SITTING IN A CLOUD

This afternoon I attempted to hike up to Southern Comfort. Unfortunately the path was very snowy so I changed plans and hiked to Camera Rock.

Below is an excerpt of what I wrote while I was at the top:

The wind up here is scary. It howls and whirls. I turn around expecting to see its source, its maker and there is nothing. Not even leaves flapping. The only thing letting me know its here is the burnt trees being rocked from their roots and the noise. Oh the noise is like standing on the side of a highway hitchhiking, driving down Lake Shore Drive with the windows rolled down, and the angry sea storm that God sent for Jonah. This makes me feel so feeble. I’m fighting, pushing against something so magnificent.

I’m sitting in a cloud. Literally. Snow is appearing out of nowhere. I’m sitting on the edge of the world for all I know; there are clouds below me. It hurts to look up it’s so gray. It looks blank but then somehow it's 3-D like I’m staring into outer space.

EMPTY TEAR DUCTS

Brilliant Moment of the Day:

I walked into a door.

We had 14 cabins to Thoro in 2 hrs today (that is physically impossible, fyi) and we run into the first cabin all pumped and I say, "Let's GO!" Turn and run smack into a door with the side of my nose. I instantly start seeing stars and sobbing because a) it was ridiculous painful and b) I hit my tear duct and couldn't control my tears anymore. I collapsed into Hannah and sobbed into her lap until I got my vision back and then just started cracking up and the ridiculousness of myself. Now the whole left side of my nose is scraped up and my whole face is really tender. It's sad looking. The Staff Room got a good laugh out of it though

THIS IS FOR TT

TT told me the other day that I should post more often even if it's just two sentences saying "Hi. I'm alive."

So I was going to come and just post "Hi. I'm alive." But where's the fun in that?

News from the Ranch?

The only thing I've been doing this week is Thoro-ing cabins. Which means a complete cleaning of the cabin after the guest leaves and before the next guest comes in. We've thoroed over 25 cabins in the past four days. Each thoro takes anywhere from 30 min (for the teeny tiny cabins) to 1.5 hrs (for the huge gianormous cabins).
I've hit 53 hrs and I still have tomorrow to work. Let's just say our boss is NOT happy about having to pay that much overtime. All I have to say is if you don't want to pay us then don't have people only stay one night where we have to thoro the cabin every other day.


Us Cabin Girls hit this stage we like to call Delirious because we crack up at everything and anything. It happens everyday around 4pm and lasts through dinner. We're becoming infamous in the Staff Room. When the Cabin Girls show up the fun and laughter begins. If only it would last through the evening work shift.

I bought crocs the other day online and they came I've been wearing them nonstop since then. They are amazing cabin girl shoes! (We have to take off our shoes every time we go into a cabin.) I've been wearing these crocs all of one week and last night I was sitting cross legged on the floor of the comm and stand up and pop they're broken. The plastic that was holding the strap on broke off. I'm pissed. They're are a freakin' week old! and I wasn't treating them badly or anything. I'm going to call croc and complain, hopefully get a new pair.

IT SEEMED LIKE HOME

It almost seemed like I was home in Chicago today.
There were 30 mph winds howling all day and I saw a squirrel. It was jet black with the biggest bushiest tail I've ever seen.

It almost seemed like it was summer today.
There was 70 degree temperatures and I was barefoot all day. This was tricky at times, like when I had to walk down the gravel path to the staff room.

It seemed like home here today.
There was a maintenance boy who greeted me with a hug and I knew where to find a humidifier. It was buried in the Coal Bin under enough boxes of matches to last the ranch until the year 2019.

It seemed like home here today.
There was the time I swerved around the elephant pothole instinctively and now I'm sitting in my bunkhouse with a good friend. This is calming: she's doing her thing contently, I'm doing my thing contently.

DAYS OFF

So last Monday I had a day off and Brooke had to go to the doctor's office (She's now on bed rest for the next month so Lil Cracker wouldn't be born too early. We go and have devo's with her everyday and cleaned her house the other night. The problem is that she's not even allowed to lift Becca so everyone is pitching in to help take care of her. Yesterday J Ham carried Becca around on her back in one of those baby backpacks while we cleaned. It was amusing.) OK so on with my story. I'd been dying to go to the library for awhile just because I'd been going into book withdrawal so Brooke dropped me off at the library went to her dr. appt. then came back to pick me up.
So I was sitting there reading my book and this boy who comes up to me who looks like Kayne West but cuter and starts talking to me and we end up talking for three hours and walking the two blocks to Starbucks and I got his number. It was all very surreal at the time.
But no, I'm not going to call him.

Tomorrow is my day off again. (YEAH! I worked 58.75 hrs last week and I can guarentee that this week is going to top 60 hrs.) Hannah, Jordan, and I are going to get into some mischief.

Today after working 11 hrs we noticed the pool was unfrozen. As in, it was now filled with gallons on gallons of melted snow. I decided we needed to jump in. So we did. It was instant "AHHHH! Where'd my body go?!?!?! Must move arms to swim to side." It was so freakin' cold. We then jumped in the hot tub so our clothes wouldn't freeze on us. and promptly showered off in nice warm shower so no fear of hypothermia. It was fun. Hannah is saying that "I'm bad news and am always getting her into mischief and she shouldn't listen to me anymore." But I can guarantee you that by tomorrow morning she'll be up for a little more fun.

FIRSTS

It's been awhile. This past week we had staff conference.

Things I did for the first time this past week:
1. Learned to box. Mike taught me and then proceed to cream me.
2. Played football on a field carved into the side of Pike's Peak.
3. Went to Cheesecake Factory and did not eat cheesecake.
4. Fixed Buddy, the computer.
5. Played Outburst-Bible Edition, and failed beyond believe.
6. Now know the population of Kansas, Minnesota, California, and Chicago
7. Went snowshoeing
8. Got a tattoo. Ok. Fine, it's temporary.
9. Found a bat skeleton
10. Rocked out on Guitar Hero
11. Go-Karted with Hannah as my "coxswain"
12. Climbed through the attic of the lodge here at the ranch and realized we were eavesdropping on a private conversation about someone breaking up with their girlfriend. only slightly awkward.
13. Stalked a boy.
14. Ate a M&M McFlurry then went on a merry-go-round. Hint: NEVER EVER do this.

Oh and I'm about to go to a square dance and I will NOT come back with a concussion or any other sort of injury.

RIP BUDDY

It's a sad day today.

Buddy, my computer, is dead. This is entirely my fault in every way. Our bunkhouse porch is up a flight of stairs (the kitchen loading dock is below us) and I was sitting on our hammock on the porch with Buddy on the edge waiting for me to bend over and pick him up. I spin around not thinking and accidentally kick Buddy and he goes tumbling down the flight of stairs. I was afraid that the screen would break off or something but he looks good as new just wouldn't turn on. So I'm on Jordan's computer. And I'm sorry Jordan but this computer isn't red or even a Dell, it's a Toshiba. OH well. Beggars can't be choosers.

You might also be asking why I'm not at work at the moment. Well that's because I'm still freaking sick! I hate hate hate being sick. waaaaay to much idle time and you can see/hear everyone having fun and I'm stuck in bed freezing even with 10 blankets on and not being able to sleep because my own coughing wakes me up. yuck.

On a happy note I've discovered how to work out/release all my restless energy.
I climb mountains.
It's amazing. I might start on a trail but then I just go off. The best part is when I have to scramble over boulders, hanging by my arms while I find feet holes or running as fast as I can up a flat wall and if I don't run fast enough I just slide down. and then I get to the top and I just stand there almost literally in the clouds and all I can do is laugh out loud for pure joy.
I can only describe it as amazing.
JD and Mike have some climbing gear so some day when we all have the same day off we'll go actual rock climbing. Hopefully up Sheep's Rock which reminds me of a smaller less intimidating version of Yosemite's Half Dome.