Urban Cowgirl

Wow

2008-11-17T18:00:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, I was forced to participate in shooting clay pidgeons. Suffice it to say I have never been so TERRIFIED in all of my life and I never EVER want to shoot a 20 anything ever again!

Yay! I'm alive!

2008-11-11T15:29:00.003-07:00

Hey guess what? I haven't been eaten by mountain lions or fallen off a rock!

Wow, two months, really? What is my problem! I'm sorry it's been so long folks! So many things have been going on around here, it's hard to believe how fast the time has flown.
The Fall is not as wonderful as I thought it would be, although it has been fun all around. It's different to be setting up two tables for dinner instead of 25! Falls in Colorado are just breathtaking...and not just because it's cold enough to snow in October! When the aspens change color, it's like God sprinkled gold dust on the mountainsides.

Our first snow was interesting! I woke up and was about to walk out my front door in my slippers to go to work, when my friend Sable said, "Hey I think it snowed!" (it was still dark out so it was hard to see) I didn't believe her, and ended up walking to the dining room in my slippers in almost a foot of snow! We stopped in the middle of cleaning up from lunch to win a quick snowball fight with the kitchen guys.

The snow melted and the leaves fell, and now in the land is battening down the hatches against what could be a long cold winter. The ranch is enjoying a nice lull this week. We have 10 guests until Friday when we'll get in about 70 new guests for the weekend. Then the weekend after that, we're having the Staff Girl Reunion, when 40 previous staff girls are coming in for the weekend. It's going to be GREAT! Stasi Eldredge, John Eldredges wife is going to be our speaker (John wrote Wild at Heart, The Journey of Desire, The Sacred Romance, etc.) for the weekend, and I'm SO EXCITED! Then the next weekend is Thanksgiving, and we are going ALL out. We'll have 160 guests here for Thanksgiving...talk about a crowd! I can't wait. Tables and tables of food and friends and family to enjoy it with. It's going to be awesome.

Well, that's about all that's new here. Here's some pictures of a hike I took with my two closest ranch friends, Haley and Jenny. Hope all is well with you!

And here's a quick look at the Aspens in the fall!

Some pictures from the flood

2008-08-19T13:48:00.003-06:00

Remember that flood I told you about? Well...here's some pictures of the girls who saved the ranch...with a little help

And the rains came down...

2008-08-11T15:56:00.002-06:00

Well, last week was definitely an adventure. We finally had rain for the first time in two months and when I say rain I mean raaaaaiiiiin! I was sitting reading on my front porch swing when I noticed some foreboading clouds moving our way. I literally sat there for about 20 minutes and watched a curtain of rain slowly move its way over the mountains and onto the ranch. It started with just a soft rain but quickly moved to driving rain mixed with pea sized hail. All of a sudden, the entire maintenance crew and several kitchen guys converged on the front lawn and began throwing sandbags at a furious speed. I looked at my friend Haley and quickly knew what we'd be doing for the rest of the afternoon! I quick threw on a sweatshirt and my sneakers and we ran outside to help with shoring up the ranch for a flood. So, there we were, eventually about 30 of us...staff and guests...were out throwing sandbags and making walls to direct the creek if it decided to overflow. For about 45 minutes-ish I stood in soaking grass with rain and hail pounding down on me throwing sand-bags. I definitely will not win an award for my bag throwing skills...but I will say it was one of the best and most memorable days off that I've had on the ranch.

Starting this week, we start losing people in droves. Some of the staff that has been here for over a year and a half are leaving...and it feels like an institution is departing or something. I mean, when I think of the ranch, I think of these people. It's a little nerve wracking to think of the slack all of us who are staying are going to have to be picking up. It's exciting too...you know how I feel about change and new things...I'm REALLY looking forward to this change. It's hard watching people come and go, but it's exciting to think about what God is going to do here with a brand new staff. This week, I'll be taking over more responsibilities, and then next week I will be the official head waitress....AHHHH!!! I'm frightened, but getting a little bit more excited about it too.

God is so good! When I thought about 13 weeks at the beginning of the summer...I almost died. But now that I look back, I can't believe how fast time has flown. I"m so excited for the Fall and the community that comes with it. I can't wait to have time to actually get to know the staff that will still be here. It's hard because I don't really feel that connected to many people who are leaving, so I'm not that sad. But I'm excited to finally be able to dig deeper with the ones who are staying.

Well, that's all for now, I need to take a shower...Love to everyone!

Bush wacking.

2008-08-05T10:42:00.002-06:00

What's new...now there's a question!

I am now officially going to be the next head waitress of Lost Valley Ranch. Definitely not something I was expecting...at all. Definitely not something I'm looking forward to...at all. My friend Sable likes to say that God is a trickster. In this case, I'm beginning to agree. It does not follow, however, that his practical jokes are entirely unwanted. Just that I'd like a little warning before they show up. But then, I guess, life would cease to be an adventure.

And adventure becomes reality on this ranch. The other day, I went on a walk which started out on a path. A great path, infact. Wide, very definite, very predictable. Which is why I decided to leave the path, climb over the barbed wire fence and walk straight up the side of the mountain. I mean, who really wants to wait and follow the path? As I walked I realized the obvious analogy to my life. I'm pretty sure that every time I find a perfectly good path to follow, I decide to diverge from it into a long period of intense bush-wacking. I was on the fast track to a great life in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and decided to take a very large detour to become a rancher for a time. Bush wacking? I think so. Before that, I was on the fast track to being a teacher and decided to go to the one school in the country where no one takes a normal path and decided to abondon teaching for the elusive "liberal arts" degree. I'm a bush wacking extrodinaire! And I like it that way. So this little divergence back onto the path of leadership seems pretty fitting...and like a new adventure. So, I guess I am looking forward to it...aprehensively.

On light and bright side...last night we had a staff movie night on the lawn. We watched Ratatouille and sipped root beer floats and ate lots and lots of swedish fish...well, I did anyway. Definitely one of those nights that makes me thankful to be here. This week in general has been great. I'm serving a family of giants...not an exaggeration. They are all (women included) over 6 feet tall...I'm definitely the odd man out. But they are GREAT. I mean really great. And this is our last week in the 90's (guests and temperature!) so I"m pretty excited for the lower numbers in the coming weeks.

Well, time to do some much needed laundry. More news from across the Cattle Guard soon...

Hello Again from the World of Horses and 5 Minute Rain Storms...

2008-07-24T14:12:00.002-06:00

...that happen to shut off all of our phones and hot water. Lovely.

This week...well, it's been fun. I'm definitely coming off the low point of the summer I think and getting ready to kick the last stretch into high gear. Two momentous events happened this week which make me think that, yes, I can be added into the annals of true Lost Valley cowgirls.

The first was the big 8 Seconds viewing. Apparently, next to The Man From Snowy River, this film is a must see for anyone who wants to talk intelligently about all things western.

The second was the Waitrii's photo shoot, in which I, Heidi Kobin, voluntarily allowed myself to be photographed in chaps. And the pictures were GREAT! Or so I hear. I'll put the link on here when the photographer, the great Michael Bankston, sends it to me. Michael and Amy, if you're reading this...THANK YOU! You have been such a blessing this week, we've thoroughly enjoyed having you here!

And now, for the thing I've been waiting to post FOREVER...this is from our Thursday Newsletter, and I thought you all would get a kick out of it...

Minimum Requirements for Ranching

1. A wide brimmed hat, one pair of tight jeans and $20.00 boots from discount house
2. At least two head of livestock, preferably cattle one male, one female.
3. A new air conditioned pickup with automatic transmission, power steering and trailer hitch.
4. A gun rack for the rear window of the pickup, big enough to hold a walking stick and rope.
5. Two dogs to ride int he bed of said truck
6. A $40.00 horse and a $300 saddle
7. A little place to keep the cows, on land too poor to grow crops.
8. A pair of silver spurs to wear to BBQ's
9. A spool of barbed wire, three cedar posts and a bale of hay to haul around in the back of the pickup
10. Credit at the bank
11. Credit from your father in law
12. Credit at the feed store
13. A wife with a full time job at the courthouse

...and all of this is VERY true.

Finally...a good day

2008-07-13T22:17:00.002-06:00

I am feeling every day of the last 8 weeks! I'm exhausted and I just want to be Rumpelstiltskin for a few hundred years. I am beyond tired as a descriptor and have moved on to sheer exhaustion.

But...I am still so glad to be here. I've discovered the beauty in being exhausted because I am giving away every ounce of myself to someone (or in this case 92 someones) every hour of every day. There is such beauty and peace in giving yourself away. That must be why Jesus commands us to do it!

This past week was very hard. We had a family reunion of 52 people from Louisville, KY. Yeah, they were hicks! But, they were also so much fun. Especially the guy who doesn't believe in the Federal government, and therefore doesn't pay his income tax. Yeah...they do exist! I was looking forward to a good King's talk with him...unfortunately, I did not get a chance to because he was sick for a majority of the week. But, I got his email, so I'll be chatting with him soon, hopefully.

This coming week, I think, looks promising. Mostly because today has been one of my favorite days so far. On Sundays, all of the girls have to turn over the Ranch. That means, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, all of us run around like crazy women thoroughly cleaning each of the 26 cabins. It's insane! But, I don't do that anymore, because I stay behind to help the head waitress clean up from Breakfast and serve Lunch. But today, we didn't have lunch!! So, we got off an hour early, and I got to see the whole rodeo for the first time since the first week. It was awesome! And such a blessing.

Church was also a huge blessing. We have church every Sunday outside on a hillside overlooking the mountains...yeah, I'm pretty lucky :o)! Tony has been speaking on Philippians, so we were reading the end of chapter 2 when Paul talks about Timothy and Epaphroditus and their faithfulness to Paul. I praised God for giving me two amazing women here who have blessed me so much! Jenny Denman is our baker, and she is so wonderful! And then Haley Chesser, my old crew leader, is also so wonderful. We're going to start meeting on Monday nights to pray together...I never realized how special prayer is between women until I didn't have it any more. I've been praying for a new group of girls who will build me up and God gave them to me! He is so good.

Thank you for all of your prayers...I have felt every single one of them. I miss you all and I'm praying for you too!

Juuuuly the 4th and other things

2008-07-07T11:18:00.006-06:00

July 4th was not a fun day. I missed home the most I have in a very long time and it just was not fun! Everyone else, except waitrii, could leave the ranch that night to see fireworks, but we had to serve dinner so we couldn't. I was not a happy camper. But then...things got MUCH better, because we had sparklers after the melodrama! Yay! I was so excited that there was some serious dancing involved with the sparkler. Here's some pictures of our excitement...

Katelyn, my roomie...she's great

See...I was really excited!

So, even though it started depressingly, I did enjoy the end of the 4th.

In other news...Rain has not fallen here in over 5 weeks. Sometimes, we'll be lucky and it'll rain for five minutes, but then the front gets blown over the mountains. Everything is so dry! But, yesterday, we had a much longer rain...it lasted almost a 1/2 hour which was so great. Here's some pictures of crazy Colorado weather!

Here's Sawtooth in the hight of the storm

This is Helen's to the South of Sawtooth...you can see it already clearing...this was about 2 minutes after that first picture.

This is Sawtooth again...about 10 minutes later. That line is the front moving on...this happens daily, the WEIRDEST weather I've ever seen.

Oh! And, last but not least, I thought I'd post video of the longest bull ride thus far, clocked by Peter our head wrangler. There will be no speaking to him now...

Ok, Ok, time for an update!

2008-07-01T13:32:00.005-06:00

Right now I'm sitting in my friend Debbie's guest room NOT ON THE RANCH! I'm in Colorado Springs enjoying one of those priceless days God gives us sometimes, when everything seems perfectly designed to make up one perfect day. I left at around 11pm last night with my roomate Sable and Debbie and we drove the grueling 9 dirty, turny miles down the dirt road and off we went to Colorado Springs. I woke up this morning in a clean room (what a novelty) to the wonderful sound of...no horses! Sable and I quickly decided that a trip to Starbucks was a DEFINITE must. 20 minutes later, I happily sipped my vanilla latte and read...THE NEW YORK TIMES!!! Yes, they sold the NYT at Starbucks. I was thrilled...and disappointed because of all the great shows out right now, and very sad that I'm missing a J.M.M Turner exibit at the Met...Mom, you should definitely try to check that out while you're there! Let's see...what else has been going on? Well, this last week was...interresting to say the least. We have what we like to call our "emotional wall week" here on the Ranch, which I'm pretty sure I plowed down with a vengeance. Thankfully, I'm no longer freaking out about the endless monotony of the days all being the same here, and am again remembering that God has me here for a reason. I really do love this place...it's just the realization that every Tuesday for the last 48 years has been a square dance night (which I AM MISSING TONIGHT THANK GOD!) without fail freaked me out a little. I like change, as anyone who really knows me will tell you, so for me, it was a startling realization. But this week, the Lord has reminded me that He called me to this wilderness for a reason and that I will not die of the monotony. Anyway, that's the end of all this moping! I'm looking forward to this new week, with new guests and a new outlook on my mission here. Here's some pictures from the rodeo, and some video too that I've been meaning to include. Love to all!
Oh! And I slept outside again with some friends two nights ago...I could get used to going to sleep seeing stars shooting all over the sky and waking up to the sun rising over the mountains!

(and don't worry, mom, no snakes! :o)

some favorites! (L-R) Katie, Heather,Debbie, KaitlynOur Rodeo Clown! and one of my best friends here, Adam

We finally got our bulls, so Lucas here is attempting to ride. One of the guys, Alex, who has never ridden a bull before, stayed on for 6 seconds! Amazing Ride!

Ever seen the 3 Amigos?? This is Peter, Stone, and Russell doing the barrels, bareback, three on the horse. Poor Joanie! "Joanie the Roanie" was the first horse I rode here...I'm pretty sure the only reason they stayed on is because Joanie has one speed...and it's definitely NOT fast :o)

The bull finally did what it was supposed to do, and ran out the gate and down the bull run back to the pen...usually he runs clear to the South meadow instead. There were a few nervous guests high tailing it off of there.

Here's a video of the opening of the Rodeo. I wish I could have gotten the whole thing, but it hasn't rained here in a loooong time, so the ring is a dust bowl and the dust clouds kind of covered what was going on.

This is some video of Wes's bull ride from last week. Pay special attention to the commentary, that's Peter our head wrangler from Alabama...yes people really do talk like that...and also make sure you don't miss Tony, our Ranch Foreman's special dance on horseback...Let's Rodeo!

A Night of Stars

2008-06-19T15:50:00.002-06:00

Two nights ago, I was walking back home at about 10:00pm with my friend Haley and we noticed that the moon was full. In other words, it was as bright as day outside, and absolutely beautiful. Somehow, about 10 minutes later we had "borrowed" the head wrangler's truck...shoved in our sleeping bags and pillows in the back and were going to Table Rock to sleep outside.

Now, Peter's truck was quite a truck, but the ride out was still a little "off-roady" let me tell you! We took the jeep road up into the national park land and since the fire, all the trees up there are burned. So, imagine the moon shining down on forrest of sticks. It was eery and absolutely beautiful. The stars were amazing too...so bright it felt like I could reach up and grab one.

So, there we were driving, and driving, and driving...and not finding Table Rock. We had a wrangler map...but it definitely was not to scale, or even accurate for that matter. We kept looking for this bend in the road which I don't really think exists! After rummaging around in the back seat, we found Peter's deer spotter and decided to spot for the trail. Well, I spotted for the trail, which really was not a smart idea because I've never used a spotter before and definitely shined it in the side mirrors a few times and blinded myself. Eventually we decided to sleep on Turtle Rock instead because it was the only rock we could find.

The night was absolutely gorgeous! I think I slept better than I have in months and months and woke up so refreshed and ready for the day...and yes I did sleep on a rock! That'll probably go down in the annals as one of my favorite memories.

(And Susan, if you ever read this, I thought of you and our Creation adventure!)

Back by Popular Demand

2008-06-16T15:18:00.002-06:00

Things I've learned so far at JVL:

1. The difference between chaps and chinks is very important and you will be made fun of if you get them confused. For future reference--Chaps cover your entire leg...essentialy you're wearing leather pants OVER your jeans. Chinks, on the other hand only cover the front of your leg and include lots of fringe.

2. Having blingy belt buckles is not weird. Infact, you are frowned upon for not having bling on your buckle.

3. Cattle guards. They are not the wooden gate you drive through with "Lost Valley Ranch" on it. Actually they are these metal poles laid horizontally on the ground that when cows walk over...they get their hooves stuck.

4. Weather here is relative. You never believe the forecast, because inevitably, we set up a picnic outside in the sunshine and 5 minutes later we're getting poured on. Lovely.

5. Cowboy stereotypes exist...and they all seem to have an Alabama accent complete with black dusters, matching black hats and boots.

6. Square Dancing can be cool...but I probably will never admit that again.

7. It is possible to carry 4 plates at one time while remembering what all 8 people got to eat in gender/age order: oldest woman to youngest woman, oldest man to youngest man.

8. Cowboys do not have good taste in coffee. Period. Thus, I've been drinking a lot of tea

9. You will not lose weight eating what cowboys eat. I have never seen so many carbs in all my life.

10. Not all cowboys can ride a bronco. This was made evident when the head wrangler, Peter, who thinks he's kind of a big deal, got bucked the second his butt hit the bulls back. Then, Kyle's bull decided not to be ridden at all...jumped the fence and ran off into the meadow. I think one of us girls needs to teach them a few pointers...don't worry, it will not be me.

That's all for now, I have to shower and change for dinner!

And here's some more pictures too...

2008-06-06T22:32:00.003-06:00

Here's some pictures of a Jail Dinner... just some craziness before we started working for real. The girls are my Waitrii Crew who I love dearly (Marylou is the one with the long blonde hair, Jordan has the pink bandana, Lyndsy is the other blonde, Julie has short dark hair, and Liz has the long dark hair). The guys are the kitchen boys, Jack is the burger flipper and Byram is the ridiculously tall one. We have a good time, as you can see...

Weather-wise, It's Such A Gorgeous Day...

2008-06-06T21:39:00.003-06:00

Today was the perfect day. As I was walking to work this afternoon, I thought to myself, I feel like I live in Narnia! The sky was a shade of blue I have never seen before, somewhere between teal and navy. Everything was clearer and crisper, even the mountains looked harder. God did a good thing when he created this place.

Today I learned that the lowest point in Colorado is higher than the highest point in Pennsylvania...wow. It's certainly a different life out here...something I'm reminded of everytime I walk up the steps to my room and STILL huff and puff at the top, after three weeks. It could have something to do with Jenny the Baking Goddess's flourless chocolate cake...hmm.

Tomorrow is my second day off, I'm excited to do some hiking and hang out with the guests. It's their last day, so in the morning we go to the jail for some Wrangler Eggs and cinnamon rolls...yum. Then the guest rodeo is in the afternoon which I never get to see because I'm usually working, so I'm excited for that. Oh, and sleep. I'm REALLY excited to sleep. All this at work by 6:45 and in bed by 11 makes me slightly crazy.

I have had some amazing conversations with the girls I work with and more and more every day I'm realizing that God may have brought me here for other people more than for myself. That's a stunning revelation for one of the most self focused people on the earth. I've been asked to lead a Bible Study in Philippians...YES...and I'm really excited about it. I'm also helping to organize my crew devos every day. I spent a couple hours with Haley, my crew leader (who is SUCH a blessing) brainstorming about what to focus on for this season. We decided that these girls just need to meet Jesus as He really is (sound familiar Eric? :o) so we're going to cover some topics every week from Jesus' life. I'm SO EXCITED! I keep discovering more and more how much I love discipleship and praying with these girls is giving me so much life. I love it!

Last night was a great night. I sat on a porch swing and talked with one of my crew girls about some struggles she is having. It was so cool because I really felt for the first time like God's mouthpiece. I'm learning so much about how to love these girls well without measuring them to my standards. It's hard but it's good.

I thank God every day for calling me to this wilderness and for giving me these people for this short time. But, I'm also learning the value of me time. Somewhere along the way, I've become MUCH more of an introvert...yeah, I can hear you laughing. Never thought those words would come out of my mouth! But pouring myself out in service for 10 hours a day makes me just want to live in a cave for a while! Pray that God would show me a good balance, because today especially I really felt drained...and my work hasn't even BEGUN to get crazy.

Oh! This is another thing you'll love. Karen Foster, she and her husband own the Ranch, came up to me after I had served their table at lunch and said in her sweet southern drawl, "Heidi I so appreciate your attention to detail" HAHAHAHA!!! I really almost laughed in her face...definitely NEVER thought I'd be complemented about remembering details. This job has apparently brought out my OCD side which I didn't think I had. I guess after spending 20 minutes checking to make sure all the jam line in all the jam jars is comepletely straight across with no sticky smears, anyone can become a little OCD...even me.

And the end note...I'm going to be performing in our Wednesday night program. 4 girls and I are singing Shania's "That Don't Impress Me Much" but with the words changed around so we're essentially picking on the Wranglers...who could use to be dropped a peg or two...or five or six...so it'll be fun. Betsy Saddick used to work here and she and her husband plan the programs every year for the Ranch, so she re-wrote the song. It's really funny. I'll try to get someone to video it so I can post it on youtube or something.

Aaaand....I'm done. Miss you all and love you too!

I Have the Most Wonderful Friends!

2008-06-02T15:24:00.003-06:00

I really do have the most wonderful friends. I'm sitting in the staff room crying right now because I can't believe how blessed I am. For those of you who don't know, I decided not to go to Susan's wedding this past weekend. To make a long story short, I never felt at peace about leaving the ranch for the weekend. I really felt that God had a special reason for me to be here and that I needed to obey Him. So, I wrote two of the hardest emails I've ever written, and that's why you didn't see me last weekend. After avoiding my inbox for several days...I decided I needed to read my emails. Sus and Meg...your emails were so precious and so wonderful!!! You bless me more than you will ever know...I love you!

The great news is that God did have a special reason for me to stay. One of the girls on my team shared her testemony (we all do, but I would have missed hers) and although I can't share the details, I know that I needed to be there. It was the first glimpse of true community I've experienced here. Also, I had a long talk with a guest and I think God was able to use me to encourage her. Her husband left her for a "younger blonder wife" in her words, three years ago and it was good just to tell her that she would be in my prayers. Brooke and Tony also asked me to lead one of the girls Bible Studies which I am SO excited about! I'm also going to help Haley, my crew leader, come up with a devo plan for the waitrii crew which I'm also so excited about. All of this happened this weekend and wouldn't have happened had I done what I really wanted to do and flown out to be with you all. It's just one of those times where I wished we were in heaven. You know, so everyone could just be with me all the time on the same block of mansions. Some day, we're going to have the COOLEST block parties!

God has been teaching me so much about how he is glorified through broken people. His power is perfected in my weaknesses and when I choose to make myself vulnerable in front of these girls. Another girl shared her testemony today, a story so broken and so full of hurts and scars that I can't even think about it without crying. But she chose (...a little against her will...) to allow us into her story. She said that before us, only about five people knew about the things she shared. What an honor to be part of such an open community. Thanks guys for teaching me the value of vulnerability so that I can carry that with me into this new community. I'm really getting excited about working here!

Ha. Work. Today was not a red letter day for Heidi. We have this "high maintenance" family here for a reunion. In the space of a breakfast, I filled up the matriarch's mug which previously had tea in it...with coffee...TWICE. Oh Heidi. Then to make matters worse, I had the same family for lunch. Talk about awkward. Thankfully lunch went much better.

So in recap. I'm having a blast here and working my butt off. But, days off are so fun. This week, I went in to town, aka Colorado Springs. The road back to civilization winds through Deckers (which only has a tackle shop and a mini mart) and Woodland Park, home of the famous Hungary Bear restaurant and WalMart ( I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a WalMart before in my life). In the Springs, we went to a movie and out to eat at Carrabas...so fun! I spent time with some really fun girls and got to drive the whole way there with Pike's Peak right in front of me. Amazing.

Everyone should come out and visit!

RODEO!

2008-05-27T11:11:00.003-06:00

I just went to my first rodeo last night! It was so fun! The wranglers put it on for the new guests every week...this week was the first which made it even more entertaining! The events included a shovel race in which the cowboy on the horse had to rope the cowboy on the shovel and drag him back to the gate. Then they had a wrangler pick up tournament where they would race down to one end of the ring and the other guy jumped on the back of the horse and they raced off again. My crew leader, the lovely and talented Haley Chesser, roped a steer...and then they couldn't get the rope off the steer, so consequently there was no more roping after that...

The best event was Bareback Tag...yup they all jumped on their horses and chased each other around bareback trying to knock the other guys off their horses. It was hilarious.

Here's some pictures of the ranch and the rodeo...FINALLY! Sorry it's taken me so long.

I'm posting all of the pics on Facebook because this is too difficult to figure out...:o) There's also some good video I'll post.

Peace out cub scouts!

Square Dancing and AMAZING bread

2008-05-25T14:35:00.002-06:00

So, what's new...hmmm...

Well, last night I went to my second square dance ever. Fun may be going a bit far, but it was definitely enjoyable. I wish we did the Virginia Reel, but aparently there was too much butt slapping from the staff guys...or dudes as some choose to refer to themselves...so, they don't do that one anymore. I think it's pretty amazing that people can find ways to make THE VIRGINIA REEL inappropriate...but there you have it.

Another discovery...the bread here is AMAZING! Seriously, I can't even tell you how good it is. Fresh baked every day...yuuuuumy!

We've started having our first guests here this weekend, and serving has been going great. I don't think I've made too many mistakes, and I've been serving the same family basically all week, so it's been fun to get to know them.

Friendships have been getting better, but I still miss you guys SO MUCH it's ridiculous. Today in chapel, Tony (the Ranch Foreman...who by the way is AMAZING...he and his wife and two kids live on the Ranch and they are the most wonderful people ever) preached on Philippians 1:3-11--H.O.T. girls, those were the verses I read at our last meeting. Needless to say, I thought of all of your lovely faces and proceeded to start crying in the middle of his sermon. He already thinks I'm a little off my rocker though, so it shouldn't give him any really weird ideas...:o)

Well, that's all I need to go be social for at least a little bit!

Love and hugs to everyone!

I'm Out there Jerry, and I''m Lovin Every Minute of It!

2008-05-23T13:27:00.002-06:00

Ok, so perhaps a slightly inappropriate title...but there you have it.

I'm running on very little sleep right now, so beware of verbal vomit...

How am I? I am stretched, I am exhausted, and I am deeply satisfied. I love life out here. I loved New York, but there is something so amazing about being in the middle of nowhere in a tiny community without cell phones (not that I ever use mine anyway...) doing mind bending (sometimes breaking) work. I Love It!

I'm on what they call the "waitrii" (Way-Try) team...no one seems to know why they call us that, but essentially I'm a waitress. But this is like NO waitressing you've ever heard of! It's so hard guys, I can't even tell you. There's a million different minute details to remember about how to serve everyone to a 4 diamond standard while at the same time treating them like they are in my home...GAHH! Sometimes I think I'm going to go a little crazy! Then, I also have to remember what everyone orders because I can't write anything down except at breakfast when it's short order--AHHHH!! It's crazy. But like I said, I'm loving it.

Every morning I wake up, walk out my front door, and there's the mountains! In the morning when the light touches them, they turn pink and purple and orange, so beautiful! But the most beautiful thing about this place is the heart behind it...or hearts I guess? It's all about serving people and loving them into the body of Christ. We are never to talk about our faith unless the guests ask--we're just supposed to live a life that demands an explanation. I can't help but think these people have it right!

I don't know if I've ever told any of you about the Haymen Fire that happened up here, but you have to hear this story because it is a testament to the hand of God, literally, on this place. In 2002, a woman made a fire in the Pike National Forrest (which is where the Ranch is located) and sparks flew and started the largest (in acres burned) forrest fire ever recorded in Colorado. Because of the fire, all of the forrest surrounding the Ranch was burned. 10,000 (?) acres of Ponderosa Pine and Aspen GONE like that. But the amazing thing? The fire stopped directly on the property lines of Lost Valley Ranch! None of the Ranch got burned--nada, zilch. And, when you go up to Table Rock and look out over the valley, the undamaged land looks like a hand print. The hand of God is truly on this place. I can't believe that I get to live here!

Today I went on my first ride with the rest of the staff...SO fun! My butt is killing me from a rather bouncy trot, but it was so good to go out and have some fun with the other people who work here.

Oh man, I have to go shower and change before dinner, so I'll catch you all later!
Here's some prayer requests:
1. That I can serve correctly and serve well...becuase I keep forgetting little things and I'm getting frusterated!
2. That God will give me a good group of girls to be with. It's so hard coming to a new place and fitting in.
3. Pray for the Guests! the first batch comes in this week. Pray that they will see Jesus all over this place and all over us working here.

Love you all!

Preparations...Pull my hair out!

2008-05-16T08:43:00.000-06:00

Does anyone out there know who decided that one suitcase per person was a good luggage limit? I'd sure like to meet him (because let's be honest, it had to have been a guy!)

Due to this packing nightmare, I have now lost a good deal of sleep as well as several hairs which I am particularly attached to. All of you West Coasters who did this all the time over the last four years--I tip my hat (which, I don't have yet) to you.

All things considered,though, this has been a good week at home. I haven't had to cook once--hallelujah!--and I am accomplishing things which is sort of a miracle. For instance, after today I will be officially Red Cross First Aid and CPR certified--so if you ever get bit by a spider, call me.

I leave tomorrow morning for the great unknown and while I'm out of my mind excited, I also feel more than a little bit nervous. Here's to the great unknown! I love an adventure!