Well I am sure you have all wondered what would fit in a FIT.  While our experiment is  ongoing, it is a truly a lot.  Say.... Two adults, One occupied car seat, Two 70lb golden retrievers, and enough gear for all above enjoy a week long adventure back to Montana.   Yep... It fits although as a caveat we are not accepting any gifts over the size of a 12oz soda can during this leg of the trip.  We offer our thanks to Pat and Noreen for all their help and guidance during the take off phase.   Noreen did a wonderful job keeping Beth's head above water with child care assistance and emotional support while I returned to work last week.  Pat arrived by Amtrak just in time Friday night to help me put all our earthly belongings that would not fit into our two cars into a big shipping container at the local mini-storage.  So yes, officially homeless now.  The Fit which already had a big week and now looks like a large blue golf ball due to the most horrific hail storm I have even seen last Wednesday, came with us and the Subaru was stuffed full and abandoned on a side street until we return in a week to hopefully find it safe and sound.  So we have now traveled West stopping in Billings, Bozeman, and Helena.  Tomorrow its on to Missoula to see the Rau grandparents and Audrey.  Then Monday its back to Bismarck for a pediatric appointment, then on to Grafton for work, and finally to Minneapolis the following Friday where we will stay for a few days.   As promised here are a few more pictures of our little man.  Andy is doing very well, doing what babies do....eat....pee....sleep....poop.  All that cell splitting must be exhausting.  Well keep you posted as our little adventure unfolds.

Since I know that I am not the only Trax fan out there I thought I would share his new found notoriety with everyone.  The antenna project that he has been working much of the time he has been back in Bozeman is proving commercially viable and sounds like something I could use.  Click here is see a copy of the article.  The original artical can be also be viewed on the Montana State website at http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=8548.

Again this year I managed to worm out of two weeks of work so that we could take full advantage of Beth's only real vacation for the year and head back to the promised land.  We began our trip with a trek West to Helena where we spent most of a week enjoying some time with Beth's family.  We blew in with a small rain storm but the snow cover held and we still managed to get some XC skiing in and spend lots of time socializing and dog herding.  

Next we continued West to Cd'A where we spent most of another week with my family.  The weather was much less white than the year before but the company was just as good.  We did one day of downhill skiing on slightly crusty and sketchy snow.  Beth being pregnant was not a very big fan of the hard conditions so we curbed our desires for speed and got several more very nice days of XC skiing in.  Like always the house was a zoo, with five (5) full sized furry four leggers wrestling around the house.

Here are a couple of the XC skiing pictures, the snow was great for the most part but ask nick how it was at the bottom of the hill he was approaching in the first picture.  Even Beth and my dad trying their hardest to be on vacation ended up taking care of an older lady that crashed and hurt her hip while I skied up to higher ground to call 911.  Again none of us wanted to leave, especially Max who kept trying to get left behind every time we visited someone.

Finally we began our trip back East with a stop in Kalispel and a great day of fresh cream skiing at Whitefish resort with Craig and Amy.  Then on to Cut Bank to see Beth's grandparents Ed and Beverly.  We are truly lucky to have such great families and friends to visit each year.  Hopefully we can continue the tradition and even move a little closer.  Couldn't let the little one grow up in the flat-lands after all.

In the interest of our sanity another one of my friends graciously tied the knot on August 15th providing us with another great excuse to make the drive West to Bozeman MT.  The trip turned out great and we spent lots of overdue quality time with friends, hiked to Blackmore Lake, enjoyed a wonderful wedding, swam unrestricted in the reservoir,  and even found time to tip back a few to many skis.

Cheers to Liz and Trevor !!!

Friday afternoon we returned to town cleaned up a bit and spent the evening with Trax.  Saturday we headed to Big Sky and witnessed the beautiful joining of the Tollefsbols.’  With perfect weather and the beautiful Soldiers Chapel, built by Lizs’ grandfather with majestic views of Lone Peak everything went perfectly.  Then the new couple climbed into an American classic and took a relaxed ride down the valley to the Gallatin Gateway Inn for the reception.  Dinner was wonderful and the dancing amazing.  Trevor’s young nieces cleaned up on the dance floor and everything was very elegant, at least until I delivered the shot ski and we headed off to the local bar to show all the Texans the real Montana.  All in all a wonderful day and the first confirmed married couple that met at our wedding 3 years ago.

CONGRATULATIONS!

After leaving the Big Timber area behind we dropped my brother and his wife off so that Nick could perform as a dutiful groomsman for the upcoming wedding, restocked the car with food, picked up Beth’s younger sister Suzie and her boyfriend Ty and headed back into the mountains.  This time we camped along Hyalite reservoir a place I frequented in college but never officially camped.  After setting up camp we weathered a brief shower which brought beautiful rainbows, ate dinner, and make a quick hike up to Palisade falls, arrive just as the sun set.  The next morning after my parents again beat us out of bed.. we attempted to hike to Hyalite lake.  We saw a moose and many great waterfalls but as before we turned back at waste deep snow and a thunder storm within smelling distance of the goal.  What wonderful parents I have to put up with all this adventuring.