Happy Wednesday!

xoxo Liz

Jar cat

Deliciously normal

Dear Internet,

So I've been here for a month now and there's not a whole lot more to say about my job or life in Helena. They're pretty normal, which is a nice change in pace, but doesn't give me a lot to talk about.

I have gotten to know a few of the people in my office a little better - the other two AmeriCorps guys and another young guy in the office invited me to go to Blackfoot (the brewery) with them after work on Friday, and it was nice to hang out with them outside of work. I'm also joining the office bowling team, starting this Tuesday! It will be nice to have a kind of regular hang-out time with some of my co-workers, and it'll give me something to do on Tuesday nights.

Other than that, like I said, life is deliciously normal and low-key. I'm joining a book club at the library, spending my Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market, and have been canning lots of things:

Top left: spiced peaches; top right: pickled beets and roasted
garlic pasta sauce; bottom left: sweet cherry jam; bottom right:
dill pickles and sweet cherry jam.

I went to see a community theater production of Avenue Q, which was fantastic, and I'm hoping to take voice lessons soon and start auditioning for shows there. Of course, on a reduced stipend and increased rent, all of this is subject to some serious budgetary restrictions, but I'll figure it out.

I've also been studying for the GRE (which I take this Saturday) and the LSAT (which I take next Saturday)... I'll be glad when that's over. Especially because ERT will be back in Montana this week! In talking to Will, they should be heading up this Wednesday, arriving Thursday night or Friday afternoon. So I will get to see them this weekend... once I finish my GRE :P

Other than that, I don't have much to say, so here's some photos I took of Helena:

The building where I work...

... right across from the "Man Store."

Farmer's Market!

Walking around downtown on Last Chance Gulch, one of the
main drags

The Cathedral, and some guy who didn't seem
to want to get out of my photo. Legend has it that
some guy flew his plane through the spires on a
bet - and then measured his wingspan and found out
that he cleared the spires by about 3 inches.

Big Dipper Ice Cream on the Walking Mall = amazing.

The Walking Mall. This is a staute of a newspaper-selling kid
across from the crêperie!

View of Mt Helena from the street

The road that leads to my house. The leaves are starting to get pretty

And I took two panoramas from Mt Helena and couldn't decide which one to put up, so here they both are. If you look closely you can see the red roof and spires of the Cathedral.

xoxo Liz

An Adventure

Dear Internet,

So I had this fantasy the other day that I won a round-the-world trip from a (fictional) airline. I was thinking about where I would go, and this is what I came up with:

• Iceland
• Costa Rica
• Tuscany
• Ghana or Kenya
• Sri Lanka
• Croatia
• China
• Russia 
• Australia or New Zealand

 It's been a while since I've been on an international flight... here comes the travel bug, and he's hungry!

xoxo Liz

Happy Monday.

"In the mountains of Montana, sometimes we forget to count the days."

Dear Internet,

The above was painted on a bench in an antiques shop on Last Chance Gulch, the downtown district in Helena. I went for a walk during my lunch break since it was such a beautiful, clear, sunny, slightly brisk day and stopped in to look around the shop. We've been cloaked in smoke from surrounding wildfires (none too close; all the smoke just floats down here into the valley, even all the way over from Idaho) for over a week, so it was nice to see the mountains surrounding the city today! Also, to breathe a little easier. So,

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo Liz

Daily Odd Compliment

Courtesy of Daily Odd Compliment, a great site to look at when you're having a rough day. Cheer up, buttercup! :)

xoxo Liz