On the road again.

Today is my last day in Gillette, Wyoming.
The weekend in Denver and a direct flight to GA is all that stands between me and home.
Gillette has been an amazing adventure.

Cowboy Up.

This week Gillette, Wy is hosting the National High School Rodeo Finals. My sister and the rest of the reporting staff are working double time to cover it all. I tagged along in true little sister fashion to the first round of events Sunday night.  I even wore Joy's cowboy hat part of the night, yea I did. I've never been to a rodeo and have decided this won't be my last one. It was absolutely fascinating. PETA however would have had a field day.

Joy told me to watch out for a certain rider- one of the best. His family owns a ranch out west. They spend half of the year living in a canvas tent moving cattle. He's one of the best because it's more than competing, it's his life. His older brother is just as talented and completes in the college level rodeos. I saw him complete and sure enough he made it look like a piece of cake.

In other news while Joy's new roommate Gabs was driving home a herd of antelope decided to cross the road in front of her. A whole herd. She didn't hit of them, but it was close call. She's decided she doesn't like antelope.

Montana. Boom.

July is wrapping up quickly, too quickly in my personal opinion. Someone should find a way to slow down the month of July. In just a matter of weeks I shall return to Georgia. Am I thrilled to see my family and friends? Yes. Am I thrilled about temperatures in the 100s and high humidity? No.

Two weekends ago Joy flew to a wedding for a friend. She flew from Rapid City, South Dakota because it's much cheaper that way. When I went back to pick her up I decided to get there a little early. I've always liked going to airports. Typically airports are the best places to people watch. So I parked and walked into the airport to find myself and 3 airport employees. Yeap.

This past weekend I ventured up to Missoula, Montana. I could have stayed there for the rest of my life. In Missoula one will find rivers, mountains, great music and great food. What more could I ask for? It took about 9ish hours to get to Missoula, but it was worth the drive. Missoula may have just captured a piece of my heart.

Working at a coffee shop has several advantages. One advantage is getting to talk with customers when things are quiet. I've loved hearing where everyone is from (most people weren't born and raised in Gillette) and sharing why I came to Gillette. Most people are surprised I'm from Ga, apparently I don't sound southern. I do try to use ya'll as much as I can.

I've been meaning to ride a bike around town for several weeks now and finally gave it a go last week. An old friend of Joy's left a bike here that no one was using. Another friend helped Joy and I get it fixed so it would actually move as it should. I've noticed people have a saying it's like riding a bike, implying one never forgets how to ride a bike. Let me tell you, that's not true. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike before last week and I'd almost forgotten how. It took several minutes to get the flow and not feel like I might tip over and be one with the pavement.

Heat Wave

It's supposed to reach a blistering 90 degrees today. Oh my word even 90 degrees in Wyoming feels like heaven to me ( no humidity here.... gasp....). I can't help but wonder what would happen if someone from Gillette where to visit Ga right now? Probably the same thing as if I were to visit Wy during the dead of winter.... it wouldn't be good. It hit me today that about this time last summer I was in Haiti, where hot is an understatement. Don't get me wrong Haiti stole a piece of my heart, but oh my how hot it was. This summer I'm in Wy, a place where jackets are worn each night. I'm getting spoiled by Wy's weather.

A road trip with the one and only Joy Lewis was in order last weekend. Our destination was to Billings, Montana. I've decided Montana is the prettiest state out West. My deepest apologies to the rest of the West. Joy didn't take too many pictures, but did manage to get a picture of me almost knocking over the welcome to Montana sign. Oops. For the record it was already leaning when I got to it but I guess trying to climb it probably left it leaning a little more. My bad. While in Montana we went to a pow wow. It was quite an experience. 

Not only have I learned how to make a variety of coffees, lattes, etc BUT I can now read a map. I'm not joking, I've always been directionally challenged. I've looked at more maps this summer and attempted to figure out which direction is correct. I'm improving. Success.

"You're 23? Well you're about to be an old maid."
Quote of the week from an older man who came into the coffee shop. He wasn't joking.

Home on the range.

Things I've seen in Wyoming.

More than 1 hail storm. I've decided a hail storm looks like the sky is raining white skittles and grapes. But these are evil skittles and grapes that ruin your car.

For some reason people like to pass through Gillette while biking across the country. Two people have stopped by the coffee shop who are pedaling quite a journey. One of these bikers stopped by on his way to Oregon. One week later I see the same guy biking up a mountain. No joke. Small world.

If the great state of Georgia finds out I'm saying this I may not be allowed back in. Regardless the Big Horn Mountains make the mountains back in Ga look like ant hills. If evidence is needed I'll have to find a picture. I do have a picture of something beautiful found within the mountains here. Boom. (also I didn't take this picture. Photo credit to Steve Remich)

Ironically I've seen a lot of snow this summer. If I were to combine all the snow I've seen in my 23 years it wouldn't come close to reaching how much snow I've seen in Wyoming in the past month. It's best to sleep with two pairs of socks when camping in the mountains where snow can still be found. And that it's really unfortunate when your only pair of socks get wet. It happened and it wasn't pleasant.

Bears are a real threat in the mountains. People kept warning me about the dangers of bears before I went to Yellowstone. However it wasn't until I was in my tent trying to fall asleep that it hit me that if a bear were to come it'd be game over. I had a dream about a bear that night and I really hope it was just a dream. For the record I saw a grizzly bear and two cubs the next morning, but it was from a healthy distance.

Can I get a whatwhat.

I love my job at the coffee shop. My addiction to coffee is rapidly increasing which could be a problem.
I've been exposed to lots of new things and will probably come back addicted to sprouts, npr and bluegrass music. My new favorite past time is camping. Wyoming has changed me.

" We're like catipillers. We'll get our wings soon. I just hope we don't fall off the tree and get squished by a hiker first. "
-Joy Lewis. Best quote of the summer.

sisters for life.

Outlaw Canyon Round 2.

Joy, Micheal, Steve ( both work with my sister ) and I went to Outlaw Canyon last weekend. Amazing.

Thursday was also day 1 of training at Bev's Brew- a local coffee shop. The owner is incredible and the past 2 days of working with her have been a joy. She is marked by love and I have left both days tired from a busy day, but refreshed from being in such a great environment.

Well well well this weekend was grand. A weekend trip to Yellowstone equals two thumbs up. Details and pictures to come.

There's something in the water.

I tend to dream often but since coming to Wyoming my dreams have stepped it up a level. The water at my sister's apartment does taste funny so I'm starting to wonder what's up with Wyoming water.

But I promise that's not the most exciting thing I have going on in my life. In other news I am happy to report the rain stopped today. Praise the Lord.

Saturday's weather outside of Gillette was very pretty so a trip to the outdoors was in order. Keyhole, Wyoming was the destination. It's basically a massive reservoir. Ah, water. Large bodies of water are far and few between in these parts so seeing the water at Keyhole was like music to my ears. Not being around water enough, well that means I might dry up.  No swim that day, next time though. Instead we hiked around in the area. Beautiful. I even found some nice holes on the rock walls that I later climbed into only after of course making sure there were no creatures already setting up camp.

Along the way one of the guys fell. And this happened. But for the record everyone thought it was a very graceful fall. A trip back to town, an ER visit and 3 stitches later, he was good to go.

Today's adventure was a trip back to Outlaw Canyon. Pictures will be uploaded soon.

Rain rain go away.

It's rained all but 2 days since I got to Wyoming. Everyone keeps saying this is very unusual for Wyoming. There is talk of a flash flooding warning. I'm still trying to figure out where all this water is. The puddles I've been seeing around town seem like the Great Lakes to the locals. Regardless of different opinions on high levels of water I am looking forward to the sunshine coming back out. My fear is that the locals will connect the dots that when I rolled into town the rain began and then they'd banish me. Dear Gillette I'm sorry I may have brought a flood. 

Santa vs Outlaw Jesse James

In my 23 years of life I've never been skiing or snowboarding or even seen more than 6 inches of snow. But yesterday I gave snow shoeing a go. I'll be honest I didn't get very far. I went with a friend of Joy's who was very patient with the girl who until yesterday didn't know what real snow was or what high altitude felt like. I'm looking forward to giving it another go, I think the next time I'll understand what snow shoeing really means.

After snow shoeing the expedition to find Outlaw Canyon began. The drive to Outlaw Canyon looks like something right out of Lonesome Dove. The wind was a bit strong that day and when I say bit when we stepped out of the jeep the wind almost knocked us over. The wind was so strong that the rain was going sideways and felt like rocks hitting my face. Regardless we hiked down into the canyon. It was awesome and I will have to go again.

Where the buffalo roam

The melting pot of Wyoming has been discovered. About an hour drive north of Gillette, Wy brings you to Buffalo, Wy. It just so happens to sit beneath the Big Horn Mountains. Pure beauty is the best way to describe the Big Horns. And they just so happen to still be covered in snow.

Every Thursday at an old school saloon in Buffalo you'll find a semicircle of chairs. Musicians gather and the best way to describe it would be they jam. Bluegrass music is played for hours. It's becoming a big deal and the saloon was packed out.

In the saloon there were the young and old, the mountain men and cowboys and this girl from Ga. The music was great. The saloon was also attached to an old hotel/museum. Some of the rooms were available for rent and some where set up as mini museums. I will never book a room in this hotel. It was one of the creepiest places I've ever been. No I don't want to stay in a room that looks like came straight out of legends of the old and creepy. Rumor has it the motel is even haunted.

Eat More Chicken

What a day. What a day.

Until I start working I've been my sister's shadow. Today I tagged along while she went on an assignment for the paper. The assignment taking pictures at a ranch. Yes I got to spent most of my day on a ranch. Troy and Ed the father and son who run the ranch showed us around. We went with them as they gathered up and fed the cattle these "cakes" ( protein treats ). When there isn't much grass the cattle are fed the cakes. Lots of observations were made today. Bulls are huge and rather intimidating. And they tend to blow snot rockets. Cows are super friendly and come when called. They come close enough to be fed by hand. And I got to do this.

Troy and Ed were hilarious and slightly baffled that they were showing 2 sisters from Georgia around their ranch. Mostly they were confused as to why I came to Wyoming. When I introduced myself and said I was from Ga, their first question was "Where's your accent?" At the conclusion of seeing the ranch I asked-
"Could I get a picture with ya'll?" Hearing ya'll sent them into hysterics.
And Mr. Ed's reply while laughing-
"Well that'll be like a rose between two thorns."

I couldn't help but feel guilty while all the eyes of dozens and dozens of cattle looked at me. Chickfila's motto of "eat more chicken" went through my head a lot. And yet I had beef for dinner. Oops.

Welcome to Gillette.

My day began at 4:30am this morning and is just now wrapping up. For some reason whenever I post on this blog the correct time doesn't show up. Well it's 11pm here in Wyoming, but my body thinks it's 1am.... oh boy.

I first flew from ATL to Houston Texas then from Houston to Denver. When I looked at my ticket for the first leg of the trip I saw something wonderful... 2D. I just knew I was getting bumped to first class which is something that I've always wanted to experience. I was on cloud nine practically skipping to the gate, but not really. Sadly when I saw the plane I realized that I was sitting in row 2 of about 10 rows total and that each row was the same... no first class. Maybe on the way back to Ga......

I had a quick layover in Houston before flying to Denver. I talked to a very interesting woman for much of the flight. She was on a business trip and has lived all over  ( Mexico, Texas, Canada, California ). She was great, but I think I found someone who talks more than I do on planes. It began with me asking her if she was from Denver and ended with me knowing most of her medical history, that she was married at age 15 for her first marriage, and that she has 22 grandkids and 10 great grandkids.

I met my sister at the Denver airport and we began the drive up to Wyoming. My first thoughts about the West- it's cold. It was in the 30s in Colorado and the 40s in Wyoming. The drive to Gillette took much longer than we'd planned, we stopped for coffee a lot and got lost several times. I have stories about these.

While at Starbucks I ordered a coffee with room for cream. The coffee guy wrote my name on the cup so when it was ready and given to me the lady read it as " Iced coffee with room for Grace. " It didn't come out like she'd planned but turned into something that Joy and I laughed about for the next couple of hours. And the reason why we got lost.... well while looking for the starbucks we took a detour from the highway and the further out West you go the less signs you'll find. I'm not kidding it's like everyone here must have an internal gps in them and just know where everything is.

But fear not we made it to Gillette, Wyoming safe and sound. Made it all the way to Joy's front door before she remembered she left her key with her boyfriend. Fail. While we waited for the key to come, we went over to her neighbor's apartment and I met her neighbor/co-worker Steve. Steve was about to do P90X yoga so we joined in. I mean why not.

And the conclusion to day 1. Oh and my best quote from Joy so far. I learned about the helpful bits of info she's picked up over the winter. Turns out "everyone around here keeps a sleeping bag and food in their car at all times in the winter because if the road gets shut down you're stuck and..... well....you might die. " My sister is like a pioneer woman now.

Packed and ready to go.

Well well well, what a week it has been. Packing, cleaning and lots of goodbyes and see you laters. I packed up my car this morning and headed home to good ole Lizella Ga. My bag for Wyoming is finally packed and ready to go. I'm slightly and by slightly I mean really annoyed that I have to pay to check my bag.....darn you airlines for taking every chance to charge me.

Everyone has been asking me where I'm working in Wyoming. This is still to be determined. I'm not stressing about it, I know a job opportunity will come together. One of the many things I learned this year is fully trusting God in every aspect of my life. Total surrender. I'm not saying I'm aimlessly going into this with my fingers crossed that a job falls into my lap. I'm applying to jobs and trusting God to open and close doors during the process.

This will be a summer of new adventures-starting with my airport experience. The airport maybe one of my favorite places. I find it fascinating and the best place for people watching. That may sound creepy, but it's not and I'm not creepy. I'm a person who likes to know the background so I always wonder where people are coming from/going to. I usually get the scoop on the people sitting next to me. Yea I'm that girl on the plane who wants to hear your life story.

I think I'll pray over my bag before checking it that 1. it'll make it my final destination and 2. it won't burst open. I'm always a little weary that my bag will be left behind somewhere and stranded or that it'll break open and all my possessions will spill out on the baggage conveyor. Irrational probably, but weird things happen to me.

Peace out Georgia.

the great giveaway.

I talked to my mom today on the phone and she asked about the plan for getting all my stuff home in one trip....my reply "If it doesn't fit in my car, I'm not keeping it." Her reply to this was "Oh Grace."  My mom found 2 flaws in this plan- 1. I drive a Honda and 2. she likes to keep everything. But fear not mom today I managed to consolidate all my things down to 3 boxes of stuff, 2 lamps and my clothes. I feel like a nomad.

I'm super stoked to get out West. This summer is going to be the summer of the unknown. I'm going into it with no expectations and just seeing what God has for me. I've long been a planner and someone to spend too much time looking at my past while also trying to figure out the future. This summer I want to focus on the current time and place God has me.

Planning.

Reality has begun to set in that I'm leaving in a week. I realized I have a lot to do before Friday. This isn't even me talking about the fact that I haven't even found the boxes that my things will.be.packed.in.soon. but more in reference to all the people I want to hang out with. Several of my loves are leaving for new places this summer while I'll be away and we have plans to hang before the great divide.

A list was created tonight. There is an official list of things for me to do before I leave. I know I'll be coming back in July to Athens, but it'll be different. I'm pumped for my friendships with those staying with me next year to continue to grow. I will however miss all those leaving so much. I need to step it up. There are many many things to do in the days to come.

Number 1 on the list- go to Mama's Boy with my roommates. It's going down in about 8 hours. Epic.

Peace out.

Waiting.

In 1 week I'll head home before beginning my journey out west.

Am I stoked to get there. Yes.
Have I begun sorting through my things in Athens or packing. No.
Oh boy.

p.s.
Whenever I tell people I'm going to a place called Gillette they like to ask if that's where the Gillette razor company is. I'm not sure of this, but promise to find out this summer.