Vacation is Almost up

I'm sitting here, on my last evening in Montana for..probably a couple more years. I'm just kind of thinking about all the craziness of the past few days. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. My best friend Matt Root was married yesterday at 5pm to Shannon Terry. A woman who is absolutely perfect for him. The bachelor party was nuts, the wedding was a long process, but a lot of fun when it was finally on. The reception was a good time, lots of drunk family and friends, some very good toasts by the best man and others. I finally got to get drunk with Matt's parents, which was a very good time, his dad, Tom Root, is one of the funniest and intellectual people I've ever known.

The Bachelor Party:
Matt and I were picked up at 6 am by all his friends here, and a few of us out of towners. We promptly shackled Matt up with a ball and chain. Not a fake pansy ass costume one. Grant and Todd, a guy he works with, welded together a shackle from some scrap steel, and attatched a chain long enough that Matt couldn't put it over his shoulder. The ball itself was attached with a very long bolt and JB Weld. It was a bowling ball. He was not happy, even when we handed him his 6am beer.

We drove for a few hours up past Helena Montana to Kyle's cabin on a very nice, large lake. Fucked around for a bit and drank some beers until Eric and Todd arrrived with the paintball guns. We drove up into the woods a bit to anice overgrown road, set the ball and chain down in the middle of a crossroads, and started our battle for it. Unfortunately the guy at the rental shop really shit the bed and our guns all ran out of air about 20 minutes into the match. It was short, but it was also my first time paintballing, and it was pretty sweet.

So we ditched the paintballs and got out the shotguns, shot some clay pigeons and stuff. I'd forgotten how stress relieving and fun shooting is. Gooood times.

So we went back to the cabin on the lake and ripped around in the boat, did a little lake surfing (kind of like a wakeboard, but you're not attached, and it can't be ridden switch) and tubing. it was pretty sweet. Got real drunk and later that night after a barbecue, dragged matt, Shackled, to this little dive of a bar in Seeley Montana (population....small). It was a riot, all these old ladies kidnapped matt and kept him busy with free drinks and dancing to various tunes, etc.
Some of those ladies..were...scary.

"FOUR FUCKING TIMES!" was the phrase of the evening from a particluar older lady, who was also prone to copious crotch grabs on the entire bachelor party...creepy.

eventually called it a night anddrove back. During one round of mooning between the trucks, Matt decided to up the ante with a windshield moon. Except he was drunk, and sort of put his ass through the windshield. Shattered it. Classic Matt (and this guy's married? daaaamn).

Bachelor party was a good time. Just kind of kicked it around Bozeman on Thursday and Friday, did some drinking..er...a lot of drinking...in the evenings...and Saturday was the big day, lots of pictures, but damn, I look fuckin' good in a tux. The whole bridal party looked really good, they did an excellent job putting it all together.

Then today (Sunday) we had an excellent hungover brunch, and then floated down the Madison River in big tubes for a few hours in hte afternoon drinking beer.

Anyways, I think my liver is finally ready for a break, which it may or may not get, depending on who the project geologists are up in Nunavut. next three days are going to be crazy busy travelling again. Drive for 13 hours tomorrow, leave at 2.30 on Tuesday for Edmonton, 8am on Wednesdsay for Rankin Inlet. I'll be above the arctic circle by around 4pm.



But, I must leave, as we're going to a barbecue to cook the rest of the food from the wedding.