenge since we got back is finding time to spend together. Jay works 10am-7pm and I work 8am-5pm. Our lunch hours are rarely the same and Jay has every Wednesday and Thursday off, whereas I have the regular Saturday and Sunday off. It has been a tough adjustment but I'm sure law school will be even tougher.

Last Wednesday Justin Terp and Tanya Meyer came to visit us. Jay went to the Dinosaur Museum with them and we all went to dinner. We finally had a chance to break out some of our new games, it was great! I am getting better at Blokus; Jane, beware!

Beach wedding picture

The Grand Canyon from my window seat.

Our lovely flight attendant.

I had always wanted to see the Corn Palace...now I can cross that one off my list.

South Dakota: Great Places, Great Faces!

Hanging out at Megan and Matt's wedding reception.

VANdalism

I had a great day planned. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to Lewis and Clark Caverns, go for a hike, and end with seeing Pirates of the Carribean 2 with my friend Meghan. As I was heading out to my car I ran into my landlord. He inquired as to whether or not I had heard some loud crashes last night. I told him that I hadn't, and he informed me that someone had busted a few windows in our building around 3am. When I got to my car I saw that there were mirror fragments on the ground near it. Upon further inspection I found out my driver-side mirror was shattered and there was blood spattered on the side of my van. I also found a big dent on the back hatchback and my antennae was bent. I ran and got my landlord and he checked it out too. We saw that the same thing had happened to the truck parked behind my van. I took a walk up the street and found that two other cars had been egged and one other had it's mirror smashed as well.

He suggested calling the police to file a report but also warned that it would take all day and it is so beautiful out, why not enjoy it? He wanted to watch the World Cup finals and not waste his time with local police. I agreed and hopped in the van to get a cup of coffee. On the way I called home and told my mom what happened. She was shocked that I wouldn't report the crime in the hopes of catching the vandals and making them take responsibility for their actions. *sigh* So, I called the police and filed a report. The dispatcher said that an officer would call me shortly...an hour and a half later, I recieved a call. He asked if the van would still be there in a few minutes so he could come check it out. I said it would...two hours later, he came. He suggested that I get the van washed, because of the blood bio-hazard. Gee, I kind of thought the blood looked good...of course, I was going to wash it! I had just spent my whole day waiting for YOU to get here! No Lewis and Clark Caverns today. :( So much for doing the right thing. The movie was sold out all day too.

Lava Lake

This week's hike: Lava Lake

I touched snow today!

My Saturday started off like nearly every other: sleep late, roll out of bed, find something edible in my kitchen, and ponder what in the he** I am going to do by myself all day. While I was munching on my Honey Nut Shredded Wheat around 11am, I decided to be adventurous and go on a hike that I have never gone on before. So, I hopped on the couch and grabbed my laptop and started searching. There are probably hundreds of hikes to go on in this area. I am slightly limited because, a) I am alone and b) I drive a minivan. While it is a super cool vehicle (wink@Chris) for a childless woman of my age to drive, it just can't climb the mountain trails like a 4x4.

I had my roommate recommend a couple of local trails a few days ago but I wasn't feeling motivated to do any of those...I wanted something further and maybe more exciting, possibly leading to water. A few days ago there was a helicopter rescue of a woman that was injured or lost (I don't remember) somewhere in the mountains. Our lovely local news anchors were reminding people not to hike alone in remote areas. Since most of the hiking trails within 100 miles of Bozeman are located in "remote areas" I had to try and pick one that would be fairly populated with other hikers. I chose Fairy Lake. I like fairies and I love lakes, it seemed like a great combo. I packed my stinky Nalgene bottle and an orange into my backpack along with my cell phone, which will be at least 20 miles out of range of any service and therefore very useful in case of an emergency; wallet, so they can ID my bones if I get lost or attacked by a bear; kleenex (of course), allergy pills, and lip gloss, I wouldn't want my rescuers to find me with parched lips.

Just as I was driving through the mountain pass on the way to the Bridgers I got a call from Jay. I was able to say "hi" before it cut off. I hadn't told anyone where I was going, hopefully it would be okay. I was starting to have second thoughts because I had never been to this place before, but the wild side of me said everything would be fine. I kept driving.

After driving for about 25 minutes down a windy narrow road, I arrived at the turn off for Fairy Lake. It was a dirt road, Baja style, and the sign said the lake was 7 miles away. I took it pretty slow and thought that I was making fairly good time until I saw the 1 mile marker. 10 minutes later the van started overheating and I had just passed the second mile marker. I figured I could walk faster than the van and found a small area to turn around in and park the van. I put a sign on my windshield that said that my van could not make the drive but I was going to continue on foot. I had only walked about a quarter of a mile before a large, black pickup truck pulled up and the two smiling women inside offered me a ride. I inquired about the road ahead and they assured me it was a long way up to the lake...I thought it was only 5 more miles, but I trusted them and hopped in the back seat. They were friendly New-Yorkers and had made the trip up to the lake only once before but had really liked it. The road was horrible and I was thankful that I had not attempted to drive further in the van. I was rocketed back and forth as we sped over the mini-valleys created by rain washout. We were climbing steadily and I could see the mountain peaks growing ahead of us.

We reached the Fairy Lake campgrounds and I offered my thanks for the ride and headed on my way to see the lake. Unfortunately, the hike to the lake was only a quarter of a mile from the campsite, so much for my hike. The lake was small, deep and overcrowded. There were a rowdy group of men camping on the edge of the lake playing baseball with a plastic pipe and a wad of duck tape. I can only assume their excitement for the game was enhanced by all of the beer they were drinking, because it didn't look like that much fun to me. There was also a group on horseback and a few families and small children. While I was walking around I saw that there was still a bunch of snow on the north faces of the hill that hadn't melted yet. Like a little kid, I grabbed a dirty handful and balled it up excitedly. Then, I realized that I had no one to throw it at, so I just held it until my hand got too cold. After circling the lake I decided to check out the trail to Sacajawea Peak. It appeared to be a steep climb, over 9,000 feet, and there were scree fields all over. I wasn't feeling that adventurous. I headed back down the road towards my van, at least I had a good five mile walk ahead of me. The way down was very dusty because there were hoards of people driving up to the lake. My only regret of the day is that I forgot to bring my camera with me. There were streams flowing all the way down the road and meadows lush with wildflowers. The sound of moving water has always been comforting to me and made my walk that much more enjoyable. I got to thinking about how much I miss Jay. It will be really nice to have him back here in the fall. There are lots of places I would love to take him to.

Ahh. Summertime.

My windshield is cracked. I can't breathe or smell out of my nose, which also means I can't really taste anything either. My medication makes me drowsy. No matter how hard I clean, my apartment will still be covered in tree pollen. I am running out of those precious horse-pills that allow me to sleep through most of the night. I have no health insurance. Gas is expensive and so are my pills. It's more like Ahh Choo, summertime.

Now that you are undoubtedly feeling sorry for me I would like to continue my rant on allergies in an effort to educate everyone on the life of this struggling outdoors-woman. Most of my siblings would agree that I seem to have an unending stream of good luck that travels with me wherever I go. And I would tend to agree with them although I believe open-mindedness has everything to do with it. Someone recently told me about a man that spent a year saying “yes” to everything. He ended up getting married, traveling around the world, trying a lot of different drugs and having some amazing experiences. Personally, I would probably limit myself to saying “yes” to things that are legal. I decided to put this experiment into practice by saying “yes” more instead of thinking or analyzing them too much and deciding not to do something.

I tend to think about things too much. For example, if someone invites me to do something my first thought is that they are only inviting me because Jay is gone and they feel sorry for me, not because they actually might enjoy my company. Then I worry about the event: who else will be there? What if I say something stupid? What if no one talks to me? What should I wear? What if I have an allergy attack? Will there be tissues around? Etc... Jay always encourages me to accept any and every invitation, and I do, and I always end up having a great time. So why do I still worry about all of those stupid things? I don't really have an answer for that, but the more I try new things, the more comfortable I am saying “yes” and not giving it a second thought.

Bozeman, Montana is an amazing place to be right now in my life because it is a huge adult playground. Hiking, boating, fishing, climbing, biking, camping and loads of winter sports are all just a 37 steps down from my apartment door. Plus, there is never a lack of people that want to do something outside. For people like me that have seasonal allergies, it isn't always easy saying “yes” to every activity. I have to factor in several things that most people wouldn't even think about just so I can be as comfortable as possible. What kinds of plants are growing in the area we are going to? Will my skin come in contact with those plants? How long will we be there? If we stay overnight, is there a place for me to rinse off all of the pollen and dust in my hair and on my skin before I go to sleep? How much tissue do I need to bring? Is it going to be enough? If my eyes or skin starts itching, do I have something with me that will help like cream or an anti-histamine? Will I be able to get away from whatever is making me sick? People that have never experienced seasonal allergies really don't get it. It is easy for them to forget or tell me that I'll be fine...I wish it was that easy for me.

Normally in the summertime I go through about one large box of Kleenex a week. That is somewhere around 150 tissues. This might sound like an exaggeration, it isn't. Sometimes, in order to conserve tissues, I will just sit with them up my nose blocking the constant flow of snot. I remember my mom laughing at me when I would resort to this technique growing up. There are lots of times when I would like to do this in public but I don't think it would be received as humorous. I have also developed a noticeably loud “honk” when I blow my nose. I have tried to blow my nose softly, but it just isn't as effective. I was in a coffee shop earlier this evening and got fed up sniffing the snot up so I blew them out. I was able to attract a few surprised looks, mostly because they can't believe that noise came out of that 20-something gal and not an old man. For the people that are still staring, I embarrassingly nod my head and raise my eyebrows at them acknowledging that, “yes, that was me, now you can stop staring”.

It is hot in Bozeman. I grew up in an air-conditioned house. My apartment is not air-conditioned. If I want to cool down I have to open up the windows letting in the dust and pollen. When I go to bed I have to think about getting that pollen and dust in my sheets. I won't be able to see it, but I know it's there because I spend all night sneezing. That means I will have to lay in it every single night until I wash them again. I wish I didn't have to think about things like whether or not I should open my windows. It is just a part of my life; right up there with having silk flowers at my wedding, peeling all fruits before I eat them, and showering as soon as possible after being outside. I developed a routine for myself in an attempt to reduce my allergic reactions, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

School is officially over tomorrow and the air is electric with the thunderstorms rolling through. I graduated from my WFR class without a hitch and now feel comfortable with my ability to help someone if we are not near a hospital. The class was challenging but we were able to practice all of the skills we learned on each other. In one simulation I had a bloody head wound and a dislocated shoulder. My rescuers did a good job bandaging me up. I had a hard time getting the fake blood off of my head because it has red food coloring in it and it dyed my skin.

I have been having a lot of fun outside lately. I've been to a couple of live music shows, hiking and soaking in the local hot springs. Because there weren't any subbing calls this week, I spent the time hanging out with some of my favorite kids, the special ed kids at the high school. Yesterday we went hiking up to the “M” and today we had a picnic at a park for their last day of school. These kids have really grown on me and I am hoping for a permanent opportunity to work with them next school year. This weekend I'm planning on going camping, hopefully I'll only need one box of kleenex.

Fun with moulage.

Promised Update

I know there are a handful of family members that check this blog religiously so...you're all in for a treat! I promised an update nearly a month ago and finally felt inspired enough to write something.

In the last month I have worked hard keeping myself busy. Substitute teaching in Bozeman has been an awesome experience in that I get consistent work Monday through Friday every week. Through this job I have met quite a few really good people to befriend and spend time with.

Because both Jay and I will be spending most of the summer in Wisconsin I thought it best to find a subletter for our apartment among my new friends. Luckly, we were able to find a great gal named Crystal to watch our humble abode and be my roommate until I decide to make the journey back to my beloved land of cheese. I have faith that she will be an awesome addition to life in Bozeman in the next couple of weeks. As an added bonus, she will be paying some of the rent too :).

For reasons I can't really explain right now, I decided to get a second job working for the Target Co. It was a brief stint, only about a month, in which I worked long hours, unhappily, as a cashier. After two weeks of waking up around 7am to substitute teach until 4pm and occasionally making it to bed around 12am after spending the rest of my day at Target, I thought it best for my sanity to quit. I put in my two-week notice and got out of there and haven't regretted it once. Overall, it was a heartbreaking and ultimately, lifechanging experience for me. After seeing how many plastic bags are wasted by consumers utter laziness (i.e. wanting a bag for their 24oz. soda...Honestly! What do you need a bag for?) I began carrying a my large Mexican tote bag with me whenever I enter a store. This has helped me with two things: 1. not using any more plastic bags (I already have a whole drawer full that I could RE-USE) and 2. only buying as much as I can carry. On a recent trip to a grocery store I overheard a spanish-speaking family talking about my bag. The daughter leaned over to her mom and said, in spanish, "Hmph. Look, they think those bags are fashionable here." It made me smile. Hopefully it becomes more fashionable to use your own/old bags so that we're all doing our part to conserve the environment.

Jay recently visited for the weekend and as usual conversation centered on the question, "What are we going to do next?" For those of you that know us well, that is a loaded question. It referred to the weekend, as well as where we will be planning our "next great adventure". Hopefully you didn't think we would stop after that amateurish surfing trip to Mexico. We have developed a love for the ocean and surfing so, another trip south is not out of the question. However, Jay has a dream...a dream of seeing the frozen tundra. I told him that a trip to Green Bay and Lambeau Field could easily remedy that dream. He was thinking a little bit farther north, and of travelling there in a canoe. While the thought of canoeing up to the Artic Circle sends me running for my down comforter, booties and a cup of hot chocolate, I looked into those big, sparkling blue eyes and said, "lets do it!". I do have some reservations: one of them being that I have very little experience with wilderness safety or canoeing. So, Jay hopped over to the laptop and started searching for Wilderness First Responder (WFR) courses. I made some calls and am now enrolled in an 8-day WFR course at Montana State University right here in Bozeman. My class starts on Saturday and I am getting geared up for it by reading some of Jay's "saving lives in the middle of freaking nowhere" manuals and dreaming of the enormous fish I'll be able to catch up in northern Canada. After all, I am a fisherwoman at heart.

There are only three weeks left of school here. The reason I know this is because kids tend to get a crazy look in their eyes at the end of the school year. It could be the heat (it hit 88 degrees today) but more likely it is the prospect of spending every day out with their friends getting grass-stained knees, biking around, fishing, getting into trouble, rucking around in the mountains, swimming at Bogart Park and taking those highly anticipated family vacations. I have always loved the first and last days of school because there is an energy among the students and teachers that I haven't found anywhere else.

When school ends in a few weeks I will be hanging up my substitute teacher "grab bag" and strapping on my "nanny bag". I was offered a position looking after two little girls for the summer and decided that playing outside sounded like a great fit for me. While I will miss Coon's terribly, I am turning the page in that book and starting a new one. Once I get everything in order in Bozeman such as, getting my wedding dress fitted, making sure my apartment is secure, touching up the rest of the wedding planning and having a great summer, I will make my way East sometime before my sister's July wedding. After that event, it is up to northern Wisconsin to visit Jay and enjoy some Trout Lake sunsets.

The wedding is approaching...only 4 months from today! I can't wait!

March in Montana

It has been a long time since the last written post. I apologize. Mostly this is because Brooke and I got ourselves into a weekly schedule and writing blog entries wasn't a integral part of that schedule. I have been checking my brother's blog, www.downunderben.blogspot.com, daily and I understand that even a week without a post can seem like a long time. (You can't tell me that someone in Australia doesn't have enough going on to write at least every other day) I will now redirect my focus to our lives.

Brooke has been getting steady work as a substitute teacher. The nasty flu that has been going around Bozeman is bad for most people, but positive for substitute teachers(that avoid sickness). I wasn't as fortunate as Brooke in avoiding sickness. I caught the flu and was out for most of a week. I'm almost recovered fully from that boute of over three weeks ago. Brooke is getting more and more familiar with the Bozeman School Distict and is looking at getting a full time job in the district for next school year. I'm crossing my fingers that she will get the softball assistant coach position that she applied for this spring.

I joined the masters swim team that meets Tuesday and Thursday night. Brooke signed up for a guitar class that met at the same time as my swim practice on Tuesday nights. Once a month Brooke meets a bunch of young women for a book club. It seems like a great chance to meet a lot of people and occasionally talk about books.

For the most part we have been up to Bridger Bowl every weekend. It is a great little mountain and Brooke and I are getting to know it quite well. Brooke is getting good enough that occasionly I catch her gazing up at the hike-to unpatrolled expert only terrain. Maybe next season if we purchase the avalanche beacon, shovel and probes required to access the hike we'll be up on the ridge.

I recently accepted a position at Camp Manito-wish for this summer. I will be the Outpost Director. The Outpost program sends canoeing, backpacking and sea kayaking trips throughout Canada, Montana, Wyoming and Minnesota for anywhere from 9-34 days. I'll be in charge of all the logistics for the trips, training the staff and supervision throughout the summer. It's not the perfect position in that Brooke will not be with me, but I'll be flying back in May to visit for a weekend and Brooke will visit me at the end of July and hopefully in August.

Brooke arrived safely in Wisconsin today. She is home for the spring break. She will be wedding dress shopping, looking at details for the wedding, probably running errands with her Mom and hanging out with her family. I already miss her.

Bundled up.

Going out on the town with my sister Meg.