When you come from a place of love, you always win. Montana won my heart over without even realizing it. My first experience with Big Sky Country was filming at Paws Up Resort for my digital mommy show. My trip was purely business; it was about experiencing ‘glamping’ (glamorous camping) and featuring the rugged northern state as a place for family travel.
Little did I know that my life would change forever. As I rode in the car to the resort, I looked out the window and felt different. Was this real?
I’m a controlling person and no one thing has ever possessed me. If this was anything that was true and real , I was in, I was had, I was bought, and I was owned. I was surrendering to something bigger than myself.
I'm rarely silent. I'm type A, talkative, hyper and always wanting to move. I was in pure awe in the back seat of the car for the 50-minute drive to the resort. I didn’t want the ride to end. I could not speak. It was as though this experience was the drug of life I was longing for.
When I set my eyes on a beautiful Montana home, which was reflected onto a crystal-glass lake, I couldn’t help but feel I was on a movie set or a participant in a painted piece of art. Even though I’m from California, which is the epitome of cutting-edge culture, innovation and open-mindedness, I felt you couldn’t top the beauty of Montana. I will never minimize the charm of California, but much of our land tends to be dry, neglected, rarely green, overcrowded, expensive, noisy and definitely not surreal. Montana is different, and one must experience it for themselves. Montana has a western reputation to uphold with the panache of its ancestry behind it. It is indeed the rivers, the historical value, the dinosaur fossils, the lakes, mountains, hiking trails, horses, fishing, skiing, wildlife and the big, beautiful blue sky that keeps people coming back for more.
After wrapping up our shoot for the episode and becoming aficionados on glorious glamping, we headed out to the airport for our trip home. I thought it would be my last time in Montana; it was lovely and quite stunning, but I had no plans to come back any time soon.
Little did I know that Big Sky loved me as much as I loved it. As I was boarding the plane I picked up a copy of Mamalode magazine. Once again not expecting much, I turned each page and was enraptured by the beauty of the photographs and emotional stories about strong women and mothers tugging at my soul. On the flight home I read the magazine front to back. I thought to myself, What is going on with this place? I was now 100% obsessed with Montana.
The next day I emailed Elke, the editor of the magazine, and told her how much I was taken by Montana and by her magazine. I asked to write for her because it seemed right. I also knew she would not brush me off because my love for Montana was seeping through my veins and pouring through my heart and I know she felt it. It has been a great pleasure and delight to be a part of a wonderful state and magazine that so passionately tells people’s life stories of struggle and triumph.
I know Montana holds a special place in our family's heart. When summer hits, we ask the children where they’d like to take summer vacation … Hawaii or Montana? Can you guess which they choose? ❤️Big Sky.
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About the Author
This month we are delighted to partner with the State of Montana on a really cool national story-telling campaign called “THE SKY'S THE LIMIT.” For Montana, this project – including a special edition of Mamalode magazine and accompanying video series – features heartfelt stories about life, work and play under the big sky. But whether we are here or there, sky's the limit is about dreams come true, being your best self, letting your imagination lead and perhaps, conquering the impossible.