It has been a quick December and I hope and pray that as the New Year approaches, you've been greatly blessed by our God and Father.
Travel safe this holiday season!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
God Bless,
Sammie and Sean
Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels, and a blessed weekend!
God Bless!
One of the best blessing of being in Montana is being so close to God's true beauty! The weekend after my birthday, Sean surprised me with a trip to Glacier Park. One of the best things about October is that the tourists are all gone and you pretty much have the whole park to yourself.
We first stopped in Apgar and checked out Lake MacDonald. There was a great Park Ranger we talked to for a while and were able to let our dogs Kintla and Kaine explore the area. At this location we saw 4 people--during tourist season, we probably would have seen 1000+!!!
After our informative talk with the Park Ranger, we drove all the way to Kintla Lake, a place neither of us had visited before. If you don't know where that is, we were the farthest West you can drive to in the park--about 8 miles from the Canadian Boarder. 
Pulling into the campground, there was 1 other tent, and no one in sight! We had the place to ourselves until early evening. Three trucks pulled into the other camp site and 8 young people from Kalispell joined us. They played the Guitar for most of the night and by the time Sean and I went to bed, half of them left.
Sean and I explored the area with the dogs and tried our luck with fly fishing. Sean and i woke to frost on our tent and two very happy dogs waiting to be let loose to chase the squirrels that had taunted them all night!
We stopped in Polebridge, MT on our way home the next morning. It is right outside the park and we talked with some of the locals; there are about 30-40 people living there year round. The bakery had the most delicious scones you will EVER taste. There is also a 'tripod' pup that stands his ground at the Mercantile. Very sweet dog and has a very sad story.
The best part of the weekend was experiencing a new part of the park together. The west side of the park really is more beautiful than the East. The second best part was showing Sean that there are parts of the park that do not have paved roads and tourists. He was a little bitter the first time I took him to Glacier--we did the tourist thing and showed him all the highlights of the park--this time I was able to show him how secluded and rough the park can really be!
Many people our age are actually getting interested in politics which is wonderful! I can't say I've been more proud of people my age getting involved in their future than when I hear them discussing politics and who they believe will make the best president for the next 4 years.
However i get ANGRY when i hear some of the uneducated people speak out based on all the hullabaloo being thrown out by our two lovely Presidential candidates, their running mates, and their campaign people.
Before you decide on which candidate to pick--whether you support the 'rockstar-statused' senator without 'any true executive experience' or the 'pruned' war-veteran who always has an 'Ace up his sleeve'--one needs to check the facts. Don't be naive and believe everything you hear on TV and radio.
Be responsible--check the facts at www.FactCheck.org
Compair the two candidate's tax plans, their standing on the war, abortion, marriage, the economy, energy plans, etc. Then, once you've educated yourself, make your voice heard! Get out and VOTE America!
well it has been a quick 2 months since Sean and i got married and it doesn't seem to be slowing down!!
we have been greatly blessed in these 2 months--great friends and family, and advancing in both our jobs. God is Good!!
I recently received notice that my company won the bid on the next phase of building on Malmstrom AFB. good news for me--my job here in great falls will continue for at least another 5 years before i have to decide to stay with Garco Construction and move, or stay in Great Falls and find another job! That decision will be tough, but is now further off than Sean and I expected! God is Good!!
Sean has been making quite an impression on his customers and co-workers at both UPS and Chili's--many of them becoming resources we can use as we get ready to build a deck, carport and landscape our backyard. God is Good!!
we have had one minor set back--Kaine still likes to jump the fence--even after electrifying it! the little guy just doesn't want to be left in the backyard when we go next door to visit with our neighbors. He is VERY social dog and always wants to be where the party is. At least our dog Kintla hasn't figured out how to go over the 6' fence yet!
we have been able to hike, camp or kayak most weekends this summer. we love the Sluice Boxes, and were lucky to bring our good friends Doug and Kym with us for an over-night hike into the Sluice Boxes. exposing people to new adventures is one of my favorite activities, and we are blessed to have Doug and Kym who will go anywhere at the drop of a hat with us.
our neighbors and their close friends have also been a huge blessing in our lives! we are planning a weekend get away to Bozeman with Geoff and Trish and Kris and Rachel to catch a Bobcat game over Labor Day weekend. Then Sean and I will be heading up to Glacier Park the next weekend to do a little kayaking and hiking before the snow sets in.
It has been a blurry summer, and a quick 2 months of marriage, but it has also been full of many blessings! God is Good!!
Well well...we are finally Mr. and Mrs. Johnson!
well folks, this is my first blog ever! Yikes!
