Half Way

There and back again in Burke Park, highest point in Bozeman, a 'ridge' walk with views out west over Bozeman.
We are ringed by mountains on all sides.

Firstly, yes the snow has gone, it lasted a couple of days but now everything is back to Autumnal.

So, we have been gone from New Zealand for three months, and have three months to go. Time is starting to fly by. The weekends seeming to come around very fast indeed, now that we have routines and things in the calendar we are heading towards - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, hayrides and mazes, carving pumpkins, Lily's Christmas dance show, a bazillion school events and dates that even I cant keep track of. And still so many foods and craft beers still to be tried. We are doing our best! In our distant future I see a big RV and a long road trip holiday driving all over the US.

I seem to have adopted my dad's habit of turning up anywhere new and looking at real estate to help answer the question: could I live here? Of course I only go places that are nice and when I am on holiday! And I throw in cafe and shopping experiences though, to ensure I get a more true representation of a new place :) So could we live here in Bozeman, Montana? Yes, probably quite easily from a lifestyle and amazing place to raise kids point of view. Small university town, big enough to have stuff, but small enough to have no traffic. Educated, open, friendly people, embedded in wild landscapes and big skies. Liberal minded, well-funded schools, outdoor pursuits, access to the good stuff that America offers, but far removed from the worst of the crazy by being so sparsely populated in Montana. Plus I can fill the gas tank for under $30.

But how much of the attraction is just greener grass and the lure of the new and different? We miss the people back in NZ, the beach and the lake. And of course we know this travel malarky activity and know that it takes waaaaay longer than a couple of months to build strong relationships in a new place. I am especially always partial to new, unknown and starting stuff - being the more impulsive one. Motherhood has tempered that somewhat. But every trip anywhere, even just for a weekend in NZ, I still go and check out real estate anyway, just in case. Queenstown? Whangamata? Hawkes Bay?

Taking time out of normal life is always a good prompter for reflection, plus I have plenty of time on my hands to ponder the what ifs. We are still trying to cram in as many new experiences as we can, while also just making sure to enjoy living in the present of our daily lives, school and local coffee shop.

Family walk in Burke Park in Bozeman, super windy!

Taking time to stop and throw the Autumn leaves!

In other news, I am still working my way through Supermarket Bingo; I met some other familes also new to Bozeman from Kansas and Boston and we are comparing notes at the kids ballet each week about which supermarket we each have tried and the pros and cons of each! The Kansas mum thinks the Walmart here is nasty; the Boston mum and I (new to the Walmart experience) are surprised it is so well organised given the internet representation.

Right, back to researching and planning for a Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Utah....