Whew!

Yesterday was exhausting! I'm sure it was much worse for Hazen than for me, but we were all pretty worn out by the end of it.

We had to be back in Bozeman so Hazen could do some psych evaluations and give some background information--it took 5 hours! He now has two large packets that he needs to have returned to the department next week. One needs to be postmarked on Monday or Tuesday, and the other is due back by Friday. He's a little frazzled, but I know he'll get it done just fine. We aren't sure yet when we'll be expected to live in Bozeman, so that's a bit unnerving. I know we'll manage fine regardless of when, but I like to be prepared as well in advance for something as I possibly can be! We are guessing it could be as early as Oct/Nov, or as late as Feb/Mar. Hazen has to go back to Bozeman a few more times between now and then, so we are hoping to get a little more information in the near future.

Of course, I wasn't going to pass up a chance to go to Bozeman. I need to learn my way around there and I'm looking at neighborhoods and figuring out where we want to rent/buy. Ian and I went for a little drive around Belgrade and looked at houses. Hazen and I were deadset again Townhomes, but there are some really reasonably priced ones that offer a LOT of square footage (we're looking at one in particular with 2600 sf for $189,900!). So...in Bozeman/Belgrade, townhomes are an option. The cost of living is a bit higher than in Helena, so we're trying to be practical in our needs and wants as far as that goes.

After Belgrade, it was still too cold for a park (and I couldn't find any anyway!) so we headed to Target. Ian played in the toy aisle for about an hour...tell me I'm not the only parent that will take my child to a retail store to play on a cold day? :) He got to pick out a Thomas the Train DVD, so he was pretty happy with that.

After Target, I decided it was finally warm enough to be outside, so we asked our cashier where a park was. She pointed us towards one that was kind of scary. It was nice and new, but the equipment was made for much older kids. I didn't even stop when I saw it--I could see a trip to the ER coming! So Ian and I drove ALL OVER Bozeman looking for a park. We finally found one near the library, and it was so pretty! It had a lot of equipment, some for the older kids and some for younger kids, and trails all through it, one leading over a stream. Ian played for about an hour, and I talked to a couple of local moms and got some great advice on places to take Ian when we move. They told me about some of the better parks in the area, said the library was big and fantastic, and suggested the Musuem of the Rockies and said if you're going to live in Bozeman, and annual pass is a must (only $60 for a family pass...I think we can swing that!).

When Hazen was FINALLY done, we met up with my sister, Britney, and her boyfriend, Friis, for lunch at Old Chicago. The food was great and of course the company was better. ;) Britney just moved to Bozeman last week to start her first year at MSU. Hazen really likes to pick on her about breaking up her parties.

When we got home, we ran out to rent a couple of movies and Hazen and I watched "A Few Good Men" after Ian went to bed--great movie! I know it's pretty old, but neither of us had seen it.

All in all, a really good day. :)