Saturdays....

It's hard to believe, but I've been in Red Lodge for 5 Saturdays now and no two have been the same. Here's a brief run down:

3/6 - My first Saturday in Red Lodge and I wasn't even in Red Lodge! My dad had some lumber, rocks (okay boulders), and stone to pick up in Bozeman (about 2.5 hrs away) so we headed there Friday afternoon and spent the night. We had fabulous drinks at Plonk and great sushi at Dave's. So my first Saturday as a resident of Montana was spent in a fabulous restaurant called the Cateye Cafe for a wonderful breakfast, in Schnee's shoe store buying a pair of Danskos (the majority of my southern shoes are useless in the snow), and then driving back to Red Loge.

3/13 - My second Saturday I slept late, unpacked for a few hours, took a nap, unpacked some more, and went to bed early. I felt super lazy and couldn't figure out why - and then it hit me: the Altitude. It's amazing how a few thousand feet, okay 5 thousand feet, difference in altitude can really affect you. It took me almost three weeks to get used to the dry, thin air.

3/20 - My third Saturday in Red Lodge I made my first trip to Billings (the closest 'big' city to Red Lodge, about an hour away). Living in Valdosta I always chuckled when I heard people say they had 'come in to town' to go shopping. Now I'm one of those people! Here in Red Lodge we have an IGA (independent grocery store) and.....well that's about it. Don't get me wrong we have several cute, swanky stores with what some may consider 'necessities'. But I'm on a budget folks! So off to Billings I went for quite a productive trip if I do say so myself. I hit up all the necessities: Kohl's, Target, Lowe's, the Girl Scout Cookie table in front of Lowes (okay - not a necessity), and the Good Earth Market, a co-op grocery store full of healthy choices and locally grown food. (All part of my plan to eat healthier and detox my system from the years of southern food, which is oh-so-good, but not always oh-so-good for you.) Hopefully, I won't have to go back to Billings for at least another month while I bunker down here in Red Lodge. No more five-minute away runs to Target for me - which might be a blessing to my bank account :)

3/27 - My fourth Saturday in Red Lodge I finally went 'downtown' (one block over) and visited the cute shops. Saw lots of great things but only bought some lollipops from our old-fashioned candy store, the Montana Candy Emporium (a little kid's dream). and a fun little thing for my mom, which I can't share here because she reads this (or at least she says she does). Headed to the Bridge Creek for a nice lunch where I met up with the family. We then went to the Lost Village Saloon where I felt like I was back in the south bellied up to the bar, sipping my beer, watching the people (some who had enjoyed themselves a little too much).

4/3 -My Fifth Saturday in Red Lodge - Today. Woke up with a craving for french toast and a good coffee - but had no milk. Off to the IGA for milk, syrup, and a movie (yes, our grocery store is also our movie rental store, with surprisingly good selections - I got Blind Side). Back to the house, started a fire, and enjoyed breakfast. Now - catching up on blogging and watching the snow fall. I'm realizing now that the new snow scraper/brush my dad got me to use on the outside of my car is INSIDE my car. A lot of good that will do. Oh well, there's always the trusty broom. Yes, I am that girl with the Georgia license plate brushing the snow off her car with her red house broom.

A picture of my cozy house with the fire going: