A Compilation of Sorts

The post you are about to read has absolutely nothing to do with anything that is going on in the lives of P & R right now. Our personal lives are a bit in shambles right now, due to some family issues, and I've spent the better part of last week trying to fly under the radar, because blogging about what's really going on around here could cause some serious drama. So instead I'm going to add an entry that I hope will humor y'all.

Our local newspaper in Montana, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, is overall a reputable newspaper (as far as small-town news media goes). However, the content included in the daily police reports is one exception. My older brother made somewhat of a game out of taping the particularly hilarious ones to the door of his bedroom, a tradition which I continued when that bedroom became mine. So during our last visit home, my mom gave me a stack of police report pages that she had saved for me. Instead of keeping the hilarity to myself, I'm going to do my good deed for society by sharing them with everyone. Please understand that this post is meant to be taken sarcastically, and with a grain of salt.

Enjoy!

• June 6th, 2009: "A woman reported that someone is dumping their trash in her dumpster. She said she went through the trash and found evidence of possible suspects."
• June 7th, 2009: "Police arrested a 39-year old Bozeman pickup driver for assault and cited a 37-year old Bozeman bicyclist for disorderly conduct after the bicyclist became upset, believing the truck had cut him off. The two exchanged words, the bicyclist said the driver should have respect for bikes, then ran the front of his bike into the truck. The driver jumped out and punched the bicyclist five to eight times in the face."
• June 7th, 2009: "A woman reported to police her ex-boyfriend was threatening to let her birds go while she was out of town. However, the birds did not appear to have been released." (Phew, I was worried)
• June 8th, 2009: "A man in a red sports car convertible was reported for asking two small girls to find his small dog. An officer determined he really was looking for his dog."
• June 8th, 2009: "Domestic abuse was reported on River Road, where a daughter said her 56-year old mother had been drinking and hitting her (NOT funny). There were no weapons, she said, but stated that her mother is a weapon (hilarious)."
• June 9th, 2009: "A boy tipped over a porta-potty in Kirk Park around 1pm. His parents were notified and the porta-potty was returned to its upright position and cleaned." (Thank goodness those of you who regularly use the restroom in Kirk Park can pee in confidence).
• June 12th, 2009: "A man was seen behind the mall around 10 am with something over his head doing push-ups and stretching. He was waiting for the theater to open."
• June 17th, 2009: "Four of five high school kids with flashlights near a trailer court on East Griffin Drive 'looked like they were up to no good', according to authorities." (Oh dear God, no!!!! Someone call 9-1-1!!!!!)
• June 18th, 2009: "A deputy checked on a man who was shining a flashlight outside on Pebblebrook Road around 12:30am. The man was searching for his keys and 'unfortunately the deputy was not much help in locating the keys either.' " (darn!)
• June 18th, 2009: "Several gallons of red Jell-O were dumped into a boat parked on Sunfield Drive staining the seats and carpet 'as well as leaving a very large sticky mess.' The case is being investigated."
• June 20th, 2009: "A resident of Boylan Road asked to speak with an officer 'about noise associated with tee time at the golf course'." (Boo)
• June 21, 2009: "Bags of 'poo' were left on a Highland Blvd. resident's doorstep several times before he called it in. He also advised officers that one bag came with a note asking him to pick up his dog's 'poo'." (Dear dog owners: please pick up your 'poo', lest you risk ending up with your dog's 'poo in a bag on your doorstep)
• June 25th, 2009: "A woman couldn't stain her deck because three dogs were running loose in the area. She described them as a 'beagle, a little white hairy thing, and a medium white hairy thing'." (Thank you, ma'am, for such a helpful description!)

And now for my personal favorite. Believe me, this one is a true gem.

::drumroll please::

• June 15th, 2009: "A person reported his brother was calling him nonstop and conversing about nonsensical topics such as two-handed swords and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The person requested a welfare check after the conversation topics got more serious."

The previous message was brought to you by the folks at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, who apparently have nothing better to do than post the minute details of every single random police report (ridiculous, irrelevant content included at no extra charge).

Happy Monday!

Home (aka Montucky, Bozeangeles, MAN-tana, Livingstone, etc etc)

Whew, I cannot believe how quickly this summer is going by! I feel like just yesterday I was whining and complaining about being bored, and all of a sudden I blinked and July was over. This has been, by far, the busiest month we've had in the 2 years we've lived here. Between the ongoing recovery process, Bakersfield for the 4th, having family in town, San Fran for a weekend trip, my Portland trip to visit one of my best friends, and then Montana for a week, this month has been packed full of excitement!

I can never seem to take enough pictures of Paradise Valley when we are visiting Montana. I have hundreds of pictures of this place I love so much. Here is my favorite from this trip:



Here are some pics of our floating adventure on the Yellowstone. The river was really brown and blown-out. And believe me, the water was smokin'. But luckily, the weather held out for us and we had a great float!



We spent a few days at Pine Creek camping and enjoying the mild weather. (Pine Creek is the campground right up the road from our wedding site, FYI). This place holds lots of memories for me, and it always makes me feel nostaligic to spend time here. I truly had a blessed childhood to be able to grow up in such a beautiful place.

We took a walk down to the church camp and attempted to recreate some of our wedding photos.


Recognize this road???

As much as I detest sitting in the car for 15 hours on the drive to and from Montana, I love having this time to talk about anything and everything with the best conversational partner a girl could ask for. :) On our long drive back, we discussed (among other things) the feeling of being out-of-staters for the first time since we moved away. Although I miss my family terribly, this is the first time I was truly happy to return to California and all the things the future has in store for us. Although Montana is "home", I can't shake the feeling that home has become more about where my husband is than where I grew up. This is where we have built a life as husband and wife. Someday, we hope to continue that life in Montana. But for now, home is California.

Famous in a Small Town

Do y'all (It's this new thing I'm trying out, **See Footnote) think its weird that I keep dreaming about Kenny Chesney & Miranda Lambert songs or waking up with lyrics randomly stuck in my head???

I'm guessing it's just the residual affects from listening to 5+ hours of country music last Saturday night. We had an absolute blast in San Francisco at this concert! Even better, the tickets were free (Pat got them through work), so we justified spending big bucks on a room 8 blocks away from the stadium so we wouldn't have to worry about driving all the way back to Sac. Here are a few pics from the concert:


The concert was supposed to be Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, and Kenny Chesney. Sugarland cancelled, unfortch. But we had a great time nonetheless! I love love love Miranda Lambert, and this concert showcased just how beautiful her voice is. If you've never heard of her, please click here to hear my favorite song of hers.





Here is the only decent pic I was able to get of Kenny, because of how far away our seats were and the whole lighting issue.


Let me tell you, one of the most interesting parts of this concert, aside from the acts themselves, was the entertainment provided by people-watching. It's not everyday that a huge country music act comes to a city known for its flamboyance (for lack of a better word). The concert-goers at this event were truly the most diverse group of people that I have ever seen in one condensed area. I entertained myself before the concert by pointing out the real Stetson hat and Wrangler wearing cowboys/girls from those who went to the nearest trendy mall store for a cheap pair of boots and straw hat. Some (read: Pat) call this strange; I call it talent. What can I say? I'm a country girl.

Which brings me to my footnote about use of the word "y'all''. Upon discussion with my husband and a few close friends, it has been unanimously decided that I should have been born in the south. I'm thinking Georgia, specifically. Why, you ask? First of all, I heart sweet tea. It's my new drink of choice. And should McDonalds ever stop selling it, I will resort to making it myself, ungodly amounts of sugar and all. 2. I have been craving southern comfort food. Patrick can attest to this, as I spent the majority of the day in the kitchen a few weeks ago, making fried chicken and creamy mashed potatoes for dinner. And it was delicious! Now if I could only find a recipe for hushpuppies... 3. I think the word "y'all" should be grandfathered in to Webster's dictionary as a socially appropriate word for everyday interaction. As much as I have tried to incorporate it into my daily conversations with people, I still get weird looks and friends laughing in my face. But I tell ya what, I would rather hear "y'all" then the word "hella" any day of the week.

Maybe I am living in the wrong state. Lori & Lynn, we might be South Carolina bound soon, if I don't get rid of this "Southern Fever".

Well, I'm off to Portland, see y'all in Montana next week!!!!!

Summatime Take I

Hey-Ya!!!

Summer is a busy time around here, as I'm sure it is for our family and friends who regularly (or maybe not so regularly) read this blog. All of a sudden, it seems, things went from 0-60 just like that. We had my dad in town last week for a few days, and then Patrick won tickets to a concert over the weekend, so we had a whirlwind week or so. Things have slowed down just long enough for me to get a few errands done around here before our next adventures begin. I will be headed to Portland this weekend to visit my best friend, Jess, and then off to Montana on Monday, where I will meet up with my hubbs to spend some time with friends and family. Poor Pat is driving up here all alone, which I would feel bad about, except for that this whole arrangement was his idea. He suggested that I spend a weekend in Portland and then fly directly to Montana, so as to avoid that hellish 14-hour drive.


[As a sidenote, I must say that one of my absolute favorite qualities about my husband is that he is far and away the most considerate person I have ever met. He always put other's needs (okay, mainly mine) before his own. There is no questioning what is going to happen, he just does it without a second thought and without complaining. Somewhere along the line, someone ::cough cough Lori & Lynn:: taught him VERY well! And for that, I am very grateful. He's an amazing husband, and I cannot wait to see how great of a father he will be one day (not anytime soon though).]

Without further ado, here are some pics of my dad's trip to Sac, during our drive up to Tahoe:

Ex.Haust.Ted

Hello Friends.
It has been a busy last few days in the land of the Groff's. Between having my dad here, spending a night in San Fran for a concert (yeah, Kenny!), and a baby shower today, I am absolutely BUSHED. As we speak, I am sitting on the couch in my pj's, getting ready to hit the hay. I know, I know, it's only 7:20. But I'm struggling to keep my eyes open, as I wait for Pat to get home from golfing. This scenario has 'old woman' written all over it. But such is the life of Miss Randi, and this lady needs her beauty sleep. So I will update the blog with pics in the next day or two when I have caught up on my sleep. Nighty night.

Inactive Duty

Hello All
I seem to have bounced back from my lazy phase. At least that's what the cinnamon rolls in the oven and perfectly clean house would suggest (I got up at 5:00am this morning to make them from scratch). I think in part, my lack of motivation has had a lot to do with my restrictions on working out. I had to make an impromptu visit to the orthopedic surgeon last week after finding a bump on my shoulder, at the very tip of where my scar is. When we went down to visit my brother over the holiday weekend, we spent a majority of the weekend in the pool. The doctor had no problem with me playing in the pool, but he did have a problem with me playing volleyball in the pool. Luckily, the bump is just scar tissue. But before I found that out, I had to sit through a pretty harsh lecture. The doc reminded me that I've just had a major, invasive surgery, and even though I'm young, I still need to give myself another 4 weeks for my body to bounce back completely, otherwise I'm going to undo everything I've had done and end up back in the Operating Room.
::gulp::
I am officially on "inactive duty", meaning no exercise except walking until August 15th. I didn't realize just how active I was until I totally lost the ability to do the things I want to do. I miss lifting weights, using the elliptical machine, and doing situps. And I miss having a somewhat toned stomach and arms. But I don't miss these things enough to compromise my body and healing process. And that's what I just have to keep repeating to myself when I hear the workout room calling my name.

In other news, my dad and stepmom will be spending a few days with us starting tomorrow. My dad is in Reno for a work-related trip, and decided they would drive the extra couple hours to come down and see us. Since this will be their first trip to Sac, we are SUPER excited to have them here!!!! We are planning a dinner at our favorite local restaurant/brewery as well as a day trip up to Tahoe. I'm off to Portland for the weekend next Friday, and then we will be headed back to Montana for a week in the end up July. Lots of fun stuff in the next few weeks. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Jack Russells Unite!!!!

I'm feeling rather lazy today. So allow me to present to you, our 4th of July weekend in photos.

Hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday!