Romance

Romance. 

I don't think a couple can ever have too much romance in their relationship. Seriously, who doesn't love a little romance? But sometimes, I think life gets in the way. We're in the habit of waiting until Friday or Saturday nights to do something special with each other. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about a Friday night date but what about the other days of the week? 

What makes a Tuesday or a Thursday less romantic than Friday or Saturday? Is it our jobs, our to do lists, or our weekday television commitments? Or is it because we don't take the same time or effort on a Tuesday than we do on Friday? For Paul and I, it's just not part of our routine. I'll admit it. But just because it's true, doesn't make it right.

And that's why I decided to surprise Paul with a romantic, candlelit dinner when he came home from work the other night. Sure, it was a Tuesday and even though my routine is to be wearing jeans and some casual shirt, my hair in a pony tail and maybe no makeup...I wanted to make that night special. I wanted Paul to feel special. So, after fixing my hair and makeup I slipped on a black lacy dress, fixed supper, lit candles and turned on some music. And just before he came home, I sat down and wrote him a letter. A thank you letter. 

I do this from time to time. I think it's important for wives to show appreciation to their husbands, to let them know all the things that you notice. So, I thanked Paul for being an amazing husband, a hard worker, for being adventurous and carefree and for always making me so happy. 

It was one of the best Tuesday nights we've had in a long time. And sure, I love that Paul loves me with no makeup on and my mess of a ponytail but sometimes it's good to get out of our routines and start making our lives a little more interesting. 

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Our First Wildfire

When we first moved here, everyone kept telling us about the wildfires. I guess they're a common occurrence around here in the summer, so we were intrigued. We added it to our list of things that Montana has that we'd never seen before and figured we'd just have to wait until the end of summer (when everything dries out) to see one. 

Well, the wait is over. We had our first wildfire this week and we just had to take a drive to go see it. We could see the smoke from our house but that wasn't good enough. We hopped in the car after supper and spent the evening driving around watching the flames. We could mostly see smoke, with occasional flames in the distance. We saw the helicopters that drop water from the sky and probably every fire truck in the surrounding area. It was something to see!

I guess that's another thing marked off of our list of things to see in Montana! 

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Our New Kayak!

Why can't money grow on trees? It'd be incredibly convenient, don't you think?

With me not working, Paul and I have to be very aware of our spending. No frivolous buying, no frequent restaurant visits and no impulse purchases. This tends to work out because I don't like shopping for clothes, I don't wear jewelry and not to brag, but Paul and I both are pretty good cooks. Our problem, as of late, has been our impulse purchases. I mean, we don't it very often but when we do...we buy things like a kayak. Yeah, that's right. A kayak.

And I love it! We've had it for a couple of weeks now and we've taken it out several times already.It's a tandem, so when I get tired Paul can paddle me around while I lounge in the front. It's the best scenario ever. And it's going to be even better once the water warms up and we can jump off and go swimming wherever we want. It even has fishing pole holders so once we get our licenses, we can fish right out of the boat!

And even though we dropped more money upfront, we now have free summer evening and weekend entertainment waiting to hit the water. And let's not forget, it's almost an exercise machine in itself because it has my arms and shoulders burning after a long ride!

I can't believe summer is finally here! We plan on enjoying it to the fullest!

Love and Happiness,
Bethany

Nature Is Healing To The Soul

I think everyone should go on camping trips. Go buy a tent, grab a couple sleeping bags and bring some marshmallows. Separate yourself from society. Put down your cell phone, maybe even turn it off, and take a look around. We live in a beautiful world. 

Bring a flashlight and make a fire because life outside of the cities we live in are wonderfully dark. Have conversations by moonlight and sleep underneath blankets of sparkling stars. Let yourself get back to the basics and appreciate a sunset and a sunrise. Immerse yourself in nature and all it has to offer us. A weekend in the woods is healing to the soul. 

I honestly believe it's true. We live in a world that is so driven by technology. Some, in my opinion, are held captive by it. Television shows dictate our evening plans and social media sites are constantly at our fingertips. Most everyone's phone has internet and there's an app for anything and everything you could ever want, let alone need. And as I sit here, writing and spending time on my computer, I'm added to the list of people who has let technology invade my life. 

I'm not saying it's horrible but I do think we should be careful not to let ourselves be entrapped in a life where we never look up from our phones; a life where we don't have conversations with someone sitting next to us because we're preoccupied with a game on our tablets. Turn the tv off, put your cell phone down, get off of Facebook and Twitter and take a drive into the country. Notice the blooming tulips, stop and stare at random wildlife, take walks by lake shores and do it with someone you love. 

Some of my best memories have been camping with Paul. In just those couple of days, we grow closer and we learn new things about each other. When all of the distractions of life are gone, you're left to spend uninterrupted, precious time with each other. And it's romantic, holding hands by a fire, late night strolls under the stars and cuddling for warmth in a sleeping bag. Camping trips are a good idea all around. 

With all of that said, Paul and I went on our first camping trip of the year.

Seriously, get out and enjoy nature. Go on a camping trip or spend the day at the park. It's summertime ! Let's enjoy it!

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Snowy April Days

I can't seem to wrap my head around the weather here. To me, April is suppose to be warm, sunny and spring-like. Instead, April brought us 3 or 4 snow covered days and many more with snow flurries in the air. Don't get me wrong. I love the snow. I still think it's beautiful, even at the end of April, but I've been hoping for a little warmer weather lately.

It's strange, really. When I go for my morning walk around our neighborhood, I still wear my toboggan or ear muffs and definitely a jacket. Yep, in May. And I even slipped and fell on ice just the other day. On May 1st!! I thought I'd be done with ice by now!

Here's a few pictures of our snowy days in April!

April showers bring May flowers?...I wonder if it's the same for snow showers?

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Bethany, Would You Accept This Rose: My Bachelor Experience

Okay, I have a confession to make.

I watch The Bachelor. And I'll probably watch The Bachelorette, too. Please don't judge me. It's like a guilty pleasure. I was particularly into this last season with Sean because of the cool places he went. Ever since the first episode, they previewed them going to some snowy, mountain locations that looked beautiful. And when I found out that they went to Whitefish, MT my mind was blown! It's gorgeous there, and only 4 hours away!

So, when we went to Whitefish for my birthday there was a few stops we had to make. Mostly, I wanted to go by The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, where they all stayed while in town. You know, just to say that I'd been there, seen that. Once we arrived to our lodge, the Grouse Mountain Lodge, we hopped on the internet to look up the restaurant that they ate at on the the show. A local article explained that the group dates eating/drinking took place at Casey's and that the rose ceremony took place at the GROUSE MOUNTAIN LODGE!! Shut up. After quickly looking up some youtube videos of the rose ceremony, we headed down to the lodge's lobby to see the exact location! Sure enough, in the lodge's restaurant was the same fireplace! So cool. I was pretty excited. I had no idea that we'd be staying at the same place the rose ceremony took place.

One evening we also went down to The Lodge at Whitefish Lake and also went to Casey's to check it out. It's pretty much like I was on The Bachelor, with the love of my life...except he's all mine and there aren't 20 other women waiting to kiss him after I do. It's really the best of both worlds. If only Paul has brought a single red rose...it would have felt like the real thing. :)

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Turning 23 In Whitefish

When Paul asked me to start thinking about what I wanted to do for my birthday, I wasn't sure. Sure, I love my birthday and I love to go all out to celebrate with Paul. But, I also know that it's not fair, financially, to ask Paul to spend too much money on me. I'm not even working, so I decided to give him the okay to do something small, in town, with low costs. And I was being honest when I said that that would be perfectly fine with me. But Paul had other plans and started planning a weekend trip to somewhere. He hadn't decided where when he came to me to help him decide. I started getting online to find a place, on the cheap, for us to stay for a weekend. And thankfully, Groupon was running a special on a place in Whitefish!! I was so excited because I have been wanting to go to Whitefish since we moved here. And you can't beat a 3 night stay, in a very nice lodge, for $100. All of a sudden, a weekend trip was completely feasible!

After some stressful drama at the bakery when they hadn't made the cake we ordered...we hit the road for Whitefish. Unfortunately, it rained the whole trip. On the drive up, every day we were there, and on the way home. Still, through all the clouds and rain, Whitefish and Kalispell are beautiful places to turn 23.

We got to town just in time for supper. Most tourists are probably interested in eating bison burgers and elk steaks but when we saw a southern bbq joint, we knew exactly where we were eating. Pulled pork, smoked chicken, southern potato salad, homemade mac and cheese and baked beans. They even served sweet tea! Every bite was wonderful. It was getting dark, and not to mention raining, so we drove around downtown and headed back to our room for the night.

Friday, we spent the day exploring downtown Kalispell, walking into historical shops, driving to nearby Flathead Lake, eating a picnic lunch by the water, buying Coldstone icecream and touring a model home (just in case we decide to move there)! We ate supper in a dive bar with the reputation of the best burgers in town and even saw a little bit of "home" on the wall.

On Saturday, after sleeping in, we spent the morning walking around downtown Whitefish. We had another picnic lunch on Whitefish Lake and then headed up to the ski resort for some winter's end fun. See, it was the last ski weekend at most resorts around here and they do this thing called a "pond skim". Basically, they make a pool on the slope side, fill it with water and people try to ski/snowboard across the water to the other side. It's a requirement to wear a costume and overall, it's a hilarious event to watch. Some people make it across with ease, but most crash and sink into the cold water. It was so much fun to watch and be a part of. By the end of the competition, it had come a blizzard and we left. This is the first time I've seen snow on my birthday!

Since it was my actual birthday night, Paul let me decide where to eat supper. We ended up going back to the same bbq joint for another amazing meal. It was such a gift to find a little taste of home here in Montana on my birthday, sweet tea and all. We ate cake and spent time cuddling in bed while the rain came down. It was a perfect birthday.

I love my birthday. And I love Paul for always making each birthday we spend together better and better.

Love and Happiness,
Bethany