Small Town Life

Oh hey!

We are alive and doing great.  I can't believe we've lived here in Wyoming for 8 months already.  I am surprised at how much I like the small town life.  I think our little town is pretty special though.  It's well taken care of. It's cute and quaint with an involved community of great people.

Some things have definitely taken some getting used to.  For instance, no one has mailboxes. We were shocked when we moved in and realized that we didn't have a mailbox.  The thought had never even occurred to us that we wouldn't, haha. We all have to get our mail at the Post Office using P.O. Boxes. Luckily, the town is one square mile, so nothing is hard to get to.  I drive by the Post Office everyday taking the boys to/from school, so it's easy to pull up and quickly run in & out. It doesn't actually feel much different than going to the shared mailbox at the corner of our street in our neighborhood in Oregon.  A bonus to this, I've gotten to know the mail lady quite well.  She even called my cell on Christmas Eve to tell me I had a package there, and to check if it was something I needed before they closed for Christmas.  So cool!  

I think one of the hardest things to get used to is not having my favorite stores and restaurants close by.  Not a huge deal, but definitely different.  Billings, MT is our closest "big" city.  It has pretty much everything we have needed.  I go to Billings for Costco and Target at least once a month, but usually twice.  Walmart is 1 hr away in either Laurel, MT or Cody, WY.  I have gone through withdrawals at times.  Bonus: we have eaten a lot less fast food since we've lived here!  Closest McDonalds is 30 min. away in Powell and we don't have pizza delivery (used to be a staple Fri nights).

Lately, I've been itching to go to a concert and see some live music.  Unfortunately, Billings isn't known for it's music scene.  I don't think many places can compete with Portland on that front though.  I'm glad I was able to take advantage of the Portland music scene while I was there.  

The high school for Cowley and a few of the surrounding small towns is located here in Cowley, so it is definitely a centerpiece of the community.  High school activities are a big deal.  Everyone attends, whether you have a student currently at the high school or not.

I have not met a rude person in Cowley yet.  So...either there aren't any, or they keep to themselves, or I'm oblivious. Whatever the reason, I love it.  People have been so friendly, helpful, and welcoming to our family.

Thankfully, the boys have loved school.  Clark is in 3rd grade, Jack in 1st grade, and Connor in the Elementary's preschool. Their teachers have been wonderful.  They have significantly smaller classes than their former schools, which has been awesome.

It gets REALLY cold here! During the big cold front that plagued the West, we dropped to -25! We had a whole week not getting above 2. Leading up to the winter season, I was seriously nervous about the cold.  In fact, one Sunday in the Fall the temp dropped drastically to what would be considered a cold winter day in Portland. The teacher in Sunday School mentioned that it was pretty chilly out, but that "we won't complain too much, because we know what's comin'".  I let out an audible, unintentional, groan.  Haha. The class laughed and pitied my little Oregon soul. It's been MANY years since I lived in a cold climate.  Portland's mildness spoiled us.  Luckily, the cold hasn't bothered us all that much.  Our house stays warm, we have seat warmers and heat in our cars.  We wear warm clothes and pile on warm blankets in bed.  I think I'd say I'm already used to it.

The bonus to the cold is that when it snows, it stays! We've had at least some snow on our lawns nonstop since Thanksgiving.  I don't know if you know this about me, but I absolutely LOVE snow.  I like to play in it, I like to drive in it, I like to look at it out my window.  It makes me happy.  :)  The boys seem to love it too.  They have all learned how to get all their gear on quick and love to play out in the yard making long "trails" with the snow shovel or just their boots all the way out to the rodeo grounds.  (The mudroom has quickly become one of my very favorite features in this house).

We received so many lovely Christmas cards this year (received even more after this pic).  I love them!  I wondered if we'd they'd find us after moving and such.  I am so happy that we haven't been forgotten.  I hope you all had a lovely Holiday season.  

Much love. xoxo. 

--Kristen