For more than a year now, I have been blessed by a visit from my parents every couple of weeks. After living thousands of miles away for nearly 25 years, this is a pretty big deal. I returned to Montana 5 years ago – which is very hard to believe. Time marches on at an unbelievable pace! I have now lived in Montana (post college) for more years than anywhere else while we served on active duty. Obviously it has always been “home,” but I honestly have no desire to live anywhere else despite of the beauty and grandeur we have been fortunate to experience.

Back on topic – my parents come to town regularly for appointments, and for most every visit, we are able to have lunch. I don’t take these visits for granted because honestly, there were too many years when we didn’t have any face to face, intimate conversations. We enjoy great conversations at thoughtfully chosen locations, and are rarely limited by the clock unlike most lunch dates. It is especially meaningful to me because my dad has always been a workaholic (he’s a farmer, after all) and seems to only relax when he’s away from home. The 140 miles is exactly what he needs to relieve some of his stress. We rarely visit the same restaurant twice and if we do, it is months apart. I don’t typically fix the lunches for them for several reasons; Bozeman has a phenomenal restaurant scene and it’s fun to check out all the great places, my dad is allergic to dogs and we have two – sometimes three when the grandpup is here, and while I love to cook, it’s always nice when I can be served too. A weekday lunch is a good excuse to do something different. This week, we continued to switch things up and I fixed a simple and tasty lunch: Sloppy Joes with a side salad & Peach Pie. But it wasn’t a manwich style Sloppy Joe, nor an ordinary salad or pie. Check them out – you won’t be disappointed! Note: Don’t skip over the Baked Beans, they come first for a reason.