Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Montana Winter Wear

Lately I have been concerned about my health. Moving to Montana where its quite a bit colder than Virginia (have you noticed spring is totally starting to peak through here!?!). Being a Southern California girl at heart I really have never developed a real winter wardrobe. I have a few jackets but nothing really heavy, and certainly have never really had snow boots besides my snow board boots which leave me permanently leaning forward. So I set out to find some inexpensive boots and a nice jacket.

Luckily we live close to the Oakley Outlet, which Justin single handedly has kept in business. Justin found me a great down filled jacket that was originally $200 for 80 bucks. I also looked up these Bogs Boots that I saw in Bozeman when we visited a few weeks ago. They were so expensive online so I checked Amazon. As always Amazon pulled through, they were only $52 when they were originally $120. Plus, they are super cute, and they arrived today (exactly one week till we set sail).
On another note, slowly the stresses of the move are setting in on me. The excitement is still there, but the reality of leaving friends and family has started to hit. I only sleep a few hours a night which has made my eye start twitching. I also am currently living out of a bag and almost 90% of our stuff is packed and already on the trailer. I have been getting in my workouts, which is my only sanity right now. I have one more yoga class left on my pass, and I will have to say goodbye to Shannon (my beloved yoga instructor). I do have a good outlook though. I set up my electricity and cable and Internet today, so we don't have to live in the dark when we get there, and I will at least have E! News. Our going away party is on Saturday, and I am really looking forward to it! Currently I am baking my favorite cookies Mama Peas Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls, I really recommend you make them now too. 

Saturday, February 19, 2011

The Yard Sale

Even though Justin and I have only been married for 2 and half years, we have quite a collection of things we don't need anymore. Rather than huffing it across ten states I decided to have a yard sale! The idea came very last minute, however I started putting it on Craigslist on Wednesday (when the idea hit) and continued it on Thursday and Friday and early Saturday morning, I also added pictures of some the furniture, and I immediately had a ton of emails. I didn't reply to a single one, I figured if people wanted to see items they could between 8-noon on Saturday.....also I am busy, to busy to reply to emails. I also posted it in the Virginia Gazette.

This morning bright eyed and bushy tailed (total lie) I bounded out of bed (another lie) at 6 am (yet another lie- I set my snooze twice) and rushed to set up my yard sale. Without the help from my Mom, my Mother-in-law, Father-in-law and the relentless Justin I would of never been ready when the hoards of people came over an hour earlier than my starting time. As a matter of fact, I had nothing tagged and no clothes out when the crowds came. Some of the oddest people show up to yard sales, also its funny how my Mother-in-law knew 99% of the people that showed up. One guy came to pick up a chair his wife bought and he wreaked of beer when I peaked in his car after loading the chair I noticed the nice open forty ouncer of Bud Light in his cup holder. I wont even mention his swagger.

 All in all though we did really well selling our fabulous goods for way to cheap. Its amazing how much we think our stuff is worth, and how little the public thinks of it!











Needless to say we had a huge turnout, tons of folks from the neighborhood and from all over. We sold almost all our furniture except my beloved dining room table and my old twin size picket fence bed. All the old clothes and home decor stuff that didn't sell went straight to Goodwill. After we picked it all up Justin found himself with money to burn and went straight to the Oakley outlet.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Our Trip Out West

One of things we are really looking forward to is the drive to Montana (leaving March 1st!!!!). As most of you know Justin and I have tens of thousands of miles under our belt because of mountain bike racing, so driving for 16+ hours a day to us is like a fat kid and cake....easy peasy lemon squeezy! Well, maybe not that easy, but we've done it before and we can do it again. We are well aware that it is winter and that the weather could be crazy for the trip, which is why we choose the most southern route to take...well as southern as South Dakota. We plan on taking it pretty easy (we once drove from coast to coast in less than 2 and half days) by leaving on Tuesday March 1st and getting there mid day March 3rd however, if weather is bad then arriving the 4th wont kill us. Also, we are prepared to make pit stops for Ridley as well as small bladder me, so we aren't going for a record or anything.


We will start by driving west through Virginia then through West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, a smidgen bit of Wyoming and then into Montana. New states for us to see will be Iowa, South Dakota and Wyoming which is pretty exciting, especially since everything looks exactly same when covered in snow.

I do plan on packing lots of snacks and goodies since we are on a serious budget however, if I see a Chipotle in Pukwana, South Dakota we will definitely be hitting it up. There is also a good possibility of a Starbucks trip as well.

Needless to say we are extremely excited about our cross country one-way trip!




Thursday, February 17, 2011

Our New Whip!

One of the most important things Justin and I needed to do before the big move cross country, was to buy a new car. When we visited Bozeman a few weeks ago, we quickly realized that our rental car (a Toyota Corolla) just wasn't going to cut it. Justin has been driving his little 2 door Ford Focus hatchback that is recognizable from a million miles away. Luckily, it will still be in the area since we sold it to our good friends. His car deffinatley could of made the drive, it just wasn't built for tons of snow.....so it had to go. I on the other had have been driving my run the mill Sentra since mid 2005, and although I love and appreciate that car I have been racially profiled in it by the police more than once at Wal Mart (this is no joke, if you would like the story I can tell you). Although my Sentra is alot newer than Justin's Focus and with way less miles, it wouldn't fair the drive well let alone the winter months. Therefore, I only had one conclusion: NEW CAR!! I guess the most important thing to note is that we will be a one car family. As in, Justin or I will be commuting by bike or walking. Yes it may be cold however, we are prepared (another post coming when I buy better winter wear).

So, we have spent the last month looking at everything from Toyota Tacoma's to Kia Sportage's. We finally settled on a Nissan Xterra, and we couldn't be happier!
The Xterra is perfect for us outdoorsy folks. There is also a ton of cargo space and room for Ridley.

Apparently it also handles the mountain-y areas well.......

Now all it needs is 2,199 miles on till were in our new home!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Why Bozeman?

Since Justin and I announced our big move across the country, many have questioned our choice of location. Besides the fact that Justin was offered a job there, we believe the town was made for us. Yes, winters can be cold, according to wikipedia (and yes I believe everything I read there) the average temperature during the winter months hardly dips into the negatives. Yes, it is bear and cougar (um, not the Demi Moore kind) country, but its also bison, elk and buffalo country. So maybe during the summer months I wont trail run with out bear spray (yes it exists), or at least I wont bathe myself in raw meat beforehand.

There are so many positives about the town as well. First off, Justin got a full time bike shop job right in the heart of the downtown area. Owenhouse Bicycling and Fitness is an awesome local business that has been run by the same family for along time. They carry Giant, Haro and the one we are most excited about Rocky Mountain. The family also owns two Ace Hardware's in town as well, and that means one thing: DISCOUNTS!! Seriously, we get everything at the Ace at cost. Therefore the Kitchen Aid mixers they sell (yes, I said Kitchen Aid mixers) we can buy at cost....that's like a super big deal to me (squeal!). Bozeman also offers thousands of miles of trails, which is a dream to mountain bikers, runners and cross country skiers. When we were visiting we could see trails everywhere!



There is also an awesome ski resort in town as well. Bridger Bowl, is located exactly 16 miles from downtown (which is like 17 miles from our apartment). There is 2,000 miles of ski able acreage, and it tops out at 8,800 feet. For those who don't know, Justin is practically a pro snowboarder. For those who don't know, I really really suck at it. I will say in my defense that I have really only had experience with fake snow (ICE), so I am willing to give it another try. However, I do believe that cross country skis and snowshoes are on my MUST NEED list!

Another thing that may rock your socks off is that fact that we are located a mere one hour drive from the North Entrance to Yellowstone.....yep the Yogi and Bo Bo park! The park doesn't open till late April or early May for cars (just snowmobiles, and in case you didn't know I don't own one of those!). I can bet money though that as soon as it is open our vehicle will be the first in line to get in.


Another great National Park within six hours from us is Glacier National Park. Now call me crazy, but I had no idea that was in Montana. I really and truly thought it was in Alaska, but I also still cant tell you all the states in the North East other.........At some point we hope to visit this park as well. 

Bozeman also offers a huge University. Montana State University is exactly what I would want in a school. Although I cant take classes full time until I have residency, which takes a year, I do plan on taking some classes in the fall. I also applied for a job there that I am really excited about. It has great benefits, a free gym and is right down the road from where we will be living. While working at the University, they will pay for 6 credits per semester which will come in handy while waiting to be a resident. So please cross your fingers that I get the job! 



When we visited Montana a few weeks ago we were delighted to see that everything was oriented around small businesses. There are quite a few chain stores and restaurants as well, but everyone seems to shop or hang out at the local shops. Our favorite place to eat was Montana Ale Works, the bar was stocked with all local micro brews which averaged $3 a pint. The meals were all local meats and veggies, and were completely mouth watering. So when you come visit us you can be sure that your first meal will be served here. 


The downtown area of Bozeman is extremely hip and vibrant. Full of art museums, knitting stores, outdoor stores, coffee houses and people walking or riding their bikes (even in blizzards). At this point in the blog I am going to overwhelm you with pictures I took while visiting there, but I think some people really need to see it to believe just great Bozeman is. So prepare to pee yourself.















I hope this clears up some of the questions of WHY????? We cant wait to get to Bozeman. There is lots left to do on our checklist, but as it gets closer we grow more and more anxious......and a final YES Ridley IS COMING!

Monday, February 14, 2011

The move to Montana

Moving from Virginia to Montana on March 1st! This will be our way to keep the family updated on all our happenings!

Munchkin Land Designs Image from iStock

Welcome!

My name is Chelsea and I am 25 (nearly 26 year old) housewife/Wildtree Independent Direct Sales Rep. This blog follows my hubby and I as we set up a new home in Bozeman, MT where we don't know a soul, healthy living, exercise, food (usually Wildtree) and life with the worlds most stubborn chocolate lab. I love sweets and veggies and I am constantly learning how to balance the two!

Our Son Ridley

Our Son Ridley

My Wildtree Shop

I am a direct sales rep for a fabulous company called Wildtree! Wildtree sells a natural food products as wells as grapeseed oils. Every Wildtree product is natural, containing no additives, MSG or food dyes. For more information please email me cjraynes (at) gmail.com!

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