i sing, i dance, i fall down

i've been a little busy. this past week i have driven to wyoming, moved into my dorm and started my new job. it's been a heck a lot of change.

to say that yellowstone is beautiful is a vast understatement. i cannot describe the beauty i have encountered in just my first few minutes in the park. i was greeted by five enormus(?) bison, all grazing by the side of the road. a few miles further, i drove over a stunning waterfall tumbling down the mountain face.

i was assigned to work at the lake hotel, which is the oldest hotel in the park. when we arrived, sheets covered the stacked furniture in the lobby, and it smelled untouched. they put us to work, learning all the policies and safety procedures. the heat had yet to be turned on, so we would bundle ourselves in coats and scarves as we sat in the meager light of the sunroom.

the hotel itself is a sleeping giant. an old lady that groans as winter releases it grip and spring loosens her cramped muscles. she is yellow, and rests on the shore of lake yellowstone as if to say that she watches and guards over her lake. her floors creak, and are slanted in some hallways. a giant fireplace welcomes all who enter the grand pink lobby with it's wicker furniture. a grand piano stands majestic in the center of the room, begging to be played. once guest arrive, string quartets will serenade them with the tunes of old.

she is a cross between older lake resorts and the hotel from the shinning, spooky when uninhabited, and grand when used by those who return summer after summer.

we are told we are privileged to work here, that we should be honored to spend our summer in her shadows.

it seems i can only post 9 entries a month, according to my posting history, so i'm going to keep it that way.

i now have officially less than a week until i leave for yellowstone national park to begin my summer employment. my dad has decided to make the trek with me! this is a huge weight off my shoulders. in a way i was looking forward to driving by myself, but i was nervous about the distance and length of driving days. now i will have someone to keep me company and take over driving when i get tired. plus i will not have to talk to myself, and scare other drivers around me with the faces i make when i am alone.

i have a few items on my to do list, including some shopping and packing. i still need to get an oil change and vaccum the tacks out of my car. my main concern right now is finding a laptop, as it the only means of communication i will have with the outside world. this has been a constant prayer of mine, and i am trusting that God will provide one for me.

my friend graduated from nursing school yesterday, and i am so proud of her.

jen has fibromatosis, her body grows tumors, many of which are around her spine. she has had many surgeries to remove the tumors. she has also had surgery to place metals rods in her back. it has been a long and painful road, and it's not over. but you would never know, looking at jen, that she has gone through so much.

jen always has a smile on her face, she is always laughing and poking fun at herself. she is so filled with joy that not even pain can remove that smile. this joy only comes from one source, her saviour Jesus Christ. jen will be the first person to tell you about him.

to be a great nurse, you have to know what it's like to be a patient. i know jen with be a great nurse, because she knows how it is to be a patient. she brings that infectious joy into everything she does.

i recently added another hole to my face. my nose now sports a stud the sparkles in rainbow hue. my parents were adament about not going through with it. my mom said no, my dad said over his dead body.

i did it anyway.

not to spite, or show that i do my own thing. i didn't mean it as an act of defiance. i'm not a rebel.

it was a bonding experience. i went with my best friends, we did this together. my friend michelle has never had her ears pierced. that turned into my friend rachel wanting to get something pierced, i suggested the nose. we experimented with eye liner. drawing vaious spots on our faces we thought might be appropriate. it made for a fun game. we talked for weeks, building up the proper enthusiasum. between the desicion to go through with it and the actual event, i talked myself out of it too many times. i went back in forth; do it, don't do it, do it...

the day arrived, and i had decided i would go for support, not to participate. i went through the script i had rehearsed in my head. i can't afford it, or my job won't let me are two of the excuses i was sticking with. the whole ride there i sweated, wringing my hands together. i told the girls i couldn't go through with it, and gave them the speech. they protested, and loudly. meg even got mad. fine, i'll do it, was the ultimate answer.

during the wait to get pierced, i had to hold my head between my knees. i kept asking myself why i was doing this. we were led to the back room, and i was told to get up on the chair. he spent his time gathering his tools, and making sure everything was sterilized. that made me feel alittle better. he then snapped on his gloves, made a few noises, and before i could blink, i had a nose piercing. it didn't even hurt.

it looks very classy, that's what my mom said to me when she found out. my dad was silent. eventually he came around. after we read in church about issac's search for rebecca, and how the servant, who was sent to fetch her, gave her a nose ring...

i just realized i leave for yellowstone exactly three weeks from today! i'm getting nervous, not the "i don't want to go" nervous, but the "i can't believe it's coming so soon" nervous. i have so much to do in such a short time.

i can only pray that God will calm my nerves, and that i can enjoy my time left with my family and friends.