World Famous Sip n Dip and Piano Pat

Okay, this was really funny. My mom was here to babysit, so Tim and I got to slip away for a bit. We went to this bar that has mermaids swimming in a pool behind the bar! On our night...there was even a merman. We thought this was the good part....then came Piano Pat. She is about 90 years old, plays the keyboard, and sings music from Johnny Cash to ACDC. It was so classic. From the words of Piano Pat and "Sweet Caroline," our night was "So good, so good, so good."

Mom Visits

My mom came to play for a few days! It was so fun having her-I finally had a babysitter to get my hair done. We also had Tim's company barbecue-he put it together (and did a great job)! We went to dinner at a steak restaurant way out by some farms...it was nice. She stayed next door and I was jealous of her hotel! Her trip went so fast!

Weekend

After a week of being in the hotel, I was ready to get out and about over the weekend with Tim. We went to the sidewalk sale downtown, and then went to the CM Russell Museum. He is a famous cowboy painter that settled in the area. There were many paintings and sculptures that really showed the progression of the white man taking over and influencing the cultures and practices of the natives. There was also a very cool Buffalo exhibit that depicted the many ways bison sustained the people, and essentially, the whole western movement. The whole situation was really sad. Millions of buffalo became hundreds within a decade. There were also some cool Indian artifacts that were intricately designed. As you see in the pictures, there was a play room for the kids....or parents. Jax was sleeping most of the time. On Sunday, we went to the Montana State Fair..interesting people watching. We missed the pig races and hot dog contest, but we didn't skip out on watching the Spam contest and playing games. We didn't stop in to see the half-woman/half-snake. We enjoyed some classic corn dogs and cotton candy....oh the fair.... By the way, the horse's name (the one Tim is riding in the picture) is midnight :)

Paris Gibson Art Museum

Jax and I visited the museum, which is located on an entire block of downtown. The building is a giant square that used to be a school-very cool building. The featured exhibit was a collection of pieces that discouraged and mocked hate crimes. It was some heavy stuff. My favorite thing was a room full of tree people. Each "peron" was constructed from a tree branch and each was decorated in a unique way.

The Brady Family Visits

On our second weekend here in Great Falls, Tim and Kelly (Tim's parents) came up to see the new place. We checked out local restaurants and downtown shops. They brought fresh Huckleberries from McCall and made pancakes. We checked out the farmer's market and went to the horseraces.

Emma's Wedding!

After being in Great Falls for only a week, we left Friday evening (July 10th) to head to Emma's wedding. On Saturday, all of us bridesmaids got ready in Sun Valley and headed to Stanley for the wedding. Emma was absolutely beautiful and the wedding was gorgeous. The Sawtooth Mountains in the back were amazing....so happy for the two! We attempted to drive back to Idaho Falls to stay the night. We actually did make it, but not before reaching Shoshone and realizing we had missed our cutoff by 30 miles! Then, we got pulled over in Arco. Luckily, we didn't get a speeding ticket. We made it to Idaho Falls about 1 a.m. We slept in and grabbed a quick breakfast and got back on the road. On the way, we stopped in Helena to go to Carroll College, Tim's old stomping grounds. In his first two months, Jaxson has seen his mom's (U of M in Missoula) and dad's (Carroll and BSU) schools!

Arrival in Great Falls

Last night we made it to Great Falls, MT after spending the 4th with the my family in McCall. The drive took about 8 hours-and Jaxson was a trooper. He slept most of the way and we only stopped once to feed him. It was fun driving through Missoula and recalling college memories. Our room was a double bed, but this morning we upgraded to a king room! It was a good move. Most of the day was spent moving all of our stuff....but I did venture to Wal-Mart to load up on some things like good shampoo and dishes. I was thinking 'Wow, Montana people are really friendly," but then I realized they were all just trying to get a peek at Jax in the Moby wrap. Tim had a great day at work and is happy to report he doesn't have to wear a tie. We have a stove top and microwave...we are going to think of some meals tonight!