Summer Recap- Part 1!

Oh my goodness! It's getting chilly here already!  Yes I am a little scared for what's in store, we do not even have a snow shovel/ snow blower yet, but it is on the radar...  "Mr Prepared" is going to be sure we are ready for our first Montana winter!  With that being said, I can't believe our summer has come and gone...  So many visitors, so many new experiences, and just all-around great times with family and friends!  My goal is to recap each visit with a new post until I am caught up, and then I promise I will be better at posting this fall!!!

Visit #1: My Sister, Nieces and Mom
It was so great to have them out in June right when the weather was first warming up for the summer!  I left work early, picked up Kaitlyn from school and we headed to the airport to get Jenny, Shelby, and Julie!  Classic, I had put Kaitlyn in a pretty yellow dress to greet her cousins, and she had an accident at school, and ended up in a mis-matched outfit and hair all over the place when I picked her up!  What are you gonna do, right? Not important! So here are some pics from picking them up at the Bozeman airport after two long flights from Nashville, TN!!!

They were doing about 5-6 days here and then 3 days in Vegas, so we had a jammed packed schedule!  First on the list was to hit the little sprayground park near our house to let everyone run off some energy from traveling!

The next day, Nana was flying in and got delayed, so we all went to the Dinosaur Park and had a picnic lunch there in Bozeman.

Nana finally got here later that afternoon, and we went and had mexican...well, you can't really get true mexican here, so let's call it "southwestern"... at Rio Sabinas!  Next on the agenda was our trip to Chico Hot Springs and Yellowstone!  Chico is a quaint little mountain resort outside the entrance of Yellowstone and it sits on a natural hot spring, which is basically like a giant hot tub, but with no chemicals, so the water is just constantly running through.  It is so nice, they have a bar there at the pool, a great restaurant, and then other activities like horseback riding and scenic river floats (which our crew was a little young to do)!  It's about an hour or so from our house- very scenic drive...

Here's us in the hot springs, or the warm pool, as Kaitlyn calls it, then there is also an extra hot pool that is too hot for kids, but oh so nice!

Here's a great picture of the view at Chico! It's kind of at the foothills of the mountains in the middle of nowhere- they do a lot of weddings here- beautiful! 

Kaitlyn and the girls were fired up after dinner, dancing, singing, running wild, having a grand ole time! I think they were still up at 10pm!

We stayed there overnight, and headed into the park the next morning for a full day of adventure! Here's another view on our way in!

You could probably take 3-4 days, at least, to see ALL of Yellowstone, but we did the condensed 1 day version so we could spend some more time at home and in Bozeman.  Here's Jenny and Shelby at the entrance!

This was one of the many animals we saw, which after much discussion, we deemed to be a female moose.  We saw lots of bison too.  And we had kind of a rare experience in that we saw 3 bears that day! This is really how it is, you are literally driving along, and you say, "Oh look, there's a moose right there (10 feet away)."

We saw Old Faithful erupt! Here's a pic, it is one of the most well known geysers in the world, not because it's the biggest, but the most reliable!  Every 90 minutes or so... for us it was 2.5 hours, I think, it's not exact!

Ahhh yes, two very tired little girls!  Snoozin away!

Justin took Julie and Kaitlyn on a couple bike rides in the chariot, which is always more fun with a buddy... and more work on dad, but totally worth it to hear all the giggling and carrying on!

One of my sister's favorite things we did was hike the "M" trail in Bozeman.  Even Shelby did it!  She did an excellent job, because it is a challenging hike, but so worth it!  I'm so glad she came along, not something you get to see everyday!  You can see for miles and it is beautiful!

On one of the hottest days, we went to the country club to swim! Everyone had a ball and we definitely enjoyed the non-humid summer weather! I think Kailtyn's favorite thing is to eat at the pool and have popcicles!

This is their last morning here before flying onto Vegas. Nana is spoon-feeding Kailtyn her Apple Jacks and spoiling her rotten!!! :) haha!

It was so great having them all here to visit and have some quality girl time!  It was sad to see them go knowing it would be Christmas before we are all together again.  But what I'm learning is when you move far away from family and friends is that you have to make the most of your time together and use skype and the phone, and blogs, and email, and pictures as much as possible!  We are lucky we live in a generation where there is so much technology at our fingertips to stay in touch!  At least it makes it a little easier...

Stay tuned for Summer Recap- Part 2!  Justin's family visit and the 4th of July...

Summer Fun: Baby Birds, The Peas are Ready, and Rodeo Time!

My new favorite season is definitely summer... All my life I have been a fall girl, but I have officially converted.  There is so much that we have done, and so much more to do... in so little time.  I can't even keep up!

The Nest
Our summer officially started with the new bird family that built their nest on the flood lights right outside our kitchen window.  It was truly amazing to have watched all of this take place.  This bird was bound and determined to build this nest at our house.  It started on a different set of lights outside our bedroom, but after a long day's work, the nest was blown off by strong winds.  Again, the next night, she rebuilt it stronger than before in the same place, and to her dismay...blown away....again...
When she moved to the new light outside the kitchen, she got really serious and brought what seemed like every twig, string, scrap, etc. from the whole neighborhood, and that thing was not going anywhere.
We were thrilled by the new friend that wanted to live with us, and we watched....
A couple weeks went by and she always seemed to be there, sitting loyally in her nest.  There had to be eggs in there!   Wasn't long until we heard the chirping of 5 baby birds in that little nest!

Then she worked like no mother I have ever seen for probably 10 days or more.  I had never thought about how much work it would be to feed 5 babies.  Luckily the father bird surfaced to help her.  Both of them were scouring the nearby land for worms and flying them back, then again, and again, switching off all day long.  And we could see the babies growing rapidly.  I was amazed that they grew so fast, and then all of a sudden we would see one start to get brave and inch toward the side...  Slowly but surely, they each left the nest.  And it was so wild, there was one baby left in the nest, and it was chirping like it was all alone!  Then, when we looked out into the big piece of land behind the backyard, we saw the mom and the dad and a couple smaller birds all chirping towards the nest, as if to say, "Come on- Everyone's waiting on YOU".  Of course, I felt for the slow bird ;)
Next time we checked, he had apparently made it out, and that was that!  So interesting- and Kaitlyn loved it- She would always Shhhhh Gunther if he barked, reprimanding him "The BIRDIES are SLEEPING- Be QUIET!"  

Harvesting!
So, I don't know if I added on here that we have a huge garden in the backyard from the previous owners, and we thought it would be fun to plant some things this summer, and see how it goes!  So the first weekend in June, we got it done!  Onions, garlic, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, peas, sugar snap peas, and green beans!
It's been a lot of work, but very interesting and rewarding at the same time.  Especially now that we are seeing everything in action.  All of a sudden, one of our pea bushes was ready the other day.  It was like one day there were a couple pods, and then the next, a whole bush full!

 Here's pics below- So fun for Kaitlyn (...and us)!

Rodeo's in Town!
The Gallatin County Fair and Ranch Rodeo was in town last weekend, so we went to check it out with our friends we met out here that are from Marietta.  It was a fun time!  Kaitlyn and Bridger rode rides together, had ice cream, and we experienced our first rodeo.  The first event was roping and branding calves, so hopefully Kaitlyn wasn't traumatized.  I think she just liked seeing all the horses and the real cowboys! Here's some pics...

Busy summer!
The most exciting things for us this summer have been some quality family time and visits!  Late June we had my Mom, Jenny, Shelby and Julie come out.  Then over the 4th, we had Justin's parents and brother Sean. We had two amazing trips to Yellowstone, hiking, pool time, and great weather!  I'll have to do another post all about those adventures once I get my pics organized!  Then, Justin has gotten some great pics on fishing excursions that I'm sure he'll want to post about, so stay tuned!
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as well- we've still got a little left, so let's keep playing!  :)
-The Hills

Where'd The "M" Go?

So, in Bozeman, the most notable hiking trail is called the "M"... The history here is that students from Montana State University whitewashed a ton of rocks in 1913 and placed them strategically off the south slope of Baldy Mountain about 5,800 feet up, and it has since been a landmark of the city and a fun thing to do. The actual "M" is about 250 ft in length and the trek up is about 1.5 miles with both a short steep route and a longer meandering easier route.  Kaitlyn now constantly looks for the "M" and if she can't see it from wherever we are, she gets a bit concerned, hence the title of the post "Where'd the "M" go?" Here's some pics...

Justin has done the hike with Gunther, but we have not all done it as of yet.  I don't know if Gunther will go on the second excursion because Justin said he didn't think he would make it back down. Haha! I can just see Justin carrying the 85lb Giant Schnauzer down a mountain b/c the dog got too tired... Here's Gunther on the trail...

We got a hiking pack for Kaitlyn, but the weather has had a slow start to summer, so we are hoping for a good opportunity here soon!  It's been raining and windy with sunny spurts here and there, but you just never know when they are coming!  It's not as predictable here for some reason.

The Double Rainbow!
This was the biggest coolest rainbow I've ever seen- Went across the whole sky, and was a double!  The picture does not even do it justice!  Very cool!

Summer Fun!
We've been very busy checking out new places, getting settled with work (if that's ever possible), and preparing for a long list of visitors this summer!  We cannot wait to see our family and friends!!!  My sister and her girls are coming this Wednesday, and my mom is coming Thursday staying about a week! Then Justin's parents and brother Sean are coming for the 4th of July!  Then we have our friends, Emily and Will coming the first week of August as they do a cross country road-trip (fun)! Next is both of my parents in August, and then my best friend who just got married, Jen and Reagan Evans coming for Labor Day! 
Beyond having lots of visitors come, we get to go to Thermopolis, Wyoming for Justin's semi-annual company trip, which will include all kinds of outdoor adventures including some serious whitewater rafting through the Wind River canyon, a water park, golf, and more!  Justin gets to go to Vegas for his friend, Mike's bachelor party and also to Colorado for another dirt biking trip with his dad and brother Sean.  The dirtbike trip that they did across the state of Montana several years ago is what really sparked Justin's interest in Montana.  Then, we get to go to Mike Goss' wedding in San Diego in late August!
So I guess just like everyone here, we will have a packed summer in order to get it all out of our system before the 7-8 months of snow hits!  Even then we have some visitor's tentatively planned for Thanksgiving and we are coming back to Atlanta for a few weeks over Christmas.


Hyalite Lake- Eager Us...
It is becoming the common joke around here that every time we try to check out something new, we are just a bit too early. There is apparently the most amazing canyon and lake with trails and view etc. about 30 minutes away.  Of course when we went a couple weeks ago, it was still snowing and the lake was covered with ice.  Very pretty none the less, but just humorous...

Justin actually went the next weekend to try and find some places to fish and it was completely void of snow and 2/3 of the reservoir had melted.  There were lots of people up there, but he mostly hiked along the river below the damn looking for some places to fish to no avail.  I think he enjoyed the scenery and solitude just as well.

Growing Up So Fast!
Are we potty-trained? "You betcha" (as they say here for everything)!  Yay!  She's potty-trained, we've taken the front off her crib, and she actually has enough hair for pig-tails! Slow down Kaitlyn!!!  She also has complete somewhat adult conversations with us that are rather hysterical!

This last one is of our visit to the "Museum of the Rockies"!  They have one of the most famous Dinosaur exhibits in the country and other cool stuff for adults and kids- Fun times!

Post #6: Things We've Learned About Montana... And More!

This will be funny to you all.... because these are all the things that we've found interesting over this first month we've been here!  The slight differences you notice after living in one place for most of your life...

The Bozeman Top 10:
1) It is not unusual for guys to wear full-on cowboy hats to dinner at night! No, Justin has not done it yet, though we all know he is tempted...

2) It is standard to take your dog everywhere, even if they just sit in the car... the grocery store, coffee shop, dinner, gas station.  The owner of the building I work at brings his dog, "Decoy," to work with him everyday, and he greets everyone as they arrive, and most people bring him treats regularly. Gunther has already noticed this and it is apparent that he wants to take part in every activity (because all the other dogs are doing it, and it is the Montana way).

3) It is not uncommon to see strange animals all over.  Within a few minutes of us, everyday,we see: Llamas, Peacocks, Donkeys, and Gophers.  There is always horses and cows, of course, and then we've seen wild turkey, bison, and big horned sheep- Bizarre! Here's a pic Justin got of the 2 llamas that live down the road!

4) The first week we were here, I discovered that there are not stop signs at every intersection!  Throughout most of downtown Bozeman, I guess it is just "understood" that everyone will slow down and look both ways before driving through!

5) The speed limit on the main I-90 is 75mph!  So nice!  Which means everyone goes 80!

6) There's no sales tax!  This was strange...first day I was here and went to Target, I got something that was 3 for $5- she rang me up and said $5 please.  The state income tax rate seems to be less, too. Score!

7) Houses here don't have AC!  When we moved in, we noticed there is no switch on the thermostat that says "Heat" and "Cool", just a temperature gauge.  Apparently, in the summer, you just open the windows and let the fans work... as long as we have heat in the winter, I think I'm ok! :)

8) There is no Waffle House, Chick-Fil-A, Publix, or Suntrust out here!  But there is a great mom and pop local breakfast place, the "Pickle Barrell Sandwich Shop", "Taco Johns", Albertson's and the local Co-Op grocery store, and we have officially switched over to Wells Fargo- switching banks is a task...

9) Most people have a full-size camper in their driveway- I would say about 70-80% of neighbors around us!

10) With the weather getting nicer this week, this is one of the strangest ones...  It does not get fully dark here until after 9:30pm or so, even though the sun technically sets earlier. Because we are in the west, and we can see so much farther west, it still looks light where the sun hasn't set yet, if that makes sense. One of my co-workers said in the summer it is usually light until at least 10pm!

Kaitlyn Goes To The Zoo!
Last Saturday I had to take the dreaded Montana Life and Health Insurance licensing exam, which was a 3 hour test, over in Billings, MT, which is 2 hours away. So Justin drove me and took Kaitlyn to the zoo there! She loved it and is still talking about the Tiger they have!  Luckily I passed my test, so we don't have to do that trip again- it was an all day thing... and much harder than the Georgia test, I might add!
Here's some pics from the zoo!

Gunther's Birthday!
Kaitlyn is at an age where Birthdays are a big deal and very fun, so for Gunther's 5th birthday, we had Sloppy Joe's for dinner and then ice cream cones... Only in Gunther's cone, he got sloppy joe, and Kaitlyn blew out a candle for him! We might have to make it a tradition- too funny!

 She had to give him his Sloppy Joe cone!

Mother's Day and First Ponytail!
Mother's Day was fairly low-key- We ran around and went to dinner at a couple's house (Tasha and Brian) that we were connected to through Pete and Courtney Lee (from Alpharetta). Pete works with Tasha and they moved to Bozeman 6 years ago and are from Marietta! They have a 3 year old little boy named Bridger and a 11 month old little girl named Brianna.  We had such a great time and are having them over next weekend, so it was really nice to meet new people with so much in common!
Here's me and Kate on Mother's Day!

Monumentous Occasion!  I finally got that hair in a ponytail! It is more like a sprout, but it stays for a few hours or until she pulls it out!

Some others! She has really learned to say "CHEESE" for the camera!

And her new favorite food is corn on the cobb- who would've thought? For some reason, she calls it "Apple-Corns"???

Hope everyone is doing great! We are looking forward to a fun summer of nice weather, outdoor adventures, family and friends visiting, and Kaitlyn getting potty-trained!!! :)
Have a great weekend!!