Snapshots | On The Road

I have been meaning to stop in and share a few snapshots from our moving journey but with guest posts to share, a house to unpack, and the start of a new job, I hadn't found the time until now. You don't mind pictures seeing the pictures a few days (or maybe a week and a half) late, do you?

Our seventeen hour drive took us through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico - adding three new states to my list. Along the way I was disappointed in hitting Idaho snow, amazed by the red rocks of Utah, and uncomfortable with the hotel arrangements we encountered in middle-of-nowhere Colorado.

I don't know that I will ever tire of seeing America. While living in New Mexico the first time, a man who had traveled the world mentioned to Trevor that it made no sense to travel outside of America until you had seen most of the country's states and regions. We get so wrapped up in visiting foreign and exotic locals, that we take for granted the variety within our own country. Living in Pennsylvania, Montana and New Mexico has engrained that idea deep within my mind; each state is so different and yet we function as a single entity.

While I spent the weeks proceeding the move complaining about the impending drive, I have no complaints about the hours spent laughing at Buddy's road trip antics or listening to Trevor's attempts to sing along with the strange African tribal music his iPod insisted on playing.

These photos are just a quick look at our drive, a fun reminder of the journey that brought us here.

So tell me, how many states have you visited? Which region of the United States is your favorite? Which is on your list to visit? I've loved the Southwest since my first visit to Arizona but I can't wait to see the Pacific Coast or the states of New England.

Snapshots | Winter Weekends

After nearly losing my computer, I haven't been able to find a download for Photoshop CS4 anywhere. And, after moving across the country, I can't seem to find the disk either. Unfortunately, that's inspired me to leave my camera to collect dust. Instead, I've been snapping too many pictures of the dogs on Instagram. What can I say, it happens. (But if you happen to love photos of snuggly puppies, you should definitely follow along.)

While I had plans for engagement and family portraits this weekend, Montana had different plans in mind. While our winter weather normally consists of snow, this December weekend brought with it two straight days of rain and wind. Though, a quick trip to let the pups out has shown me that the rain turned to snow and snow after the sun set for the night - like they say in Montana, if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change.

With a quiet cold weekend spent indoors, we managed to decorate the house for the holidays. Thanks to my mom, ornaments from home arrived safely packed in a cardboard box. The post master insisted the ornaments must be broken as she shook the box in my face, dumping glitter all over her counter. Let's call that karma. Fortunately, she was wrong and between that box and ornaments given to us by my boss, we were able to decorate the tree we found for $20 on Craigslist.

This year, I'm thrilled to have a real fireplace and with it, a mantle. With a few minutes of ironing, Scrap's stocking was ready to join the grouping and to be honest with you, I can hardly wait to fill it with treats. In the Christmas spirit, we've already completed two days of Trevor's Christmas countdown, though the rain prevented us from attending the Christmas parade. And if I'm being completely honest, we haven't quite finished today's project of making homemade ornaments. Though the dough is made, we've yet to roll it, cut it, or bake it. (Fortunately, tomorrow's activity was "decorate the tree" and since I couldn't wait, we've got a free evening ahead).

For now, I'm headed back to writing the remaining fifteen pages of a forty page research paper while Trevor naps and the dogs destroy something, anything, they can get their mouths around. If you happen to have a few free minutes of your own, please take a moment to answer this quick survey. Hopefully tomorrow will bring finished ornaments and real photos but if not, just assume we are enjoying Christmas music, a funny movie, and the end of all this rain.

Snapshots: Summer Lovin'

It’s been quiet here this week. No Ten on Tuesday. No What I Ate Wednesday. Quiet.
You’ll have to forgive me, we’ve been too busy soaking up the last of our Montana summer.
(And the first real break from school-work for me in over a year, but don’t worry, classes start Monday.)

To celebrate, we spent last Friday night having dinner at the Montana Club (complete with huckleberry iced tea, yum!).

And a double date to the Silver Bow Drive In for a funny movie.

(Plans we will repeat tonight - only with a different restaurant, a different couple and a different movie.)

I also enjoyed a blistering hot afternoon and a chilly evening on the banks of Silver Lake last weekend.
And here in Montana, lake nights mean bonfires with friends and “family", peanut butter cup s’mores and play dates with my three-year-old, Kaleb.

Of course the rest of our week hasn’t been as fun-filled or exciting - though it has thankfully been perfectly warm and sunny. 

We’ve kept busy working on the house in anticipation of Trevor’s family visiting - planting succulents, cleaning out the garage, fun things like that.

And I’ve spent hours each day filling out employment applications, printing resumes, answering phone calls and picking out the right outfit for the seemingly endless list of job interviews. (Keep your fingers crossed for me? I’m putting all my hopes into being hired as a preschool teacher.)

But today, after one last interview for the week, I decided to treat myself.

I spent the morning at Goodwill (which somehow carries a large selection of Target items, new with tags, at less than half price).

Ate frozen yogurt for lunch, and brought Starbucks home to my boys.. though it’s not like Buddy cared.

For now though, we’re headed to enjoy a Friday date night before Trevor heads back to work tomorrow and I’m left with a list of chores, piles of homework and more job interviews to complete.

We hope you’re able to soak up some of the last of summer this weekend, too.

Snapshots: Life Lately

Life is busy.

Busy in a good way, that is. Unfortunately though, that doesn’t mean I’m not exhausted. Today, after I finished up the last wall of our bathroom painting, I decided I'd reward myself with a few minutes to blog and a glass of ice cold sweet tea. 

While I’m not complaining, I have to say that it’s been a hot week in Montana. Nothing compared to the record breaking heat on the East Coast but enough that we’ve been pulling curtains, closing off the sunroom and wishing for frozen yogurt. Today, an off-road vehicle equipped with a music box and painted lime green drove past our house with snow cones for sale. Unfortunately, I was in shock and couldn’t find a few dollar bills quick enough. This girl loves snow cones.

This week, I’ve spent the majority of my time focusing on our bathroom project, mudding, sanding and painting our walls. Thankfully, with Trevor having two consecutive days off, I was able to take a small break from spending countless hours in a 12x8 ft room. 

On Saturday, Buddy enjoyed his first bath in the new shower and boy, did he need it. Our poor boy had lived for months on lake swimming trips and being sprayed with the cold garden hose. When he realized that Trevor was at work and I was in the shower, he took advantage of the situation and plowed through the curtain. (He doesn’t like to shower alone.)

On Sunday, I took a much needed trip to the laundry mat and spent the afternoon with Michelle. We made the long trip to Missoula for gluten-free goodies from the Good Food Store. I’m not sure when I fell in love, exactly.. perhaps passing by the perfectly stacked organic produce.. or when I found out that you could dispense your own eco-friendly laundry detergent into recycled glass jars.. or when I found Udi’s Blueberry Muffins.. All I know is, I’m in love. (It’s probably a good thing we’re an hour and forty minutes away.)

Monday, we ventured to Butte for errands and those french fries I was telling you about and by Tuesday, Trevor was back to his late night schedule. Even still, we were able to enjoy a late night bonfire with our funny neighbors. 

We got lucky in the neighbor department. Next door we have Kat and Andrea - guards at our local prison but fun girls with great dogs. (Buddy’s in love.) Then, one more house down - Roxie and Randy. Roxie also works at the prison in food service, while her husband works as a cook at our local final dining restaurant. With Trevor vying for a job at the prison, too, it’s a funny group. But, there’s nothing quite like a midweek unplanned bonfire with good neighbors, hard cider and s’mores.

Though we spend our nights staying up much too late, we’re still able to squeeze in time together each morning with an hour at the gym. While Trevor normally does his own thing (like fighting MMA dummies.. really), I spend time on the treadmill, trying to overcome the thin air that comes with being a mile above sea level. But today, we met up half way for a little basketball game. Needless to say, I’m awful at basketball but it was still a welcome change of pace. 

The rest of my week will be spent doing homework and school research, with Trevor working late nights. That means evenings snuggling Buddy though, and I’m okay with that. But truth be told, we’re anxiously awaiting Monday for a chance to spend our day with Trevor.

(I think Buddy hates Trevor's late nights as much as I do.)

Snapshots: This Old House

Everything in Anaconda is old, or antiquated as Trevor would politely explain it - the houses, the streets, the businesses, the buildings which are home to the theatre, the library and the downtown shops. And our home is no exception. With an old house comes old plumbing, horse hair plaster, crooked walls and a long list of “to do’s”. 

While we have a list of things we’ve eventually like to do (like turn our cabin into living quarters and a laundry room - or clean the garage), the first project on our list was the bathroom. When I visited a few weeks ago, we were making do with a claw foot tub and a shower head which was attached to the ceiling with a pipe strap. After the intense water pressure managed to destroy three shower heads, it decided to burst a pipe in the basement. At that point, it was clear - the whole thing needed to be replaced.

The goal had been to have the bathroom finished by the time I arrived but with busy and conflicting schedules, I arrived to a gutted room - with only a few sheets of drywall hung. After spending our first week together working on more drywall and waiting for the finishing touches on our electric, Trevor and I were relieved when our landlords - a welder and a contractor - arrived from San Jose. With them was gallon after gallon of paint, supplies to repair our siding, plans to fix all of our cracked windows, new plumbing for the kitchen and bathroom and a lot of know how and labor.

All together, with the help of our friends too, we spent the past five days working from nine a.m. until at least seven o’clock - with a work finale that lasted from five a.m. to one a.m. yesterday. (And ended with a delirious Trevor and I trying to install a shower rod so that we could finally shower in our own house.) We managed to mix in some home made iced tea, a few bottles of beer and Trevor’s delicious potato and dill soup to make the whole task a little bit more manageable. 

As I write this, I’m taking a break from the extensive clean up that comes after five days of hard work. We had drywall dust on every surface, piles of dirty dishes from the water being turned off, clumps of mud smashed into our kitchen floor and construction tools in every room. 

While I’d like to say that five days of hard work got us a finished bathroom - I can’t but at least we have new plumbing, finished electricity, repaired windows, a working shower, mostly finished drywall, and a new respect for remodeling your house.  Our list of things to do now includes taping and mudding, painting, installing a sink, fitting molding to our shower, installing flooring and enjoying a new bathroom. 

If you would have told me a year ago that in a few weeks, I would fall in love with a guy and a year later would be living with him in Montana and remodeling our house together - I would have never believed it. I wouldn’t have wanted to. While I can’t say that it’s not difficult to work together (especially when things go wrong.. and you’re exhausted and sleep deprived), it’s been a good, rewarding experience and I can only hope that the rest of our home projects go so well.

[Check back (eventually) for finished pictures of the bathroom. 

We can’t wait to show you our mint walls & fabulous shower curtain.]

June Photo a Day Challenge: Week 3

Day 15: Fresh flowers at work.

Day 16: Taking care of business on campus - keep your fingers crossed for a fall internship!

Day 17: New bag filled with my favorite journal, my wallet & my makeup bug.

Day 18: I bet you didn’t know that I have a banana tree in my kitchen.

Day 19: In a hurry to get to work, my bed wasn’t exactly made the way I like it. 

Day 20: Field Day, 2011.

Day 21: Spent the night on Aiden’s playroom couch to take advantage of my parents’ central air.

Snapshots: Places to See

Up until this point, you’ve probably been convinced that I spent an entire week in Montana, snuggled on my boyfriend’s coach or out taking pictures of the sky. While that may not be too far from the truth, we did manage to fit a few interesting stops and visits into our week of house cleaning and settling in. In fact, we visited three out of five of the largest cities in Montana - Missoula, Bozeman and Butte. The best part? Missoula has short of 67,000 people. After all, the entire state has less people than the city of Philadelphia, and it’s the fourth largest state in the country. (I think that’s what I love about it.)

During our week, we managed to eat out quite a bit. We scored a great gluten-free pizza in downtown Anaconda at a little place called Gallicano’s Pizzeria. I was surprised when it was possibly the best one I’ve had - I didn’t expect Montana to excel in the areas of gluten-free eating or pizza. Better yet, the man at the counter informed us that we could happily pay IOU since they didn’t “take plastic”. We also made it a point to try the chinese restaurant in town (Trevor’s favorite cuisine), and Barclay II, the laughable “fine dining” experience of our week. Breakfasts out were at the local favorite diner, the Copperbowl, and were followed with gambling on poker machines in the attached “casino” room. In Missoula, we stopped at a bar-b-que chain which served the worst caesar salad I’ve ever had - and in Butte, the Montana Club, where they served me avocado with breakfast. Montana stands out in a lot of ways but culinary expertise is not one of those. The best meals of the week were home cooked - pork tenderloin in a mango chutney, gluten free pancakes with caramelized fuji apples, and a delicious (but chilly) bar-b-que.

When we weren’t taking a trip to see other Montana towns, we made it a point to get to know our own. We spent a sunny afternoon walking the streets of Anaconda and peaking into every open store. There was Copperopolis, a stunning home decor and furniture which bears the almost chosen name for the town; Beyond Necessities Gifts; the local florist; the town park; and a quick lunch at Taco Time, a fast food restaurant which serves tator tots as a side with crunchy (and delicious) tacos.

After a double-date for Chinese, we decided to see a movie in one of my favorite town spots, Anaconda’s Washoe Theater. According to the Smithsonian, this place is a national theatre because of its immaculate decor - I don’t think I would argue. The theater was built in the 1930’s and has remained in unchanged, pristine condition, since. Each week, they show one movie - each day at an 8:00 p.m. show time. While Scott, Michelle and Trevor eagerly enjoyed “the Avengers,” I enjoyed an after-dinner nap. The difference in altitude takes a few days of adjusting and in the meantime, I napped twice daily. (That in and of itself was worth the trip.)

The theatre is not the only part of town which feels as though it’s not of this time period. The Copperbowl, the local laundry mat - even my boyfriend’s home, as well - feel as though they haven’t changed in years. As Trevor explained it, “Anaconda is not as remote as it is antiquated and non-crowded, with charming out of this world scenery.”

Though I enjoyed my quiet week in Anaconda, I was excited to make a day trip to visit the University of Montana in Missoula. Thankfully their graduate school was able to fit me in for a last minute appointment and Scott and Michelle were kind enough to take us. We were able to tour the campus, grab some coffee (and chai!) and get the information I needed about what next fall will hold. While in Missoula, we also ventured to Costco, Home Depot and Starbucks. After all, if you’re going to make the drive to the “city”, you might as well do it right.

As you can see, we managed to fit quite a few things into a quick stay but my list of “things to see” for my summer in Montana is growing. After all, Trevor promised me a road trip to Yellowstone. Until then, I will try to be patient, make my list longer, begin to pack, and continue to be thankful Trevor actually uses the webcam I bought for his birthday.

June Photo a Day Challenge: Week 1

For the past few months, I’ve tried to play along with the “Photo a Day” challenges hosted by fat mum slim but it’s never seemed to work out - this month, I’ve vowed to make it through all thirty days. Today marks the end of week one and so far, so good. As you can tell, I’ve been loving instagram lately and with my busy schedule, my iPhone seems to be the camera in my hands most often (the cute little tape labels were put on with the app “LabelBox”). You can follow along with all the participants by searching for the hashtag “#junephotoaday” or you can follow along with me here. So far, I’m really enjoying these little daily prompts and so, I thought I’d share my first week of photos with you!

Day 1: My favorite kind of morning. I melt every time I see this picture.

Day 2: An empty bottle of Gruet, our favorite champagne. 

Day 3: They may not have been on a plate, but these Peanut Butter M&M's served as my lunch while flying home. Trevor got me hooked while I was away!

Day 4: Homemade guacamole - an unhealthy obsession & my go-to summer snack.

Day 5: This sign marks the gate to the breezeway at my new house - I hate it, and this photo.

Day 6: With the hot sunny weather we’ve had, a straw fedora is perfect when sitting on the balcony.

Day 7: My favorite drink - Diet Dr. Pepper, yum.

Check back each Thursday to see the pictures for weeks 2, 3 and 4 - and while you’re at it, join in!