New Year's Resolution

Surveys say that only 8% of people keep their New Year's Resolutions, which doesn't bode well for me actually keeping mine that I'm about to tell you about. But we'll see. I know I'm also a little late in posting a New Year's Resolution but to be fair I did think of it while 2010 was still around.

So here goes...No, I'm not going to try to lose weight, diet, go to the gym more or anything like that. I've been living in Montana now for over a year so my resolution is to actually explore the area more. I've had some great adventures since moving here like learning how to ski, visiting Yellowstone, hiking up a mountain to a lake for my first time camping, and snowshoeing. I've also been able to try foods like the pasty, buffalo burgers, elk hotdog, poviticia and several different foods made with huckleberries. I've also seen other towns such as Missoula, Bozeman, Whitehall, Dillon, Deer lodge, Anaconda, Boulder, Helena, and Cardwell.

But this is Big Sky Country. There's still a lot to do, a lot to see, and probably a lot to eat. And unfortunately, a lot of my travels to other towns have been work related so I haven't really had the opportunity to stop and check out what's going on there locally. (Unless it's the news of the day) So I'd like to see and do more. I'm the type of person who likes to think she will try anything once. However, there are definitely exceptions. I will not eat any kind of eyeball. Sorry. And there's probably a lot of other things I would refuse to eat if presented with it. So maybe I won't do everything but I still like to have new experiences and see new places.

I've been told the distance from one end of Montana to the other is the same distance it is from Chicago to Washington D.C. so there is A LOT of country to see. There's so many more towns I could visit And re-visit the one's I've gone to for work when I actually have a free day. But there in lies the problem with this resolution...a free day or days. Most people know I work a lot. Which is fine, keeps me busy. But when it comes to the weekend (If I'm not working) That's my time to do laundry, grocery shop, pay bills, wash dishes, clean, sleep, and just attempt to be a functioning adult. Luckily, on my recent trip home I bought and received enough clothes as gifts to let my laundry go for a month.

There are some things I can do closer to home. My resolution got off to a good start this past weekend when I went snowshoeing just 15 minutes away. I had done this activity before but not in the same spot. But like I already said there's still A LOT to see and do. I know I can't get to every corner of the state but here are just a few things I'd like to do while here: ride a horse, snowmobile, visit other areas of Yellowstone, visit Glacier National Park, soak in hot springs, go to different breweries (can you believe I still haven't been to the one in Butte?!), fly fishing, float, and of course just see other towns in the state.

There's also a lot of area to explore outside Montana. Canada is just to the the North and Seattle is only 10 hours to the West. I've got a lot to do in less than a year. I'll see how it goes or if I'll be part of that 92% of people who don't keep their New Year's Resolutions.