So Much To Say......

Time to catch up......

So, first I had family come into town. It was awesome! I was able to give them a taste of what life is like in Jackson. We went by my work, our place, and met all my room mates. We also, took a ride up the Gondola where we had a great lunch and enjoyed an AMAZING day

with good views. Top of the Gondola with Sonny and Karen

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Just another day at home......

There's no grass to cut - only decks to shovel. Winter in Jackson is definitely a little different then winter back home! I can't say that I've ever had to regularly shovel

snow off a deck...until now.

This is a view from our deck of the parking behind our place. The pile of snow from the plows and us shoveling almost reaches the side of our deck. A few times this winter we could have walked right off the side onto the snow.....now we would have to jump! :)

A view of the mountains from our deck! I cannot wait until the summer time!!!!!!

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Rachael's family came for a visit!!!!! What a week!

Us posing with a stuffed Buffalo in town square. We just finished an amazing dinner at the Snake River Grill. Good company, good food, and a lot of good times!!!!!

Me, Jay, and Rach. Jay also joined us for dinner. He's just one of the many interesting and fun people we've been so fortunate to meet here.

SNOWMOBILING ADVENTURE.....and what an adventure it was.

Rachael's family, Rachael, Tori, Megan, Justin, and I took at trip to Grey's River. We saw AMAZING scenery and the experience was one of a kind. I think the experience for the tour guide was one of a kind as well......by the end of the trip we had 3 people fall off the back, a girl drive off a cliff, and a lady crash run into a parked snowmobile. CRAZY. Thankfully no one was hurt but this was definitely an adventure/trip that will be remembered!

These pictures were taken at a ranch where we stopped for lunch. As part of the trip, a lunch is provided at the ranch which, in the winter, can only be reached by snowmobile. They offered burgers, chili, grilled cheese.....it was delicious and a great time to reflect on the trip so far.

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Rach, Megan, me, and Tori "modeling" the equipment......look for us in the next issue of Jackson Hole Snowmobiling!

We make this look good!

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This was my machine and just one of the many scenic spots along the way!

Rach and I

The crew.......

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Overall, the trip was incredible!! Grey's River is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've been this winter! The scenery was breathtaking and almost surreal in some spots. It's experiences like this that make being out here worth it. Living out here is definitely challenging and a struggle in so many ways but no matter how tough things get, when I look around I can't help but think that I am the fortunate one. You can't put on a price tag on what I've seen and done, you just can't. I can't wait for more people to come out here and experience some of this place!






I love you and miss you!!!!

Life This Week...

So to make a little extra money a few of us, inlcuding my roommates, decided to "work" for Chevy. We received an email saying that chevy would be in town for a few days doing some promo stuff and needed people to work for them. Money?... What?... I'M IN!

The job entailed wearing horrendous/homeless looking outfits not flattering in any way (seeing as how they were made for males making them several sizes to large) and surveying people on the mountain. Once you got over being the person that everyone was trying to dodge it actually wasn't that bad. At least not for me. I worked on Monday which ended up being a beautiful day!! Not to mention I was able to be on the mountain....we all know when the last time that was....... Anyway, it was a great day and making money on the side wasn't too bad either. Here are a few pictures I took.

This is Laura and I standing at the top of the Gondola "working". Yes, this is what we had to wear...no wonder people hid when they saw us coming.

This is a view of a couple slopes from the top of the Gondola.

I cropped this picture to try and give you a better view of the slopes. Apparently the bottom lift is Thunder, the middle lift is Sublet, and the top lift is East Ridge.

You can also see Corbet's. It's that dip with a narrow line of snow between rock just below East Ridge.

Man, I really did fall too early. My roommates have been all over those lifts and the stories are amazing. Unfortunately what you see here is the closest I'll get. It is a beautiful sight though!

A better view of Corbet's!

I'll keep the pictures coming!! Love everyone and hope that things are going well. Miss you.

Did I mention I have the best roommates EVER!!!!

This was my "WELCOME HOME" from my amazing roommates! They are awesome! That night consisted of.....Merry Piglets mexican food (yum, our favorite), CHRISTMAS PRESENTS :) , cake, balloons, and my roomies!! It was so great to be back!

Catching Up

Sorry it has taken me so long to update everyone, I've been trying to get settled in since I've been back. Here's a little taste of what's been going on: After a long day of traveling I finally got into Jackson around 6:30 Jan 30 and my wonderful rooommates came to pick me up!! We went to eat at our favorite restaurant (mexican that is super cheap) then home to have my Christmas since my presents arrived in Jackson the day after I left. My gifts were great and it was so good to finally see what I had gotten.....

My roomates also enjoyed Christmas for a second time thanks to my mom. There were really excited!

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As for getting back into a routine and life goes, I've pretty much been working as much as I can. On my days off I catch up on things or head to the gym for some physical therapy. Thanks to Megan I've been able to pick up a few babysitting jobs as well. I am truly glad to be back but at the same time it is hard. I came back to snow everywhere! There is a mound of snow behind our place that almost reaches our deck and in some spots you can't see the front of our house. It is so beautiful but so hard for me to enjoy it. One of the main reasons I love Jackson is how active the town is. It fits my lifestyle so well, or at least the kind of lifestyle that I want to live, and brings new challenges physically and mentally. But lately it seems like all this snow is somewhat of a hindrance. When I am staying busy with work it isn't so bad and I find myself being able to make excuses as to why I can't be outside. It is a different story on my days off. I want so badly to be able to head to the mountain with my roommates, to be able to join in on their stories and experiences, to be able to call my friends and family to share with them a new adventure, or to be able to accept the invites to try a new winter sport. But right now I just physically can't. I dislike the fact that I can't physically enjoy what this place has to offer. Thankfully I am surrounded by positive people that make the hard days a little easier. I know that I'll get stronger and come summer I'll be hiking every mountain I wish I could have skied. Until then we are going to have one clean house!!

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Since you can't enjoy my pictures right now, here are a couple that I borrowed from my roommates and some of their experiences.

Megan, a friend Jon, Tori and Rachael enjoying a day on the slopes.

Click here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zwUBMrRbSo

This is Megan, Tori, and Rach standing under Corbet's Couloir.

People jump from up there...crazy!!

Wait, now that I think about it I might just have to start telling people that is where my injury came from.....it makes for a better story then the Cat Track.

A picture of Jon skiing. Isn't our mountain beautiful!! This is why people risk skiing!

"Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing."

Before I go I just want to say thank you so much for a wonderful Christmas and for all of your support!! I hope that through these blogs you are able to see why I chose to live and experience this place even though I've had some difficulties and it is so far away from you all. No matter what I love you and am thankful to have such wonderful people in my life.

Update

It has been almost a month since I had my knee surgery and I just wanted to update everyone on how things were going.

Remember Week 1.

"DON'T MOVE ME!"

I knew that it was going to be a long road ahead.

Week 2.

"GET ME OUT OF THIS CHAIR AND GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"

Up and around but still on crutches. At this point I was ready to start physical

therapy and was waiting to see my doctor. I was ready for just about anything that would get me out of that chair and sitting inside all day.

Week 3.

"CAN I START RUNNING YET?!"

I had started physical therapy and was down to just 1 crutch. At this point I was ready to burn the things!

Week 4.

"I'M READY TO GO!"

NO CRUTCHES and I am getting my leg strength back. This is how I practice balance and building strength...."up with the bad, down with the good". Believe me, it's harder then you think!

Now that I can get around better I went ahead and booked my flight back to Jackson for 30th of this month! I can't wait. I'm ready to get back to work and back with my roomates. I will continue therapy on my own at that point.

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Meanwhile, back in Jackson.....

Rach and Megan made sure to include me on New Year's Eve. This is them wishing me a Happy New Year Georgia time. Love them!

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Tori and Rach's Teton National Park snowshoeing adventure...

Rach's snow angel....

Tori's snow angel....

Tori took off her snowshoes to see just how deep it really was.....knee deep!

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I can't wait to get back to my girls!

So, turns out I'm not a great skier......oops!

Sorry it has been a while since I've updated everyone on things, but here goes....

So, I am back in Georgia for now. I had a little spill while skiing and, of course, ended up tearing my ACL and Meniscus in my left knee. I always go big! I had to fly back to Georgia for surgery and some rehabilitation. I'm hoping to head back before the end of Jan and continue life in Jackson, but for now here's what you missed...

This is Casey and I at the top of the Gondola. This was taken probably an hour before I was carried down the mountain on a sled by ski patrol. Just so you know, I never, ever want to ride behind one of those things again and as if that wasn't bad enough, the guy from patrol wasn't even cute...bummer!

Back to Casey, I was skiing with her and her fiance Dick. I'm not sure how far we'd gone before I fell but I did get some great views and REALLY enjoyed the skiing. It was such a beautiful day! As for the fall, I think that I hit some ice where another run was intersecting what I was on and it twisted my ski. So, for all of you that think I can't ski and probably just lost all control and snowballed down the mountain, I'll have you know I felt the pop in my knee before I even hit the ground. All that other stuff happened after that.

I spent the rest of that beautiful day in the emergency clinic on the mountain then at home cringing every time I moved trying to tell myself and my roomates that it wasn't all that bad.

But as soon as I woke up the next day I knew that I was going home and had to make the dreaded call to mom and dad who were just getting used to no kids. :( With the help of work and friends I made it home 4 days later without having to rob a bank.

Those last 4 days........

We had planned to cut down our own Christmas tree but because of my little "incident" we weren't able to go. I was so bummed. I've never had a real Christmas tree before much less gone and cut one down from a national forest (don't worry, you go get a permit and they tell you where to go) and was really looking forward to the whole process. But, with the help of a good friend Dave, Tori cut one down and surprised us with it. It was perfect!

So, here we are decorating the tree with ornaments that Tori's grandparents sent. EXCITING!!!!

Rach got to put on the star!

Us with our tree!!!! :)

TA DA! Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree!

Other than decorating our tree, this is what I did......

Layed there! Rach played mom and took care of me while Tori worked. I was pretty useless. Who knew that just about everything on your body is attached to your knee. She was amazing though and so patient! Thanks Rach!!! I couldn't have done anything without you and I mean anything!

Yep, I'm going home. :(

This is Megan, Tori, me, and Rach on my last night in town. We, along with several other JHRL employees, were invited to dine at an Italian restaurant close to where we work. It was great! I love our job and the perks that go along with it. They just kept bringing us dishes to sample. Mmmmm, mmmmm, good!

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Back at home....

Having done this knee thing once before I knew that I would be sitting on my rear-end an awful lot, so I decided to make the best of it. Home work out videos! If I can't ski down on my feet, I'll use my arms!

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As for Christmas.....

I ended up spending the holidays with family after all. Too bad all of my presents weren't able to join me. My awesome family mailed my presents to me before my injury and of course they arrived the day after I left. Don't worry, they are sitting under our tree waiting on me to get back. My roomates are leaving everything up until I get back then we are having Christmas...again....oh yeah! I cannot wait.

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Surgery Time!

Waiting with my papa to get called back.

Hmmmm, I don't remember this one but it looks like they finished.....watch out Miss America, I'm in town. Yikes!

Back at home. This was where I stayed for the next 3 days. I HATE SITTING!!! I did pick up a liking for some Guitar Hero thanks to my friend Cathy. I'll never be as good as her but it helped pass the time. ha ha ha

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It's been 5 days since surgery and already I am a doing a million times better! I'm still on crutches though. I'll be on those a little longer. I meet with the doctor in 2 days to find out when I start physical therapy, where I go from here, and to receive my lecture for wanting to return to Jackson so soon. They haven't given me a recovery time but having done this before I know that it will take some time. I'll pretty much be out of commission for the season. As for traveling, I plan on heading back before the end of the month to start working again and live in the place I am still paying for. That is my goal but ultimately my decision will be based on whether or not I can walk, there's lots of ice out there and, well, we all know my luck.

Now that I can get around a little better I'll get back to updating everyone. Thanks for all of the warm thoughts and sweet cards. I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and great start to 2008!!!! Love you all!