Big Sky Simplicity

“My soul is in the sky.”    -William Shakespeare

Driving is therapeutic. Turn up the tunes, pull down the shades, and just drive. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and unsure. That’s why a road trip was in order.

So my mom and I did just that, we fueled up and took off. The week before it was hunting with dad… time to be adventurous with mom. Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves – our road trip wasn’t super ambitious – that’s not our style. We’re more of the too many bathroom stops with “shoot, we missed the turn” to yet another scenic pull-off, followed by a couple-beer lunch, kind of roadtrippers. My mom’s my best friend, so we click in this aspect of lazy, ambitiousness.

First stop: Missoula, MT. I have fond memories of this college town. We’ve been here with family on the way to our Fourth of July tradition in Wyoming, times I cherish.

After checking-in, we hit the Montgomery Distillery for a cocktail (Honey Highball for me, Go Gingerly for my mom.) We follow a recommendation and venture to Top Hat Bar for dinner (the vibe was great and we highly recommend the fried pickles!) Then of course, we head to the must-stop Missoula Club featuring, “warm beer & cold burgers.” This place is classic: florescent lights and a burger or cheeseburger, that’s it-type menu. The atmosphere grows on you and you begin to feel like a local.

Morning calls for breakfast burritos and lattes at the Market On Front, before hitting the road. Piece of advice: don’t drink IPAs on top of a spicy jerk chicken wrap the night before you plan to embark on the next leg of your road trip … After this dilemma and some ginger ale, we officially hit the road!

Fall is beautiful. There’s a feeling in my soul of times changing and the leaves are a compliment to that feeling. We stop at Finley Point on Flathead Lake, in honor of my perfect, sweet ‘lil bean of a’ niece, Finley Elaine Hill. We appreciated spectacular views of the lake backed by rising mountains.

We eventually make it to lunch at Big Eddy’s Deck Bar in Thompson Falls, MT. Half-way through our first beer, we book a cabin at Riverfront Motel, because why not? Throw out the plans of making it to Sandpoint – we’ve been there, let’s experience here. The sun was shining and the river’s beautiful, so we embrace spontaneity!

Hence our next stop: Thompson Falls. We cook pasta in and enjoy time on the deck overlooking the Clark Fork river with deer as neighbors. It was a perfect, still sort-of night.

The next morning, it’s off to Sandpoint, ID, our last stop. There was a moment where we curved around a bend and there was Lake Pend Orielle, just glistening. An ideal moment to stop and take it in, as life should be done.

Sandpoint is a very dear place to me, second behind home on the farm. It’s a quaint, North Idaho town on the lake in the mountains. Downtown is full of small shops and awesome restaurants, we walk everywhere and just relax when we’re here.

MickDuff’s Brewing is a favorite haunt of ours, and on a whim, we decide to sign up for their Paint & Pint event at the Beer Hall. Halloween is approaching, so the theme was skulls… maybe not the ideal subject at this daunting time in my life, but it’s all about creativity, so bring on the color and some sparkle!

Patience isn’t my strong suit, so I was ready to just relax and do the ‘Pint’ part! After finishing our masterpieces, we enjoyed dinner and live music at the cozy pub next-door, Eichardt’s. Good music, good company and good beer, it can’t get much better!

We drove to Bonner’s Ferry, ID the next morning. We’d never been, so it was fun to stroll the cute main street in the crisp, fall air together. A rule of our family is if you’re in a place and there’s a brewery, you better stop! I think it’s obvious by now: We. Love. Beer. Cue lunch at Kootenai River Brewing Company. The next morning, I spend some time at Evans Brothers Coffee, a popular hangout for Sandpoint locals, before it’s time to return to Spokane.

Now that the trip has come to an end, reality is setting in and I’m a little lost. I’ve had moments of pure contentment, where I feel like I know exactly what direction I should go. I’ve also been weighed down by guilt, fear and questions – what did I do and what will I do next?

In these instances, it’s important to take a deep breath. Life takes time and it can’t ever be totally figured out, as much as we’d love it to be. Moments – like being on a deck by the river, soaking in the sun with my mom in the mountains of Montana – those should be embraced and enjoyed. And so, when anxiety sets in, we can look back at times like those, be thankful, and use the happy to move past anxiousness into peace.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

I’m gonna figure it out, I promise! But for now, I’m taking it one moment, one day, one place at a time.

“Happiness, not in another place but this place… not for another hour, but this hour.”    -Walt Whitman

 

P.S.

I love my mom. I’m lucky to have her. She’s strong and wise and a good listener. She asks but doesn’t prod. She knows me, how I’m feeling and is supportive.

No matter what season of life you’re in, love and appreciate these people, and be there for them, too.