Eclipse

I was able to see the beautiful eclipse Weds night after playing volleyball. WOW! It was so cool! I wish I could have had my camera.

Here are some photos taken from Hamilton, MT.

Hope you get to get outside this weekend. It is suppose to be 50 degrees here! I see our southern folks will be getting freezing temps. Guess you should come visit me in this heat wave!

Heroes

Let us never forget the HEROES!

Blog tag

7 Random Facts About Me:

1. I have lived in 6 different states.
2. I love the sound a car makes while driving on gravel.
3. I enjoy all kinds of music except for rap.
4. I love to laugh but hate my laugh. I think it is loud & obnoxious.
5. I enjoy fishing, hunting, camping & being outdoors.
6. I love to cook.
7. I love to do Sudoku puzzles.

Game of Blog Tag Rules:*Link to the person that tagged you.*Post the rules on your blog.*Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.*Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Angie Heidi Jenn Julie Marta Shannon Tammy

Homesteader

I own a condo! WOO HOO! Wait...this means I have a mortgage. YIKES

Anyhow, here are some photos. It isn't MY condo but one that is for rent 2 doors down. I'll post pics of mine later. I'll be painting & cleaning all weekend so stop on by!

BRRR

It finally has hit below zero for the highs. BRRRRR. BRRRRR. The snow is beautiful but gosh is it chilly. But thankfully I have been busy INSIDE packing. I close this Thurs. on my condo. I am glad I didn't unpack everything when I moved to MT but I still have some stuff to pack up. We will paint this weekend & slowly move in the next couple of weeks. I am not sure when the big stuff will be moved. Shane & I are going to Red Lodge for Valentine's weekend. So that weekend is out. It shouldn't take but a couple of hours to move the big stuff. I am not moving far, which is a good thing. I may be able to get everything moved the weekend of the 10th. The weather will be a factor as well. I don't want anyone getting frostbite!

Bone chilling

So I move back to Montana after being away about 12 years. Yes, I remember the snow we use to have, being able to sled off our garage roof & make snow tunnels in the drifts. I haven't been cold either. Usually when I would come back to visit, I would FREEZE & have to stand by the stove wearing a coat just to stay thawed.
UNTIL YESTERDAY
The wind cut through my skin & went straight to my organs & bones. BRRRRR
Oh when I went to work it was 43 degrees. When I left work it was 23. BRRRRR
Can I handle being outside in this freezing weather? I guess I will find out. This weekend we are heading to West Yellowstone with my cousin for the snowfest. So I will get out my thermals & I will be fine. I may look like the marshmallow man but I will be warm.

Friends...memories

Wilmas, Wilmas, Wilmas! I can't wait to make some more memories with all of you. You are a GREAT group of friends. I am thankful you are in my life.

Amy's bday was Thurs so we went out to lunch to celebrate. Always a good time with the Wilma's.

This Sat I am taking an 8 hour new homeowner class that is required for my loan. So that will be a fun time learning about owning a home. Shane is going to bear the day with me so it won't be so bad :) I am getting ready to close on my condo the end of Jan then let the fun begin! I will be a painting fool & taking off hidious wallpaper. So if you want to help, just let me know! It will be a fun time.

Happy 2008

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I have a hard time keeping them. By mid Jan they are usually already broken. I am going to try and do better at some things. So maybe over time these will be accomplished.
As Shane & I were driving home from Gardiner on New Year's Day, the mountains were breathtaking. We couldn't believe the blue sky & new snow capped mountains. WOW! I wonder how anyone could take this for granted. The beauty around us. I have lived a lot of places but still think Montana is so majestic. God created this beauty for us to enjoy. So let's enjoy it instead of just rushing around not noticing our surroundings. We were also able to drive to Cooke City. The buffalo, elk, wolves, coyotes, bald eagles we saw. Where else can you see all of that in a 4 hour drive? And the snow on the evergreens....a winter wonderland. I too can't wait for the camping & fishing to begin! Kudos to Jenn & Ang for the countdowns.
I am searching for somewhere where I can contribute to society. I am not sure what this will be but I am going to be on the hunt to help somewhere where there is a need. I am not sure if this will be working with children, helping women in some sort of way or volunteering. I just feel so blessed as what I have and want to give something back to society.
I want to spend more time with friends. I want to be better at calling friends, checking up on family & friends. I don't feel like I let them know how much they are appreciated in my life. I am thankful for every family member & friend I have. They are the best ever!
I am excited to purchase my first home, a condo & hope to enjoy it even more with family & friends.
I want a more healthy lifestyle. I miss exercising so I am hoping to start walking again, joining a gym or have some sort of routine to get me healthy again. I know I can do better than I have been doing in 2007.
I hope you have a great 2008!

Christmas 2007

Well all the rushing around is finally over. We are now looking forward to ring in 2008. I can't wait! Gardiner is the place to be for New Year's. I don't know if that is because the Wilmas are there or that we have an awesome dinner to get the party started. But I had a great Christmas spending time with family & friends.

3 elk down

Yoshi took Shane & I hunting this weekend. And we got all our tags filled! We got them right outside of Livingston. I can't believe how easy elk hunting it. HA! HA! Yoshi has been hunting for years & he said this was an easy hunt. The whole thing was done within 1 hour. All 3 shot & gutted. Well we had been scoping them out for about an hour. They were on a hay field but we needed our friend's permission to hunt on his land. So he finally came off the mountain with his hunter's elk in the back of his truck. We flagged him down. He filled out the permission slip to let us hunt on his land & away we went for our kill. Thanks Yoshi! We even drug them out of the wind. WOW! Was the wind blowing....yes by Livingston. AMAZING.

This weekend we will be cutting it up into steaks, roasts, burger & sausage. I can't wait to eat elk! I love it! Here are some pics from our hunt.

Thankful List

Okay fellow blogspotters. I probably should add my list of things I am especially thankful for. This past year has been difficult yet great at the same time. I have had a yearning in my heart to move back home to Montana ever since I left. In April I was able to accomplish this. GOSH it feels good to be HOME! The friends I have here are more than friends. They are family. They supported me when I was thousands of miles away & now they support me here. So I am especially thankful for my friends, especially the Wilmas! I love you guys!
I am also thankful for my non-Wilma friends. They are the best!
I am thankful I grew up in Montana. I am thankful for how my parents taught me to be the person I am today. I am thankful for the values and work ethic they instilled in me. I love Montana. I have lived in Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, spent lots of time in Maryland & North Carolina. I have to say I love Montana most. The beauty of being on top of a mountain, the down-to-earth folks & being able to hunt & fish....WOW....I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
I love my family, even though they drive me crazy sometimes.
I am thankful for all the trials & tribulations I have been through. I wouldn't change any of them. They helped me become the person I am today.
I am so blessed. So much more than I can blog here.

Beach Party

Since I forgot my camera, which was in my car all weekend..GRRRR... you can view pics from Jenn's link I did have a disposable camera & my camera phone & will post those soon.

We had a GREAT time! I haven't laughed that much in such a long time. It all started off with a WIN for the GRIZ!! Woo hoo!!

Then we had to celebrate at the Beach party. Oh here is a glimpse of our fun~

When the sun shines out your bum

My first

I finally got my first deer! I was so excited! OK so it wasn't the BIG one but at least the meat will be good. I can't wait to make sausage & jerky. This weekend we are off to G town for the Beach Party! WOO HOO! We will also try & get our elk. Shane & I both have elk tags. Here is a picture of my kill.

GO GRIZ! I am also exicted to watch the game on Saturday.

Here big deer...here big deer

It is only Nov. 5 & already I have been lectured at not blogging. My last blog was Oct. 30. So what is the blogging etiquite? Should I blog everyday? My friends who do blog everyday...I have to admit. I love it! I check their blogs to see what is up. My life really isn't that interesting but I do agree. These blogs are addicting to read! So here goes. And really I will try & do better.

This past weekend, I shot at my first deer. Well I actually shot at 3 deer & missed them all. This was my first time shooting at something alive & moving. GEEZ they make it look so easy on TV. I also didn't know for sure if I could kill something. I just kept thinking of my empty freezer & how much I love breakfast sausage. So I guess the hunter came out of me! I had no reservations shooting at the deer. Shane actually got his deer yesterday so that was a great way to end my depressing weekend of missing this big guy! OK..I didn't see one this big. I would have POOPED my pants. I just wanted to get a deer so bad. TJ was even pulling for me! He is excited to go back out with me this weekend to try for my kill! He is excited to go to Gardiner to elk hunt. He has never been elk hunting so that should be a lot of fun. If Trent or Kelly takes him, he will be on cloud 9! He thinks they both walk on water. I wonder why that is?

Rain rain go away

Bring on the snow! It is raining today..YUCK..YUCK..YUCK So much for my straight hair. Tomorrow it is suppose to be sunny & 56. So trick or treating here we come! Well not me trick or treating but my friends' kidos! I will be along for the walk though. We were suppose to get snow last week. NONE...zilch...nadda. I am ready for the snow! I can't wait to use my new Sorels sledding or just walking around in deep snow. Winter in Montana is so beautiful. I know I will probably get sick of driving in the slush and being so cold but I am in anticipation of it as of now. Last weekend I went house hunting, deer hunting, went to a 10 year old's birthday party. No house....yet...I may put an offer on one. I am trying to get some finances in order for that to happen. No deer yet. I hope to get one this weekend. I also got an elk tag so I am excited to get my first deer & elk! So if you want some of the meat, let me know. 2 kills is a lot for one girl to eat!

Fall Pictures

These were taken last weekend. The first is taken on the rims in Billings. The second one you can see the snowcapped Beartooth Mountains in the background. The remainder pics are at the Indian Caves in Billings. That is such nice park & the caves are awesome to see. The history around Billings is amazing & so interesting. I hadn't been to the caves since grade school.

Exciting Saturday in MT

Well today I thought it was suppose to rain & be yucky. Why do the weathermen say it is going to be yucky all day & then the sun is out all day? Do they just take a guess and hope they are right? I have always wondered about that. MT weather is so unpredictable why do they even try and guess. Anyhow...
Shane & I went to visit a cousin of mine that just got out of the hospital. He is doing great by the way. I haven't seen him in about 15 years....WOW....time flies. They have a beautiful home & it was great to catch up with him. Then Shane & I went shopping around Billings. There are so many fun places to shop at. We then went to dinner at Red Lobster...SO YUMMY!! So that was our fun Saturday. Tomorrow is another day of shopping at the mall. I hope we find some good sales. His son is turning 10 & I need to find something for him. Hope you are enjoying the fall weather. The leaves at Riverfront Park....amazing.

Another October blog

I know...I know....I haven't been blogging much but your blogs are so much more interesting so I feel bad when you come to mine and there isn't much excitment in my life.

Well I am waiting for my friend's (Monica's) brother Corey & his friend to get here. They flew from NC to Seattle to get a car and they are in route back to NC via TN, stopping by Monica & Kevin's. They just bought a house so I wish Corey could put me in his truck but no luck. I have to resume working. Work has been so very busy, which makes the days go by fast. So tomorrow is FRIDAY! I have plans this weekend....exciting plans.....OK maybe not so exciting......My cousin is in the hospital and I haven't seen him since I moved back so I am going to see him. I may go house hunting. I would like to buy a house. I have wanted to buy a house but since I have been in a duplex with neighbors that are noisey, doing drugs & just plain RUDE, I feel it is time for me to leave. My landlord has evicted them but that was 2 weeks ago & they are still there. Anyhow, I just feel like I need to buy a place of my own for an investment. So Shane will be coming from Columbus and we will drive around looking for a new home for me. It would be nice to have at least 2 bedrooms so my Mom doesn't have to sleep on the couch when she comes. This one bedroom is a bit crammed for me but it has worked for 6 months.

OH NO. Just got news: Corey is having car trouble so don't know if he'll get here tonight.

So please keep blogging on your blog and I will on mine. I can't remember if I posted this pictures of Shane & I at the Mustang game. But I just love this picture!

Fall is here!

Isn't fall just beautiful? The trees...WOW! It is so nice to live where I get to have 4 seasons. Have you started Christmas shopping yet? 87 days......18 hours.........51 minutes till Christmas