I had to sign up for insurance today...I've never felt more like an adult. It was a terrible feeling. I'm currently accepting condolences.
Well, it's 4AM in the mountains right now and I am wide awake. Why? I'm glad you asked; there are several reasons. 1.) I'm rocking out to music videos on youtube, 2.) I'm chugging Mountain Dew like it's about to go out of style, and 3.) I'm at work. That's right, I am a true night owl now; I am officially a night auditor and no longer a front desk agent. Because I'm a year round employee now, I get benefits from the company, like paid time off, sick leave, and health insurance. I've had a few people ask me what I do in my job now, and let me tell you, it's not all youtube and blogging. It is a lot less busy than front desk, obviously. I now work 10 hour shifts, from 10PM-8AM, 4 days a week with 3 days off. I come in at 10, check in the 3 or 4 remaining guests, answer phone calls, deliver guest requests, and check out the early morning departures...that's all typical front desk stuff. Night audit specifically runs the audit. I print the reports, make sure all the money the hotel and restaurant has taken in for that day balances in the computer system, back up the computer system, and deliver the bills and newspapers. I actually really love this job. It's a lot calmer than working the front desk during the day. Balancing the money is more intricate and complicated, but there aren't as many guests yelling at me and calling me stupid, rude, unhelpful, and terrible at my job, and that's always a plus. :)
The two weeks from Christmas to New Year's Eve/Day were absolute pandemonium. The hotel was sold out (or close to) every single night. I now understand why some people hate the holiday season. I'm not saying I hate Christmas now, but it is definitely a different side of things to be working during the holidays instead of spending them with family. New Year's Eve was madness, in a good way though. Let me paint you a picture: NYE was my first night on as auditor by myself after training for a couple of days. It was the end of the month, and the end of the year (meaning I had to close out for both an entire month and the whole year, and those are both completely different procedures to the ones I ran when I was training), the lobby was like Grand Central Station with all the drunks coming back from the bars the entire night, and ONQ (Hilton's computer system) was undergoing scheduled end of the year maintenance. Complete and utter madness. But it was great. No night compares to NYE. Everyone is so happy to be alive, and so friendly and excited to talk to strangers. Every other night of the year, people seem to be so closed up, and it's as though New Year's is the one night where we're granted permission to be open and happy and friendly and outgoing. The free cookies we hand out probably helped a lot with that, too. We had these nutcrackers by the front doors that are taller than me (not a stretch, I know, but 6 foot tall nutcrackers are still pretty big) that actually work (their mouths opened and shut) and so many drunk people came up to touch them, and hug them, and one girl tackled one because she was so excited. I found a passed out drunk in the hallway, who security had to escort back to his room. Couples forgot they were in a hotel, and tried to get frisky in the lobby. I found discarded clothes outside rooms. Happy 2012, everyone!
Actually, that whole day was an adventure. At 5am the morning of the 31st, the entire town of Breckenridge lost power, including our hotel. Power was down for 6 and a half hours. Chairs lifts couldn't run, our phones and computer system were down, no lights, no hot breakfast, no coffee (the only reason I list that last one is because that is the one guests cared about the most) and this all throughout the entire town. Winds that night and morning were over 100mph. We'd never seen anything like it. Sure, the lights have flickered here before, but they had never been down for more than a couple of minutes and they certainly had never been down for the whole town before. I ended up staying 2 extra hours to cover things at the front desk...the hotel was sold out that night, so the lobby was soon filled with people wanting news, people trying to check out (impossible, computer systems were down), people wondering why they couldn't get a call out (the entire AT&T system for Breck went down too, as well as the phone lines in our hotel), people wanting breakfast (we ended up comping a cold breakfast for everyone), people wanting coffee (we were brewing it behind the front desk in individual coffee makers and giving it out one cup at a time). It was a crazy, mad adventure.
I went skiing the other day! What with work and everything else, I didn't have a chance to get out on the mountain until a few days ago. I went with a couple of friends, and rented skiis for 2 days (I got skiis for 2 days in exchange for a case of beer; that's how locals pay for things here) and went skiing for the first time ever in Colorado. First time, and last time for about 4 weeks because I may or may not (and by may not, I mean I definitely did) have cracked multiple ribs. Don't judge me, it was my first time up in about 12 years, and while my brain may have known how to slow down and stop, my legs were having none of it. I french fried when I should have pizzaed. A lot. But don't get me wrong, it was awesome! I wish we had those falls on video, because we'd probably win money. I have bruises that are slowly fading, and the ribs only hurt when I laugh or cough or sneeze...so that fact that I have a cold, and I only cough and sneeze, isn't really helping matters lol. But it's Colorado, go big or go home, right?
Miss you all! :)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Saturday, December 24, 2011
A New Job, and a Christmas Miracle
Great news! One of our year round night auditors quit two days ago, and my bosses offered me her job! I'll be less involved with the guests, and more involved with the accounting and marketing side of things--which is cool, because it's another aspect of the front desk that I haven't learned yet. The position is year round--so instead of leaving in April like I was planning, I will be here for the forseeable future--and includes health benefits. The hours are probably going to be the most difficult part to get used to, 11pm-7am and 10pm-6am, and it'll be much more solitary, but I'm actually okay with the solitude aspect of the job. The job's a promotion actually, because it's year round instead of seasonal (so it's like a real, big kid job) and it comes with a pay increase, too!
Right now my schedule is pretty wacky, because they're transitioning me onto nights but they still need me to cover my front desk shifts on the holidays. I work Christmas Eve morning, tomorrow afternoon on Christmas Day, New Year's Eve from 4pm-6am (that one is going to suck), and New Year's Day 10pm-6am. The same people are covering the New Year's Eve afternoon and evening shifts and the New Year's Day morning shifts, so we're actually just bringing food and staying overnight at the hotel, and having our own party.
Now for the best story ever! So I was working last night when I got a phone call from another hotel asking if we had available room for a group of 5 adults and 2 dogs (this other hotel couldn't take them because they weren't pet friendly). I told the girl on the phone that yes, we had a room with 2 queens and a pull out sofa bed and I told her the rate, and she said she would send them right over. When the guests got to the hotel to check in, I quoted them the same rate that I told the woman on the phone and it turned out that the girl never told the guests the new rate, which was close to $300. The man's face fell, and he asked, "So, I'm going to be out another $300?" He explains that his daughter had booked a condo for 2 nights with a guy online and already given him $340...turns out that the condo guy doesn't exist, there's no condo, and this family was stuck without a place to stay over Christmas weekend and they were out hundreds of dollars. And then the guest said he wouldn't be able to stay two nights at 300 a pop each night--not counting a per night charge for parking or the pet fee--so he would have to shorten his vacation to just one night instead, and asked if we would be able to store boxes for him during the next day so his family could go skiing one day. Unacceptable! By this time his daughter was at the front desk, and she was texting the rest of the family in the car, probably telling them the bad news. My manager Jodi had walked up to me by this time, so I turned to her and explained what had happened and asked if I could give the guest my employee discount for friends and family, which is $99 per night. Of course Jodi said yes because she's awesome. You should have seen their faces...the daughter was already tearing up, and the dad looked like we just gave him the moon. We changed his reservation back to 2 nights, when Jodi came back up and told me I was allowed to give them my employee discount and I could waive the parking fee for both nights and the pet fee. My employee discount is $39 per night, and the parking fee is $20 per night and the pet fee is another $30. We gave them one of our best suites (which aren't even allowed to have dogs) for less than $100 for their entire stay...a rate which should have been at least $670. When they heard this, the daughter left the desk so she didn't cry in front of us (because I was about to lose it), and the dad just sobbed at the desk. He completely lost it, I was losing it, I almost lost it agian while I was writing this. It was a Christmas miracle, and one of the best moments of my life :) The family freaking loves us; they were so ecstatic and grateful.
Right now my schedule is pretty wacky, because they're transitioning me onto nights but they still need me to cover my front desk shifts on the holidays. I work Christmas Eve morning, tomorrow afternoon on Christmas Day, New Year's Eve from 4pm-6am (that one is going to suck), and New Year's Day 10pm-6am. The same people are covering the New Year's Eve afternoon and evening shifts and the New Year's Day morning shifts, so we're actually just bringing food and staying overnight at the hotel, and having our own party.
Now for the best story ever! So I was working last night when I got a phone call from another hotel asking if we had available room for a group of 5 adults and 2 dogs (this other hotel couldn't take them because they weren't pet friendly). I told the girl on the phone that yes, we had a room with 2 queens and a pull out sofa bed and I told her the rate, and she said she would send them right over. When the guests got to the hotel to check in, I quoted them the same rate that I told the woman on the phone and it turned out that the girl never told the guests the new rate, which was close to $300. The man's face fell, and he asked, "So, I'm going to be out another $300?" He explains that his daughter had booked a condo for 2 nights with a guy online and already given him $340...turns out that the condo guy doesn't exist, there's no condo, and this family was stuck without a place to stay over Christmas weekend and they were out hundreds of dollars. And then the guest said he wouldn't be able to stay two nights at 300 a pop each night--not counting a per night charge for parking or the pet fee--so he would have to shorten his vacation to just one night instead, and asked if we would be able to store boxes for him during the next day so his family could go skiing one day. Unacceptable! By this time his daughter was at the front desk, and she was texting the rest of the family in the car, probably telling them the bad news. My manager Jodi had walked up to me by this time, so I turned to her and explained what had happened and asked if I could give the guest my employee discount for friends and family, which is $99 per night. Of course Jodi said yes because she's awesome. You should have seen their faces...the daughter was already tearing up, and the dad looked like we just gave him the moon. We changed his reservation back to 2 nights, when Jodi came back up and told me I was allowed to give them my employee discount and I could waive the parking fee for both nights and the pet fee. My employee discount is $39 per night, and the parking fee is $20 per night and the pet fee is another $30. We gave them one of our best suites (which aren't even allowed to have dogs) for less than $100 for their entire stay...a rate which should have been at least $670. When they heard this, the daughter left the desk so she didn't cry in front of us (because I was about to lose it), and the dad just sobbed at the desk. He completely lost it, I was losing it, I almost lost it agian while I was writing this. It was a Christmas miracle, and one of the best moments of my life :) The family freaking loves us; they were so ecstatic and grateful.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Apparently, I'm pretty terrible at this whole blog thing...whatever. I've accepted I'm terrible at it and moved on, so should everyone else.
Work is about to be crazy so I'm trying to update everyone before my life starts spiraling and I stop replying to texts and calls. It is Breckenridge's 50th anniversary this season, and we've got Dew Tour starting in a couple of days, and the normal amount of tourists just making holiday vacation plans, so all in all the hotel is sold out for the next couple of weeks. We actually had to impose a 5 night stay minimum for any reservation that takes place over December 29th. Our lobby has been decked out for Christmas for a couple of weeks now, and the whole town is covered in lights and holly and various other Christmas-y type shenanigans. I've never seen an entire town go all out for Christmas before; it's cute.
I got frostbite the other night, so that's new. I was walking home without a hat (LIKE AN IDIOT) after a night out with co-workers and the top of my left ear got frostbite. It's healed now, I have normal feeling in it and everything, so I actually got the first stage of frostbite called frostnip. But it was still painful at the time, and I don't personlly recommend it to anyone. I just got back yesterday morning from Texas, actually. I went with a friend I met at Jenny this past summer who lives in Breck now--it was his mom's birthday so we drove down there to surprise her. It was a lot of fun.
It's difficult to post updates from Breck. In Wyoming there was always something to report on: I went on a great hike, I ran away from a bear, I didn't die...you know, the usual updates. It was like a vacation that lasted for months. But here, it's just like normal life. People don't just vacation here (like they did in a national park); people live here and have lives here. Kids go to school here. So my updates aren't really updates; my daily life is like everyone else's, just with more frostbite. So unless something major happens, I don't update very often.
But anyway. Love and miss you all!
Work is about to be crazy so I'm trying to update everyone before my life starts spiraling and I stop replying to texts and calls. It is Breckenridge's 50th anniversary this season, and we've got Dew Tour starting in a couple of days, and the normal amount of tourists just making holiday vacation plans, so all in all the hotel is sold out for the next couple of weeks. We actually had to impose a 5 night stay minimum for any reservation that takes place over December 29th. Our lobby has been decked out for Christmas for a couple of weeks now, and the whole town is covered in lights and holly and various other Christmas-y type shenanigans. I've never seen an entire town go all out for Christmas before; it's cute.
I got frostbite the other night, so that's new. I was walking home without a hat (LIKE AN IDIOT) after a night out with co-workers and the top of my left ear got frostbite. It's healed now, I have normal feeling in it and everything, so I actually got the first stage of frostbite called frostnip. But it was still painful at the time, and I don't personlly recommend it to anyone. I just got back yesterday morning from Texas, actually. I went with a friend I met at Jenny this past summer who lives in Breck now--it was his mom's birthday so we drove down there to surprise her. It was a lot of fun.
It's difficult to post updates from Breck. In Wyoming there was always something to report on: I went on a great hike, I ran away from a bear, I didn't die...you know, the usual updates. It was like a vacation that lasted for months. But here, it's just like normal life. People don't just vacation here (like they did in a national park); people live here and have lives here. Kids go to school here. So my updates aren't really updates; my daily life is like everyone else's, just with more frostbite. So unless something major happens, I don't update very often.
But anyway. Love and miss you all!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
First post from Colorado!
Well. It's supposed to snow between 1 and 2 feet overnight tonight, so I've got that going for me...
On Thursday I will have lived in Breckenridge, Colorado for two weeks. It's a pretty little town. Everything is clustered around Main Street, and there are several plazas where multiple stores are stacked on top of each other. I could probably live here for years and not visit every little shop and restaurant and gallery, that's what I said to my mom when she was here with me for the first two days. My mom flew out to Breckenridge with me at the beginning, to help me find a place to live. We flew into Denver the morning of the 17th, drove to Breckenridge, and spent the whole day looking for a place. We didn't find anything the first day, so we went back to the hotel I am working at to ask for a room at the employee rate, and they ended up letting us stay for free that night. The next morning, I ended up finding an apartment on Craigslist and emailing the poster. When Mom and I were at breakfast later, the woman who posted the apartment called me to set up a time to come see the place. Long story...well, still pretty long, I guess...anyway, after we set up a bank account, we went and looked at the place. It's a house, and the couple that owns it lives upstairs and they rent out the basement. The basement includes a bedroom, a kitchenette, my own bathroom, and the washer and dryer. So it's basically like I have my own apartment. Pretty sweet.
Work has been...interesting. Well, actually, that's a complete and total lie. Work has been tedious. The Great Divide Lodge (the hotel where I work) is a Vail Resorts property, that's why I was hired here, because I worked for Vail Resorts this summer. However, the hotel was recently completely renovated by Hilton Hotels. The Great Divide Lodge no longer exists; we are now a DoubleTree by Hilton. While still being owned by Vail, we are also owned by Hilton. I don't know how this works; it seems very complicated. What it means though, is that everyone working at the front desk has to complete Hilton training and classes and, ultimately, testing. Last week was Hilton training, and this week has been classes. On Saturday we have our test to make sure we are up to standards. Basically what all this boils down to is that I work for both Vail and Hilton, so I can now be hired by either of those hotels, anywhere in the world. I'm doing pretty well in the hotel business, seeing as how it's no where close to what I thought I'd be doing with my life, haha.
We open on the first of November and the mountain (ski season) opens on November 11th. so wish me luck :)
On Thursday I will have lived in Breckenridge, Colorado for two weeks. It's a pretty little town. Everything is clustered around Main Street, and there are several plazas where multiple stores are stacked on top of each other. I could probably live here for years and not visit every little shop and restaurant and gallery, that's what I said to my mom when she was here with me for the first two days. My mom flew out to Breckenridge with me at the beginning, to help me find a place to live. We flew into Denver the morning of the 17th, drove to Breckenridge, and spent the whole day looking for a place. We didn't find anything the first day, so we went back to the hotel I am working at to ask for a room at the employee rate, and they ended up letting us stay for free that night. The next morning, I ended up finding an apartment on Craigslist and emailing the poster. When Mom and I were at breakfast later, the woman who posted the apartment called me to set up a time to come see the place. Long story...well, still pretty long, I guess...anyway, after we set up a bank account, we went and looked at the place. It's a house, and the couple that owns it lives upstairs and they rent out the basement. The basement includes a bedroom, a kitchenette, my own bathroom, and the washer and dryer. So it's basically like I have my own apartment. Pretty sweet.
Work has been...interesting. Well, actually, that's a complete and total lie. Work has been tedious. The Great Divide Lodge (the hotel where I work) is a Vail Resorts property, that's why I was hired here, because I worked for Vail Resorts this summer. However, the hotel was recently completely renovated by Hilton Hotels. The Great Divide Lodge no longer exists; we are now a DoubleTree by Hilton. While still being owned by Vail, we are also owned by Hilton. I don't know how this works; it seems very complicated. What it means though, is that everyone working at the front desk has to complete Hilton training and classes and, ultimately, testing. Last week was Hilton training, and this week has been classes. On Saturday we have our test to make sure we are up to standards. Basically what all this boils down to is that I work for both Vail and Hilton, so I can now be hired by either of those hotels, anywhere in the world. I'm doing pretty well in the hotel business, seeing as how it's no where close to what I thought I'd be doing with my life, haha.
We open on the first of November and the mountain (ski season) opens on November 11th. so wish me luck :)
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Badger Rump
Here's the newsletter I wrote for the end of the season at Jenny
The Badger Bares His Teeth
Vail Resorts hit reality show “Jenny Lake Lodge” kicked off another season with 50 random strangers abandoned at an old lodge in the middle of nowhere. Contestants were unsure what exactly the prize they were all fighting to win was, but with enough booze on hand to fill Jackson’s Hole, they didn’t really need a legitimate reason to fight or win.
Director Scott Greene took one look at this seasons group of misfits, outcasts, and outlaws, shook his head and began drinking heavily. He was heard to mutter as he walked from his cabin on the first day, “Well, at least it won’t be boring.”
Contestants arrived on the scene to find themselves shoveling snow and complaining incessantly about the damn cold. In order to battle the frigid conditions, a few contestants were happy to have sleepovers and the rest were happy just to comment on the sordid going ons.
Viewers at home did not have to wait long for the drama to begin. Within a few short weeks of pretending to work, two of the contestants were voted off the show and exiled to warm and sunny Florida. Go figure…
Things settled down, but just for a bit. That’s when the kitchen added a few new replacement contestants: a spitfire named Jaja and a big wooly pirate named Clark. All hell broke loose as the dining room hostess Mary Katherine left the show due to a costume malfunction, and a plague of mosquitoes descended onto the lodge. The dining room staff then stole Conrad from the Jackson Lake Lodge show at the time when one of their own decided to defect to the front desk. Viewers were then sad to see one of the Meg(h)ans leave early for college, breaking up the complete collection: one each in red, blonde, and brunette.
The weather had magically transformed the camp into a beautiful, alcohol-fueled playground, and shenanigans were afoot everywhere. Midnight hikes and bike rides were abundant, as well as skinny dipping in the placid waters of String Lake. There were campfires and late night hookups…and then the demon alcohol raised its ugly head. All the children began to disappear from the lodge and the whistle pigs were soon to follow. Arguments and all manner of ugliness abounded.
Miraculously, Christmas in August arrived on the scene. Viewers found out that the contestants can actually clean up and act real nice. Gifts were exchanged, hugs, kisses and well wishes, too. And, for some unknown reason, Rich the bartender concockted an almost devil’s concoction of jalapenos, tequila, and turpentine that drove the inmates insane and wiped them out for the night and most of the next day. Little John led the Christmas carols with gusto and enthusiasm…too much gusto, prompting Director Greene to worriedly ask, “Is he working in the morning?” And yes he was…When Greene asked the blurry eyed Abigail if she too was working the breakfast shift, she retorted, “Hell no, Scott Greene.” Santa had a number of ladies (and men) sit on his lap (some for a seemingly exorbitant amount of time) which he didn’t mind at all.
Christmas and the good cheer carried on for another five days and all came to an abrupt and crashing end on the Jenny Lake Lodge new years. The Yellow Bandit struck on skid row in the tidy little home of the two who must not be named. The overwhelming degradation and disrespect was too much for the two and they both went bezerk: flailing on the walls, uncontrollable shouting, crying, and carrying on through the wee hours of the morning. Director Greene was summoned to the scene as the network producers intervened. The two who must not be named were banished in the dark of night, never to be seen again. The cheers are still echoing up in paintbrush canyon to this very day. A heartfelt “thank you” Yellow Bandit, from the contestants of Jenny Lake Lodge.
Brad, a planted network spy at the front desk, took to making prank phone calls at all hours. The show’s own Little John happened to crack one night while on duty and yelled at some rich and very needy guest attempting to make a dinner reservation, “Brad?! Is this you, Brad?!” causing the guest to rethink his dinner and stay at the lodge. Another call to the unflappable Australian Luke Bob was concluded with “Yes, your children can go play in the horse corral. Thank you for calling Jenny Lake Lodge” and a click.
A swing was added to Dana, Abigail, and Meghan’s cabin, and a stripper pole was planned for future parties in the rec room. Now animal hats began to appear whenever alcohol made its presence known. The bipolar bear and the Big John leopard were favorite fashion accessories for many contestants. The afore-mentioned John even slept many nights naked in the leopard hat. With only three weeks left until the season finale, Uncle Nate threw a wrench into the kitchen works by claiming the kitchen crew could no longer work on Sunday evenings. They would be attending religious ceremonies of Santeria, led by Julio, the dishwasher. Seems Julio is the shaman in some backwoods village down in Mexico. Chef Al laughed in their faces and said, “Get back to work you losers, or else! Santeria, my ass.” She got really sick after that…
With all the drama and the seemingly spooky going ons throughout the season, Jose was constantly ordering other contestants to “calm down” and pleading “no drama, it’ll be alright.” But with the season finale in sight, pandemonium reigned supreme. Viewers at home were sad to see Margie and Brad leave with only a couple of weeks left in the season. Contestants sent them off with fond farewells and wish them happiness and good luck.
Viewers were unpleasantly surprised to tune in one night and find the contestants missing and employee village deserted. Cameras panned around only to show a shuttered lodge and no sign of human habitation. Those 50 contestants were never heard from again. (final paragraph in works, not to be published/written yet).
Crime Wave Sweeps Jenny Lake
Throughout the season employees at Jenny Lake Lodge were menaced by what authorities are calling The Yellow Bandit, or Bandits. According to National Park Server Officer Farva, The Yellow Bandit "is definitely two different people and are not working together." When questioned further about the identity of either Bandit, Officer Farva offered no comment. Two separate cabins, about three months apart, were hit by the Bandits. Even though pools of evidence were left behind police have no leads on the suspects. The cabins hit, Rock Chuck and Symmetry, are dealing with the stream of crime as best they can. The residents of Rock Chuck declined to comment, saying only they dealt with the situation themselves. The former residents of Symmetry could not be reached, but this reporter does have to admit that that rug really tied the room together.
On a related note, Anthony Ambrose is facing a copyright lawsuit from James Friend reproducing Mr. Friend's image onto t-shirts without his express written permission. Upon discovering the Jenny Lake Legend t-shirts on employees and guests alike, Mr. Friend declared, "I'm suing! I never gave my permission to use my image! I'm a hot commodity; you gotta pay to wear me!" He pouted in the kitchen and would only return to work when Justin Rade promised Mr. Friend that he would be paid a quarter every time someone wore one of the Legend's t-shirts. Mr. Friend then stormed into the dining room and ordered whomever would listen to "wipe those damn credenzas."
Mayor Congratulates Jenny Lake Lodge for Epic and Heroic Rescue
Unbeknownst to most employees at Jenny Lake, there exists an epic band of heroes living among them. Content to fade into the background until needed, they are willing to stagger into any situation, guns blazing and with no thought for potential consequences.
One bright sunny afternoon, after the lunch crowd had (FINALLY) left after demanding window seats and tables with views of the lake, OPERATION: RESCUE commenced.
A baby was discovered outside the employee dining room, abandoned when he was only a few days old. Trained to respond to more dangerous situations than the Marines, Navy Seals and the Justice League combined, Jenny Lake staff sprang into action.
Attention was brought to the baby by Kimmy Walt. Rich Long quickly responded, along with Brad Evans and Josh "the Gooch" Gooch who deployed all of the Gooch's helicopters and boats to save the orphan from swarms of ants. However, once the baby was saved and all the employees sat around wandering what the hell they were supposed to do with an infant, it required the robust, take charge attitude of The Spaniard to really save the day. Fernando and Mercedes Moreno graciously opened their house and hearts to the orphan and named him Charlie.
Michelle Hester-Davies, medic to the staff, nursed Charlie back to health and fed him every night for weeks. Charlie, the darling of Jenny Lake Lodge, scampers and plays about all day in his new home outback in the trailer park, thanks to the heroic band of misfits living at Jenny Lake the summer of 2011.
2011 Tour de Jenny: The Race of Champions
Thirteen people started the race this year, and thirteen people (eventually) finished it. No one died or was horribly mangled, there was no treachery afoot, and everyone kept their clothes on, and onlookers went home a little disappointed because of that. The 2011 Tour de Jenny kicked off with a bang on August 25th. And I mean that literally: for about seven seconds there was rain, hail, thunder, and lightening. But that was not enough to stop anyone from jumping on one of the Cruisers and pedaling for all they were worth; go big or go home they say at Jenny Lake. Now, this reporter was not present for the race, so she is just going to make this up as she goes along.
Surprising absolutely no one, Bradley Penrod was the Tour winner of 2011. He was awarded a t-shirt and trophy which he will treasure forever. Ross Griffith came in second place, which is understandable considering he likes to saunter up mountains on his days off like it's no big deal. Tony Ambrose tied for third with Nadine Allen. Nadine was crowned winner of the women's division and the winner of the most prettiest bike division. Colin Hemens won the (apparently) coveted Spam award, finishing first in the kitchen division and fourth overall. Clark Meyers finished next, second for the kitchen and fifth overall. He was awarded tomato sauce, which he immediately drank. Third for the kitchen and sixth overall was Luke Biewick, winning the Chef Boyardee ravioli.
Other contenders this year were Luke Bob School who crossed the finish line in his typical, nonchalant fashion. Race observers were heard to say, "It looked like he didn't care at all; we though he was sleeping." Chef Alyson Zimmerman finished next, followed by Jordan Cox and Aurora Zarraga. Scott Hourigan won the fruit cocktail by finishing last. When asked what happened by adoring fans, he stated, "I had a strategy! I started out in the back and was going to pull ahead when everyone else got winded, but I couldn't catch up." Bobby was unable to finish the race on account of being attacked by a bear. Or he had a flat tire, one or the other. This reporter was not really listening (or completely sober) when people were talking to her about the race.
Memorable Quotes
Let’s play a little game. See if you can figure out which Jenny Lake staff member said which quote this summer.
“Take that whore her food!”
“Sometimes I just sit there and watch you sleep, just to see if you’ll wake up.”
“I just want to go to an island and drink a gallon of whiskey.”
“You need to calm down. You need to calm down and you need to have a drink.”
“I like this jacket because it showcases my belly button.”
“We got the 4 diamond award again, so you guys didn’t fuck it up.”
“Experience of a lifetime, my ass.”
“That was my main purpose in coming out here: to save for a boat. Well, the helicopter was in there too, but mostly the boat.”
“I don’t know what happened, I got hung up on. Oh. Wait. I know what happened: I hung up the phone.”
“There is a science behind the ice run!”
“This is my bed woman and you will do what I want.”
“What?! There’s fresh cookie dough and I’m eating this bullshit?!”
“Can my kids go in the corrals and play with the horses?”
“Yes.”
“We’re just one happy family…one happy, dysfunctional family.”
“That’s what I said on the end of year video last year!”
But Seriously…
On a more serious note, every person here went above and beyond to keep Jenny Lake Lodge running this season. We became a family…a dysfunctional, screaming and crying and hugging and making up after the booze runs out kind of family, but a family none-the-less. Wherever we end up after our season at Jenny Lake ends, we know our roommates/coworkers/friends are only a phone call (or a Facebook message for our overseas friends) away. A sincere and heartfelt “thank you” goes out to everybody for making this season an experience of a lifetime--sometimes a good experience and sometimes a bad one, but it was an experience.
The housekeeping crew became quick favorites of the guests that came to stay at this zoo we call our job. Mercedes, Aurora, Hyacinth, Angela, Beverle, Omar and Olive went above and beyond every single day. Thank you for your service, for your attention to detail and for taking such good care of everybody.
The kitchen crew kept this show going strong even through the mid-season replacements. Chef Al, Sean, Luke, Clark, Big John, Uncle Nate, Colin, Bobby, Karen and Jaja kept us and the guests fed every day. They listened to us complain about everything and did their jobs to the highest standards anyway. Thank you for being the first to work and the last to leave, for being the main reason we all have jobs at Jenny, and for cooking for us when nobody else was going to do it. The dish crew was also amazing. Guadelupe, Liliana, Noeu, Jose, and Julio were brilliant. Gracias por completar algunos de los puestos de trabajo más sucio que tenemos aquí sin una queja.
Mary Sue and Megan (and the other Megan before she left) kept the guests placated (and kept the rest of us sane by making the guests happy) with the horseback riding. They did two rides a day, and sometimes more, showing the horses the same care and compassion that they show to the rest of us. Thank you for waking up early, for shoveling pounds and pounds of horse manure, and for letting the horses out of the corrals into the employee village (providing us with entertainment).
The dining staff was great this year. Doing their absolute best to make every guest happy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Fernando, Jimmy, Margie, Susan, Tony, Josh and Justin as servers, along with Scott, Bradley, Nadine, Jordan and Conrad as server’s assistants and Dana, Meghan and Abigail as hostesses (with the mostesses) and Rich as bartender overcame many trials and tribulations to keep this lodge at the highest of standards. Thank you for dealing with unruly guests and their children, for making impossible, stupid requests look like a piece of cake, for picking up the slack late in the season, and for doing it all with a smile. This place is a wonderful experience for many guests because of you.
Our maintenance team (can you have a team of one?) this year was phenomenal. Tim kept this place running. Thank you for making sure we had hot water, for fixing our bikes and heaters and fridges, for making the campfires, for safety checking the bikes, cabins, and horses and for a million other things we don’t realize you do for us.
And last but not least, the front desk staff was superb. Led by Kimmy, Luke, Liz, John, Logan, Brad and Ross were the first and last contact that guests had with the lodge. They dealt with the complaints, the endless questions, and generally ran around to get guests whatever they asked for and they did it wonderfully. Rosanna as concierge was a guest favorite, Stephanie as reservationist made sure we even had guests at the lodge, and Michelle as night auditor averted many disasters from blowing up in our faces. Thank you for your patience, for being willing to do whatever was asked of you, and for being awesome in general.
And a final thank you to Scott Greene, for putting up with our shenanigans for five months. Thank you for employing us and giving us a place to live, for making sure we were happy and taken care of, and once again, thank you for putting up with a group of 50 random misfits who probably shouldn’t be trusted around other people.
The Badger Bares His Teeth
Vail Resorts hit reality show “Jenny Lake Lodge” kicked off another season with 50 random strangers abandoned at an old lodge in the middle of nowhere. Contestants were unsure what exactly the prize they were all fighting to win was, but with enough booze on hand to fill Jackson’s Hole, they didn’t really need a legitimate reason to fight or win.
Director Scott Greene took one look at this seasons group of misfits, outcasts, and outlaws, shook his head and began drinking heavily. He was heard to mutter as he walked from his cabin on the first day, “Well, at least it won’t be boring.”
Contestants arrived on the scene to find themselves shoveling snow and complaining incessantly about the damn cold. In order to battle the frigid conditions, a few contestants were happy to have sleepovers and the rest were happy just to comment on the sordid going ons.
Viewers at home did not have to wait long for the drama to begin. Within a few short weeks of pretending to work, two of the contestants were voted off the show and exiled to warm and sunny Florida. Go figure…
Things settled down, but just for a bit. That’s when the kitchen added a few new replacement contestants: a spitfire named Jaja and a big wooly pirate named Clark. All hell broke loose as the dining room hostess Mary Katherine left the show due to a costume malfunction, and a plague of mosquitoes descended onto the lodge. The dining room staff then stole Conrad from the Jackson Lake Lodge show at the time when one of their own decided to defect to the front desk. Viewers were then sad to see one of the Meg(h)ans leave early for college, breaking up the complete collection: one each in red, blonde, and brunette.
The weather had magically transformed the camp into a beautiful, alcohol-fueled playground, and shenanigans were afoot everywhere. Midnight hikes and bike rides were abundant, as well as skinny dipping in the placid waters of String Lake. There were campfires and late night hookups…and then the demon alcohol raised its ugly head. All the children began to disappear from the lodge and the whistle pigs were soon to follow. Arguments and all manner of ugliness abounded.
Miraculously, Christmas in August arrived on the scene. Viewers found out that the contestants can actually clean up and act real nice. Gifts were exchanged, hugs, kisses and well wishes, too. And, for some unknown reason, Rich the bartender concockted an almost devil’s concoction of jalapenos, tequila, and turpentine that drove the inmates insane and wiped them out for the night and most of the next day. Little John led the Christmas carols with gusto and enthusiasm…too much gusto, prompting Director Greene to worriedly ask, “Is he working in the morning?” And yes he was…When Greene asked the blurry eyed Abigail if she too was working the breakfast shift, she retorted, “Hell no, Scott Greene.” Santa had a number of ladies (and men) sit on his lap (some for a seemingly exorbitant amount of time) which he didn’t mind at all.
Christmas and the good cheer carried on for another five days and all came to an abrupt and crashing end on the Jenny Lake Lodge new years. The Yellow Bandit struck on skid row in the tidy little home of the two who must not be named. The overwhelming degradation and disrespect was too much for the two and they both went bezerk: flailing on the walls, uncontrollable shouting, crying, and carrying on through the wee hours of the morning. Director Greene was summoned to the scene as the network producers intervened. The two who must not be named were banished in the dark of night, never to be seen again. The cheers are still echoing up in paintbrush canyon to this very day. A heartfelt “thank you” Yellow Bandit, from the contestants of Jenny Lake Lodge.
Brad, a planted network spy at the front desk, took to making prank phone calls at all hours. The show’s own Little John happened to crack one night while on duty and yelled at some rich and very needy guest attempting to make a dinner reservation, “Brad?! Is this you, Brad?!” causing the guest to rethink his dinner and stay at the lodge. Another call to the unflappable Australian Luke Bob was concluded with “Yes, your children can go play in the horse corral. Thank you for calling Jenny Lake Lodge” and a click.
A swing was added to Dana, Abigail, and Meghan’s cabin, and a stripper pole was planned for future parties in the rec room. Now animal hats began to appear whenever alcohol made its presence known. The bipolar bear and the Big John leopard were favorite fashion accessories for many contestants. The afore-mentioned John even slept many nights naked in the leopard hat. With only three weeks left until the season finale, Uncle Nate threw a wrench into the kitchen works by claiming the kitchen crew could no longer work on Sunday evenings. They would be attending religious ceremonies of Santeria, led by Julio, the dishwasher. Seems Julio is the shaman in some backwoods village down in Mexico. Chef Al laughed in their faces and said, “Get back to work you losers, or else! Santeria, my ass.” She got really sick after that…
With all the drama and the seemingly spooky going ons throughout the season, Jose was constantly ordering other contestants to “calm down” and pleading “no drama, it’ll be alright.” But with the season finale in sight, pandemonium reigned supreme. Viewers at home were sad to see Margie and Brad leave with only a couple of weeks left in the season. Contestants sent them off with fond farewells and wish them happiness and good luck.
Viewers were unpleasantly surprised to tune in one night and find the contestants missing and employee village deserted. Cameras panned around only to show a shuttered lodge and no sign of human habitation. Those 50 contestants were never heard from again. (final paragraph in works, not to be published/written yet).
Crime Wave Sweeps Jenny Lake
Throughout the season employees at Jenny Lake Lodge were menaced by what authorities are calling The Yellow Bandit, or Bandits. According to National Park Server Officer Farva, The Yellow Bandit "is definitely two different people and are not working together." When questioned further about the identity of either Bandit, Officer Farva offered no comment. Two separate cabins, about three months apart, were hit by the Bandits. Even though pools of evidence were left behind police have no leads on the suspects. The cabins hit, Rock Chuck and Symmetry, are dealing with the stream of crime as best they can. The residents of Rock Chuck declined to comment, saying only they dealt with the situation themselves. The former residents of Symmetry could not be reached, but this reporter does have to admit that that rug really tied the room together.
On a related note, Anthony Ambrose is facing a copyright lawsuit from James Friend reproducing Mr. Friend's image onto t-shirts without his express written permission. Upon discovering the Jenny Lake Legend t-shirts on employees and guests alike, Mr. Friend declared, "I'm suing! I never gave my permission to use my image! I'm a hot commodity; you gotta pay to wear me!" He pouted in the kitchen and would only return to work when Justin Rade promised Mr. Friend that he would be paid a quarter every time someone wore one of the Legend's t-shirts. Mr. Friend then stormed into the dining room and ordered whomever would listen to "wipe those damn credenzas."
Mayor Congratulates Jenny Lake Lodge for Epic and Heroic Rescue
Unbeknownst to most employees at Jenny Lake, there exists an epic band of heroes living among them. Content to fade into the background until needed, they are willing to stagger into any situation, guns blazing and with no thought for potential consequences.
One bright sunny afternoon, after the lunch crowd had (FINALLY) left after demanding window seats and tables with views of the lake, OPERATION: RESCUE commenced.
A baby was discovered outside the employee dining room, abandoned when he was only a few days old. Trained to respond to more dangerous situations than the Marines, Navy Seals and the Justice League combined, Jenny Lake staff sprang into action.
Attention was brought to the baby by Kimmy Walt. Rich Long quickly responded, along with Brad Evans and Josh "the Gooch" Gooch who deployed all of the Gooch's helicopters and boats to save the orphan from swarms of ants. However, once the baby was saved and all the employees sat around wandering what the hell they were supposed to do with an infant, it required the robust, take charge attitude of The Spaniard to really save the day. Fernando and Mercedes Moreno graciously opened their house and hearts to the orphan and named him Charlie.
Michelle Hester-Davies, medic to the staff, nursed Charlie back to health and fed him every night for weeks. Charlie, the darling of Jenny Lake Lodge, scampers and plays about all day in his new home outback in the trailer park, thanks to the heroic band of misfits living at Jenny Lake the summer of 2011.
2011 Tour de Jenny: The Race of Champions
Thirteen people started the race this year, and thirteen people (eventually) finished it. No one died or was horribly mangled, there was no treachery afoot, and everyone kept their clothes on, and onlookers went home a little disappointed because of that. The 2011 Tour de Jenny kicked off with a bang on August 25th. And I mean that literally: for about seven seconds there was rain, hail, thunder, and lightening. But that was not enough to stop anyone from jumping on one of the Cruisers and pedaling for all they were worth; go big or go home they say at Jenny Lake. Now, this reporter was not present for the race, so she is just going to make this up as she goes along.
Surprising absolutely no one, Bradley Penrod was the Tour winner of 2011. He was awarded a t-shirt and trophy which he will treasure forever. Ross Griffith came in second place, which is understandable considering he likes to saunter up mountains on his days off like it's no big deal. Tony Ambrose tied for third with Nadine Allen. Nadine was crowned winner of the women's division and the winner of the most prettiest bike division. Colin Hemens won the (apparently) coveted Spam award, finishing first in the kitchen division and fourth overall. Clark Meyers finished next, second for the kitchen and fifth overall. He was awarded tomato sauce, which he immediately drank. Third for the kitchen and sixth overall was Luke Biewick, winning the Chef Boyardee ravioli.
Other contenders this year were Luke Bob School who crossed the finish line in his typical, nonchalant fashion. Race observers were heard to say, "It looked like he didn't care at all; we though he was sleeping." Chef Alyson Zimmerman finished next, followed by Jordan Cox and Aurora Zarraga. Scott Hourigan won the fruit cocktail by finishing last. When asked what happened by adoring fans, he stated, "I had a strategy! I started out in the back and was going to pull ahead when everyone else got winded, but I couldn't catch up." Bobby was unable to finish the race on account of being attacked by a bear. Or he had a flat tire, one or the other. This reporter was not really listening (or completely sober) when people were talking to her about the race.
Memorable Quotes
Let’s play a little game. See if you can figure out which Jenny Lake staff member said which quote this summer.
“Take that whore her food!”
“Sometimes I just sit there and watch you sleep, just to see if you’ll wake up.”
“I just want to go to an island and drink a gallon of whiskey.”
“You need to calm down. You need to calm down and you need to have a drink.”
“I like this jacket because it showcases my belly button.”
“We got the 4 diamond award again, so you guys didn’t fuck it up.”
“Experience of a lifetime, my ass.”
“That was my main purpose in coming out here: to save for a boat. Well, the helicopter was in there too, but mostly the boat.”
“I don’t know what happened, I got hung up on. Oh. Wait. I know what happened: I hung up the phone.”
“There is a science behind the ice run!”
“This is my bed woman and you will do what I want.”
“What?! There’s fresh cookie dough and I’m eating this bullshit?!”
“Can my kids go in the corrals and play with the horses?”
“Yes.”
“We’re just one happy family…one happy, dysfunctional family.”
“That’s what I said on the end of year video last year!”
But Seriously…
On a more serious note, every person here went above and beyond to keep Jenny Lake Lodge running this season. We became a family…a dysfunctional, screaming and crying and hugging and making up after the booze runs out kind of family, but a family none-the-less. Wherever we end up after our season at Jenny Lake ends, we know our roommates/coworkers/friends are only a phone call (or a Facebook message for our overseas friends) away. A sincere and heartfelt “thank you” goes out to everybody for making this season an experience of a lifetime--sometimes a good experience and sometimes a bad one, but it was an experience.
The housekeeping crew became quick favorites of the guests that came to stay at this zoo we call our job. Mercedes, Aurora, Hyacinth, Angela, Beverle, Omar and Olive went above and beyond every single day. Thank you for your service, for your attention to detail and for taking such good care of everybody.
The kitchen crew kept this show going strong even through the mid-season replacements. Chef Al, Sean, Luke, Clark, Big John, Uncle Nate, Colin, Bobby, Karen and Jaja kept us and the guests fed every day. They listened to us complain about everything and did their jobs to the highest standards anyway. Thank you for being the first to work and the last to leave, for being the main reason we all have jobs at Jenny, and for cooking for us when nobody else was going to do it. The dish crew was also amazing. Guadelupe, Liliana, Noeu, Jose, and Julio were brilliant. Gracias por completar algunos de los puestos de trabajo más sucio que tenemos aquí sin una queja.
Mary Sue and Megan (and the other Megan before she left) kept the guests placated (and kept the rest of us sane by making the guests happy) with the horseback riding. They did two rides a day, and sometimes more, showing the horses the same care and compassion that they show to the rest of us. Thank you for waking up early, for shoveling pounds and pounds of horse manure, and for letting the horses out of the corrals into the employee village (providing us with entertainment).
The dining staff was great this year. Doing their absolute best to make every guest happy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Fernando, Jimmy, Margie, Susan, Tony, Josh and Justin as servers, along with Scott, Bradley, Nadine, Jordan and Conrad as server’s assistants and Dana, Meghan and Abigail as hostesses (with the mostesses) and Rich as bartender overcame many trials and tribulations to keep this lodge at the highest of standards. Thank you for dealing with unruly guests and their children, for making impossible, stupid requests look like a piece of cake, for picking up the slack late in the season, and for doing it all with a smile. This place is a wonderful experience for many guests because of you.
Our maintenance team (can you have a team of one?) this year was phenomenal. Tim kept this place running. Thank you for making sure we had hot water, for fixing our bikes and heaters and fridges, for making the campfires, for safety checking the bikes, cabins, and horses and for a million other things we don’t realize you do for us.
And last but not least, the front desk staff was superb. Led by Kimmy, Luke, Liz, John, Logan, Brad and Ross were the first and last contact that guests had with the lodge. They dealt with the complaints, the endless questions, and generally ran around to get guests whatever they asked for and they did it wonderfully. Rosanna as concierge was a guest favorite, Stephanie as reservationist made sure we even had guests at the lodge, and Michelle as night auditor averted many disasters from blowing up in our faces. Thank you for your patience, for being willing to do whatever was asked of you, and for being awesome in general.
And a final thank you to Scott Greene, for putting up with our shenanigans for five months. Thank you for employing us and giving us a place to live, for making sure we were happy and taken care of, and once again, thank you for putting up with a group of 50 random misfits who probably shouldn’t be trusted around other people.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Wrapping the season up
The summer I ran away to join the circus is quickly drawing to a close. With 18 scheduled departures today and no more than seven arrivals per day (and some days only two) for the rest of the season we are preparing to close for the winter. I had my last day off on Thursday and I work morning shifts or reservations for the next eight days. We close to the public on October 9th at noon and we spend the rest of that day and the next cleaning and packing everything that isn't bolted to the floor. We'll strip the employee cabins (we have been boarding up the guest cabins for the winter since Thursday), put lemon oil on the log walls to keep them shiny, and put in planks to keep the roofs from caving in due to snow weight.
I'm going to miss this place. Maybe not the job so much (but even that I'll probably miss in a couple of weeks), but I'll miss waking up in a log cabin and being able to walk out my front door and climb a mountain. I'll miss the people I've met here, some of the guest, but mostly my coworkers/roommates/friends. I'll miss being surrounded by them...don't get me wrong, we are all kind of sick of each other by now, but it'll be bittersweet to leave. People have already started to leave. One of our wranglers left in August to go back to college, one of the servers, Margie, left to take care of her father, and bellman Brad left to attend a wedding/vacation in Vegas.
I've been picking up hostessing shifts during dinner, which is apparently a big deal since we're fine dining and all. I've also been writing a secret newspaper to be issued to employees on our last day. It's called The Badger's Rump and it's supposed to be the story of our season, but written in a very sarcastic manner. This isn't some crazy thing I decided to do on my own; I was asked to do this. I was told I was good at being sarcastic so I would be perfect for this job. I'll post it up here so you can read it if you want, but I'm not sure how funny it'll be if you don't know the people.
My dad was here last week to visit me...and by visit me, I mean cross Yellowstone off his bucket list. He arrived Monday morning and when he walked into the lodge it took me a second to recognize him, not because I'm an idiot, but because I'm just not used to seeing him in this setting. So he hung out at the lodge for a bit because I had to work that day, and then we went to lunch in the dining room. The hostess sat us at the best best table and then my boss paid for our meal--it was awesome and so nice of them. We went fishing the next morning with one of the servers from work, Tony, and then that evening we had dinner at Jenny. Now this is probably what I was most excited about because it's a 5 course dinner, really fancy, there's a dress code that we enforce. So Dad and I got dressed up and went to dinner. When we walked in, no one recognized me; we just don't dress up here (well, we did for Christmas but that was different)--they had to do double takes, and I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult hahaha. At the end of the dinner, Tony (who was our server) told us that the kitchen and the dining room manager had comped the entire dinner. Including alcohol, that bill would have been an easy $200 and they comped it! It was a really great surprise. Then we went to Yellowstone the next day, which was cool. I don't like Yellowstone as much as Grand Teton though, and I think it's because Yellowstone doesn't have the mountains I've grown used to seeing in my front yard--they have wildlife and the geysers (which apparently throughout the park's history 19 people have fallen or jumped into)--but I think I've become addicted to mountain views. But the first national park is well worth a visit I gotta say. On Dad's last day we had breakfast at Jenny (and this meal I actually paid for), spent the day being tourists in Jackson and then hung out at Jenny until Dad had to go to the airport. It was a good vacation (I got most of the days off from work that Dad was here, mostly because I worked 17 days in a row before that) and I'm really glad I got to see him.
Now for some bad news, or good news, depending on how you look at it. A lot of you already know, but I will not be moving back to Ohio. I have a job at The Great Divide Lodge at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado for this winter. It's a Vail Resorts property and it's another seasonal job so I'll be there until April. After April I'm not really sure what I'll be doing, but I have been asked to come back to Jenny next summer. Anyway, at Great Divide, I'll be taking a major cut in hours, but I'm getting a raise of almost $3. I'm currently looking for an apartment down there; employee housing isn't available for front desk agents. I know a lot of people from here that'll be living there so that's good; I won't be moving to a completely new town full of strangers. I start work on October 17th. I'm coming to Ohio to visit, but just for a really short time. I'm going to spend October 11th in Columbus. I'll be there by 4pm and then I'm spending the rest of that day and night in the city with whomever wants/has time to hang out. On October 12th I'm going to Zanesville and spending the day there with whomever is there. And then October 13th I'm back at Columbus airport and I fly into Denver with my mom. So if you want to visit, you gotta tell me so I can schedule you in.
Love and miss you all; hope to see you soon :)
Monday, September 5, 2011
Random thoughts while I'm bored at work
So it's been a while since my last posting. I'm finally back at work; I had 4 days off in a row! It was spectacular. I went into town one day, I spent another on a hike where I just sat on a boulder and read and wrote and napped. That's the life of a national park employee: napping in the sun at the base of a mountain. It's a hard life, I know. I hung out in camp and watched movies and spent time not worrying about our brand standards audit review (but we did get the highest review score for any Vail property).
Things are winding down here. We're starting to pack things away and clean up our offices; our lodging and dinner reservations are slowing down a bit more every week. People that stay here now are generally calmer than the ones that stayed here in July and August. They're returners, so they know how things operate around here, and they are content to be left alone. They're also nicer to us. It's getting significantly colder. The Under Armor has come back out, as well as sweaters and hats and gloves. Heaters are back on and the fire in the lobby roars all day long again. We're told we'll be getting a cold front in the next couple of weeks and after that, winter will be here. I'll probably see snow before I fly back to Ohio.
We just had a Christmas party, followed by a New Year's party. The Christmas party is legitimate. There was a huge snow storm in Yellowstone one year on August 25th and everyone was snowed into The Old Faithful Inn, so instead of being all pouty, everyone sang Christmas carols and did a Secret Santa gift exchange. To this day, Jenny Lake Lodge and Yellowstone still celebrate Christmas on August 25th for the employees at the lodges. We had a party and sang Christmas carols and exchanged gifts and got dressed up. Santa even made an appearance (that should answer any questions about why I'm sitting on Santa's lap for a picture taken in August). And then we decided 5 days later that it was New Year's and we were going to have another party, so we went out and bought a bunch of glowsticks and horns and rang in the new year.
I miss Columbus; I keep telling people here I miss "my city". I miss knowing where everything is without having to think about it, I miss Starbucks, I miss walking into Jacob's Porch and having an impromptu talk about God, I miss my friends and my family being reachable on the phone (I miss 3G coverage), I miss the lights and the movement and the 3am hang outs. I miss not camping. As awesome as this place is and as much as I love it, I now know the luxury of having a bathroom attached to your house. And I know ya'll aren't going to believe this, but I even miss Ohio State football Saturdays.
I've been thinking a lot about God lately. Or maybe it's more truthful to say I've been thinking about faith and ministry a lot lately. I think I'm bothered by Christians, or maybe just Christianity in general. I'm confused about it all. Sometimes I feel like I've walked away from my faith. Quitting the ministry team out here like I did probably wasn't the most mature decision I've ever made. I had legitimate reasons for quitting, but I didn't even fight to be a part of the team; I fought for my job. I was content to walk away from the team. Honestly, I haven't really prayed at all. Or read my Bible, or any of the other faith books I brought out here with me. People here have asked me if I'm questioning my faith, so I started asking myself if I was walking away from God. I don't think that's what's happening. I think my faith is changing, or evolving...it's not getting better, or worse, I'm just seeing a different aspect of faith. I don't think I'm questioning God, I'm just finding Him in places other than prayer and books. Maybe introspection and nature have shown me God more strongly this summer than books (even the Bible) and prayer could have. I entered the real world, left my comfort zone, and I started to question things. As brilliant of a job as Jacob's Porch does of encouraging (demanding) that we question and argue and bother God, it's easy to drown in God there. On my own, I have to go looking for God, and I've never really had to do that before. I like looking for Him, though. I like the quest of finding my own answers. So I haven't quit God; Jesus and I have not broken up, we're still going steady.
Fun fact: It has snowed every calendar day in Jackson, Wyoming. Not this year, thank God; but at some point in time, it has snowed here everyday of the year.
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