I had a very cool ending to the bumpy week I posted about in my last update. Saturday morning started out as a normal weekend but that changed in a quick hurry. I was planning on Dustin's family coming for the afternoon to visit, so imagine my surprise when my mom came into my bedroom. Then our friend Jeri and my sister made their way into the house too. I was pretty speechless, which many of you know is pretty rare for me :-) Everybody managed to keep this secret well and it made for a special moment.
After the intitial shock wore off, I dressed and got up for the day. I needed to head in to the hospital for my blood draw and my surprise company thought they would drive me in for it. We went to Wendy's afterward and did a bit of catching up with each other. They dropped me off back at the house so we could get ready for dinner. We all drove out to the Nine Mile House for a nice dinner with Dustin's family. Was great for everybody to meet Dustin's grandma, aunt, cousins, and of course little baby Trent. Trent was so cute and Dustin was pretty excited to see him. Dinner was real good and we all had lots of fun.
Some of the things we wanted to visit were closed Sunday, so we decided to visit Southgate mall and take a bit of a drive. We had some great gyros for lunch and it was nice browsing through the mall. We left the mall and decided to drive south and see some of the Bitterroot valley. It was kinda foggy and rainy but it was awesome to see the snow capped mountains of southwestern Montana. On the way back to the house, we stopped into the Iron Horse pub for a few drinks. The Iron Horse is a cool place and one of my favorite stops in downtown Missoula. We ended the night with some great Mexican food at ElCazador. Theresa's son Doug came along and it was nice for everyone to meet him.
Monday was the last day of their visit and we packed alot of stops in. We started the day by driving out to the Missoula Harley Davidson dealership. The store they have is huge and full of the newest cycles and Harley merchandise. We next headed over to Big Sky Brewing to check their place out. Big Sky Brewing is famous for making Moose Drool ale and other assorted brews. It was great fun hanging out there and chatting with the bartender/beer guide. The next stop on our journey was the Lolo Peak Winery for a little wine tasting. Lolo Peak only makes their wine from fruit grown here in western Montana. Their wines were excellent and I especially liked the apple and plum wines. The gal at Lolo Peak was informative and we learned lots about the winemaking process. The last stop of the afternoon was to Missoula's Bayern Brewery. Bayern Brewing makes a variety of German lagers and they have a very nice tasting room and lounge area. We also had to order some of their pretzels and mustard. It was a fitting end to a relaxing afternoon.
We ended the evening by celebrating Dustin's birthday at Shadow's Keep. Shadow's Keep is a unique dining experience and it overlooks the city lights of the Missoula valley. The food was outstanding and we had a good time talking and laughing the evening away. My mom, sister and Jeri had to depart for the hotel to get some sleep for their early morning flight home. We said our goodbyes on a very high note and I was so happy they had fun out here in Missoula. Their time here was brief but they will be back for another visit very soon. My dad wasn't able to make the trip this time because of the busy tax season but there's always next time around. This surprise visit was an incredible experience and one that I won't ever forget.
We are heading upto Helena Friday to testify on some legislation that Dustin had introduced for this session. The bill deals with institutional funding following people with developmental disabilities into the community. I look forward to giving my testimony and making a difference in the progress of this bill.
Take care and I'll be back soon with another edition of my blog.
Mark
Monday was the last day of their visit and we packed alot of stops in. We started the day by driving out to the Missoula Harley Davidson dealership. The store they have is huge and full of the newest cycles and Harley merchandise. We next headed over to Big Sky Brewing to check their place out. Big Sky Brewing is famous for making Moose Drool ale and other assorted brews. It was great fun hanging out there and chatting with the bartender/beer guide. The next stop on our journey was the Lolo Peak Winery for a little wine tasting. Lolo Peak only makes their wine from fruit grown here in western Montana. Their wines were excellent and I especially liked the apple and plum wines. The gal at Lolo Peak was informative and we learned lots about the winemaking process. The last stop of the afternoon was to Missoula's Bayern Brewery. Bayern Brewing makes a variety of German lagers and they have a very nice tasting room and lounge area. We also had to order some of their pretzels and mustard. It was a fitting end to a relaxing afternoon.
We ended the evening by celebrating Dustin's birthday at Shadow's Keep. Shadow's Keep is a unique dining experience and it overlooks the city lights of the Missoula valley. The food was outstanding and we had a good time talking and laughing the evening away. My mom, sister and Jeri had to depart for the hotel to get some sleep for their early morning flight home. We said our goodbyes on a very high note and I was so happy they had fun out here in Missoula. Their time here was brief but they will be back for another visit very soon. My dad wasn't able to make the trip this time because of the busy tax season but there's always next time around. This surprise visit was an incredible experience and one that I won't ever forget.
We are heading upto Helena Friday to testify on some legislation that Dustin had introduced for this session. The bill deals with institutional funding following people with developmental disabilities into the community. I look forward to giving my testimony and making a difference in the progress of this bill.
Take care and I'll be back soon with another edition of my blog.
Mark
2 comments:
Wow Mark, what a great surprise!!!
Nothing better then Mom showing up for a surprise visit and also your Sister and your Friend, what a happy time for you.Sounds like you really took them around to see many places in Missoula. After tax time then your Dad can surprise you. Mark you look great, take care, until nest time.
Ione
WELL WHAT A GREAT TIME I HAD OUT IN MISSOULA,MT. IT WAS FUN SURPRISING YOU. YOU LOOK GOOD EXCEPT THE LONG HAIR AND BEARD!! IT WAS NICE TO FINALLY MEET THERESA AND DUSTIN. THEY ARE SUCH GREAT PEOPLE. I DON'T KNOW HOW THERESA PUTS UP WITH YOU!! I ENJOYED EVERYTHING WE GOT TO DO. WISH WE HAD MORE TIME BUT THERE IS A NEXT TIME. TAKE CARE MARK. LOVE YOU LOTS!!
P.S. DID YOU COUNT ALL THE DOGS?
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