"Pinch Me" Moments

A herd of elk look small in the shadow of the Swan Range.

On Facebook, the question of when was your “pinch me” moment was asked by my cousin. Immediately upon reading it, I typed in “living in Montana” and hit enter. There have been numerous “pinch me” moments in my life, and as such, I feel grateful to have had them.

Marriage at 17 with 3 children by the time I was 21 seems unreal at times, as does my husband buying our family a home with an in-ground swimming pool. The pool was totally unexpected, and for a brief time I felt as though we had sold out. I know it’s weird but I thought by moving into such a home and neighborhood we had become part of “the establishment“, which for a “boomer” like me, wasn’t something I cared to do. Giving birth to my two girls after 40 also qualifies as “pinch me” moments, and often I am astounded that David and I are almost done with raising a second family.

My list seems endless. Everything from awe-inspiring vacations to being a grandmom of 15 are on my list. But for the sake of brevity, I will stick to a “pinch me” moment in Montana as my life here has held much in the way of dream-like experiences.

Recently after leaving the abandoned property where David and I had taken pictures before returning to pick up the girls from Hunter Education, we stopped to look at the elk. It was the 2nd time we had seen this particular herd; the first time being off of Trapp Road. continue reading

Till next time,

Marlene