one day of work...and two days off

Sunday was my first day of work as a housekeeper.  It was tiring but actually kinda fun.  In the morning, we did AM service, which is just checking on the rooms (making beds, cleaning bathrooms, restocking fridges and towels, etc.)  After staff lunch (which is really good, by the way), I helped out in the laundry and ironed tablecloths and napkins all afternoon.  Maybe I'll even start ironing my clothes after all of this practice!

All of the other employees are really nice and fun.  Saturday night we made a bonfire and roasted marshmallows (MK's favorite).  On Sunday night, MK and I played Texas hold 'em with the guys.  MK started off strong, and I actually wasn't that bad (but of course I need to work on my poker face).  Puzzles are big with this crowd.  We've finished two so far and are working on a really hard 2,000 piece landscape of Las Vegas right now.  Thrilling stuff, I know.

Yesterday, I had my first of two days off in a row.  MK also had the day off.  We decided to head into Anaconda (yes, that is actually the name of a town with a legit grocery store instead of a little market) and shop and see a movie.  Our friend Chris came with us.  Chris drove because we were driving Miranda's car, which is a hybrid, and I couldn't even start it.  The movie theater in Anaconda was only showing Rio at 8:00 PM, and we were trying to make this a day trip.  We decided to drive 30 minutes farther to Butte, which had a bigger movie theater.  We ended up seeing The Hangover 2.  It was really funny but much more unrealistic than the first one, and of course, ridiculous.  We still thought it was a good use of our day off though.

I had another day off today, but this time MK had to work.  I was planning on going to the rodeo that we have every Tuesday afternoon, but I got sucked into filling out a ton of paperwork, so no rodeo for me.  I might take a hike later on if the weather holds off.  More adventures to come, I'm sure!

P.S. In the above-mentioned paperwork, I signed something about not publishing pictures of the ranch...thus why I took down the pictures I already had up here.  So sorry, but I'm not trying to get fired.

luxury canvas cabins...minus the luxury

Last night was pretty cold.  Our stove's fan is broken, so hopefully when that gets fixed, the heat will circulate better around the room.  For now, we'll just cuddle up with extra blankets.

MK got moved in to the correct cabin, so she'll be sleeping above me for the summer.  We really like the girl who's living with us...she's hysterical.  She also lives in Missoula and told MK and me that we could use her car anytime, which is really nice.

Funny story for the day (this actually happened last night, but I forgot to write about it): a really nice staffer asked me how long I'd been married.  When I responded acting confused, she asked how long I'd been engaged.  I realized she was confused by my ring, which doesn't look anything like an engagement or wedding ring, but I thought that was funny.

too many dresses

These were my first few thoughts after arriving to the ranch last night:
1. Why did my driver (Paul, a rising sophomore at Miami of Ohio) think that when I said I just graduated that I meant from high school?
2. I don't have service.  (Yes, that's right.  Let's Skype instead.  Because we do have wifi (obviously).  Parents, wanna switch to Verizon???)
3. Why is it snowing in late May?
4. It's beautiful here.

5. I brought too many dresses.

I flew in to Missoula at 6:30, Paul picked me up in one of the ranch SUVs, we stopped at Safeway for groceries, and headed to the ranch (after only getting lost twice).  MK unfortunately had a flight situation (getting bumped off a flight, missing another one, etc.) and didn't get here until the middle of the night, so we haven't even seen each other yet.  For some reason, they directed her to the wrong cabin.  I hope we get that fixed today.  I have to go now and begin my first day of work as a housekeeper, but I'll post again later, complete with pictures of my new digs.

may the odds be ever in your favor

If you haven't read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, then I think you should drop everything (let's be real...it's summer) and buy it, download it, or check it out from the library!  I promise you'll be so engrossed that you will finish it really quickly.  I didn't even get a chance to change the "On My Nightstand" section of my blog before I was done.  And it helped that I was reading on my new Kindle that my parents got me for my birthday.  I absolutely love it because I can tuck it in my purse and read whenever I get a spare minute, and I can easily read on the elliptical (sans reading rack that the Boat Club gym does not supply) so I don't have to hold my book instead of the handles.  Plus, The Hunger Games was only $5 to download!  I already started the second book of the trilogy, Catching Fire, so that will probably occupy me for the next couple of days.  If you're not convinced yet, Louisville native Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss, the protagonist, in the movie version coming soon!

pomp and circumstance

I've been avoiding this, but I suppose it's time to accept my graduation from Furman and make a feeble attempt to move on with my life.  Move out day was fairly rough, between the tears and hauling the things I've acquired over the last four years to our two small cars.  Thankfully, the girls and I headed to Austill's beach house in Gulf Shores for some much-needed relaxation and to prolong the inevitable goodbye.  Thus, I'm just now getting around to reflecting on "the best days of my life," as everyone tells me (in the spirit of optimism, I sure hope not).

This is more for my own sake than for anyone else's, but I'd like to summarize my Furman career in a nutshell:
-Blackwell 300, despite its frightening accommodations that brought me to tears upon first seeing pictures, made the most significant impact on my college experience.  It gave me my first love, friendships that would last all four years, and helped me find my niche at Furman.
-FUtones was my dysfunctional family in college.  I always say that some of my best friendships developed over a cappella music, some friends that I don't think I'd otherwise sought out, and I am eternally grateful for the many hours spent singing (but mostly arguing) with them.
-Ah, Kappa D, I have a love/hate relationship with you, but we all know it's mostly one filled with love.  While I despise reports and cringe when I hear the word "confidence," KD gave me lifelong friends, a chance to develop as a leader, and the realization of what I want to do with the rest of my life.  So, I guess it's fair to say I have a soft spot for daggers, nautilus shells, and teddy bears.

it may be a quarter life crisis or just a stirring in my soul

Well, here I am...creating a blog.  I have recently become fascinated with blogs and was looking for an excuse to start one of my own.  I feared that I have nothing to write about, but then I got a job on the Housekeeping team at a ranch in Montana for the summer and figured there would be plenty of adventures to share.

On top of my upcoming fling with my first experience of "manual labor," I graduated from college two days ago.  The harsh reality of the world outside the Furman bubble is reason enough to come running to the escapist world of writing.  Wish me luck on my new endeavor!

Post title: "Why Georgia," by John Mayer