lexieonline

The travel bug hit again, but this time I had some pretty good and legitimate reasons as to why I must hop on a plane! Victoria’s birthday was fast approaching and it just so conveniently was the SAME week, much less just the day before the Launch Party for the first-ever Volume 1 of The Scout Guide Bozeman.

Ever since I started doing the remote internship with The Scout Guide in Bozeman, MT this past May, and Victoria would soon be living in Montana come fall once she started her graduate program, I knew I had to pay Bozeman a visit and this seemed like a great opportunity!

Carly and I did a few text exchanges, and lucky enough, with a click of a few buttons, a “clear” from work, and a plane ticket, we were ready for our trip to Bozeman, MT! This is a cold and funny, interesting trip, so get ready for some fun reading ahead!

Saturday, November 5th- Day One:

Off to what I thought was going to be a great start, I head to the airport around 4:30am to take off at 6am! Well, well, well… If it isn’t just a “light malfunction” and all of a sudden, the lights aren’t working… Therefore; the airplane cannot depart Jackson, MS! You know what that means… Everyone going to Atlanta will be missing their connections. What a great start to a lovely Saturday morning!

So, yes. I missed my connection in Atlanta. I was supposed to get to Atlanta and board my plane to get to Bozeman, MT by 11:45am, only to miss the connection by 2 minutes before take-off, which caused me to have to be re-routed from Atlanta to now Salt Lake City, UT.

THEN to Bozeman, MT. *sigh*

No fret, though. I waited around in Atlanta and ended up meeting a guy that was also coming from Jackson, MS, and heading to Bozeman, MT! Wow… How it feels nice to have someone in the same boat as me. Mike and I quickly became friends as we will now be traveling around the United States together for the next 7 hours.

Mike was in Mississippi for his job but actually lives in Bozeman. He gave me great advice on where to shop and eat, and I learned all about his life and what he does for work. Mike works with mechanical engineering for planes (or some big term like that, my small brain already forgot) and his wife flies planes for the military. That is how the two met. Ever since they have traveled around different states for their jobs and they have two sons. Mike will be moving to Norway for work come January!

Well, finally after a long layover and a four-hour flight from Atlanta to Salt Lake City, I am one more short flight away from finally being at my destination that I was supposed to be at about 6 hours prior- but it’s ok! I met Mike!

After a Starbucks coffee, a total makeover and refresh in the airport bathroom, and 1 liter of water later, it’s time to board the plane to Bozeman, MT! Whoo-hoo!!! I hop on the plane, tell Mike I will see him at baggage claim, and sit down next to this very nice lady who lives in France. Isn’t that interesting?

Bridgit lives in France, but she grew up in Montana and was flying back to help her mom out with some things. She said she got married later in life, and also stressed to me there is NOT a wrong time to “reinvent yourself” and that you can always “reinvent what you want for yourself and your life.” I appreciated her wise words and the two of us talked the whole plane ride. Maybe one day I will visit her in France!

I hopped off the plane and went to baggage claim to grab my bag only to run into Mike and his whole family! What a lovely surprise! I got to meet the wife and kids, and weren’t they oh, so cute.

Victoria picked me up and we drove to her and Kyle’s house which is very close to the airport. The rest of the day was spent splitting loaded nachos with Victoria, watching SEC football, and checking out the Bozeman nightlife! What a great first night in Bozeman to say the least!

Sunday, November 6th- Day Two:

Carly Horton has arrived! I repeat, Carly Horton has arrived!

After a long (but not intended to be, lol) day of travel, I ended up sleeping in longer than I meant to, but we woke up around 10am and got ready to get Carly from the airport. Victoria and I picked Carly up at the airport around 11:30am, just to surprise her and tell her that we would be driving to Jackson Hole!

We headed back to Victoria’s house and packed an overnight bag for Jackson Hole, WY! Let’s go see those antler arches!!!

Lucky for us *sarcasm* we chose to visit in the middle of a snowstorm. The 4-hour drive to Jackson Hole took a little bit longer due to the ice on the roads in some parts of Yellowstone. But, hey! What a beautiful drive!

We left for Jackson Hole around 1:30pm after picking up sandwiches at most fly fishermen’s favorite little sandwich spot and hit the road. We arrived in Jackson Hole after riding down the pass in Victor, ID around 6pm. The end of the drive was completed with a stop at Albertson’s and a sloshie, of course.

Monday, November 7th-Day Three:

Good morning from Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

We started the day with some dancing around in the snow and continued the day driving into town to grab some Cowboy Coffee. Due to it being “off-season” there wasn’t much open, but we did stop in the thrift store, Browse N Buy, that I spent many days in back in the summer of 2021. We took many cute pictures as well.

We headed into Grand Teton National Park, but due to the snowstorm, it was so foggy and the fog was covering the tip tops of the Tetons. We made the most of it, cracking jokes and having fun along the way!

The long-awaited drive to Jackson Hole in a snowstorm has arrived, earlier than expected… YIKES. Little to our surprise, the snowstorm came too soon and we had to skip town in order to safely make it back to Bozeman and not get stuck in the middle of a snowstorm. That… would not have been ideal. After 7 hours of entertaining ourselves in the car, we finally made it back to Bozeman!

Tuesday, November 8th- Day Four:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICTORIA!

24, do your thing 24.

We started the day at 2 degrees and snow above our ankles. Isn’t that a great start to the day? Carly, Victoria, and I headed into town and went to brunch. Check out this delicious brunch spread we had! We ate brunch at Jam! On Main.

After brunch, we shopped around different stores and enjoyed each other’s company, with a hot coffee in hand to stay warm! We got some great things and finished the night with some delicious sushi and tried “square dancing” at a local place in Downtown Bozeman.

Wednesday, November 9th- Day Five:

LAUNCH PARTY DAY!

Starting the day well rested and with a hot coffee and below 0 degrees, we decided today was the day to attempt to go sledding. Yeah! After Carly and I spent half the morning trying to learn the “Just Wanna Rock” Tik-Tok viral dance, we worked up our heart rates to prepare for the temperature outside.

The three of us plus Millie (the dog) hopped in the car and set off to find a perfect place to go sledding! We drove up the mountainside and found the prettiest views, but sledding didn’t seem to feel right, or maybe we just didn’t know where to go… We don’t know.

After getting some great pictures of the scenery, it was time to go home because –
1. There was a very bad snowstorm rolling in and …
2. We had to get ready for The Scout Guide Volume 1 Launch Party!

After about 2 hours of make-up, hair, and glam, Carly, Victoria, & I headed to The Amory Hotel to meet my boss, Jill, and see what we could help her with before the event started. We quickly got to work setting things up for people to grab as they walked in, and soon thereafter, the party started! Check out these photos!

Following the launch party, we decided to grab a bite to eat and check out the Bozeman nightlife once again.

Thursday, November 10th- Day Six:

I was supposed to fly out this day at 6am, but due to the crazy snowstorm and weather, my flight didn’t leave Bozeman until past noon. Thank God I was able to jump on the same flight Carly was on out of Bozeman around 1pm the following day…

We started our day in the funkiest craziest outfits we could find to put on and headed on over to The Farmer’s Daughter Café to eat the best brunch/lunch you could find.

Shortly after, we had a photo shoot by the mural and headed to town to check out some stores we missed, and get a tour of Victoria’s art studio, and also MSU’s campus. Sadly, Victoria had to do something for school around 4pm, so Carly and I took it upon ourselves to immerse ourselves in the nightlife and make some friends with the locals.

We stopped in the dive bar and immediately realized we made a mistake when we realized we might have just been the only two girls in the bar beside the bartenders, surrounded by “wanna-be” cowboys… YIKES! We headed out of that place and decided to try another spot called the Brigade.

I ordered the best espresso martini of my life. Carly and I talked about life, our dreams and ambitions, and everything else under the sun and moon. We became friends with the bartender and learned a little bit about him, too.

We then met up with Victoria and headed to Rocking R Bar. As the snow kept coming down and down, the night came to a close and this was to mark our last night in Bozeman.

Friday, November 11th- Day Seven:

One last morning in Bozeman!

The morning was spent having conversations with Sheryl Wright, one very inspirational woman who is not too far from home when it comes to who you know. Sheryl created Dare to Detour, a movement of women daring themselves to step out of their day-to-day experiences, release the past, and “rediscover who they truly are.”

We spent the morning learning more about each other and in great conversation over lattes and kolaches at the Roly-Poly Coffee Co. It is something I will always cherish!

I came across Sheryl and her story while doing my internship with The Scout Guide Bozeman and immediately admired her and knew I wanted to meet her one day. I was even more shocked back in the summer when my own friend from Ole Miss who was working seasonally at Glacier National Park won Sheryl’s helicopter tour giveaway!

I had prefaced Carly and Victoria on how cool Sheryl was and who she was, so upon meeting her at The Amory Hotel, I introduced myself and told her who I was, and where I was from, that my college friend had won her helicopter tour giveaway back in the summer, and we instantly clicked!

It really is cool how small of a world we live in; Sheryl actually is friends with the owners of the Oxford Creamery in Oxford, MS, and is wanting to plan a trip with her good friend to the coast of Mississippi. She also has another good friend who is starting a business right here in Jackson, MS. We loved spending time and sipping on coffee with this interesting soul & cannot wait to see her again!

After another quick tour around Montana State University and one last glance at Bozeman, it is 1pm and we are out! Headed to Atlanta, GA, Carly and I pop on a movie and make our way in the Big Sky to Peach City.

First things first, dinner time! Luckily since she is going to Louisiana and I am going to Mississippi, we are in the same terminal and our gates are close together. We decide on a nice old-fashioned hamburger for our dinner.

After eating airport Five Guys, we part ways and go in our separate directions. Turns out, Carly’s terminal changed and the Five Guys really messed up my stomach and gave me bad food poisoning. I will never eat Five Guys again- in an airport or not. I am just glad I didn’t get sick until I was off the plane.

Anyways, I really hoped you enjoyed reading along about my week in Bozeman as much as I enjoyed my time there! The wild, wild west sure is an unforgettable place and I just cannot wait to hop on a plane and get back out there soon!

Until we meet again, Bozeman.
Hopefully sooner than later!