Our Town | Saint Patricks Day

Since the day we arrived in Anaconda, we have been warned about Saint Patricks Day and the passion that the Irish population here has for drinking, celebrating and well, being Irish. After attending two events, working in Butte before the big day, and driving through the streets of our town late last night, I can say that the warning was justified.

It is said that Butte and Anaconda have more Irish per capita than any other place in the country. I would believe it.

The celebration began last weekend with a race to benefit the Ancient Order of the Hibernians - the oldest and large Irish-Catholic Organization in the United States. With over seven hundred runners and plenty of spectators, it seemed as if the entire town had donned green tutus, shamrocks, and running shoes to start the early celebrating of Saint Patrick's Day. And, despite the early time and open container law, many runners donned a can or two or beer along the way.

The streets were full of serious runners, moms with strollers, teenagers in kilts, and a handful of children in their best green apparel. For many, this race marked the start of the running season, the first thaw with Spring approaching. For our friend Michelle, the six mile run marked another step in training for the Seattle Half Marathon.

Throughout the week, members stopped in to the credit union to talk about the upcoming weekend - knowing that I wasn't a native to the area, and honestly, not a bit Irish. I learned about snakes in Ireland, and the proper ingredients for a Blarney Stone and cursed myself for being clueless about each and every one of these Saint Patrick's Day traditions.

Yesterday, the town continued to show its Irish pride with a small parade through the center of town. This time, even more spectators gathered - many wearing beads, shamrock headbands, and more green than I had ever since in one crowd.

I managed to find a shamrock adorned bow, green knee high socks and an appropriate emerald green top before the parade. At the last second, I even put green eyeliner on - the color aptly named "Dublin." Before leaving the house, I texted friends, "you better have green on! I look like a leprechaun!". Sure enough, I did look like a leprechaun but thankfully, most of town had found more green to wear than I had.

As I am to be packing our things to move to New Mexico, I sit here feeling sentimental and thankful for the town that we live in. While I know that amazing opportunities await us in Rio Rancho and Santa Fe, my heart can't help but to ache for the town that we are leaving behind. I feel blessed for the months that we got to spend here in this community, a community full of pride, love, and family. Not only will I miss the beautiful snowy mountains when we leave, but the people that have made our time here so rich.

Oh, Montana.

WIAW | Winter Staples

I started off the new year with the best intentions. I scratched out goals - goals for myself, goals for this blog. One of those being to participate in each What I Ate Wednesday link-up, another being to write a weekly wrap-up post on Sundays. I had plans to review 2012 in a variety of ways. You'll have to forgive me for not getting to any of those things just yet. We lost our funny, sweet, baby boy last week and my heart has been too broken for any new goals, new blog posts or really much of anything. I've been trying to write about it, about my baby Scrap, for days but it hasn't yet worked itself out. So, I thought I would try to get back into the swing of things with a WIAW post. Easy enough, right?

While I spent the start of the year with camera in hand at dinner time, I don't seem to have the energy to download or edit photos just yet - you'll forgive me, won't you? Instead, here is a look at some of our winter staples via Instagram. If you'd like to see more of our past eats, you can see old WIAW posts here - or, you can check out this week's link-up on Peas and Crayons for more colorful, interesting winter meals.

On Christmas, we spent the day driving. When you spend the holidays alone, well, there isn't much else to do. We're quite thankful for that drive though since it brought us our new favorite "restaurant"in Montana. Just outside of our town is a road that leads toward "Wisdom, MT" but it also leads to the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area (a snowy dream in the winter) and the Sugar Loaf Lodge. The lodge serves multiple purposes - it houses travelers, it rents cross-country skis, it has its own gift shop of local Montana-made wares, and most importantly, it is home to the Soup Shack. Each week the cozy little cafe serves a few different homemade soups, each served with a thick slice of sourdough bread and whatever you'd like to drink (I'll take chai, please). And, they even make pecan pie! (one of these days, I'm going to cheat and have a slice). Since discovering our new favorite find, we've gone every weekend for a big, hot bowl of a soup and a look at the new snow.

At home we've been enjoying the same dinners over and over again. It has also seemed funny to me that avocados are ripe and plentiful during our winter. Thankfully though that has meant homemade tacos and nachos for weeks. I can't get enough guacamole so when avocados are available, we make the most of it. We try to keep things interesting with different toppings and combinations each week. So far we can't get enough.

We also recently discovered the best breading for gluten-free fried foods. With the ease of breading things, and the cheap ingredients needed, I can't believe that I went so long without trying it. I will post a recipe and tutorial, soon, but in the meantime, we will be busy enjoying breaded pork chops, homemade chicken nuggets and chicken parmesan.

Another dinner staple we've grown to love is risotto. I know that I already told you to make this recipe but it's so good that I have to say it again. We've been trying different varieties and my new favorite is italian sausage with spinach and tomatoes. I know that a lot of people struggle with risotto or look at it as time consuming or difficult but I've grown to enjoy making it. Risottos are gluten-free and easy to make without dairy, too. Plus they use few dishes and I happen to enjoy the slow-paced stirring required. If you have any great risotto recipes or favorite combinations, please share!

I promise we do eat more than dinner here but lately breakfast has been a struggle. Trevor can't have eggs or dairy, I shouldn't have oatmeal, and really, that leaves few options. We've been trying to pass off cookies and hot drinks as meals, instead. For Christmas we received a big box of gluten-free snacks and inside were the little gingerbread men you see above. I was nervous at first but now, I'm upset that I can't find them in Montana. My mom also tossed in boxes of chai tea and apple cider pods. While I've never liked hot chai lattes before, I seem to have fallen in love since Christmas - I can't get enough.

As for lunch, I'm on my own since Trev leaves by 5:30 and that has meant leftovers, macaroni and cheese, and my favorite - hot corn tortillas with ham and melted cheddar cheese. I wish I was kidding but those tortillas? I eat them daily.

Do you find yourself eating the same foods time and time again? We seem to rotate just a few basics with some variations. Lately I've started to look for more crock-pot dinners. If you have any recipes for quick, easy,  and gluten-free dinners - do share!

I hope to be back soon with stories of what we've been up to  but please excuse the quiet in the mean time.

Portraits | Eddie & Amanda

Despite the eight degree weather, we ventured out for Christmas portraits this weekend. Since the beginning of my weekend was spent finishing a 51 page paper, the cold air felt like a nice break.. at least for the first few minutes.This beautiful stream location is just minutes from our house, on the premises of an all but abandoned airport. Trevor and I used this location for some of our own Christmas photos and thought that it would be great for this session, though I always get nervous - nervous that a plane will try to land on the runway while I'm photographing a happy couple, or perhaps worse, the Anaconda police will arrest me for being there. Can you tell I worry a lot?

Luckily Eddie and Amanda were brave enough to come out in the less than desirable weather and even managed to walk on thin ice for their photos, quite literally. While we hoped to get a photo of everyone together, it was a bit cold for the pups and we all know that some dogs are simply camera shy. But can we just stop for a moment to talk about how cute that Pomeranian is? And Jagger? He's 15, and the snow didn't slow him down a bit.

The holidays are quickly approaching. Our own Christmas cards were sent out this week but if you've procrastinated, there's still time to have photos taken for your own cards - but you'll have to act soon. Our countdown has been hit or miss with closed coffee shops, and rainy days but we're hoping to get more into the spirit soon. Trevor starts a new job tomorrow, and I start new classes - the last of my undergraduate career - next week so it seems as though the rest of December is going to fly by. 

So tell me, what have you been doing to get ready for the big holiday?

Our Town | Griz Football

I'd like to pretend I'm not more than two weeks late in posting these photos but, unfortunately, that is the truth of things. Having a three day weekend has finally given me a chance to get caught up on things. Yesterday, the house and laundry. Last night, homework. Today, a marketing paper is being written, photos are being edited, Christmas shopping is getting worked on, and perhaps I'll even get around to grocery shopping before my three-day holiday comes to an end.

Thanks to Scott and Michelle, we got to enjoy our second Griz game for the season. While the first was sunny and hot (In fact, I've still got the tan lines from my sunburn), this time I spent the game with hand warmers in my boots. I may or may not have also put on two extra pairs of pants, three pairs of socks and four shirts on the side of the road before the game. It happens.

That morning, we hit quite a snow storm on our way to Missoula. I chose to take my GMAT at the college I will hopefully be attending in the fall and that meant a two hour drive at 6:00 in the morning. While I did well on the test, it was still a stressful way to start the day. Thankfully I got to finish it off with hot breakfast at Food for Thought and another winning football game. But, the icing on the cake? Trevor surprised me with a new Griz hat.

We're trying awfully hard to become Montanans.
Yes, it is "Montanans." I asked.

Snowy Saturdays

This weekend proved full of winter adventures.

Wednesday night, the snow started to fall. On Saturday morning, it was still falling. After nearly three days without seeing the sun, Trevor and I decided to take Saturday as our day - a day to drive around, play in the snow and attempt to take a reasonable Christmas card photo. Not hard when you live here.

In some areas, the snow was above my knees. And yet, we ran across a group of ten campers - campers who were worried they might not get out without the help of a few pick up trucks. They had been hunting for elk. It seems to be the time to do it. The other day, deer crossed through our fenced yard in town. On Friday, Trevor saw a moose on his way to pick me up from work. Unfortunately, our pups aren't enjoying the snow as much as the other Montana wildlife seem to be. 

So, yesterday, we took off from Anaconda and headed toward Montana's capital, Helena. Trevor had fallen in love with the view from atop the Cromwell Dixon Campground but unfortunately, the snow had made the campground all but impassable. Still, we pulled to the side of the highway for some scenic shots and to throw snowballs down the mountain side with strangers taking a rest stop from their drive home to Missoula.

While I was excited to take our photos, I was more excited at the chance to browse through Target. Unfortunately, though, I left the store with only a box of my favorite chocolate covered cherries and new makeup brushes. But, I made up for it with an hour spent in the Christmas section staring at ornaments, convincing Trevor that our pups need pajamas, and making a list of all the things we need before December 1st arrives. And, after our "shopping," we managed to find a good lunch (and Angry Orchard on tap!) at the Brewhouse Pub and Grill.

In the end, we captured a few Christmas card photos - some silly, some serious - but you'll have to wait for those. Until then, you can enjoy our snowy view from the warmth of your home. As for us? It's 16 degrees and windy, but for now we're enjoying it with hot cocoa and an even hotter fire.

Now my life is sweet like cinnamon.

This week, I've been reveling in puppy love and the fun that comes with "Uncle Trevor."

On Monday, Trevor's family arrived from Pennsylvania - his mom, his sister, and as Trevor will always call her, Baby Shay. Having visitors has meant days of big home-cooked meals, drives up the "mountain", RedBox movies, our favorite gluten free pizza, and lunch breaks together at the Montana Club. In between, there has been a lot of giggling, puppy smothering, and episodes of Dora.

Having visitors has also made me appreciate how we've settled into our new home. It's now Andaconda, and god forbid I have to drive to Safeway (it's only two miles away, people.) I've even taken to calling lollipops, "suckers" and making claims about the weather. Perhaps most surprising? I welcomed last night's snow flurries with open arms and this mornings bitter cold weather with my winter coat and an appreciation for the beautiful place we call home. 

It's interesting how quickly a new place with unfamiliar streets, strange accents and peculiar traits can become home. When you no longer struggle to write the correct zip code, when the area code before phone numbers becomes second nature, when a day with both 70 degree sun and snow flurries no longer feels surprising.

How do you know when a new town, a new house, a new state, has become home?

Griz Football

This afternoon, the Montana Grizzlies opened their fall football season against the Coyotes from the University of South Dakota. And, thanks to our good friends Scott and Michelle, we were there to see it. Though I missed the Blue Band and cowbell from the school I once called home, I was impressed by the school spirit shown by the 25,000 people who entered the stands. 

Since we weren’t able to enjoy hot dogs or huckleberry ice cream at the game, we started the day off with breakfast at Food for Thought in downtown Missoula, home of the Griz. As tradition for home football games in any state, we stopped by the bookstore to view t-shirt options, lines of students getting “new colors” for the game and plenty of maroon and gray. With the sunny mid-80’s weather forecasted for the afternoon, I left with a new hat. (That being said.. we’re still red from head to toe, regardless of SPF 30.) 

After a walk through the spirited tailgates, we rented our seat cushions and found our section. Quickly enough, the stands were filled with Griz spirit, football players took to the field to stretch and the countdown to kickoff ticked by. We started the game with Griz Water, but like they say, don’t drink the kool-aid, so we finished the second half with cold sodas form the concessions. 

Despite a few poor calls, the Montana Grizzlies set a school record for the number of first downs in a single game - 34. And with each? A chant of “MONTANA!” following every “and that’s another first down for..” that came from the announcer. In the end, we got to see a double pass to a touchdown, a surprising interception with a score, and a winning season opener.

While I have and will always love football of any kind, this afternoon (despite it’s sunny, smoky weather and consequential sunburns) was a warm welcome to Montana and to the Griz family. If you didn’t know,  football's a big thing around here.