Another chapter: MT --> AL

Made this little Montana compilation before leaving the state in late April of this year. Everything is either DSLR camera video, cellphone video, or my BFF meteorologist Tracy Smith's video she took for a project (taken with permission, don't you worry). 

I've been working in Alabama at WAFF 48 News for almost 5 months now. Seems like yesterday I moved down here...time flies! Love Huntsville, just wish I could have brought all my crazy wonderful Montana friends along. (See last minute or so of this video and you'll understand.)

Missoula, Montana

Tracy and I made a spontaneous trip to Missoula a couple weeks ago. The drive is 5 hours from Billings before stops, but it was gorgeous. We kept pulling over to take pictures once we got to the western side of the state. 

We stayed in an Airbnb where we met wonderful Samantha! Her small cottage home is adorable. I loved the way she decorated it. 

 And I loved her furry family members of course. 

Tracy and I did some shopping, including stopping at this hotel-turned-antique store. It had TONS of great finds!

Coffee at Black Coffee Roasting Co.

We hiked up to the "M"...

Which had a spectacular view of the town up top! We loved our quick getaway. 

Los Angeles, California

A couple weekends ago I went to Los Angeles for my high school friend Kevin's law school prom.

I flew standby (Kevin had a buddy pass) from Billings --> Denver --> LA. A little stressful, but a great deal!

Immediately upon landing: In-N-Out. Two Double Doubles, please!

Had to check out Santa Monica and the pier.

The Laugh Factory was awesome! Lots of funny acts. Kevin, Kevin's law school friend, the law school friend's prom date, and I went together. For some reason, Kevin thought it was necessary we all buy "priority" tickets, which were $10 more than general admission, and required a 2 drink minimum inside. The only difference we could tell was that we were all huddled around a tiny table rather than sitting in a normal row of chairs. Worth it? Why not. #YOLO. We had a great time with tons of laughs. 

Kev and I hit PCH to explore Malibu!

Random lunch place we found along PCH. It was a hole-in-the-wall take-out Italian place. There were real Italians working in there, and the panino was delicious. Got to dust off the ol' Italian and throw them a "grazie."

El Matador Beach

Kevin gave me a tour of the University of Southern California and I decided if I could do undergrad again, and USC was free (?), I'd definitely go to this beautiful school. 

Their Cinematic Arts School boasts the Steven Spielberg building, George Lucas building, etc etc. Fancy!

My beloved Chickfila and I were reunited. Enough said.

And of course, the prom! They named prom queen/king/prince/princess and everything. I didn't know law proms were even a thing, but apparently they're a big deal! It was held at Eva Longoria's restaurant Beso in Hollywood. Swanky. It involved an open bar and complimentary chips/guac, so needless to say, it won my heart. 

Thanks for inviting me, Kevin! Such a fun weekend!!

Chicago, Illinois

Backtracking a bit. Somehow I missed this NYE post! 
To ring 2016 in, my best friend Sam asked if I could come to Chicago with her and her boyfriend Dylan. At the time, I had to work, so I told her no-can-do. About a week later, the schedule was changed and I happened to have NYE and New Years Day off. I told Dylan, and so we began our secret planning for the three of us to reunite in Chicago! 

We were sure Sam knew, but when I got up the stairs to his apartment, he asked Sam to go outside and get the rest of the groceries. When she saw me instead of the groceries, we knew she had been legitimately surprised. It was AWESOME! Sneakiest thing we've ever done! 

This was probably the shortest trip I've ever taken anywhere -- I had almost exactly 24 hours in Chicago before I had to catch a plane back to Billings.

We managed to eat deep dish Chicago pizza, take touristy pictures by the Bean, and attend a New Years Eve gala in at Navy Pier. The next day, we binge watched a Netflix series and cooked shrimp and steak. Yum-o.

Short but sweet! Until next time, Chi-town. 

Big Sky, Montana

For my days off this week, Tianna came to visit! I showed her around Billings and then we made our way to Big Sky. 

The 3-hour drive was scenic.

The hotel, Rainbow Ranch, was pretty nice. Our one room was actually two rooms! We a great continental breakfast the next morning. 

Our view from the porch

After breakfast, we went on a hike.

There weren't many people on the trail, but we asked someone to take our picture when the opportunity presented itself.

Lots of snow! 

Mid-hike selfie

After the 2-mile hike, we headed to the base of Big Sky Ski Resort. It was just Tianna and I, our guides, and photographers for our zip lining experience, which was awesome! Tianna decided she wanted to buy the pictures afterwards. A few:

Very fun time with beautiful views.