Horvath Happenings: Montana

Our long-awaited return to Montana came and went in the blink of an eye. Surprisingly, this is the first vacation in a long time that I have not kept a journal. There are several reasons for this...lack of free time, alcohol, and the fact that I'm not accustomed to writing in longhand.

In a nutshell, we had a fabulous trip. I'll try to touch down on all of the notable moments and memories, but I know I've forgotten some already. Being out there again was wonderful, as was reuniting with old friends, seeing the long-in-coming union of Natalie and Danny, meeting a ton of fabulous people, and of course, the whole "being on vacation" thing. I do have to say that I missed Gabey tremendously, but it came and went in waves. The closer we got to the end of the trip, the better I fared because I knew it would not be long before I'd see him. The adult time (staying up late, drinking, sleeping in, and not being responsible for anyone but myself) was much needed. But I certainly missed his presence, and was ridiculously happy to see him again.

And now, for a few Montana details...

Weather: Guess what, its been raining in Montana for a freaking month and a half as well. Although it rained on every day we were there EXCEPT the wedding day (how's that for perfect?) the rain didn't really spoil anything. There were periods of each day that had dry and sunny spells, and mountains that reach for the sky are still amazing even when swathed in clouds. The wedding day was a blue sky, sunshine, 80 degree affair. Perfect.

Food: We had some good times, and some bad times in this department. Things learned: when flying across the country at 4a.m., pack snacks. Elk calf steaks are phenomenal, even if it is a baby animal. The Beanery was not so hot, but Chico (where the wedding was) definitly delivered. And, our final night was spent dining at The Rib and Chop House, where we had an "excellent" (in Gabe's words) meal. Those of you who know Gabe know that he has ridiculously high standards for food. But our meal of steaks, mushrooms, mussels, loaded baked potatos, and cocktails was more than satisfying. The kicker? Our bill for all that was $58.00...that's it! In contrast, our bar tab a few nights earlier was $122.oo. Which brings me to the next point...

Debauchery: okay it wasn't like it was a crazy shitshow college scene...not the whole time anyhow. But you know, it was a wedding and a vacation without kids all in one. And I'm certainly no tee-totaler, but I drank enough this weekend to permanently injure my liver. But it was all in good fun, and I must say that the night before the wedding, partying in the Saloon at Chico with all of Natalie and Danny's family and friends, doing shots called Gary Coleman and celebrating the upcoming day was probably one of the best nights I've had in a long time.

The Wedding: The wedding took place on a hilltop at Chico, with the scenery of mountain ranges in every direction. The location was called the Field of Dreams and really was incredibly beautiful. My pictures do not do it justice. The ceremony was wonderful, and Natalie looked just stunning. Cocktail hour followed before we headed back down to the hall where the reception was. The reception was a lot of fun, as most are, and full of laughter, dancing, eating, and drinking. I think its safe to say both the bride and groom had the night of their life.

Friends: As I've mentioned before, a big part of the Montana aspect for me is Natalie and Sarah being out there. We usually stay with Natalie and Danny, and though we have met a friend or two of theirs on our trips out, its usually not on our agenda. With a wedding though, and with our friends being occupied, we sort of fell in with a bunch of new people. Personally, I love meeting new people no matter what, but this was special because these people are in essence Natalie and Danny's family out there--both by blood and by circumstance. They really have an awesome group of people around them, and the addition of friends and family from afar made it...well...made it what a wedding is meant to be! We had a great time partying with Danny's sisters and their husbands, with Erin and Abe, Jon, Rachel and Ben, and probably more people I am forgetting.

Fishing: And last but not least...fishing for Gabe. He went 2 separate days while we were there, leaving at 7am in the rental car and returning for dinner. He caught quite a few, and had two decent days on the water (although 1 day was cold and raining for most of it.) Um, I wish I had more details to put here but ask Gabe if you want to know! He came back happy each day, so that's the important thing!

And that is the gist of it. Our final night was spent at Natalie and Danny's house with a few others, just sitting around, hanging out, talking, telling stories, reminiscing, laughing...and much like the previous trip out there, I did not want the night to end and I didn't want to leave. But, as always, I know we will back, and hopefully next time our little monkey will be with us. Until then, thanks to Natalie and Danny for including us in part of what was a really awesome weekend!

A few shots from the wedding...here is the link to the rest of the pix, though I am not positive it will work: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=453275&id=1077972954&ref=mf#/album.php?aid=23889&id=1077972954