David Hanson's Character Robot - Jules

Garage the Soup Shack

Today was amazing. :) 74 degrees, sunny with a nice breeze. Katie and I ended up having lunch outside at this place called Garage the Soup Shack & Mesquite Grill. The food was good, service was slow (typically around here) and it was packed! It's located downtown near the library.

It kinda reminds me of an old diner you would find in the 50s. The menus are made out of old license plates. They served mostly burgers with fries but they also had barbecue chicken and soups and stuff. On the tables they had old Pepsi six pack bottle holders, containing the condiments and on some tables had trivia pursuit game cards. I guess to keep you entertained while you wait for your food.

We probably stayed there 2 hours, enjoying the sun and atmosphere. Lots of motorcycles zoomed by. People were riding their bicycles and walking their dogs. You could also find water bowls under some of the tables for customers who brought their dogs with them.

It was nice to see the city out and about and enjoying the weather. And it was nice to be a part of it too. We really like this place.
Ps. Yes my eyes were closed. It was really sunny today. :)

Montana Weather

So we moved here Oct 1st. That was the day Bozeman saw its first snow of the season. We were pretty worried back then but it didn't last long, as the temps went back up and the snow melted. It turns out, this Winter has been very mild. Local news as well as my fly fishing instructor said we have seen 30% less participation this winter. I guess that's not good for fishing or skiing but kinda good for us and our sense of safety.

We did experience -24 temps with -40 wind chill. But even that wasn't that bad. We stayed in mostly and wore many layers. We didn't loose our toes or eyeballs. We didn't have to use our block heater or the emergency kit everyone here told us to have in our car. We did use our 4x4 often. I think it helped up get used to driving on the snow. But after awhile we stopped using it because it sucked up a lot of gas and we really didn't need it.

Most of the winter was in the 20's and 30's. And honestly, Winter here is pretty lame. I think the locals make it sound bad so you won't move up here, take over their homes and cause traffic. Which by the way is really nice. No lines at the ski resort, no traffic ever and its quiet and peaceful. People actually drive below the speed limit and they don't lock their doors at night. I mean why would you lock your door when every single home owner owns a gun and hearing gun shots are common within the town.

But what IS the worst weather in Montana is the end of Winter beginning of Spring. Just when you think you can put on your shorts and go hiking you get 2 feet of snow dumped on you. This goes on for a long time. But it doesn't stop people from taking advantage of the non snow days. When the temps are perfect, its sunny, dry, and on top of every Suburu, mountain bikes in its Yakima racks instead of ski's and boards. No wonder everyone here is skinny.

Right now, its raining outside! I actually heard thunder too. I've been waiting for this day for a long time! It hasn't rained in Bozeman since we moved here. Looking out the window, hearing and smelling the rain, with the mountains in the background, the spring colors trying to come out, it's amazing. And the best thing is, it's not muggy!!!!

All in all, the weather has been great. I can't imagine what the summer will be like!

Prairie Dogs

Next to our apartment is a field that looks like a war zone. You will find these kinds of holes everywhere. It turns out they were dug recently by Prairie Dogs. Tons of them. I haven't been a lucky as Katie to see any. She went jogging one day and saw several poking their heads out and hissing this high pitched sound at her.

I just find it so surreal to be so close to wildlife. Its literally right in our backyard.

Dad

About you: Broken, guilty, bitter, ugly, fat, liar, wasteful, mean, hurtful, disgusting, selfish

About me: Shamed, embarrassed, disgraced, scared, hurt, abandoned, confused, angry, empty, sad, lost

About you and me: Never

About Him and me:
Forever
Hopeful
Peace
Love
Forgiven
Grace
New
Healing
Father
Family

Ephesians 3:18 - And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

Working Out

So, I decided to change from the Biggest Loser, Yoga, Pilates workout I've been doing for awhile now to a more concentrated muscle building workout. I got this book called "Men's Health Hard Body Workout Plan" and in it several weeks of specific exercises and meal plans. The idea is to focus on 3 things. Muscle building, cardio, and flexibility.

My goal is to look like this:



Just KIDDING!!!!

Actually I just want to build some definition, loose some fat, and get a little stronger. I'm pretty optimistic about this plan because it tells me exactly what I need to do. No guess work. I'm on week 2. So far I've gained 5 pounds. I'm not sure if that's good or bad? And I don't feel much stronger but it's still early.

Here's what I learned so far:
1. Buying rusty metal plates from thrift stores can help save you money
2. Its best to clean the rust off, otherwise you might get it in your eyes or sandwich you are eating
3. Using a metal chair as a bench can work, just be prepared to put a cushion under it so you don't pinch your skin

I'm also running, doing biggest loser yoga, biggest loser sculpting and pilates occasionally. I'm documenting all my workouts and nutrition on my iphone. I'm making sure I rest, drink enough water, and eat enough good foods.

Keep you posted on the results...

'Pixels' short film imagines an apocalypse

Saw this from one of my friends the other day and thought it was a neat video.   


PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Arts and animation videos.

Snowboarding Season Is Now Over

It was a sad day, but a good day.

Last Tuesday Bridger Bowl's closed out its season. And man, it was a great season!!!! One we will never forget. I learned how to snowboard "for real" and I even tried a few jumps here and there. And Katie is now a switch rider, doing 360's. We got plenty of uses out of our season passes, going about 2-3 times a week. It was beautiful, the powder was great most of the time and we had a lot of fun with those who came to visit us.

The locals love this mountain. I can understand. There we're no lines all year and the trails were great. The last day Katie and I pushed ourselves more then any other day. It snowed hard and there was powder everywhere. We even went on a double black diamond!!! Watch out!!!

And we got to see so many people dressed up in costume on the last day, doing all kinds of tricks. One guy did a back flip. I was shocked!!!! And at the very end of the day, everyone started screaming at the top of their lungs!!! We joined in too!!

From the first lift to the last lift of the day, thanks Bridger for all the great memories!!!!

See video of Katie and Thomas on the last day.

Jobs, Jobs, and more Jobs

Another long day of looking and applying for jobs. Its been exhausting. Some days I feel hopeful, some days I feel like banging my head against the wall. I have applied to 20+ jobs in the last 3 days. None of them in Montana because I have already applied to every job in town. I knew it would be hard but I didn't expect it to be this hard.

Last time I was unemployed, I found a job in a month. But that was 3 almost 4 years ago when the economy was somewhat okay. Some of my coworkers who have been laid off longer then me are still looking.

Things against me:
I have no degree
I have mostly telecommunication experience, which is a dying industry
I live in a small town, surrounded by small towns

I'm not complaining at all. I'm just frustrated with the results and wish this would end soon. On the positive side, Katie and I are growing together in our relationship more then I can imagine! Just the other day Katie said to me, I don't like change but I do like going through change with you by my side!

I don't know what to expect for us in the next few months. Maybe we will find a job here, maybe we will find a job in Colorado or Arizona or Atlanta or back home in Texas. I do know this.

Tomorrow I will be looking and applying for more jobs. I just pray I feel hopeful because my head hurts from all the banging against the wall.