Hi! My name is Karen, and I’ll be your tour guide. But first, a little about who I am and what this site is all about.
Living in Montana was never in my plans. In fact, it wasn’t even a place I thought much about…until a couple of years ago. Let me explain…
I grew up in Manteca, California. I went to French Camp Elementary School from 1st grade through 8th grade. I was always fascinated with the Theater and was very pleased to be able to attend MHS because they offered a wonderful Drama Program taught by Dorothy Mulvihill. ’Mother M’ as she is still lovingly known by her former students, was, and still is, active in Community Theater work. Over those four years of High School I made many friends. It was during that first day of Drama Class that I met Bill. He was my friend, my confidant, and my first love. I knew from the first moment we met that he would be a true friend for life.
Over the years we remained friends. After High School, he married someone else and I too had moved on. We always kept in touch. In 1984 he and his wife had their first son, Chris. In 1986, I had my daughter Kizell. Things didn’t work out between her father and I, so I raised her as a single parent. In 1988 Bill and his wife’s second son, Ian, was born. The three of our children were good friends. Even though all of us lived in different areas, we stayed in contact with one another. When my daughter and I moved to Washington in 1993, they were still living in California.
Over time, our families moved here and there. Before I realized it, our children were no longer little kids. Unknown to me, on March 3, 2003 their son Chris joined the Air Force. He was stationed at Malstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana. My daughter Zell became and Optical Technician, working in Washington and California. Ian joined the Army National Guard on May 20, 2005.
Each of us had gotten rid of our land lines and switched completely to cellular phones. The down side is that cell phone numbers are not listed in the white pages! About three years had gone by since we had talked. One day Zell called and told me that she had found Chris on-line a few months back, and that his dad had been trying to locate me. She had a phone number for me. I called and left a message. Bill returned my call later that evening. I was shocked to hear that after 22 years, his marriage had ended.
The two of us started communicating again through e-mails and by phone. To make a long story short, he proposed to me on March 16, 2007. We were married on May 5, 2007 in Great Falls, Montana where we currently reside. Between our blended family, we have two boys and a girl, all grown with children of their own. We are the proud grandparents of 3 grandchildren. Our boys have girls, and our girl has a boy.
This website and my Domain name was part of my 2009 Valentine’s Day gift from Bill. He’s still my friend, my best friend, my husband, my confidant, and my technical support. This site is another way for us to enjoy our time together.
Bill and I love to travel. Whether it is a mini vacation, day trip, scenic drive, or something happening in or around Great Falls, we like to check things out. This website is my way of sharing a little bit of our beautiful state of Montana with you. I had no idea what ‘Big Sky Country’ meant until I got here. I get it now. I will continue to add photo’s of various areas both locally and statewide, as well as write articles, or blogs, on places I have visited.
We also enjoy both casual and fine dining. I will add restaurant reviews of a variety of non-chain places I have personally tried both locally and on our journeys throughout Montana. We may venture outside of the state once in a while, so you may find something about an ‘Out-of-State’ experience, but my main focus is on Montana. I’ve started out with ‘A Weekend Get-Away at Chico Hot Springs.
Comments are very welcome on each of my posts.
If you have any ideas on places to visit, or if you have any suggestions on a certain restaurant or place of interest, you may contact me at Karen@BecauseICanInMontana.
Continue to join me on my journey, as I will be updating as often as time permits.
See you soon!
-Karen
