You might think the next line is, "to grandmother's house we go." Well after the river and the woods, I didn't exactly end up at grandmother's house. Instead, after 72 + hours of traveling, I ended up in Libby, Montana...not exactly what you would call a "bustling metropolis." First, let me back up a bit.
After returning from Romania, I had two days to pack up my life, divide it amongst friends, and set out for a new one in Montana. Okay, maybe not a whole new life, but definitely a chapter! The two days I had to pack were pretty wild and tiring. I didn't have any time to adjust to time change, nor could I give in to the looming jet lag, and so without the help of my mom, K, Marissa, and Amanda, I surely would have come apart. Toward the end, I was just looking at the piles in my living room, unable to do anything but cry. Seriously. If someone looked at something on the floor too long, I told them to take it with them, that's how desperate I was. Thankfully, everything found a home and the apartment was cleaned. Boy, am I glad that is over! (For now at least)
Once I left San Antonio, I headed to Grapevine to visit my brother Jeremy and his family where I was "begged" by my five year-old niece not to move. I did my best to explain to her that Jesus has commanded all of us to go, but somehow that couldn't get through that precious little brain of hers ;-) My father and I left for Montana the next day at 6:00 am...and after a few wrong turns and one threat to "fire me as navigator" we made it to Denver. The next day we headed to Yellowstone only to encounter the most ridiculous 30 mile stretch of road ever. It seemed as though every stretch of road we turned on was under construction. After weaving through Yellowstone at night, narrowly missing a buffalo that was walking down the center stripe of the road, we pulled into West Yellowstone for a nap. The next morning brought fresh eyes to the grandeur of Yellowstone National Park. That place is amazing! It seemed that at each and every turn, my dad or I were stopping to take a picture of the amazing landscape. For those of you that haven't visited Yellowstone, it really is a place you should take time to visit. You will be "Wowed" at what God created. We spent the night in Missoula and arrived in Libby, Montana in the afternoon of day four. Even though my dad had to turn back around and head home, he was such a sport. I will greatly treasure that trip with him. (Love you, Dad!)
So now I'm here in the gorgeous state of Montana, surrounded by mountains. Despite my fear of being attacked on the open road by a pack of wolves, a mountain lion, or bear (ridiculous I know), I've managed to get up in the mornings and go for a walk/jog. The last three years at the desk job I held have really done a number on me...I do not desire to feel 31 any longer! Even though we're two hours away from the nearest Wal-Mart, Libby is not short on attractions. Today we visited Kootenai (pronounced "Koot-knee) Falls, and marveled at the power of falling water. My classmates and I figured that since we are novice hikers, we should start out slow. However, next we're bumping it up to the 9-mile hike through Cedar Lakes! Not to worry though, one of the men here at the training center said he would loan me his "bear spray." There really is such a thing. Whodathunkit?
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