“Those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not become faint.” -Isaiah 40:31 *Life Verse*
About mid-October, Frontier mum, our good friend, Dan (or Daddy Dan as we like to call him), and I took a long all day horseback ride up to Sapphire Lake. Sapphire Lake is considered an alpine lake because it literally is on top of the mountain, the alpine region. We passed two other lakes on the way up to Sapphire, Holland Lake and Upper Holland Lake. We stopped at Upper Holland lake to give the horses and ourselves a good rest before continuing the arduous climb to Sapphire Lake. When we finally reached Sapphire Lake, we found a nice little spot along the lake to sit and eat lunch. We stayed for awhile to breathe in the fresh mountain air and enjoy the solitude. On the ride down we stopped at a couple places to take in the gorgeous vistas as well as to give the horses a rest. They did all the hard work and were very tired. The sun was just starting to set as we reached the trailer to pack up the horses and head home. It was a gorgeous sunset to a wonderful day.
Upper Holland Lake
Holland Lake
Sapphire Lake
The last weekend in October, Lauren, Bryan, and I went over to Great Falls, Montana. I wanted to visit the college to learn more about the PTA program. We decided to make a weekend out of the trip, so we stayed at a KOA Campground in a nice cozy little cabin. Friday night was a perfect clear night for a campfire and S’mores! After the campfire and S’mores, Lauren and Bryan took me into town to see an old bridge that had lights on it. It was really cool! That night I discovered some cool settings on my camera I wasn’t aware I had or how to use them.
The old bridge with lights!
Figured out how to use a different setting on my camera!
The next day we went to visit Giant Springs, and the dams and falls that are in Great Falls. We also visited the Lewis and Clark Interpreter Center in which we learned about Lewis and Clark’s travel through the Great Falls area. It was quite interesting and educational. 🙂 It was then time to hit the road and head home, back to the mountains. The sunset on the way home was another fantastic Montana sunset. The landscape in Great Falls is quite different than western Montana. It is relatively flat with no trees unless near water. It wasn’t as windy as I was told to expect it to be, but I could imagine how windy it could become. The flat landscape with no trees reminded me of my mission trips to South Dakota a few years ago. It may not be as gorgeous as the Rockies in western Montana, but it was definitely pretty in it’s own unique way.
Giant Springs, Roe River, Missouri River
One of several waterfalls and dams in Great Falls
General landscape around Great Falls
A few weeks ago, I started working at the main lodge restaurant, Seasons. I am now a waitress for the breakfast/lunch shift which means early mornings. I am most definitely not a morning person, so it’s taking quite some time to adjust to these early mornings. So far, during the week, it’s been pretty quiet  with not many lodge guests or customers for my shift. The reason for this is most likely the fact that it is one of the “in-between” seasons. In other words, the golf course is closed so all of those customers are gone unless they live locally and we do not yet have enough snow to stick around for the snowmobilers and cross-country skiers. Hopefully, after Thanksgiving, business will pick up a little more. Maybe by then we’ll have snow that sticks around longer than a few days. Thanksgiving is a huge deal for Double Arrow Lodge. They have a huge Thanksgiving banquet that many people enjoy. The seating reservation list is already packed full, so full they already have a pretty good waiting-list  if there should be any cancellations. I have not received next week’s work schedule yet, to know if I work on Thanksgiving or not. Regardless of whether I work or not, Lauren and I have been planning our own Thanksgiving festivities. We’ve invited a few friends to join us for Thanksgiving meal that may not be able to join their own families. We’ve made the list of food we’ll both work at making as well as beginning to clean house. I know it’s going to be a little rough for me, having been used to helping mom prepare food and going to gram’s house filled to the brim with family which always seemed like a family reunion, to helping my friend prepare food and being surrounded by a few friends-most that are like family. It’ll be something new, yet with memories of years past fresh on the mind.
My new return-to-Pennsylvania date is mid-December which is fast approaching. However, before that day, I have some tough decisions to make regarding the near future in the New Year; decisions about growing up and becoming a responsible, independent adult. Prayers for guidance and direction would be greatly appreciated.
Meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy my time in Montana; time to enjoy the majestic beauty of Montana, time to enjoy the SNOW! (yes, snow!), time to enjoy with new friends, time to enjoy with horses, time to enjoy with old friends that have become family, and time to enjoy God’s hand in all of it!!
A gorgeous winter day in Montana!!
Griz 