July 2009 
When I was a kid, mom would do her best to get me helping in the kitchen. I know it’s hard to believe (haha), but I was quite an obstinate child when it came to cooking. I’ve never liked it much, as I have quite a knack for messing things up.
I went through more of our Montana photos tonight. We had such a great time on our trip, and we especially enjoyed our visit to Bozeman. David and I were just a small part of the huge group staying at Coralee’s parents’ house. At let me say, Mr. and Mrs. Welch were incredible hosts! We felt like we were staying in a bed and breakfast the whole time, and we definitely ate until our hearts content.
Andy and Brandy (Coralee’s brother-in-law and sister) made the trip from N. Carolina, and I will always be grateful to Andy for introducing me to thepioneerwoman.com. He also helped me realize the usefulness of my 75-300mm lens, which I rarely ever used. Now it’s one of my favorites.
We also met Patrick and Coralee’s friends, Dewy, Jenni and their two kids. They drove in from Washington in their “SUM-V,” as Dewy called it. I believe that stands for “Sports Utility Man Van.” I found it impressive that although they had driven such a long way, their SUM-V was lacking the funky smell and crumbs that are naturally expected of vans. How’d they do that? (That’s not a dig for anyone whose child-mobile isn’t “amazingly clean”. It’s just something that stood out to me…)
David, Patrick and Dewy were kind enough to let me tag along whenever they went fly fishing. I must say that it’s a lot more involved than “lake fishing,” but that’s what made it so fun. Of course, “fun” wouldn’t be the immediate word that pops into my mind describing my first fly fishing trip. We found a spot on a mountain stream, and it turns out that mountain streams in Montana stay ICEY cold through June. I didn’t think I’d make it through the first 30 seconds in the water (I can’t even begin to describe the stinging pain), but I didn’t want the boys to make fun of me for running out like a little girl. So, I stuck it out and actually enjoyed myself. Of course, I had to jump out about every 5 minutes to let my feet thaw out, but it was worth it. However, it did take about 3 hours and a special pair of fuzzy socks for my feet to return to their normal state. (David caught his first fly-rod fish that night.)
O.k. Enough of my rambling.
I bought the lens I’ve been eyeing for quite a while now. By Friday, I should have my Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens in my hands! I can’t wait to take lots of low light photos of my friend Emily’s new baby, without the worry of an annoying flash in Margot’s baby blues.
