Rodent 007...

So lately it has been cold at night. Very chilly in fact that you can't really get away with walking in sandals anymore here at 10,000 feet. That's ok though, but it will be weird to go back to Duluth and find that I can still wear sandals.

Be that as it may, because it has been so cold, the mice have been finding unique ways to enter into the apartment. One of them pushed the screen of the window open on my bedroom window and just climbed in James Bond style. It was weird. Since then, there have been just a ton of mice running around the apartment. A ton meaning like 5 and I've had to set traps and I hate doing it because I know their going to die and part of me just weeps at the thought of having to kill these little guys that are just trying to get into someplace warm and safe.

It has also been rainy and stormy the last few days, but the rainbows have just been fantastic! When Wendy was here, we got to see rainbows, hear a coyote party in the meadow behind my house, and the lightning of course is always spectacular. That's if you don't think about the risk of fires with all the dead wood, it's just wonderful.

We're having our end of the year/season potluck and it is a plaid party. That was my doing because I thought it'd be fun to spice up a party with something else other than just sitting around and eating. I like the idea of requiring that everyone wear something plaid. It's up to them how creative and crazy they want to be. Knowing some of the personalities at our park, I wouldn't be surprised for some craziness! Hope you all are well and send me a line or ring me in the next two days because I'm going to be off. I will also be bouldering and using my new crash pad! Yeah! Cheers to all of you!

The Outdoor Retailer show and more!

Ok, so here are the pictures from girls night out that I told you about first of all. Soo cute!

Last week Emily and I went on a small adventure locally to explore a report of an amazing slot canyon 30 minutes away with some great water falls. So we went to the Kanarraville slot canyon and it was so awesome! It was wonderful to get out and hike, but it was also nice to be hiking in the water. Footing was interesting, but well worth it. A strategic trekking pole well placed is a handy tool. We had to hike a little ways in on an off road vehicle road before we got to the trail because although the little escort wagon has now been upgraded to being named "The Mountain Getter", she's not quite stream crossing worthy and still doesn't have much in the way of clearence on the bottom. So, we hiked in and out of the stream and finally got to the slots and it was amazing! I had never been in a slot before and I really enjoyed this one because it is not well known and there aren't a lot of people going through it which makes the experience so much nicer I think. So, this ladder by this really sweet waterfall we had to climb up and then back down again
which was a really interesting process. I liked it though.

The Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City was great. I rented a room for two nights at a hostel that was only a mile from the convention center and the temple in the middle of the city. I got in late, so I figured having a room to stay in was preferred to trying to find a place to camp at 10:30 at night in a strange area. It was well worth it though because the room was clean and wonderful and I was so hot and icky feeling after the drive that a shower before bed felt like pure bliss!

I met up with the Granite Gear crew and got my pass from them and had some time to wander around before I started to work. That was nice of them to let me explore around. I ended up purchasing a crash pad for bouldering so now I don't have to worry as much about landing on the ground when I boulder now.

I helped them out in the booth selling some stuff and also packing things up at the end of the day as best as we could. I was then invited to a bbq at their hotel which I of course went to! I met a lot of the sales reps for Granite Gear, Crazy Creek, and the owner of Waldies which was really neat. I also met a couple from Columbia who are traveling around the States and meeting some people and seeing what types of products they want to sell in their outdoor gear shops back home. Louis and Katarina were just amazing and it was such a priviledge to meet them. After a night of some amazing grilled Alaskan Sockeyed salmon for dinner mixed with some moose drool and witty conversation, I went back to the hostel. What a great day!

Today I drove back to the mountain for another week of work, but my godmother Wendy is coming on Wednesday, so the week will go very fast for me I think. Hope you all are well and having some of your own amazing adventures!

Cheers!

Where did summer go?

I can't believe that I have been here in Utah for the last two months. I feel like the summer is almost done. There is so much that I have to go and explore yet and I feel like time is running short before we all leave to go our different ways.
What is really neat is that Emily, who I drove out here with, got hired on to stay for another 6 weeks! I am so happy for her for it is now official and she is for sure staying. It is great that she is getting a job right out from her internship! It means that I will be driving back to Duluth alone and road tripping home alone. *tear* I can't be too sad though because it is such a great opportunity for her and a great way to get some money right out of graduation from college. Yeah Emily!!
We recently had a girl's dress up night for Jenny's birthday and it was a lot of fun! I'll have to post a picture later of all of us dressed up and gorgeous because I don't have the pictures uploaded onto my computer yet. Things have been busy. So we went to this fabulous restaurant called The Garden House. I had a stuffed baked salmon with rice and steamed veggies on the side and we had calamari and baked brie for appetizers. It was the most I've spent on dinner probably since prom or when the roomies and I went to Scenic Cafe for Valentine's day, but it was way worth it because the food was fantastic, the atmosphere serene, and the company irreplaceable. It was a wonderful night out and I even wore my red lipstick. Lookout!
The other good news in my world is that after months of trying to figure out the financial aid system for my senior year (yeah, yeah, I know I'm not technically a senior) of school in Duluth, things are all settled and I was able to get all the aid I needed and even like $4000 in grants! Hurray! Grants are good because there is no interest to pay nor do you have to repay them which is also really quite fantastic. So that is really, really exciting and I am glad that I no longer need to worry about that aspect for the future.
As for the interpretation happening here, things are great. I feel confident that this is a good choice of an occupation for me for now. I also feel that after struggling for so long in so many areas of my life that things are going well. It's nice. Challenge is good for the soul and the character, but sometimes I feel like too much of it can break you and bring you so low that life tends to suck for a bit.
So, here we are at the beginning of August and only a few weeks left of my time in Utah. It's not over yet, so I will try not to get all sentimental on you yet. Cheers all!