Saturday, September 6, 2008

Trip to Town

Well, let's see here. I have several subjects to cover in this post, so I'll start with the longest ago event and then continue to the most recent one.

This last week, we did a leadership class. It was a ton of fun, as well as a good time of learning. We did group activities, small discussions, big discussions, and a few lectures. Most of the lectures were held out on the grass, so some of us are a tad bit sunburned. Tough luck to the guys on one team who shaved their heads. =( In my opinion, it was a great time of bonding, learning more about each other's thinking styles and strengths, as well as a good time of personal growth as we each realized areas in which we needed to improve.

Last night, we celebrated with a big game of Sockee. For those of you who have never played, it's an indoor game wherein the players all wear socks and slip and slide on a hardwood floor while trying to kick a whiffle ball through the other team's goal-- soccer in socks. To prepare for the game, we moved most of the furniture and breakable items in the lodge into one corner. Here's Anna, trying to reach the light fixtures to remove the covers... obviously, she was a little short. =)


Others moved chairs, and then they swept up all the random grass and dirt that had collected on the floor. This is Anna and Mike, sweeping up.


Some people really got into the game... my fellow Discoverite, Mike, for example:


Others looked calm and collected, but played a really mean game... like Peter:


Some of the Bighorn staff's kids looked on:

Some people were spectators... not so much spectating the game as spectating their computer screens... but at least they were sorta participating.

Then the game started!

Folks brought the loudspeakers down from upstairs, and got everyone in the mood for a tough game... and believe me, the music was loud and the game tough.

Sometimes things were slow, and players stood around a little.


Other times, the game was so fast, it looked like this:


Here are a couple more shots from the game:


Towards the end of the game, some of the girls (and Mike) decided to dance like fairies... it was amusing enough that I snapped a picture.

So, that was Sockee. Ridiculous game but fun to watch. =)

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Today we went to Missoula and shopped. There were two groups that went to town: the "I need everything under the sun" group and the "want a couple things, but mostly just want to get to town and have fun" group. I was part of the latter. We left at 9 and drove for quite awhile. I don't know how long exactly it was, because I slept both ways. =) People-pillows are comfortable... not that I originally intended to use them.

The first stop was REI. A visit to the clearance rack yielded a nice shirt, so I bought that, and then wandered around, waiting for the others to be done. After aproximately an hour, everyone was finished shopping there and decided to continue on.

Second stop-- Walmart. I bought several things there, mostly stuff for the rafting trip, but also a couple other assorted items I forgot to bring to Montana with me.

After Walmart, we visited the "biggest gun shop in Montana." THAT was fun!!! They didn't just have guns, they had knives, fishing gear, sleeping bags, all sorts of other outdoor things... and a HUGE assortment of Carrhart clothing! I had fun trying on various hats there.

4th and final store stop was GoodWill. There wasn't a huge variety of things there, but it was nice to see things with decent prices on them. A couple of guys bought rather, um, disturbing shorts-- well above the knees. They wore them to dinner with socks and sandals and a horrid sweater over the top. If you don't believe on their outfits, I can describe them in more detail, but be assured that you're likely to be scarred for life. =) I bought a belt and a Bing Crosby movie.

Finally, we got to the purely fun stuff. We wandered downtown Missoula for about an hour and a half, taking pictures and wandering in random shops.


No, we didn't go in this place.


I loved this sign in the coffee shop we went into:


The shop had dozens of different kinds of drinks, as well as a lot of coffee beans, loose teas, crepes, and supplies for making all of the above.


After leaving the coffee shop, I went and took a few more pictures. There are murals all over the place:



This is a World War II memorial, with the County Courthouse in the background:


Another picture of the Courthouse:


Timo and Nathan came by, so I joined them.


Then Timo decided to climb a tree:


Oh yes, I bought a hat at Camp Bighorn, so here is me and my hat, with espresso, in Missoula:


Anyway, that's a summary of my last couple days, along with a detailed description of today. Hope you enjoyed it!

4 comments:

alison said...

Like I said, "You are just having too much fun! :-) " Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed you blogs...the town is very cute...looks like a place I would enjoy visiting...love the hat

alison said...

Please tell us more about your hat. We can't see it all. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Hi Abby,
I am posting as "David" :0) Much easier than creating a new account...
Hey, love the blogspot! What wonderful adventures you are having. I think your ATI and family training is serving you well with all your studies. I don't think I could ever sit through a 6-1/2 hour course, let alone do all the studies for it.... Love all the pictures of the towns. My favorite is of you, in your hat, drinking espresso. Looks very much like the Abby I know. Love and prayers your way, Mrs. R