The Gratitude Filled Snow Globe

I'll admit that lately, my blogging has been cut down to a bare minimum 'must not give up on new years resolution' dreaded homework assignment where I spend far too much time staring at the computer screen.  Is this what writers block is?  Luckily, today someone said something that caught my attention, and in conjunction with a few other thoughts, I feel I finally have adequate content for a posting. 

Working at Snowy Range Ski Area is like working in a snow globe.  Some days it's tranquil and quiet as if someone had let it sit idly overnight and then let it be all day.  Other days, like today, I get the impression that a two year old has taken our 'globe' and spent their day shaking it violently.  What other explanation could there be for 50 mph gusts and white out conditions? Just yesterday, I shoveled in a long sleeve shirt and got sunburn.  Today I wore two jackets, got windburn, and still came home cold at the end of the day.  Please, put the globe down, kid.

But somwhere in the 33 miles between Laramie and Centennial, there's a buffer zone.  For me, it's a place of total bliss, where the sun and the moon never fail to entertain my mind.  Wild horses roam the range and the bluest sky you've ever seen makes the endlessness of the whole place that much more magnificent.  Most of the time I spend my drive brainstorming words to explain all this, or how to capture it all in a photo, but I always come up short.  Short, but happy, because after a few weeks I have nothing but appreciation for the fact that the place I live is inexplainable.  For that and my understanding of that, I am thankful. 

The past few weeks have been a great mix of old and new friends.  Last weekend I spent three days in Telluride with my best friend Alli, skiing and doing many other things Alli and I love to do, like clean kitchens, drink tea often, and play with children.  Spending time with an old friend is always a good reminder of where you've been and what you're doing on the path you're on.  I couldn't be happier that Alli is 'only' 8 hours away.  I also couldn't be happier to have such awesome co-workers at both Snowy Range and at Wyoming Conservation Corps.  Finally, I am OUT OF THIS WORLD EXCITED that the one and only Adam Pettee is coming out to visit for a week in march.  As much as I love my inability to explain my life here, I'm so excited to share it with someone who can make sense of all my stories. 
 

After all, it's not where you are, but who you're with.