At the reception, the front picture is the Groom, the top left is the Best Man, and the other is the Bride. 

The Autobiography Continues

Under the direction of fermented sugar and inspired by God's green Earth, I bring to you another chapter in the saga of my life. I write this for my future self, and anyone curious enough to read and enjoy it.

Last Wednesday was my first day off in what would become a week long vacation. I woke up, packed everything I needed, and headed for the Blackfoot Indian Reservation. Five hours later I was with my good college friend Robert, touring Browning and the outskirts of Glacier National Park. I have been missing Robert since the days when I hung out with him every single day in Missoula, so it was great to see him.

The next morning I woke up and we headed into East Glacier Park so I could catch the train. The only girl my age that was traveling alone was seated right next to me! She was from Texas. We talked and ate together and the train ride didn't seem to last 18 hours, like it did. Amtrak is definitely the way to travel if you have the time and money! Getting a sleeper cabin is well worth the extra few hundred dollars if traveling long distances. Trying to sleep in a chair for three nights in a row isn't fun. With the sleeper cabin you get three meals a day and a wine and cheese tasting session every day. Unfortunately I didn't have one of those so I had to pay a ridiculous $20 for a dinner. The beers are $4.

Josh and Julie were waiting for me when I got off the train. It was 5:30 AM and in typical Josh fashion, he hadn't slept yet. We headed to his parents house and slept the morning away. The afternoon was reserved for me rolling his parents four-wheeler. I seem to have a knack for wrecking other people's stuff. I simply can't be trusted. Just kidding. Friday night was the groom's dinner, which was fun. Everything was covered and they were serving alcohol. Feeling great, we headed to St. Joseph's Catholic Church for the wedding rehearsal. Everything went smooth and we headed home.

Saturday was the wedding day. We got their about 11:00 for a 2:00 wedding. I was honored to be one of Josh's Groomsmen. The wedding went well and it was fine and dandy, but then we headed to the reception, where weddings become something to be proud of. There was an open bar, good company, a great meal, a speech from me, a dance, Wendys afterward, and all other imaginable fun.

I left Monday morning at 12:15. The train was three hours late, and I left my phone charging in the train station. I got on the train and went to sleep in the lounge car, occasionally waking up to see the sunrise or a town. I met this really talkative fourty six year old guy that had a ticket to Shelby, and no ride back to Bozeman. I said I'd give him a ride, so he paid an extra $10 to get to East Glacier. We chatted it up with pastors and ministers on the lounge car about politics and my new friend, Robert (oddly enough), told quite a life story. He used to work in the oil industry, doing seismic testing, but after that he got into concrete work and he was been doing that for 17 tears. His dad is a doctor and his mom a highly educated person as well.

I got home his morning at about 5 AM.

Orientation June 2006

So I got of work at 1:00 last Thursday, drove to Missoula, and met up with Jennifer. We engineered some signs, which you can see in the picture below. It was pretty impressive. Then the new freshman started showing up. I got to meet a lot (I won't use numbers) of new freshman girls that will be future College Republicans, and Jennifer got to meet a lot of new freshman guys that will be future College Republicans. It was so much fun! I've never been so aggressive towards people in my life, but I enjoyed it. We even danced a little bit, because this was also a carnival with a dance. I drove home that same night, arriving at 1:30 AM. It was kind of a struggle, but I was in such a good mood that I can't complain.

Jennifer is great! We had lots of fun and worked hard too. I honestly now wish we would have hung out more during the school year. I'll try to learn from my mistakes.

On another note, I just listened Mike Jones - I'm a Pimp. This song reminds me so much of Fall Semester 2005 at the University of Montana. I heard so much Mike Jones when I first got to Missoula. It is weird how when I listen to this song, it feels like I'm in my dorm room in Aber, hanging out with new friends, getting used to the college life.

This is Jennifer and I at the June 2006 Orientation Student Service's Fair at the University of Montana. 

Work and Play

Today was a great day at work. We went to a customer service seminar put on by the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn in Bozeman. I love conventions of every kind; high school competition conventions, college club conventions, political conventions, business conventions. I love the seminars and inspirational speeches, and this one was no different. It was a nice change compared to doing three installs in one day, up on a 45 degree roof that is too hot to touch or even sit down on.

But after work, there are State Parks to visit! There are roads to drive that I haven't seen before! There is adventure to be had! There are monuments and historical points to observe, rivers to float, trails to hike, mountains to climb. There are lakes to visit, campsites to be camped in, Lewis and Clarke histories to be experienced. There are Native American artifacts and landmarks to be found, which is what the Madison Buffalo Jump is.

The Madison Buffalo Jump is a plateau with cliffs on all sides except the back, which gradually goes to the ground. Natives would run the buffalo off the jump, and then gather them up at the bottom. It was used 2,000 years ago, and bone deposits were sixty inches deep. There are tepee rings on the top of it, which makes sense because it is a beautiful view of the Headwaters of the Missouri River, as well as the Madison river and the valley it inhabits.

Aaron took this picture of me, sitting on the edge of the Madison Buffalo Jump as the sun went down. I needn't say it was amazing. It is so beautiful, and the history is extraordinary. All this not twenty minutes from my family style home in the quaint farming community of Manhattan.