Whitefish, MT 59937

After several days of fun in Utah, we decided to head even farther north (almost to Canada) and boarded a quick flight to Glacier National Airport in Kalispell, MT. My parents purchased a second home in Whitefish, MT a few months earlier and we were dying to check out the new place. Wow! The scenery is breathtaking with tall tall trees and valleys surrounded by huge Montana mountains and lakes. The air was light and cool and Ben quickly declared that he may never return to work and life in San Antonio, TX. We made the quick drive to Grandpa's new "cabin" and quickly made ourselves at home. The house is beautiful from the inside out and we almost feared the damage our two little nuts could inflict on a brand new home that had never before had such small guests!


We spent the next week living in a sort of paradise. We all loved the huge fluffy beds and slept until we wanted to wake up. We went on hikes in the mornings where we found railroad tracks and real bear hair on the trees and cooked over a fire in the evenings. (We even had to purchase jackets for the girls...what?) We did puzzles, took big baths and just enjoyed the quiet life. I never in the 10 years of being married to Ben saw him so relaxed and "out of touch" with his usual busy world. (And he never shaved his face while in MT and left with a full beard!) Whitefish was a turning point in Ben's life...but that is another blog post!

Each day we traveled into town once or twice and loved the antique main street and shops. One afternoon we happened upon a traveling circus and so we watched the show under an actual "big tent" like it was 1965. During intermission Belle rode a camel, petted a Llama and bought a bag of peanuts for a treat! It was a fun afternoon and one that little Jelly will always have fond memories of.

We also spent an afternoon at Big Mountain Ski Resort which is just minutes away. We rode the ski lift to the very top of the mountain and took in the view of the valley. Both Belle and Livi had no fear like usual on the ski lift and were literally dangling their hands and feet over the edge. I kept reminding them to BE CAREFUL when Belle explained to me that if she did happen to fall, she would just hike down the mountain and meet us there. I was glad when we were back down the mountain with both girls in the lift.

Of course, knowing the Cosby girls, we could not enjoy an entire week without an illness. Olivia was plagued with a seriously bad ear infection while in Whitefish and we once again were grateful for the trusty ear-tubes we put to great use every few weeks. Dr. Beidiger, although hundreds of miles away, was again just a phone call away and quickly called in two prescriptions on a Saturday morning before the local pharmacy had opened for the day. After a few days on the meds, our Livi was back to her happy self and we just kept wiping both her nose and ears! Ick!

We also celebrated Ben's 34th birthday in Montana and took him out for pizza and a pazookie at a local restaurant. It was a lovely way to spend a week of summer vacation and when it was time to head back to the airport I am not sure which one of us was the most disappointed. Grandpa has definitely carved out a little piece of paradise in this world and all four of us are itching to get back to the simple life as soon as we can. We can now picture The Sigh Bar Ranch and we are thrilled to witness one of Grandma and Grandpa's dreams as it comes to pass!