Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Road Trippin': Livingston Montana

What I did on my Summer Vacation...

lol

Grab your sh*#!!! 

Get in the car...

& Let's GO!!!!

ROAD TRIPPIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



We Made some plans to Visit Family in Montana...

Got a "Trip Tik" from AAA...

Rented a Van from Hertz for a Penny a Mile (Score!)...

And I got down to Studying the Maps!

(hunting for fun stuff to see on the way ;-)

Easy!

^travel meditation kit^

Started Gathering Things!

& Figuring out how to Pack for a 2 Week Road Trip...

Not as Easy...


I consulted the Oracle... Pinterest!

Then got out my small suitcase... barely enough room...

Then got out my big suitcase... just right...

And I got to filling my travel bottles!!! (^multi tonal conditioner ;-)


We Picked up our Van...

Just big enough...

With a bit of squeezing...


What if it doesn't all fit...??? Gulp...

It did...

With a bit of Elbow Grease & Tetris Know-How...

And some Swearing... O.o


Tons of Rain & Clouds off & on...

Our three days to get there took longer than expected...

Nothing a lil determination & 14hr driving stints wouldn't fix...

We had a beautiful drive thru South Dakota...

(those deets deserve their own post...;-)


So Close!


The views from Livingston were Amazing...


Just the View from the Backyard...


Let's go See Some Stuff!!!


The Livingston Festival of the Arts!

We saw so many cool things & met some Awesome Artists!!!

& My Hubs even found me a Coffee Place...

Cute as a button, & SUPER FRIENDLY...

I was not without a yummy Ice Blended Mocha!!!

They had a Maple Bacon Latte too that had Bacon Fat in it o.o

Kind of going along the lines of the Butter in your Coffee thing...


One of the first things we Snapped Up at the Art Fair...

You can lift the candle up to light it!

Brilliant!!!


Montana Candle Box...

(tried to post a link... their .com doesn't seem to be there...)

The sides are made of sheets of real Mica instead of glass! :-D

We also picked up the Antler above at the fair...

From a super nice guy named Craig Krzychi of Big Sky Antler... (not online)

He collects these "sheds" & makes all sorts of neat things from them!


Stackable Hammered Rings by April Hale Jewelry!


April had so many Great Pieces on display at the fair!

I couldn't resist the Mixing Metals & Stackable-ness!!! <3


So Much Art to choose from!!!

I wanted to bring it ALL Home... 

These wee prints by Miles Glynn & Courtney Grigg were coming with us!

No Broken Frames for us on the Trip Home ;-)


And the things we saw in town...

There's Buffalo Everywhere!

Don't get me started on the Buffalo/Bison Debate... lol

There are a lot of Casinos as well...

Each had something for free to keep you happy while you gamble...

Drinks/Snacks...

Soup... ;-D


Found a cool Stained Glass Feather Collection at one Shop!

Looked the Artist up on Etsy!


Now I can Collect them ALL!!!!! X-D


In Livingston ppl Bike Everywhere!!!


There are Cute & Funky Bikes All Over the Place!!!

Makes me want to BMIY my Bike...

Oooooooo...

So many Ideas...


We took a day to head out to Yellowstone Park...

(YNP gets its own post, stay tuned!)

Around Every Corner is a Picture Postcard Landscape!


Saw the Old Faithful...


Elk...

And other Wildlife...

Just feet from the cars and ppl!

Yellowstone was definitely a Highlight for us...

We want to go back and spend the Whole Time Exploring!!!


Then there was...

The Parade!!!

The 4th of July Parade in Livingston is HUGE!!!

It goes on for HOURS!

Completely Impressive, Everyone comes out for it!

And the 'Adult' Huckleberry Lemonade Situation is...

Well...

Coming from Massachusetts where public drinking is strictly prohibited...

Refreshing!

In More Ways than One ;-)

Huckleberry Vodka is Gluten Free btw...


And as our time to visit was ending...

We had to say goodbye to the friends, family & pets...


Squished ALL the things/ppl back into the Van & Hit the Road!


Back to the Highways, Hotels, & Road Food!


Super 8 Motels have Free Breakfast!

& Comfy Beds...

We could easily find one with vacancies...

No matter where we were...

& the price couldn't be beat!!!


Just some of the fun things to look forward to...

At the Service Plazas off of I-90 ;-D

There's a part of me that desperately wanted a pair of those Grass Flip Flops!!!


Long Days Driving...

Eyes Twitching...

Feet Swelling...

Almost Home....


It Poured on us just as we drove into town...


First Delirious Meal Back...

New Fortune Chinese Food!!!!!!!!!

We missed you So!

And the rest of the Comforts of Home!


Mr.Mars Missed us...

He didn't leave my side for 5 days :-)

Our Charli Girl tho...


She had so much fun at 'Buddy Camp'...

Swampy Hikes/Another Dog/Cats/A lil Boy to Love up...

Friends so Generous to take her for almost 2 weeks!

And...

A Yard with CHICKENS!

We all made some Amazing Memories!!!


Make some Plans...

Make an Adventure...

Make a ROAD TRIP!!!

MAKE SOMETHING!!!

XOXO
~JM

What did you do on your summer vaca!?!

Share! Facebook, Instagram, Twitter!!!

<3 <3 <3










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