Announcement

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

I have spent much of my life traveling. It is glorious to me to see new places and experience new things. I moved around growing up, between Texas and Tennessee. I went away to college where I knew no one. After college I moved to Nashville where I knew a handful of people, and ultimately met Shane and have stayed here for 8 years. I have never been quiet about my desire to see and experience a new place to Shane. It is exciting to me and always a dream. He has shared in that and we recently took an inventory of our lives and realized now would be a great time to make a drastic change. Our children are not in grade school yet and a move would not be terribly difficult for them to adjust (other than missing their grandparents, which is the biggest downfall of moving), we have nothing specific tying us to Tennessee that we can't have somewhere else. Now is a perfect time to experience something new and different and exciting. So we went down our list of places we want to live and have always ended up in Montana, but neither of us had ever been there. "Is that crazy?" we thought. Maybe to some. But to us, it wasn't something to stop us. So we went. And we loved it. Missoula, Montana to be exact. It's gorgeous. It's surrounded by mountains and full of rivers and wildlife. It's the second largest city in Montana, which doesn't say much because it's only 68,000 in population. It has the University of Montana. It is a hub for non-profits and even though it isn't the capital of the state, it is the hub of all things political and cultural for the state. It is full of adventure with hiking, biking, fly fishing, hunting, and skiing, just to name a few things that are prominent. Its a few hours from Yellowstone National Park to the south, and a few hours from Glacier National Park in the north. And just to the southeast of the city, the Bitterroot Valley is the most populated valley in the state with picturesque views and is bordered on the west by the largest national forest in the lower 48. It spans from Missoula on the northeast to Boise, ID on the southwest. Missoula has the best climate (in my opinion) with highs in the summer averaging 85 during the day and 50's at night, and highs in the winter average 28 degrees, and lows averaging 10 degrees. Its mild for Montana. It has an attitude of privacy and personal responsibility and respect. Visiting made us realize that it is perfect for us.

It is our choice to go there and we are excited! The choice comes with obstacles and challenges, but we are up for them and we know that those obstacles are what will make this great for us and our family. The plan is to be there by early June. We have a lot to do! Please come visit us there!