We have the most amazing librarians at our Kalispell library. The children’s section in particular is spectacular. One of the programs they hold is storytime at the local outdoor pool – during the summer. We get to have storytime, and then some cool toys are brought out for a little playtime before the pool opens for the day. Rost takes after me in the fact that he is not a fan of cold water but we both still had a really great time playing with our friends and a special water-related story.
Not far from our house is Longview Lavender Farm. This family-owned and operated boutique farm is free to the public and houses a variety of lavender varieties to walk amongst.
Rost and I met some of our friends there to walk amongst the wonderful aromas of the plants. We also took home some of the most amazing lavender oils and other lavender treats from their well-stocked store. If you come visit us in Kalispell anytime during the summer months definitely request that a trip to this farm be a part of your tour.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of pine as we arrived at the campsite, surrounded by towering trees and a babbling stream nearby. Rost had spent the first two nights camping with Grandma & Grandpa while I took my first vacay from momming in well over a year (48 bittersweet hours – a ridiculous amount of stuff was accomplished).
Brian & I joined in on the fun Friday night to enjoy a couple of days relaxing at the lake.
This unforgettable experience marked the beginning of countless adventures for my little explorer, creating cherished memories to last a lifetime.
Getting my Nikon out is a treat these days. Life as a mom has me prioritizing things differently – and that’s okay. So when a fellow mom-friend wanted to take a drive up to the Spotted Bear Ranger Station, without babes in tow, I knew it was going to be a chance to knock the dust off my camera and spend the day behind the lens. I hope you enjoy my captures for the day which included a lot of flowers and one random sandhill crane.
Until we meet again my dear, sweet Nikon. Xoxo.
Here we go
Come with me
There’s a world out there that we should see
Take my hand
Close your eyes
With you right here, I’m a rocketeerWhere we go, we don’t need roads
And where we stop? Nobody knows
To the stars if you really want it
Got, got a jetpack with your name on it
One of my very dear friends in Montana made the trek from Missoula to Kalispell for a quick visit with her youngest two. We had a great day tossing sand at the beach in Whitefish and searching for beautiful rocks in Glacier. I miss these days with you dear friend, even if they look a little different today than they did in days past.
It was, in fact, Rost’s first rodeo.
Creeping towards a year and a half – 17 months have come and gone. Rost is ever the great helper and making big moves in life over the last month. Enjoy the photo dump from over the last month. Xoxo.
My friend Bre and I took a third trip to bike the Going to the Sun Road. Another attempt that had me turned around before reaching the end point yet again. My first trip out was rained out (something I now need to take into account when adventuring with Rost), the second trip a grizzly bear decided the road was (rightfully) his (or hers). On this trip, a flat tire on Bre’s bike meant she had to run roughly 3 miles next to her bike back to the trailhead while I took our boys back in my double bike trailer – which I luckily decided to use on this trip instead of the single bikes seat Rost prefers.
It had been raining all week when there was a break in the clouds. Not wanting to miss a bit of our short summer here in NW Montana, Rost and I loaded up the RadRover and took off for the park.
Finally! We reached the end of the current bikeable part of the road.
While success was ours, the day took a sad turn while we were stuck in the parking lot while rescue crews did their best to resuscitate a woman who ultimately lost her life after falling into Avalanche Creek. A somber reminder that nature is powerful and often unforgiving.
I’ll leave you with a little tale to end on a good note: At our turnaround point, I could tell that the break in the weather we were experiencing was coming to an end. I turned Rost into the dry duckling that could and handed him a PB&J sandwich to snack on while we coasted back down the road. As we hit speeds of over 30 mph Rost began rubbing his hands all over the small of my back. He’d never done that before and it took me several minutes to figure out what the heck he was doing. As we hit top speed my tanktop began fluttering in the wind. It generally does not do that and so this was a new experience for him. He was trying to figure out how my shirt was seemingly moving on its own. As Rost was scratching my back, he also discovered he could snap my biking shorts back. About halfway down the mountain, Rost proceeded to deposit his half-eaten PB&J sandwich into my shorts, sending sticky sweetness oozing down my buttcrack.
