Montana

After church on Sunday, August 12, we drove to Rexburg where we were able to have a quick visit with our dear friends Josie and Rick Kelly.  It was so fun to see their darling little house and of course Josie's superb decor taste - what a gift she has for making things beautiful!  We always love our time with Jo & Rick, but it always goes too fast.  This visit I especially felt like we were just barely brushing the surface of all the things I want to talk with them about before it was time to get on our way.  Looking forward to getting them down to Mesquite where we can horde our time with them for a few days!

I never think I'm THAT short until I see myself in pictures - what a midget!

The rest of the drive through Montana and especially Island Park was so beautiful and relaxing.  I never realized how much uninhabited land is up there.  I like to imagine the lifestyle of the people living in those homes out on the prairie, miles and miles from any other inhabitants - an ideal paradise for mountain men and hermits. :)

We arrived safely at Kellie (Burke's big sis) and Wes' home late that night and were delighted to see the little girls waiting for us in the driveway.  What cuties!  The time with their family was so fantastic with lots of down time to visit which is exactly what my whole goal for the trip had been.  I have admired Kellie from our first introduction, but we only see them briefly a couple times a year with the time shared with 6 other siblings hungry for their company as well, so I haven't felt like I've had a chance to really get to know her.  Wes has always intimidated me a little because he's so smart and "in-the-know" and I always seem to say the stupidest things around him!  I was grateful for the opportunity to have them all to ourselves, see their home and get a taste for what life is like for them up north.  We also had the great pleasure of meeting brand new baby Grey and marveling over his handsome self.  

On Monday Wes took us river rafting for several hours down the Madison River.  It was absolutely beautiful and we were able to see several varieties of wild life on the banks of the river as we floated by including a bald eagle, a flock of 30+ pelicans, several deer including a doe with 2 fawns, 2 raccoon, a fox, and 4 huge (I'm estimating 3-4 feet long) otters who splashed from the water as we floated by and scrambled up the rocks to avoid us.

The only down falls to the river rafting was Daphne's constant wailing when I put her in a life jacket (can't really blame the kid - look what it would do to her cheeks!) and the slightly scary landing process.  To make a long story short, as Wes got in the knee deep water to pull us to the unloading point, he suddenly plunged neck deep and we swept down river quite a bit further with him trying to hang onto the side.  We ended up having to lift the little girls one by one up the steep embankment and then pass the gear up to them piece by piece until I got up and could help haul the raft itself up as well.  Burke and Wes were buff and carried the heavy raft several hundred yards through the brush until we made our way back to the parking lot.  I was so thankful none of us were hurt and that Daphne survived the trip despite not having a nap all day.

One ornery little kid - look at that scowl!

Kellie and Wes are total "foodies" - they love good food, but they love to see you enjoying their favorites as well.  On Monday night Kellie made this fantastic crab quiches for dinner, Tuesday we went to dinner at the delicious Rib & Chop Restaurant and Wednesday we ate out again at The Mint.  Everywhere we ate was absolutely scrumptious!  And let's not forget the New Day Bakery where we had some of the best doughnuts in my life.  Have any of you tried these maple bars with bacon on top?!  I was brave and tried a bite, but couldn't get over the fact that I was eating meat on my doughnut.

The visit was so chill with a morning run around the neighborhood one morning, teaching Amy to play chess, a shopping trip to the mall and World Market (coolest store ever!), more talking and a movie night watching "Oh Brother Where Art Thou".  I've been asking Burke is he is "bona fide" ever since. :)  My only regret from the trip is not taking more opportunities to talk to my niece Lauren.  She is an official teenager now, but really quite mature for her age.  I had several times where I felt prompted to go sit with her in her room and ask her about her life and her interests, but I also didn't want to impose on her privacy.  In hind sight, however, I remember always wishing as a teenager that my family would care more about my interests when they got together and I wish I had made that effort with her.  Hopefully I will have make a moment to build that relationship next time we are together.

Out to eat at "The Mint" and I just noticed Daphne is not smiling in any of these pictures - makes her look like a meanie-baby!

On our second night I found a drawing on my pillow that said in thick black ink, "Emily, I love you SOOOOOO much.  I never want you to leave."  It melted my heart and made me wish we could see these guys more often than a couple times a year.  What a wonderful family.  I'm so glad we were able to make the trip and have a few fantastic days together!  Thank you for hosting us Kellie and Fam!