...when in Montana...

We've lived in Montana for just over 4 years now. Which, if I'm being honest, is 4 more years than I'd ever thought we'd live in Montana.

It's taken a while for Rich and I to get used to the Montana culture. I think it's because we both grew up in large cities. To be fair, I think it's taken the native locals a while to get used to us city slickers :) People are shocked, annoyed, and overall kinda angry at how much we love a good trip to Costco and our constant lamenting and rioting for better restaurants. Most native Montanans are anti-franchise and anti-big box stores. We tell people we'd die of happiness for a Cheesecake Factory or an In and Out, and they are ready to picket the mere idea of it! I understand and respect their opinion, but I just KNOW if they had just one bite of a Double Double, animal style, they'd change their tune!!!

Another thing that kinda bums us out is that no one ever tours here. Which explains why, 27 years later, we've never seen Wicked or had the chance to go to a non-country music concert. If you want clothes for your kids, you've got 2 choices. Target or JCPenny and even then you have to drive to them in the next town. Oh, excuse me that's not true, there is a department store called Herbergers, but they don't count because you can't say the name, stuff is packed so tightly in there you can barely breathe and you've never heard of them anyways.

Again, I sound whiny, complainy and rude, but I'm not. I've accepted these cold hard facts and come to terms with them. I do whole heartedly respect the locals not wanting commercial chain stores benefiting ruining the town. Just as I love them, people are free to not love them.

I'm so impressively accepting and understanding aren't I???

Amid the differences, we have definitely found about some really great things about Montana. Take North Korea for example. Kim Jong whats-his-face, or any other terrorist crazy person for that matter, doesn't want ANYTHING to do Montana. Neither do tornadoes or hurricanes or earthquakes. Our airport has 1 terminal and 3 gates, making travel and parking a breeze. There is literally no traffic ANYWHERE. Nothing is ever crowded...EVER. The crime rate is crazy low and there's not much big trouble for kids to get in around here. Summers are 100% magical and I wake up so grateful to live in Montana every day from July 1st-November 1st. Also, there is a real sense of family and take-care-of-each-other-ness. We have found that people we go to church with the people that Rich works with, are CRAZY supportive and helpful and service minded. They really feel like family!

So, despite us not being native Montanans, I can safely say we embrace as much as we can about it!

This includes accepting that "having fun" sometimes means taking your children to ranching supply stores, because they just got a BIG shipment of babies chicks. I can honestly say I never had THAT opportunity growing up in Vegas. :)

Every toy in the story is farming/ranch themed....oh, and CRAZY expensive. 

 

Riding past the Wall of Boots

 

She LOVES animals.

 

Luke, much like his mama, likes to keep his distance and gets a little nervous around animals...

Right after this photo, the grumpy chicken lady warned the kids not to touch the chicks or they'd die.

Then the grumpy worker lady, had a change of heart and let the kids tickle the chicks belly.

Everyone brings their dog to the store and this bulldog has a thing for Macy's Hello Kitty shoes.

 

There were a few baby bunnies...then then a few tears shed about not being able to take one home.

I maybe embrace Montana culture, but I'm not getting a bunny.

 

Montana is good to us. We learn and grow here and our kids don't know anything different. I will, however, continue to wear bigger earrings than anyone else in the state, lament about the lack of good Mexican food or any Mexicans for that matter, and wish with all my heart we had a real, live, mall.