Alas, Montana.

It's the morning of December 25th and I am in Montana!  I am so excited to be here.  For whatever craziness that I had going on in my day to day life in Seattle, it is completely glossed over now that I am here.  As I tell the city folk that I grew up in Montana, often I see images from "A River Runs Through It" running through their mind.  Well, I'm here to show you that I did indeed actually live that life while growing up.  Here are my last 2 days..

December 23: I woke up and stepped out of my front door in Seattle, WA to start my day with a run in Magnuson Park, when to my amazement I was greeted by a trio of Trumpeter Swans.  These swans very rarely make it to this area, however the bird book that I read said that these lil' fellas do occasionally happen upon the Pacific Northwest in the winters.  

























Well, as you may or may not have heard, Seattle is totally frozen over with layers of ice and hard packed snow. Despite the beauty, its pretty much a disaster. And in this, so begins my 3.5 hr bus trip from north Seattle to Seatac Airport. Ugh. And, yes, I turned my car into a giant face. I thought this was so funny for some reason. Ahh, the Breeze.

Seatac = Mess. Somehow, despite my bus breaking down, despite thousands of other people waiting and waiting, and despite the airline running out of de-icer, I snuck out of Seattle between storms with no delays and all my baggage. How? I dunno.









Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams. The two tallest peaks in Washington state were graciously waving goodbye through the clouds. Goodbye Pacific Northwest...I will be back.












Welcome to Montana. Family, I'm glad that everyone is here.

















December 24: Montana greeted me with a cowboy sunrise. I almost missed it! Being as it was minus degree conditions, I captured it from the the comfort of my nice, warm bed.









Being as it finally crested above zero degrees, mom and I decided to go for a short walk. Why not? I have some amazing snot crusted all over my nose...superb.


















The holiday season, for me, is rooted strongly in tradition. One tradition that we, as a family, have done since I was born is to go to the graveyard and wish my grandpa a happy birthday. More recently, however, grandma has joined him so we take the time to simply reflect on those that came before us. It always brings the family closer together and I treasure this familial observance.





Last night, well, I've been replaced once again. Santa brought my mom a little boppy for Christmas.


Well, I must sign off. But before I do, for all of you who may have missed the message...



In all honestly, I genuinely adore the festive spirt that this home embodies. As we drove away, the lady in the window waved to us. Merry Christmas to you as well, spirited woman in Montana...

~Ciao~