On the Big Screen

Pete's latest hobby has been making these fun movies with our iMovie program on the Mac.  He made a couple of fishing ones too, but I know what you really want to to see .... Enjoy

Gal Time

So, what do Brooke and Matine do during the day and night that Pete is doing an overnighter on the Missouri River?

Well, we take our time waking up in the morning... Matine doesn't like to be "rushed" out of bed. She starts squirming (barely) at 7:00.

Modeling one of my latest fashions on the blanket that my mom's friend Carrie made for me.

Dad scoops her up as soon as he can to get some hugs and kisses in before he has to leave for 2 days. She gets in bed with mom where we sleep for another hour (ahhh... I so love getting to lay close to her and feel her breathing in her sleep). We then wake up and have some breakfast - Matine has hers in bed.

I'm just a really happy kid.

We had to take a little road trip to Emigrant to work on the sprinkler system at the house we caretake. We enjoyed the Baby Bjorn and did some walking around the property and getting a bit of fresh air. Then it was back home again and time for another nap.

another day in the life of Brutus - guarding the baby in the basket - from what "dangers" we don't know - or is he just smitten?

I have been so lucky to be able to get about 3 hours of work in each day! It helps the checking account and my future job security. I have been able to do trip bookings and some miscellaneous internet work for Angler's West from home. I am SO thankful for the opportunity! Making some $$ AND staying home with my little girl? We feel very blessed.

Our afternoons consisted of more sleeping, getting more presents (they seem to arrive daily in the mail or from friends and neighbors). This gal is spoiled already. Today, our sweet older neighbor, Greg brought her two of the "sleep sacks"- I already love them.

Also in the mail this week were Matine's new, super cute Aden and Anais "mod swaddles." She loves being swaddled and I needed some bigger ones that were light weight for the summer.

check out my super cool mod swaddles

We took a bath together this week. She really enjoyed the bigger tub and stretching out a bit more - the sink was not as big of a hit. We took a nice walk with Emily and Sully on Thursday. We walked the neighborhoods and downtown for some ice cream. I just about when crazy trying to control the 3 hyper dogs AND the baby AND talk all at the same time.

did I tell you how much I LOVE my changing pad - I could lay here forever.

after my bath / spa treatment and massage from mom . . .

Then Christina came over and we watched "He's Just Not That Into You" and ate pizza.

Pete came home before dark and got some snuggle time with his favorite gal(s) - and we called it a day.

ahhh... dad's home... time to do some quality bonding!

In my dream world . . .

Sex and the City would still be on TV and the movie would have come out YESTERDAY! Alright already, I have been patient and waited like a good little girl, but it's time . . . Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha . . . I miss you. What have you been up to?


I cannot wait to see the movie! 5 days and COUNTING! What should I wear?

I would forever get to eat macaroni and cheese and not gain a single pound. Yum...


Our US Weekly Magazine would come twice a week instead of only once. We actually fight over who gets to read it first when we get home. Once PH digs into it, I don't see him for an hour.


Micca would live next door and we would have some sort of home business that we did together. It would be something really fun and challenging at the same time - but completely flexible of course. We would have babies at the same time and hang out every single day- taking the kids for walks, vacations, playgrounds. Of course, we would work on our excellent business during the kids' nap times.



I would have a dishwasher . . . Enough said. I am convinced that the dishwasher is the missing link to any complete and utterly blissful life.

The movie Knocked Up had never been made . . . It is really THAT BAD of a movie. The more I think of it, the less I like it. Actually, the more I think of it the more repulsed I am by the whole idea of the movie. Laughing that a nice and put together girl gets wasted and pregnant by a loser pot head. They don't even begin to be a believable couple - even in Hollywood fantasy world. Ugh. I also resent the fact that the movie scared Peter to death and is convinced that all women who get pregnant / or married turn into witches and trolls.

In my dream world, I would be married to this man . . .


Oh wait, I AM!!!! Have you met Peter Howell? He's the best. Truly. The greatest man on earth.

What have you been doing?

Well, the answer to the question... This Memorial Day weekend it is rainy, cloudy and cold in Livingston. Here is what we have been up to . . .

Thursday night I hosted the 49'er Winer at our house. Levia, Page, Darcy, Megan, and Shana came over. We had a GREAT night! As usual the noise in the house reached unimaginable octaves. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Girls have a lot of fun left with a few bottles of wine, some quarters, and playful imaginations.

Let's just say - I won by 5 quarters and a bottle cap! However, I now have a busted toe and am walking around limping like Igor from Frankenstein. The entire nail on my big toe is black and the actual toe itself looks like a small tomato (I'll spare you the photos). It's putting a slight kink in my running training schedule to say the least!

Peter drove to Ennis this week and picked up to of Storr's and Bev's fjord horses (Emma and Diara(?))to take back to the ranch he works at here in town. They haven't been able to ride them and get them where they need to be, so it's the Horse Whisperer Pete's turn. He will be trying to break them in a bit more and get them ridable. Pete says they are loving their new home and they are warming to him nicely . . . He will have them eating apples out of his hand and riding them bareback in no time! We will likely buy at least one of them for the outfitting business. One down, 11 more to go.

Peter and I saw the new Indiana Jones movie last night. There was a very creepy part with red ants that gave me nightmares. Harrison Ford is still a hottie.

Peter is with Matt Blank fishing on the Missouri River again for the weekend. I guess he just can't get enough of that scenery and those trout! If it rains too much he might come home early . . . Is it bad to wish for a monsoon?

I am almost done with a great book by one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner. It's called Certain Girls and it takes me back to that torcherous time of life as a pre-teen. The book has given me some insight as to what a SAINT my mother must be to have lived through life with a teenage daughter - yikes.

Peter is reading Endurance - the story of Shackelton and his eventful journey to Antarctica.

The rain has made our lawn and gardens look very green and lush, but our lawnmower is broken so the yard is now a jungle for the dogs . . . I think they like it. Pretty sure they were playing cowboys and Indians this morning.

We have decided to xeriscape much of the yard... Trying to keep a yard green in the middle of a semi-arid landscape in the middle of a historical drought has proven to be expensive, disrespectful to our water resources, and a whole lot of work! Not to mention the MUD that is created most of the year from the areas of the yard that the grass just won't take is driving me CRAZY (just ask Peter).

So, we are going to create some neat rock / gravel designs with some occasional native plants and shrubbery that don't need to be watered. We will leave a large area in the backyard for the dogs to play, of course. That new big Dodge duelly pick up will soon be making a few runs to the gravel yard... Pictures to come soon!

My veggie garden is looking GOOD. It has loved the rain and I already need to thin much of it out. I have a mystery sprouting of something that made it through the winter. I think it is calendula... It is everywhere!

The Waters girls- Marni and Loni (Pete's cousins)- along with their mom Jan (Joellyn's sister) are coming over tonight. Looks like it will be another girls night at the Howell house!

The dogs are with me at the Shop today - being as charming as ever. Greeting customers, protecting me as I work all alone. It has been very quiet around here, as the Yellowstone River reached an almost record high (for the last 10 years) in terms of river flow and height this week. It makes the fishing a little tough when the water looks like chocolate milk and there are large trees being carried down the river.

It is an actual "event" around here to go down to the River morning, noon and night to see how high it is, how muddy it is, basically just to look at it. This week, we would ride the Cruisers down to the River and see 1/2 of town - everyone oohing and ahhing and reminiscing about the last time they saw the banks of the Yellowstone underwater. Ah, life in a small river town.

So folks . . . That has been life for us lately. Two young late twenties / early thirties kids and 3 dogs - living a too-good-to-be true life!

Random Thoughts and Updates

I drove to work today so excited about our weekend. I am calling it the "tri-fecta."

Tonight my plans were to rock climb with 2 of my girlfriends, Page and Christina. That part of the trifecta plan has been foiled by MORE SNOW and un-springlike weather. Instead we are hitting the hot springs at Chico to listen to music, soak and drink very delicious bloody marys.

Tomorrow I will work at the Shop and then drive to Cooke City to meet Peter and some of our friends for some skiing. yes, we are still skiing here.

We will ski on Sunday and then Monday morning bright and early Peter and I will drive straight to the Missouri River to fish for the day.

Climbing, Skiing, Fishing in one weekend - I LOVE MONTANA!

Last night Peter and I watched Sweeney Todd - the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Tell me how I actually enjoyed a musical about a psychopathic barber that killed people with razors and then cooked them into "meat pies" and fed them to the public? Oh yeah, Johnny Depp was in it.

I also just saw a terrific movie about William Wilburforce and the abolition of the slave trade - "Amazing Grace" is what it's called and it was GREAT. Rent it.

Talk to you later... Have a great weekend my friends near and far.

Movie Critic Time

I am thinking about starting a weekly or monthly "movie criticism" post. This was spawned by two movies that Peter and I saw this week - The Secret and No Country for Old Men.

I would LOVE to hear what anyone thinks of either, so please comment away!

The Secret - it is about the Law of Attraction - very interesting movie. I was told 3 times in one week to watch it, so I took it as a sign that maybe I should. We had Matt and Jeanette over for dinner and then watched it together and to be honest, I thought it was an actual movie. In reality, it was an infomercial with some pretty kooky philosophers, counselors, physicists, and authors, BUT it was very thought provoking.
It says that we attract everything in our lives to us. Whether that be health, relationships, wealth, circumstances (or the opposite - bad health, no $, unhappiness etc.). As easily as we can be healthy and happy, we can be sick and miserable. Essentially, our thoughts and visions of how we see ourselves in the present and the future are how it will be. If we visualize (and keep visualizing it) a successful business, with great clients, happy marriage, excellent health . . . we will get it. We just have to make a conscious effort to be grateful, believe it, and receive it.
The message is no different really than messages I have heard through the Church or other places my entire life and I do believe that our attitude and our expectations and our faith in what our future will look like is largely what we choose to let it be.
So, interesting "movie" with some really funny and weird moments, but worth watching.
Peter and I are experimenting for 1 month on some "visualizations" and really trying to remain all positive. It does feel good to stop, be grateful and put yourself in a positive place regardless of what is coming to you... But is is also fun to visualize our success, health and happiness too!

Second movie, No Country for Old Men - disturbingly violent, creepy, and really great acting. Not the best movie to watch on Easter Sunday. Javier Bardem's character is the meanest, scariest villain I have ever seen on screen (second to Silence of the Lambs). He deserved his Oscar for that one. The entire movie was desolate to me. From the literal desert to the characters emptiness and hopelessness. We noticed there wasn't a moment of music in it. Not even instrumental sounds in the background. It was all simple dialogue and some desert sounds (and of course LOTS of gunfire and death). It was a bit hard for me to say "I enjoyed" this one although I do appreciate it's artistic quality and the exceptional acting. We were left thinking about it later. Peter actually woke up and was thinking about it as his head was still on his pillow. The animal (dog) killing that seemed to be threaded through the entire movie was NOT cool to me. And, I really don't want to live in that part of Texas - ever.

Thoughts, opinions? I'd love to hear them.

Zoe and Brooke

Last Friday, Zoe (my little Sister) and I had a girls night at the movies. We snuck in a Dairy Queen hamburger for Zo's dinner, and I of course gorged myself on buttered popcorn, cherry pepsi and junior mints (only b/c they were OUT of milk duds)!

I recommend the Spiderwick Chronicles... very entertaining and mystical. I am convinced we have fairies in our backyard now.