50 Shades of Blue

Last night I began to pack up all of the brushes, rollers, and trays that were scattered around the house our little painting adventure. And all I have to say is "Hallelujah!" Surprisingly I knew exactly what colors I wanted where and my choices only resulted in returning one can of terribly, awful green paint. But visiting that wall of paint chips can often be daunting.

Who knew that there were 50 different shades of blue? And imagine having the job of naming those colors? "Hmmm, I'm feeling like this one should be called Maine Shoreline Blue." I didn't even recall the shoreline in Maine even being blue.

Holding those chips up next to each other, there was often a slight difference in their color but hardly any that I cared about. So I would gather up 10 different paint chips and do what my mom used to do (that is until she discovered those little containers of sample paint). I taped them to the wall and stood back to examine and compare. Still no difference to me.

So I settled for Whisper Blue and returned to the paint store only to be asked what kind of finish I wanted. Finish? I want a quick finish that's what I want. So like a little kid in school, I sat back and listened to the Paint Man give me the 411 on the best finishes for each room in my house. 

After painting 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a hallway, a 30ft x 30ft living room, and a kitchen...I'm done. I'm putting it all away...until I have to paint the downstairs.

Winter project anyone?  

Snow?! Are you serious?!

I remember when I was little and I would see that first hint of winter. It usally came in the form of frost on the front yard or seeing your breath as you waited for the bus in the morning. And even more happiness came when you saw that first snow fall of the season. 

Now in Connecticut that was usually around the first week of December or sometimes even later. We would covet that first day when the weatherman declared it a snow day and when it was perfectly ok to throw on 3 layers when it came time to play outside.

Well here in Montana that first snow fall came yesterday. It was Friday, September 17th. Needless to say, I didn't get that warm and fuzzy feeling that I usually get about the first snow fall. As people posted on my Facebook wall that certain parts of the country were still experiencing 90 - 100 degree weather, the great state of Montana officially began its cold season with a small amount of the fluffy white stuff. 

I watched the snow fall outside my window and laughed hysterically with Griff as Tana walked gingerly through the lawn, chasing snowflakes.

So this is...ready or not. Here comes winter.

The view out of our front window....complete with snow.

Gone Fishin'

Labor Day weekend came so quickly this year but as a tribute to what everyone calls "the end of summer" we decided to spend part of our weekend on the river (unfortunately the other half was spent painting the new house).


Armed with some fly rods and a drift boat (thanks Tyson!) we headed out with some friends to enjoy a summer staple here in Montana; fly fishing. I had never been fly fishing. Finding some worms under a rock, attaching them to my little tiny fishing pole and heading down to the resevoir with my grandfather was about the extent of my fishing knowledge. Not to mention that catching a little yellow perch is nothing compared to the trout found in the Missouri River.


Griff decided that Tyson was going to teach me to fly fish. He bowed out that one gracefully after our second snowboarding trip. Let's just say I was not very happy with him that day. So Tyson gave the basic lesson, taught me what to do and pointed me in the right direction of the fish. Five minutes in, Tyson, his girlfriend Michale, and Griff all screamed "Fish on!" "Fish on what?" was my instant response until I realized that it meant there was a fish nibbling on my line and I was supposed to pull up and set the hook. Better luck next time?


After about 25 minutes of "practicing" I gave up. I'm not patient enough to stand there all day and get no return on my investment of time. Of course, no one else seemed to be having great luck either. Until Griff got a pretty nice looking rainbow that fought him like heck until he tired it out and gracefully guided it to my awaiting net (netting is much easier than actually catching a fish let me tell you).


As the day went on we laughed and joked and enjoyed the company of Tyson, Michale and little Kona. Griff ended up catching another rainbow to be the only successful fisher of the day. And we even hunkered down and waited out two huge rainstorms mid-river. Not it's time to hunker down and wait out the winter so we can get back on the river next summer.

Griff's excited that I can go fishing with him now

First catch of the day!

Second catch of the day!

Tyson and Michale all bundled up for storm #2

Such a beautiful day on the river!

Introducing Miss Tana Hofman

I know, I'm crazy but just look at that face! So how did I end up with one more addition to my already hectic life? Let's just say that God was planning this all along...and we all know how that goes.

Found under a car by a co-worker's sister, Tana (as in Montana) came into my life on Tuesday afternoon. Said co-worker's sister had found this little pup, took her home, fed her, and began hanging up signs for someone to claim her. And no one did. On her way to the pound, she decided to try one last ditch effort to get this little girl a new home and headed into our office of dog lovers. One look at her and I couldn't say no. Ok so maybe it wasn't that easy for me to decide.

After tons of debate, lots of coaxing from my co-workers and a few funny phone calls to Griff, I loaded the little girl into my car and drove to my new house which is still basically empty. We sat at the floor, looking at each, and probably both wondering how this was all going to work out.

And so far we're getting along just great. We think that she's about 4 months old and some kind of boxer/shepard mix. She's house trained which is a huge plus and she has slept through the night without waking me to let her out. She hasn't gotten into any trouble just yet (although I just jinxed myself) and she follows me around like my shadow. "Sit" is also our specialty : )

After 2 days of being away, Griff returned home today to his 2 girls and seems to be completely loving every minute of it.

It's going to get crazy but heck, who's life doesn't get crazy?

4208 Lewis Avenue

So it's official. Today is the day that we can actually start moving into our new house! Although I've had the keys for a few days now, we actually haven't felt like it was "our place". So with the garage full of all of our stuff and an empty house waiting to be cleaned, painted, and lived in, I thought that I would unveil a few photos of our little humble abode : ) Enjoy!