I’m just a Southern California girl, growing up on the beautiful beaches, wondering along the glorious shores of Newport Beach, wearing only my short-shorts, tank top, and a single pair of flip-flop sandals.

I’ve always been the happy go-lucky flaxen blonde haired girl, who spontaneously woke up one February morning with the crazy notion of moving from the California beaches out to the snowy cold mountains in the state of Montana.

• 

I wonder, “can this Southern California girl survive the treacherous winters in the mountains of Montana?” Perhaps, but what about the wild animals that inhabit the area; such as the wild bears, moose, and the the cotton-tail deer…no that’s not right, they are called white-tailed deer because they have a cute white spot at the tip of their tale that wiggles back and forward when they walk, swaying their hips.

Some of my friends wonder and ask me, “what are you going to do in a state like Montana?” I look at them with a smile on my lips, confident, as I tell them that I am going to be living the simple life. A simple life with my dog, Harley Quinn and my mustang. Mustang they ask….you have a horse? No, silly, I don’t mean that kind of horse, but my Ford Mustang convertible. Imagine that! A convertible in Montana, now isn’t that practical! It’s good to laugh at yourself because I am determined to make this work; afterall, how bad can it be?

I have lived in Southern, California for my entire life. We don’t always have perfect weather. There have been many times when it has been super cold. Actually, I remember a New Year’s Eve when it was a freezing forty-five degrees. We all wore our fake fur coats, mittens, leather boots, and I wore my favorite Russian fur hat. I think that was the coldest it has ever been, it even snowed a few snowflakes that night. So when you ask me if I’m prepared for Montana? I am confident that I am because it certainly can not get much colder than that!