I'm a big kid now!

Yes, I did just pull the title of my first official blog post from a 90's diaper ad...

But welcome to the online chronicling of my super-exciting (no sarcasm intended) life! This August I will be uprooting myself and my fiance from suburban Missouri and moving to the wonderfully gorgeous, tax-free town of Missoula, Montana. After my friends Pali and Asian (okay, their real names are Kathryn and Sara, but I'm used to calling them by their nicknames, and old habits die hard...thus why my friend Kristin Sherbondy will always just be Sherbs to me) started a blog to keep in touch with their friends back at Mizzou, where we all attended as undergrads, I decided to follow their lead. So here's where I'll write a little somethin' somethin' about what's going on with me so that my lovely friends and family back in MO (or IL, or CO, or KS, or TX, or Spain, or wherever life leads them) can keep up with me.

So, facebook has already told many of my friends this, but last week I paid my first visit to Missoula and I fell in love. The city is the perfect mix of urban (okay, not super urban - no major skyscrapers - but it has all the benefits of civilization such as a hip downtown, an array of delicious local restaurants, good shopping, and of course a Target) and outdoorsy (see the beautiful view of the valley and mountains featured in my header image - I took that picture when we were looking down from one of the many mountains!). I know my fiance, Ryan, is so excited to move up there because we will be able to go camping, one of his favorite activities, and they have an REI there, which is one of his favorite stores!

We had such fun with my parents, exploring the city and expanding our culinary horizons. As anyone who knows me could tell you, food is an important part of my life, so of course I will tell the blogosphere my favorite local stops: The Silk Road, which offered mouth-watering tapas from around the world (recommended: Japan's Skewered Tenderloin with spicy togarashi sauce and Chesapeake Bay's Crab Dip with sherry and cheese...they cater, so I think I should have a destination wedding in Missoula and have them do the reception, haha), Big Dipper Ice Cream (Mexican chocolate ice cream and coconut with real coconut bits...it's as good as it sounds!), and Ten Spoon Vineyard and Winery. We were lucky enough to taste Ten Spoon's Prairie Thunder when we ate at The Silk Road, and we all loved it. Later, mom found out that Ten Spoon held samplings on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening, so we headed out to taste the rest! My favorite: Farm Dog. Friends - you will probably be getting bottles of Ten Spoon for Christmas and birthdays. Gotta share the
love!

But the trip up there did more than just kindle my love for Missoula and all it has to offer...it also marked my first steps as an official big kid! I got a brand new bank account, bought my first washer and dryer (yay, front-loading and energy efficient!) and my first piece of big girl furniture (a futon that's being handmade at a local store, Small Wonders), AND found my first apartment in which I will be living with a BOY! (Yeah, my old boss found out when Ryan was fixing her computer and she exclaimed (kidding) "You'll be living IN SIN!") Our place has 2 bedrooms, a defined dining space, a reasonably-sized kitchen, a nice master bedroom, a full bath, and, best of all....a walk-in closet! Haha.

It got a bit stressful at times (especially when we were searching for the right apartment - since I'm taking my kitty, Belle, we were limited to pet-approved properties) but in the end I made some big decisions. Visiting Missoula and doing these big girl things made everything more real...the fact that I'm moving 1,391 miles and 22 hours from home is really pressing on me now. And even though I'll miss everyone terribly (I'll cry, let's face it - I'm a sucker) I am genuinely excited to move in August and start a life with Ryan. I am so thankful that he will be with me - otherwise I'd be a horribly homesick mess. This will really allow us to build on our relationship. We are in an incredibly strong place right now, so I can't wait to see how living with each other will be :)

Okay, well, that was a whole lot of writing and everyone's probably bored to tears by now. Below are some pictures from our trip, including some of the food we ate (I'm big on food, as I said!) and the fun sights we saw along the way; there are also some snaps of our very bare future apartment! Check them out and stop by soon for another rambly, goofy post (I just realized I blog in the same style that I leave voicemails...if you've ever been graced by one of my voicemails, you'll know that I ramble on and on until reaching a somewhat idiotic endpoint...whoops!)

PS...in case you are wondering, Montana is the Big Sky state, so that's why my blog address is "Brittany's Big Sky" :)