Seely Lake

Hello Everyone! Sorry it's been a few days since my last post, I've been a little busy.

So I want to let everyone know about the awesome weekend I had.

Friday after work I drove up to Helena and met one of my Americorps friends. From Helena we drove north up to Seely Lake. In true Montana adventure spirit we didn't necessarily plan things out the best, so once we got up there, we needed to find a place to stay for the night. Luckily my friend's old co-worker had a lake house up there. She wasn't at her lake house, but her 30-something daughter and family were staying up there at weekend along with a couple other families. We got in contact with her and were graciously invited to camp out on the property of this killer lake house.

Not only did we just camp, we were able to go tubing, got offered tons of free food and alcohol, and got to hangout with some of the cutest kids ever. I made a new friend Will, he's 2 and a half, loves to swim, and is OBSESSED with Buzz Lightyear. He rocked.

Staying at this awesome crib did come with a price though. The reason why they were at Seely lake was to participate in the annual Seely Lake Triathlon on Saturday. Unfortunately one guy had gotten hurt so he wasn't able to compete in his leg of the triathlon (they competed in teams, in which one person did each event: swim, bike, run), so who got asked to fill in??? You guessed it....ME. The guy I filled in for was suppose to do the 10 mile biking leg of the race. Now pre-Montana I was taking a spinning class once a week so I figured it wouldn't be so bad and honestly it wasn't except for the fact that I had to ride a mountain bike designed for a 13 year old boy. Not cool. My legs were on fire since I had to pedal about twice as much as people on real bikes. Here's a pre and post pictures of me and my hot ride.

Before the Race


After the Race


After my lovely bike ride you would think I'd be done with physical activity for the day....WRONG. Once we got back to the lake house my friend and I decided to take a 5 mile hike to Morrell Falls, a 100ft waterfall that was nearby. The hike was tough (mostly because my legs were already dead), but in the end it was well worth it. Morrell Falls was amazing! Here are some pics.

On the way to the falls


At the falls


So overall, last weekend was great, probably the best since I've been here. I love exploring Montana. More exciting travel stories to come!

Love,
Becky

So I’ve come to realize….

Today I’ve come to realize that I’m one lucky duck.

The past three weeks I’ve really begun to dive into my Farm-to-School program. Childhood nutrition is a key component to this program. Fresh, local, and organic foods provide children with the nutrients they need to grow up healthy, happy, and free from diabetes and obesity. Unfortunately, most of our society prefers packaged, processed, convenient foods chalk full of chemicals, preservatives, and other harmful additives. Families eat on-the-go instead of eating together at a dinner table. Cooking has been replaced by drive thru’s and microwaves. Kids are getting fatter and sicker each day.

Why I am so lucky again?

I’m lucky because I have been fortune enough to have parents that broke me from the dangerous food cycle I see so many kids and young adults becoming part of. I’m lucky enough to have a mom that always plants a garden in our backyard. I’m lucky that she didn't work while I was growing up. I'm lucky she cooked fresh, healthy meals for my sister and I every day. I’m lucky my dad has a great job so my mom could stay at home and do those things. I’m lucky that fast food was/is a rarity in our house. I’m lucky that my family used our dinner table for meals rather than another place to put junk. I’m lucky my parents never bought me a Nintendo (as much as I wanted one). I’m lucky that I learned the value of nature and being outdoors at a young age. Finally, I’m lucky I had parents that truly saw the value in everything I just mentioned.

I know you’re reading this Mom and Dad and I want to thank you. You’ve taught me skills and values about food, nutrition, and health that will last my lifetime. You’ve probably saved me from numerous health problems when I get older like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. It’s because of you I’m participating in this Farm-to-School program so I can help instill the same healthy eating habits you did for me in kids today and I’m extremely lucky to have that opportunity.

Here’s to my Mom and Dad and all other parents like them! Love you both!

Love,
Becky

The Boiling River

Yesterday after work, I drove about a hour or so south to Yellowstone to meet up with my VISTA friend and his family that was in town. They had already done a lot of sightseeing in Yellowstone, but they saved going to the Boiling River until I got there, which I'm glad!

The Boiling River is a natural hot spring. Hot water comes up from the earth and mixes with the cold water of the Gardiner River. It's frickin AWESOME! I can't tell you how cool it felt to be sitting in the warm water drinking a beer and looking up at some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet. Here's a pic before we got in.



Yellowstone was so beautiful. I can't wait to go back and see more. Here's a few pics I took. If you want to see more check my Facebook or for those who are too cool for Facebook check out my Picasa.








Nap time for me. Gotta get rested....going to see pig wrestling at the fair tonight! Oh man!

Love,
Becky

I think I'm in Love

So I've fallen in love with my neighbor, Hank. He's super cute and really sweet. He was outside the other morning while I was leaving for work and we just really hit it off. One downside is that he's kinda short, but he's still totally adorable. Oh and by the way, Hank's my neighbor's dog. Here's Hank....



Hank's the best. It's nice having a dog around. Especially since I miss Sophie so much.

On another note, yesterday was the farmers market. I was super pumped to use my food stamps to get some local food. However I was disappointed to find out that at the Livingston Farmers Market they do not have a EBT machine that makes it possible to make cash transactions for the farmers with the food stamps. BOO! After finding this out I'm making it my mission to get that accomplished so lower income people in Livingston can have access to local, fresh foods from the farmers market. Food Equality For All!

Okay I'm off my little soapbox now. Here's a picture of me enjoying some locally brewed beer from Neptune's Brewery in Livingston another new love of mine!




One more thing I forgot to mention. I finally got the internet at my place so that means I can finally Skype! Anyone who wants to Skype me, find me at BecNaab!

Love,
Becky

Third Reason I Love Today

Some dingus sent me this awesome video at work.




Enjoy!

Love,
Becky

Why I love Today

Two reasons why I love today...

#1: I got my food stamps card in the mail! I can finally buy groceries! Yay for free food!



#2: I had a meeting today with a girl I'll be working with for a couple months. She's helping me out to fulfil a internship she has to do at MSU. That's not the good thing though. The AWESOME thing is that she is originally from Livingston and has a ranch with about a dozen horses! Guess who's going horseback riding soon....this girl! Yay!

Hope everyone is having good days too!

Love,
Becky

Gates of the Mountains

Yesterday I went on a guided boat tour of what is known as the Gates of the Mountains near Helena. It was breath-taking and probably the best scenery I've had the chance to check out while in Montana. The tour took us 6 miles down the Missouri River with the Rockies towering on each side. The tour guide was a wealth of information and he let us know that the route we took was once traveled by Lewis and Clark. One tidbit of info that stuck with me that I though was interesting is that it took Lewis and Clark 7 days to travel the same pass that we did. On a boat today it only takes about 7 minutes! Crazy to think about how much quicker we can travel and see the world today compared to then!

Also we were able to see a couple bald eagles as well as osprey which were pretty cool.

Overall the tour was awesome and I would recommend it to anyone visiting (That means come visit me and I'll take you!!!).

Here are a couple more pics to give you an idea of what I got to see.





Love,
Becky