Montana - Matt's Time

Four p.m. on the 21st has arrived and we are hitting the road.  Leaving Dallas at rush hour is always an experience and it takes us a wee bit.  By the time the sun goes down, we are well on our way past the metroplex. 

By midnight, we are just leaving Texas.  Yep, 8 hours into the trip and Hello Oklahoma.  Time for me to sleep a bit - Mister is pulling the all-nighter.

22nd - The morning dawns and it's  my turn to drive.  Just before Mister lays his head down, the sunset begins and he grabs a quick pic.  Later, as he slept, this sunrise was fabulous, but I simply have it in my memory - no proof.

Our arrival in Billings is at 11 a.m. - 20 hours straight.  Whew.  After chatting with Matt and family for a bit, we are off to see the new restaurant.  I am so excited for my son's adventure.

A few images to show the uniqueness - the spits for the meet - look how many there are and they will all be full on a weekend night.

The bar - still awaiting the liquor license so . . .

My sweet son and I and the salad bar.  My DIL, Rebecca, designed everything in here and did a fabulous job.

The glass panes between booths - love the logo.

A roving drink cart.  Fancy drinks can be mixed at the table.

My "behind the bar" picture.  

Back to the house and some garden clean-out happens.

Ahhhh, Rebecca has a yummy snack for the evening.  So, so good.  Then it's off to bed - we are beat from the drive and ready to sleep.  

23rd - Good Morning from Billings, MT.  Lots and lots of activity in the kitchen this morning.

Not all is work-related - 

Processing the peppers from the garden --- three of us work at it for a bit.

The fun, light-hearted atmosphere makes the whole place a joy to be in.

Now for an Escape Crate -- lets put our minds to work.  Meanwhile, Rebecca is making brownies and the whole house smells fabulous.

24th - Amanda and Cassie arrived last night and as the kids have school and Matt and Becca are at work, we have a wee bit of time together for brunch  

and a pedicure.

My results:  the remind me of Jesus Fish.

A stop at the restaurant follows so that Amanda and Cassie can see it.  From there, we are off on errands to pick up all the beer, wine, and liquor as the license just arrived.  Several trips ensue.

From there, I'm off to pick up kids from school and get Hyrum to work at the restaurant.  Tonight is the first soft-opening and it is for friends and family.  Come take a peek at how it looks.

Pina Colada's served in empty pineapple shells.  Zyra has a virgin one.

Our dinner is wonderful and Zyra follows it up with an Brazilian Acai Bowl.

One for the record - family time.  So, so proud of Matt and Becca for this amazing place.

25th -  The girls left early this morning and everyone is off to school and work.  Mister and I have a day together.  We work on laundry for all and make sure the uniforms are ready for this evening before wandering about and making a stop at Uberbrew for lunch.

School pickups are next and then Zyra gets all the laundry put away from this morning.

Pics with the grands - 

And my son.  

We have Zyra for the evening to help out while the second soft-opening takes place.  Time with cousins happens.

26th - I'm out running some errands and stop by the restaurant to take some pictures of the menu.  It's the first time I notice the hours on the door and grab a pic.

A few more shots inside - 

I wound up being gifted a menu but did get a picture of the opening page.

The reason I wanted the menu is because I didn't really look at it last night (they only arrived right before opening) but I've heard there are a couple of fun items.  One drink is:  Big Sky - Amazing fusion of Montana and Sao Paulo, just like Rebecca and Matt, with wild huckleberries and cachaca.  

Now, back to the errands and school pick-ups.

27th - Grand Opening Day.  I've picked up Zyra from school and she wants to attend the ribbon cutting.  I'm happy to oblige and it gives me a chance for a few more pics.  The hostess stand.

As I enter, the group pictures are in process so I grab a few of my own.

It's time for the ribbon cutting - Becca and her scissors.

The fountain is up and running.

It's time - 

Here is the link to the Instagram moment - Video LINK

29th - We stopped by Matt's to say good-bye before making the journey across the state.  We woke the whole house but at least had donuts and juice to share.  While there, Matt brushed out Zyra's hair and then proceeded to make his first attempt at a French Braid.  He did pretty good and I only had to help out at the very end, but I didn't take a finish pic.  Drat.

We are outta here --- time to drive again.  One last pic with Becca.  Thank you all for such a great time together.  We miss you so much when apart.  Love, love, love y'all.