"Motor" boatin....

So it's been a little while since we posted last.  I'm finally taking a minute to sit down and catch up on the fun of the last couple of weeks.  Pretty much everything is still going the same - good :)  So we can't complain.  Tanner is really liking his job and I still like mine.  And best of all I start working 12 hour shifts next week so instead of getting 5 or so days off a month I'll be getting 10 plus days.  That is going to be glorious to my heart and mind and marriage!  I had last Saturday off because my friend Larissa and I decided to do a half marathon out in Sidney, MT.  So we've been doing a lot of running together while her littlest guy is in preschool.  It works out awesome and it's so great to have a running partner.  Made those long runs fly by for sure!  So the "race" was really just a walking to wellness thing.  There was a 5k, 10k and half marathon option.  They handed out random numbers, had a little timer thing at the start - and basically just said go at it.  I think there were maybe 50 entrants - 48 of which were women.  And the course consisted of a 5k loop and a mile victory lap - or something like that.  So for the half we had to do 4 loops and then the victory lap.  It pretty much sucked as far as I was concerned.  I think my mind does better with NOT multiple loops and a little more competition and organization and such.  So I wasn't really feeling it and it wasn't my best race - but I think I still did just about as fast or a tiny bit faster than last time.  Really it's impossible to tell because my gps malfunctioned before we even started and I have no idea how long we really ran.  It was close enough to a half, though.  Larissa did awesome and beat her last time by like 15 minutes!  She's a stud.  And another guy from our ward ran it too and he took first.  But his wife and two little kids were there cheering us on as well.  So after we all went to Sunny's cafe for breakfast.  It was kind of a hole and took FOREVER to get our food and they brought out burned, rock hard caramel rolls and our waitress had nasty meth mouth - but it was actually really fun just sitting around talking and laughing and enjoying the morning.  And my blueberry pancakes were awesome!

The anti-climactic finish line

My faithful support crew

Sam Merkley, me and Larissa

 After that we went home and got our things ready for the lake.  We have been meaning to take our dogs out there forever and it just has not worked out for us.  But the weather was perfect and we had the day to do it so we hooked up with the LaPierre's (Larissa and her hubby and 3 kids) and drove out to the lake.  There was this special spot that they liked - kind of away from people but down a bit of a hill.  So Brent decided to take a boat with us so they could boat all the gear over to the beach and not have to hike up and down the steepness multiple times with all manner of food and such.  So we drop them off with all the stuff and the oldest boy, Weston...and Larissa and I and the two younger kids drove to the beach.  We were over there for quite awhile and still had no sign of a little boat poking around the bay they put in at.  Come to find out, they had actually made it quite a ways out when the motor died.  And in trying to fix it - the fuel line broke.  So then, they were at the mercy of the wind.  And the wind fortunately did not blow them further out into the lake, but unfortunately did blow them to the opposite side of the bay where the cars were not.  So we finally got a  hold of them and ended up driving back to where they parked, and walking all the way around to meet them on the other side.  This probably doesn't all completely make sense and it helps if you could see the lake and beaches were we were, cars were and where they ended up - but regardless...it's still funny.  And when we were walking around - this is what we came upon...

 Tanner pulling the boat with a rope, Brent pushing it along with some huge stick he found, and all just like it's the most normal thing in the world.  Oh man.  Funny.  So once we met them, we just  hung out on that side and dealt with the wind blowing there and made a fire and it still turned out to be an AWESOME and beautiful and fun filled night!  Proof is in the pictures...

Really...who even needs a motor??

Wyatt having fun with the doggies - our dogs were in HEAVEN out there!!

Weston having his turn with the dogs

Momma and Maci

Love this shot of Weston!

 So all in all, even with the motor boat malfunction - it was so fun and the memories are that much more memorable :)  And this week has been good too.  I've worked a lot less and been able to hang with Tanner some more.  I went golfing with him twice - Tuesday we went with Sam and his wife Amy and we just hung out and rode along while they golfed.  Then we had dinner and dessert with them.  Fun Andelin day!  And Tanner got his bowling on again at the league Wednesday - Larissa and I made cookies and took them to the boys.  We got lots of weird looks walking into a smoke filled MAN dominated bowling alley with a plate of cookies and three kids.  Our husbands are so lucky is all I have to say :)  Yesterday I golfed with Tanner again because we were both off kind of early and I even played a few holes.  I think I could maybe enjoy the sport.  The more I go and just watch the more I want to actually play - and I think if I gave it some more dedication I might be able to have some fun!  Who knows...

So life has been good and the weather has been awesome and I just want Fall to hold out for a few more months!  I don't think we will get that lucky.  But it's been fun to enjoy every minute that we can of it!

Medora...round 2

Before we get to the heart and soul of this blog, and the reason for the title of this particular entry...I just want to say that Tanner and I had a momentous Labor Day.  I worked in the morning so we could have the evening together.  And guess what crazy exciting thing we did!?  Went out to dinner.  At a restaurant.  In Williston.  That was big for us.  We had heard so many bad things about all the restaurants here that it just never seemed like an option.  Tanner had been a couple times to some in town with work people, but we had never done a dinner date.  We went to Don Pedro's and it was actually pretty good.  And I took one photo documenting it (mostly for the blog) but I also think Tanner looks super hot, so you get to view it now...

Mmm...salsa!

 

 

 

 

 

So now the good stuff.  Many of you may remember how we went to Medora for our anniversary a few months ago.  (woah crazy it's already been a FEW months).  And also how that trip got cut short just shy of the much anticipated golf experience due to Rozzi running away.  Well, we got a voucher for the golfing, and had been talking about how we needed to go back down so Tanner could golf and we could hike more when it was cooler.  So, last weekend ended up being that much awaited time.  Tanner was so excited to golf - and it was later in the season so it was cheaper and they had a cheap play back price too, so he was going to get to golf twice, I was gonna do a big long trail run during his first 18 holes and it was just going to be perfect.  Well, the musical had ended the weekend before so we figured it was going to be a ghost town there, and so we didn't make reservations anywhere.  The first hotel we went to informed us that they, and every other hotel in town was booked.  Turns out there was some big conference down there, and they had extended the musical one more week.  Lame.  So...we committed to a covered wagon something sleep quarters.  Bathroom 50ft away and no electricity and cold.  But better than nothing.  Okay, great...sleeping arrangements...check...let's go golf.  So, we drive to the golf course.  PACKED parking lot.  Turns out there was a big tournament there too.  Tanner went and talked to them and found out he wouldn't be able to golf till 4:30, and it was gonna be with a huge group.  Oh well.  Better than nothing.  Gosh dang we're gonna make the most of being here.  Well, while he was in securing his golf spot, I hopped in the back to change into some running/hiking stuff since we didn't have a real "room".  Ummm...where's our bag!?!?  NOT IN THE CAR, is where it was.  I had told him not to take it out when he was going to so I could put my toothbrush and last minute stuff in it.  So then we were both doing our final bathroom runs and grabbing purses and keys and he thought I grabbed it and I thought he grabbed it.  But NO ONE grabbed it.  So I went in to the golf shop to share the fantastic news.  I just wanted to cry.  It was so unbelievable to me.  We were both SO excited for this weekend and I rarely get a whole weekend off and the weather was perfect and I just wanted T to be able to golf his little heart out and on and on and on.  I went out and sat on a picnic table trying to wrap my mind around what was happening.  And he came out and kinda laughed when he asked if we should just go home.  He was so upbeat and not blaming me for forgetting the bag (it really was my fault), and just like...there's nothing we can do about it so no use in getting mad.  That helped a lot.  He's so dang awesome.  So we bought him a golf shirt from there, went and got lunch and then drove the 2.5hrs back to Williston. Side note: we had previously decided that I would be in charge of odd year anniversary's and he would be in charge of even ones.  I basically failed with our first Christmas and failed at our first anniversary (x2)...so he gives me some good crap about that.  I just say that there's nowhere else to go but up!

So we came back and were able to squeeze in 18 holes up here.  Tanner just recently bought his very own golf cart and it was delivered Friday night.  So this was its maiden voyage around Eagle Ridge.  I decided I'd let him drive.  It was still a nice day, he played well, and really - the beauty was we still got to hang out together and we pretty much cherish those times seeing that they are few and far between these day. 

 On our way home we had gotten in touch with some friends in our ward to see if they wanted to do anything.  Luckily they did.  So after golf we headed over to the Williston bowling alley - another first time event for us.  It was Tanner and I, Larissa and Brent LaPierre and their 3 kids and Keisha and Kameron Nelson and their 3 kids.  They are awesome.   (This blog is being funky today and is moving things around to weird places when I don't want them to be moved - so below, Larissa is on the left and Keisha is on the right.  I've been running a lot with Larissa and that has been AWESOME!  And her husband Brent is the guy wearing the hat).

 After that we headed over to the LaPierre's for a dutch oven peach cobbler with fresh peaches that I made and yummy dip provided by Larissa.  We hung out there for a bit chatting the night away and when all was said and done, it didn't seem like our weekend was ruined at all.  We're so grateful to have such fun and great friends.  Makes being up here completely doable!  

And the only other excitement that happened this weekend was we got another roommate :)  Simon told his friend how amazing and wonderful Williston is and apparently he had to see for himself.  So he drove up from Virginia and got all moved in Saturday.  His name is Justin.  Seems like a nice kid.  Guess we'll see how it all goes.   We had a good long Monopoly game yesterday.  It's great cause now we can play all the games we couldn't with only 2 people :)  And even better because I won!  If it stays like that I guess we'll keep them both around for a bit...