The Medicine Rocks & Camp Needmore

I apologize that I've neglected my blogging. I've spent much time sitting in front of my new monitor (which is wonderful), but it has been work for the ranch. I wanted to share a few of the pictures we took during my parents visit with us. We visited the Medicine Rocks and Camp Needmore (not sure what they need more of, but apparently they need more!)

We found some tree-huggers along the way, but aren't a great looking pair?!? Check out the sky...yes, it's really THAT blue! The Medicine Rocks all look like swiss cheese. They are sand stone and through time the weather has worn holes and divots into them. It is a beautiful place to hike!

I had never been to Camp Needmore until we visited with my parents and it's another great place to hike and look out. You can see for miles up here.

Jamie was the only daring one to hike out to the ledge. I'm not a big fan of heights and the path was very narrow at some places. But he took the camera out and got a few shots from the edge. He took several looking down from his post, but unfortunately you are unable to really see the depth in the pictures. Just wasn't as impressive on the camera screen as it was in person. Guess you'll have to come visit to see those views.

My mom took this picture of a strange creature we found in the trees. To this day we are still uncertain what this is!!!

I thought the clouds were impressive so I snapped a picture. They can change so quickly out here. It's fun to sit and watch the sky sometimes. I am continually amazed at the different views from out here in Big Sky country.

It seems that no matter where go out here, there are cows. I took these pictures for my dad. I'm not sure what his facination is with cows, but every time we would pass cows that were close to the road on his side, he had to roll the window down...I think they secretly have conversations we can't hear. Regardless it made for some humerous moments along the way. Riding with my dad makes an driving for hours seem like minutes...the humor never stops!

I'll leave you with a picture of this big fella! He was only a few feet from the truck and I was glad we were in the truck. He was eyeing us up for dinner. And the picture does him no justice either...he was a LARGE creature. Wouldn't want to come across him on a dark road at night!

Reality

This past week we had the privilege of entertaining my parents. They left home on July 15 and traveled out to Omaha, NE for a meat processors convention and then left Friday morning to travel the rest of the way to the ranch and arrived late that night. Unfortunately our trailblazer didn't make it all the way. They got about an hour and a half from us and it just died. Thankfully it brought them as far as it did without any problems. When my parents finally made it to the ranch, they were completely exhausted and in need of a good sleep. Saturday and Sunday had us driving to Ekalaka to help cook lunch for football camp. After we (I use this term loosely) were done with our duties, we decided to show mom and dad the beauty of Montana. We took them to the Medicine Rocks and to Camp Needmore. We got some beautiful pictures and I'd love to share them with you, but like my SUV, my computer is now opting not to work. (If anyone knows how to cure a white monitor screen, I'd love your advice!) We also made some great memories along the way and shared MANY laughs! What a blast!!! After a busy weekend we spent the rest of the week at the ranch. We got all the boxes off the trailer that Jamie and I brought out in May and they are now organized and stacked neatly throughout the house. I can't wait for the day when boxes no longer litter my living room. I keep telling myself that each day I get closer to this...sometimes, though I think my voice gets lost in clutter. But regardless, this too shall pass and I will have a better appreciation for once again having space to call my own. Thankfully my mom was here to help me unpack and pack the kitchen. We are not only moving in, but we are also moving Jamie's boss out, so it adds a different element to the whole process. But we made it and it's nice to have my kitchen out of boxes and into the space it belongs again. Unpacking boxes that were packed months ago makes it feel like Christmas...I forgot I had some these things. My mom is truly a saint for putting up with me all week and for helping get things put away. I had so much fun with her!!! She is such a blessing to me. My dad (better known as Papa Smurf after this trip....who knows how it started, but it has stuck) had the opportunity to go out with Jamie and see what he does, but unfortunately they were laying concrete for the last 3 days of their trip and there wasn't much true ranching work going on. But that provided my dad with some much needed R&R and my mom and I had the privilege of his company. Papa Smurf also had the chance to show off his cooking skills and it was great see my dad in his comfort zone again. I miss being his A-ssistant! After a long, hard week of unpacking boxes and putting things away I'm afraid my poor parents were in desperate need of a vacation from their vacation. But we were so thankful they finally had an oppotunity to see Montana and the ranch and come for a visit. We look forward to their visiting again. So after a week at the ranch it was time to drive the dreaded 3 hrs or so to the airport on Friday. I had to make the trip with my parents by myself because Jamie had to help with the last day of concrete at the ranch. I'm not sure where my head was because I just assumed he would be along. I have to get used to this! I don't really know my way around here yet, but I've been forced to learn because I HAVE TO, so I do. Thank goodness for GPS!! At least at home you have landmarks and road names, out here it's just dirt, dirt, and more dirt. Oh yes and the occassional cow. Try and give directions with that! "Ok, go to the first cattle guard, take a left, drive past a pasture of cows, go past 3 fence posts and turn right..." Yeah, not really helpful, but I'm proud to announce that I got us to the airport without turning around once and I got myself home again without turning around!!! When your forced to do things your not comfortable with, you sure do get a sense of accomplishment when you do it and cross one more hurdle. This whole living in Montana is quite a transition, but I'm always one for a good challenge. Saying goodbye to my parents and driving away from the airport was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It hit me that this is it! We are now on our own out here! I just wanted to walk back into my childhood and into what I know is comfortable. Every part of me wanted to run into the airport and tell them not to go, but my hands numbly turned the steering wheel away...towards a life of uncertainties and unknowns. I think I came as close to panic attack as I've ever been. I just wanted someone to hold onto in that moment. It hurt inside and for once in my life, my mom wasn't just an arms length away...she won't just be down the road when I need a shoulder to cry on or a hug. But I am filled with a sense of peace knowing that God, the ulimate Creator, has a plan for us. This is not easy, it doesn't come without pain or frustrations, but He is there in the middle of it all and He will be there for me. I think on Friday there was only one set of footprints in the sand...His. I'm thankful for the memories we made this past week and the time spent with my parents, but my heart misses home today. Since I don't have any pictures to share with you, I thought I would share the following clip from the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". This is a family classic. There is a part in the clip (about 2 1/2 min in) where Uncle Billy yells out, "I'm alright, I'm all-right" and it's something we've been saying in my family for many years. In a note Papa Smurf wrote to me one time, he ended it with, "Your alright, your alright". We've shared this saying many times together and Papa Smurf, this one goes out to you. Know that although I may hurting right now, I'm alright, I'm alright...I will rise to the occassion of my life!

Laughter...the best medicine!

I love to laugh! There is nothing better than sharing a knee-slapping time with people that you love. This is a picture I took of my younger brother, Jason, having one of those moments. I just happened to hit the button at the right time and capture this priceless moment. This has become one of my favorite pictures because it captures the realness of a moment...he was really having a good time!

The movie Patch Adams was on TV recently and I love the concept behind the movie. Never mind if you have crows feet by the time your old...I think it's a sign that you enjoyed life, lived it to it's fullest. The following is one of my favorite clips from the movie, one of many. I was looking for the meat packers convention clip in honor of the annual meat processors convention my dad attended this week in Omaha (and according to my mom they both had a fabulous time), but unfortunately I couldn't find one. But here's a quote from the movie for all my friends back at HMC who thought a meat convention was a funny concept..."We're all gonna be the best packers there are...I'm proud of my meat. And I know you're proud of your meat. Whip it, zip it, send it out! I say Now is the time for cow!!!" I hope my girls back home enjoy and appreciate that! The following clip is for "Carla"...I KNOW you'll find the humor in this!

A Visit to Town

Well I finally made my first trip into town by myself yesterday. It felt like such an accomplishment! I was a little hesitant to drive at first because gravel roads aren't as easy to travel as you might think. It takes a little bit of practice and technique. Sometimes you feel the wheel grip a little more to one side than you'd like and you get a little nervous. But I think I'll get the hang of it. Oh and one more tip when your driving the roads around here...the cows own the road. You always have to be prepared to stop for cattle that might be standing or lying in the middle of the road. We don't have speed limit signs or signs that say yield to pedestrians, we have these...

Moving on, I packed the cooler into the back of the pick-up, had my lists handy...never go into town without checking with everyone first...and off I went. It really was an all day affair that included several trips back inside Wal-Mart to get what I had forgotten as I stood in the check-out line. Let me tell you it's no fun going to grocery story when your by yourself and you really should have 2 grocery carts for everything you need to pick up. My cart was so full till I was done that I literally couldn't fit anything else on! I don't think I've ever spent that much on groceries in one visit!! Thank goodness it wasn't all for us and we won't always have to spend that much, but when you move across the country your cupboards tend to be a little bare until your settled. As I was sweating my buttom off in the parking lot unloading my 2 carts of groceries, one gentleman walked by and said, "Looks like you need a taller pick-up". Oh, he was a whitty feller! Good grief, even complete strangers have to comment on my height! Yes, I KNOW, I'm vertically challenged!!!

Anyway, my trip consisted of going to the local saddlery to pick up fencing plier holders, a visit to the local organic store to try and do a little marketing (the owner wasn't there, so I have a phone call to make today), groceries, and picking up bullets for my hubby (of which I know nothing about). And a few hours later with my cooler packed full and the backseat overflowing with groceries, I was headed back home again. There is no more, I forgot something at the store so I have to go back. Nope, once it's forgotten out here your outta luck! Getting groceries is exhausting!! But the adventure of it all is so much fun and I'm truly enjoying evey minute.

I can't post this without pictures and I wanted to share the beauty of my new home with you, so the following are a few pictures I took recently. Isn't God's creation amazing and beautiful?!

Baling Hay

Ahhh....I finally feel a little more normal now that I have my computer hooked up. Hello again, world! I may not have a house to call mine yet, but things are getting better. And there is a bonus for you too....I can finally share some of my pictures. I know, I have just made your day and that makes 2 of us, cause I'm overjoyed. Amazing what a 19" flat screen, a few wires, and a mouse do to make a person's day...words just don't go there!

I thought that I'd share a few of the first pictures I took here. I can't take all the credit, my hubby took a few as well. Sorry, there are none of me actually driving the tractor, but rest assured, I DID drive the tractor AND run the controls for the baler. I also helped him out on Monday as well. I drove a creep feeder (a large feeder just for calves) out to a pasture (going no more than 10 mph is tedious work when you have to drive to middle of nowhere!) and then helped to fill them up. We were almost finished when a whopper of a thunderstorm came through and we got back in time to get soaked running to the house! No need for a shower that night*...there's nothing like trying to peel wet jeans off your legs! This picture was taken by my hubby. You basically drive along at a whopping speed of 3-4 mph and...

...guide the baler through the rows of raked hay. There is a nifty little computer in the tractor that tells you if one side of the bale is bigger than the other and if so you steer a little more towards one side. It also tells you when the bale is full, when the baler starts wrapping the bale, when to eject the bale, and when to close the hatch. I have only one word for that...nifty!!!

Here you can get an idea of what the whole contraption looks like in action. Yes, that's my sexy husband behind the wheel of the tractor!

The computer said "Eject"! (It is important to wait for that to actually happen, or so my hubby claims...apparently if you pull the eject lever too soon, you'll have to go and re-bale that one and it's not so much fun the second time around...or so I hear!) When we first started I wondered how in the world that little machine made a bale AND spit it out when it was done...well, at least you don't have to wonder cause I caught the whole wonder of it all on camera.

And then it's down with the hatch and off he goes again. I found this kicking out part to be rather humorous because when you "kick one out" on a hill it tends to roll away, on down the hill. I'm not crazy, it really is funny to watch!

And there you have it folks...a field full of gigantor hay bales! Ain't it a beauty? I actually just returned from taking my hubby his dinner. The "kids" said they wanted to go for a run since they've been couped up in their cage all day, so I made spaghetti & meatballs and we hopped on the 4 wheeler and a few wrong turns later finally made it out to the field. Dinner was still piping hot and we all enjoyed a beautiful evening together...except, who invited the mosquito's?!?

**Please note that although we are now simple country folk, we do still bathe every day!

I HATE snakes!!!!

I wasn't going to share this story because I didn't want to scare off any friends who had ideas of coming out to visit, but thought it was the beginning of I'm sure many adventures we will have in Montana and it was too good not to share. Sorry again that there are no pictures...you'll have to use your imagination again. Have I mentioned that I HATE SNAKES yet???? If not, let me say so now....I HATE SNAKES!!!! They make me go "Ewwy" and get the shives! Bleah! Icky! Oooey! Jamie had just got in from baling yesterday and he was putting the 4-wheeler's away and I said I'd walk down to the house to get the one in front. Now mind you it's dusk at this time and I have the dogs with me. I walk down...had to check to make sure supper wasn't burning in the oven and walked out. By that time, Jamie had come down on a 4 wheeler and started mine. I've got Bruiser on the back and Bryn running beside. I had just shifted into 2nd when Jamie HOLLERED...crapped me pants, I did!...for me to stop. I'm like, what did I do now, I just shifted and all went well. Good grief, took a few off my life!!!! Of all that is holy! So he rides down to me and with the next sentence takes another few off my life..."There's a snake over there and I don't know if it's a rattler". Land sakes alive...my heart is pumpin now...and I need new drawers! He didn't want the dogs to go over cause we don't know what kind it is, so he puts them in the pick-up and gets his pistol. The good Lord was looking out for my poor heart cause he had one bullet left and oh, I forgot to mention that I had just walked past that vile creature not 5 min ago!!!! Holy cow...it was my walking partner....of all the ewwy...gooey...icky....bleah! Crimeinellies!!! This is my one fear about moving out here...keeps me up at nite....vile, vile creatures! So I sit there on the 4 wheeler...with my feet up past my ears....just in case in the 10 feet that it sat slithering away from me, it might just decide to leap across and nibble on my toes....oh, ooey again! I sat in this uncomfortable position with my fingers plugged in my ears and with much pride and immense satisfation watched as Jamie shot the thing! Thank goodness there's one less snake in this big state! And please no reminders about the fact that snakes actually do procreate...in my feable mind, God only created snakes when He created the world and that was it...a once and done kinda creation...it was a limited number and once their gone, their gone! So that's my snake story...one I'm sure of many that will transpire over the years. Oh how I HATE SNAKES....absolutely despise them.....vile creatures!!!!

$2,000 4 wheeler.....$300 pistol....one bullet....the moment a vile snake dies....priceless!

Love, ME and the incredible snake slayer!

PS I got an e-mail from my dad who said he enjoyed my story and was waiting for the video. I promptly replied that although the video would be rather entertaining, this story was going to have to remain imagination only because between my fingers in my ears and my feet up past my head, I'm not sure how I would have pulled off holding a video camera to capture this priceless moment. I'll have to work on that one.

Happy, with room for improvement

I apologize that I do not have any pictures to share with you in this post. Well, let me rephrase that; I have pictures to share with you, but until I get my computer set up out here, you'll have to use your own imagination. I have finally made it out to Montana to my sexy husband and we got to spend 2 wonderful days in the city together. My first glimpse of him was as he stood patiently waiting for me at the bottom of the steps at the airport, nonchalantly parked up against a wall as if this was an every day occurrence for him. I knew that secretly inside he was just as excited as I was outwardly expressing. We wives know our husbands well! After 5 weeks I wasn't ready to let him go and thank goodness that prayers were answered because all my flights were on time and my bag was the first one out at baggage claim...something we both agreed will probably never happen again. After 2 wonderful, amazing days together in the city, we sadly needed to end our mini vacation and head back to our new home. This morning Jamie had to be up early to get back to work. There is still hay that needs to be baled and everyone else was headed elsewhere for the day. I slept in (something I almost forgot how to do) and then spent the next hour looking through all my suitcases for what I need to take a shower. I should be a professional at this by now since I've been living out of a suitcase for almost 3 months! It's beginning to wear on me...that's a lie, it's already worn on me, but I gritted my teeth this morning, took a deep breath and just went with the flow. (I should get a gold star for the day cause that NEVER happens!) Afterwards I packed up a lunch, collected my book and camera, drove the 20 min drive to the middle of nowhere, took a right at the windmill, a left at the 4th hay bale and finally brought Jamie his lunch. After we dined in the pick-up, we both crawled into the tractor to go round and round with the baler. There wasn't a lot of conversation, we were just content to be in each other's company, but here and there we chatted. One conversation went a little like this... "It's good to know your happy", I said. He smiled, "Are you happy?" "I'm happy", I answered back. "Well, let's just say your happy, with room for improvement, right?", He said. I just smiled. I guess husbands know their wives pretty well too.

How to Say Goodbye

The following is a song I found a few weeks ago and although the words don't fit exactly for me, I've found healing in them as I try and process my feelings. I have been wondering from the start how one says goodbye when you know you'll never be ready to. This is a huge step in life and one you can never prepare enough for, but I know the Lord is guiding our steps and I look forward to following His leading. So here it goes...I'm off to start my life in Montana.

The Time Has Come...

The past 5 weeks has been FULL of many wonderful times with friends and family. The following are just a few of things I've done since I left my hubby in Montana in June...

...I had the opportunity to visit NYC...a favorite place of mine...with 3 of my friends and we had a blast (as always)! Many wonderful memories came from our 2 day visit and I'll share more pictures from our trip in the near future.

...My co-workers had a going away party for me. I feel so blessed to have had the privilege to work with such wonderful people...my heart is sad to say goodbye to all my friends at HMC.

...One of the nurses shared her idea about making a scrapbook for me, and everyone...doctors, nurses, secretaries...everyone! from work made a page for me. The book is HUGE and it's full of wonderful memories. They had been working on it since January. It's a gift I treasure and appreciate! I have been showered with love the past few weeks and there aren't enough words to say Thank You!

...I got to spend time with my niece, Rachel. She is such a ham and that smile could win anyone's heart. I love it when her little arms reach out for me and hold on tight. I will miss my little buddy!

...I received an award from the OB GYN residents at graduation. I have worked with a wonderful group of doctors and I will miss them immensely. This was truly an honor!

...We got to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday and I got to spend time with these 2 wonderful people. They have been such an encouragement to us.

...I also got to celebrate in new life! Little "Jimmy Boots" was born on June 14 at 6:53 am and I was his baby nurse. We ran into each other at the hospital this past weekend and it was great to be able to give one last goodbye hug to my friend. I'll miss you, Buzz!

...We got to watch fireworks from our grand seats in the OB waiting room at the hospital.

...We had numerous parties at work...we nurses do love food and having a good time. Bottoms up, girls!

...I received visits at work from friends who didn't even have to be at work! Sonya brought me these balloons...she's a monkey outta her tree and a good friend!

...And then there was this...there is no explaination for this except that we sure were having a great time! We had an "80's party" my last night at work and this was just one photo that resulted from the night. More details to follow.

Thanks to all my friends and family for making the last few weeks bearable and memorable! I will miss you all very much! The miles may separate us, but it cannot break the bonds we have formed. Stayed tuned for more adventures from Me & Him!

*I'd also like to thank those who endured my camera in their face over the last few weeks...you deserve a medal for putting up with me!