Double the Weekends, Double the Fun

Wow. Another weekend come and go. Actually, two of them. I had so much fun these past two weekends that I have to share both of them. They both, of course, involved numerous drinks and fun shenanigans.

The first weekend consisted of seeing Travis play with The Brown Eyed Cats. Pat, the lead singer/band manager, is one of our good friends and they like to play for fun. They play a lot of 60's inspired music, so the requirement was that any girl that wanted to come had to dress up as a go-go girl. Any excuse to get dressed up works for me! Their first gig of the year was at Pocatello's only local brewpub, Portneuf Valley Brewery. They have great food, wonderful beer & wine and always have fun live music. They also display local artists' work for display and sale.

I had fun making my hair big, wearing fake eyelashes and rocking a mini skirt. The best part?! I had my entire outfit on hand! I thought it was pretty cute that the grown men wanted their band outfit to match. I'm diggin' the v-necks, not gonna lie.

The band pre-gamin' it

Cutest musician I ever did see!

I'm not sure what that pose is called. Just look at Riley!

My pretty dates...and Adam aka professional photo-bomber

All the ladies holding the leading man...he's single, ladies! And awesome!

Blurry phone pic at the after-party. I have no words.

Of course I didn't get pictures of my husband and I. That would just be weird. Obviously the rest of the weekend was spent recovering. Too. Much. Fun. And So. Much. Dancing.

This weekend was a little different. Myself and five girlfriends made the trek to Island Park, Idaho for a weekend full of relaxation and adventure at one of the girl's cabin. It was very much needed. Drinking, eating, relaxing, snowshoeing and sledding all wrapped in one weekend.

How you chill wine in Idaho

Fondue Fixins

Stunning sunset!

Yes, that's my leg.

Holy pictures, batman. It really was such a fun weekend. The cabin was so cozy I could stay there all winter! Idaho sure is beautiful. Oh, and if you ever find your way to Island Park which is very close to West Yellowstone, this cabin can be rented. Contact me if you're interested and I'll let you know how to find it!

60,480 Miles. Approximately.

This weekend was the end of a big part of my life. It may not be the end forever, but for now, it was the best choice for my little family and me. For those that don’t know, I was a member of the Montana Air National Guard. The ANG is a branch of the Air Force and I’m proud to say that I served our country, even if it was only one weekend a month. It was the last weekend I was allowed to put on the uniform and call myself an Airman.

Why did I decide to join the guard? Honestly, the main reason was to help pay for my college education. It did that and more. I was at a point in my life where I needed a challenge and motivation. I’m very proud of the commitment I made. I traveled 420 miles each way the first of weekend of every month for 6 years. While I know this is a small sacrifice compared to the many others who spend countless days away from their home and families, I’m still proud of doing what I signed up to do.

It started with 6 1/2 weeks of basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas, followed by 6 weeks of technical school on the same base. The weeks flew by and even though they were challenging, I learned a lot about myself and gained a confidence that can never be taken away. In tech school, I was the class leader and also Distinguished Graduate. Please notice my baby cheeks and pre-brace smile. Let’s just say I wasn’t the toughest looking Airman, but I like to think looks are deceiving.

I never volunteered to be deployed anywhere as education was always my priority. Looking back, I’m a little disappointed, but every decision is made for a reason so I have no regrets. One good thing about the drive every month was not just the co-pilot I got to travel with, but seeing my family so often. I know that I won’t see them as much anymore and it breaks my heart just a little, especially since my nephew is is growing up so fast. We will make an effort to go as often as we can, though. Speaking of my co-pilot, this was my rear view. Let’s just say Riley is a professional car rider. Even though he can’t talk back to me, he’s the best company ever.

Another experience I’ll never forget and be forever grateful for was my chance to go to England with about 60 other guard members. We were there for 2 weeks and I trained with the Active Duty members at RAF Mildenhall. This trip deserves a post of its own as I got to experience a little bit of the European culture and see some amazing places, including London. I can’t wait to go back. I even got to fly over in a C-130 and hang out with the pilots on the way home!

My favorite part was the bathroom aka bucket with a curtain. The top right picture was my view while peeing. The plane was so loud you had to wear ear plugs. For 10 hours. I wish I had pictures of our seats. It was quite an adventure, to say the least, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

I may end up re-enlisting, but if I do, it will be closer to home. I am even considering getting back in as an Officer. For now, we are just going to see where life takes us. All I know is that whatever’s meant to be, will be. This sunrise on our way home this weekend said to me that beautiful things are ahead. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

The most exciting thing? Having 12 more weekends in the year to fill full of adventure! I also want to say a special thanks to everyone in every branch of the military. It takes a special kind of person to sign up and sacrifice their life for the rest of the country and I couldn’t be more proud to be an American. Our troops rock!

Currently, I am…

Reading nothing! Unless you can count blogs. BUT! To redeem myself, I do have the book “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” by the one and only Bloggess and a large stack of magazines waiting for me. I hope to get to them someday soon.

Watching Gossip Girl on Netflix. Right this moment I’m on the second to last episode in Season 5. Chuck Bass’ dad has come back to life. I’d say I’m surprised but weirder things have happened. I will admit I’m pretty sad the last season is airing right now. I guess it is true what they say…all good things must come to an end. Trav and I are also trying to get through Nip/Tuck.

Thinking About all the things I need to accomplish this weekend! I’m pretty excited we get to have a weekend at home, no company, and a list of projects. Some fun, some not-so-fun. Fun = putting together furniture/decorating. Not fun = chores. However, I miss my nephew like crazy. We got to have him, my mom, brother and sister at our house all weekend. They live 6 hours away so I don’t get to be a spoiling Aunt often enough. He really was the Cutest Spud in Idaho all weekend long.

Loving peanut butter. This is nothing new. Oh, and Blogilates. If you’re looking for a new, fun way to workout at home, check her out. Girl means biznass.

Looking Forward To posting my recaps of The Dirty Dash and The Tough Mudder. Dash = fun, Mudder = holy crazy intense did I really just get shocked with 10,000 volts and jump in ice water fun.
Wondering how the heck I survived, but I’m sure not wondering if I’d ever do it again. Heck to the no probably not. However, I highly recommend doing it. I’ve never been more physically proud of myself.

Cooking/Baking yumminess! I made this pumpkin ravioli the other night and it was so good! Using won tons as pasta is genius. And delicious. And easy. I plan on baking some healthy-ish pumpkin cookies this weekend, too. I love pumpkin everything. Duh.
 
Disliking that it is already almost November. Put the Christmas lights away, people! Can’t we just enjoy this lovely fall weather and money in the bank for a little while longer!?

Making Me Happy – Having a home to welcome friends and family into, corn mazes, carving pumpkins and a handsome love to share every little adventure with. Even when he gets sick of pictures.



Wishing You a wonderful, happy, adventure-full day! If you have or decide to do a post like this, let me know! I’d love to read it!

**This post was inspired by Katie and then Steph. I’m sure you’ve heard of them but if not, you must check out their spunky blogs!**

Park City, UT {1st Anniversary Getaway}

For our first Anniversary trip, we wanted to have a little getaway, but not too far from home. Somewhere we’d never been, somewhere with mountains, and somewhere cheap(ish). Park City, being only 2.5 hours away, gorgeous, and in its off-season, was perfect. We rented a little condo for two nights and had a blast. A concert in Salt Lake, delicious meals, and a big kid’s dream, it was a perfect weekend. How about I show you in photos again…

…Except, the only time I had my camera out was on Sunday. Oops. I’ll just say the concert was fun. I made up my own song…

“Holy moly, teeny bopper, overload. Holy moly, we are, so, old.” Repeat.

Even though we were older than 3/4 of the crowd, it was a blast. Imagine Dragons is my new favorite band. Seriously, there were so awesome live. The rest of the line up included The Wombats, Group Love, The Used and Neon Trees. And there was beer. Beer + Live Music = Happy Prathers.

If you go to Park City, eat at The Eating Establishment. Mimosas and AMAZING eggs benedict. It doesn’t get much better than that. Okay. Sunday. Park City has what’s called the Alpine Coaster and Alpine Slide. It’s every little (and big) kids dream. I’ve always wanted to go for a ride (that’s what she said) on these babies. I figured they’d be silly, but holy moly, they were so. much. fun. Even Travis said he’d ride them again. Do it. Seriously. Oh, and I highly recommend Park City in the early fall. The leaves were changing but it was still 60 degrees, and the crowds are smaller. Perfection.

You control the speed on your sled thingies, and let me tell you, those things haul butt. One girl said she has seen someone go over the edge they were going so fast. So. Freaking. Fun. Technically we weren’t supposed to race, but Trav won. He had a head start though. Cheater.

Travis and I rode the coaster together. The kid said you go faster with two people, so really, we had to. You ride the coaster slowly up, and then haul down. You control the speed in this, too. I wanted to ride it again and again and again. Don’t even think about saying that’s what she said.

We stopped at the Tanger Outlets on our way out of town, which is in Park City, and left with nothing. Can you believe that?! If only I wasn’t such a cheap-skate. It’s worth a stop though. So. Many. Stores. And then we came home. But we like our house so it was okay. Plus, Riley missed us. I can’t wait to go back to Park City when the snow falls. It really is a beautiful, fun town. Now to go win the lottery so I can retire and buy a home there…