Another Chapter

I have lots to update you on. Let's see if I can remember all of them....

1. Tomorrow is moving day for me! I am finally getting a place of my own...I'm not sure yet if I will get a permanent roommate later on or not...but i WILL be having temporary roommates for almost 3 weeks at the end of September and beginning of October...MY FAMILY!! I am SOOOOOOOO excited for them to get here! And I'm also REALLY excited to have my own place to host them in. I think my new digs will be much less stressful and i'll try to get some pictures to share soon. I moved a bunch of stuff today with the help of Bo, Coy, and Hazel. Hazel was a trip...she kept pulling books out of the bag and handing them to me to put on the shelf...then she'd climb up on top of a box to ride like a horse and wave her arms around. Hilarious! She really had a blast...and I did too watching her. Most of my stuff is already over at the new house, but I have a few odds and ends left here to take over tomorrow.

2. Today was the McKee Family Reunion....I think it is the 1st one i've missed...ever. I was really sad I couldn't be there and I thought of everyone many times throughout the day. I miss all my family back in Hillsborough...I think of you often. I hope somebody took pictures so I can see who all was there.

3. I had quite a surprise at work last week. It's kind of a mix of good news/bad news. I've been working on a sports exhibit to open up in Feb. and was snooping around the back for objects that I can put in the exhibit. I started going through 2 boxes that I hadn't dug through before, and saw some photographs that looked really familiar. Which meant that I had scanned them before. Only these pictures were bigger....which means I still have to scan them. After going through the box, I realized that all those pictures belonged in the Okumoto Collection that I am scanning. I thought that the 600 pictures I had counted and been prepared to scan were a lot, but with these 2 other boxes, I have at least doubled that number, and probably tripled it. I was not a happy camper. All the photos that are part of the Okumoto Collection should have been stored together, not in multiple areas in the Archives. The entry in the magic binder of accession numbers was also unsatisfactory. Information about this collection is very lax and it just gets really frustrating sometimes trying to find where things are in the back of the museum. We got a grant for a new curator and I really hope they can find somebody who can get everything organized with museum best practices. And use a computer.

ok. rant is over. It is actually really exciting to have even more photographs than we were anticipating. There are some hilarious pictures in that collection....the funniest having to do with a group of 5 or 6 men who kept posing like body builders in their tighty-whities. More pictures is a good thing, because it gives us more information and resources. It just means I have to work really hard to get as much finished as possible before March when the grant runs out for me. I'm not sure yet if I can get them all finished or not. I really hope so.

4.  Carolina football has started!! Despite our disappointing loss to USC, I'm super excited about the season this year! There's 2 kids from Lenoir who are on the team, so it will be fun to watch for them. GO HEELS!!

A Moment's Rest

A Moment's Rest

In the place where cars are rare, 

a stream trickles.

Bone-chilling cold in the heat of summer, 

there is no refreshment here.

It cuts a path dividing the very track that brought us here.

The deer roam about on their own business,

silently sneaking by stealing grasses that gently sway in the breeze.

They move on, quickly finding other interests.

The early morning brings an added stillness,

before the business of the day.

Wrapped in a blanket watching the grass dance

and hearing the water sing,

I find peace.

Tranquility.

Renewal.

Then the thrum of an engine brings me back, 

interrupting the music of the day.

The stream flows on.

"Wildfire and Ice Cream"

Wildfire. Ice cream. 3 simple words that bring a multitude of laughs.

Over the weekend, our youth group went on a "camping" trip to Quincy and Ole's cabin up near the entrance to Yellowstone. I say "camping" because we were in a cabin in the middle of bear country...we were quite safe in the cabin, but weren't really camping because we weren't in tents. (Don't worry Mom! No bears this time!) Unfortunately, we only had 1 youth come with us, but a great time was still had by all. A couple more joined us for the day on Saturday but only 1 was there the entire time. Hopefully we can get more involved in our special events this fall.

Anyway, Friday night was just getting settled in a relaxing up at the cabin after our hot dog supper. Saturday we got up and went to my FAVORITE pancake place...the Shoshone Guest Lodge. I've been there several times already this summer...so much that the waitress recognizes me and we have a nice conversation every time I go. There pancakes really are the best. I get to take the family there before they close for the season in October. Pat, our minister, met us there for breakfast and then came back to the cabin with us for a Bible Study with the kids before we headed into Yellowstone for the afternoon.

When we got into Yellowstone, we took a boat tour of the lake. We got to hear some of the stories and legends in Yellowstone and see things from a different angle. There are several wildfires burning in the west right now...the biggest one up in Idaho...but there were 2 burning in Yellowstone that we could see from the boat. I took lots of pictures of the smoke clouds and could even see the flames from one of them! Unfortunately, my camera malfunctioned and I lost all my pictures, so I can't share them with you, but let me tell you...it was incredible to see. The smoke clouds just kept billowing higher and higher as the afternoon wore on. The wind really picked up and spread the fire, but by the time we left, the wind was dying down and things seemed to calm down a little bit.

We came back to the cabin after our foray into YNP and had another supper followed by games and conversation. Sunday we got up and went to the Wayfarer's Chapel for a very short church service offered to travelers along the road. It reminded me of the Sunday service at Family Camp a little bit...fun to be outside. Then back to the cabin to clean up and head home right after lunch.

Throughout the weekend, I got picked on a little bit. Apparently it's hilarious when I say "ice cream" and "wildfire." I realize it might sound slightly different to the untrained ear, but my fellow campers really got into it. So much so that THEIR accents are changing. I think I might have these folks trained in the ways of the south before too much longer. They think it's fun to talk like I do. :)  

Practicing Park Etiquette

Here are some helpful hints for those of you visiting National Parks that might make your trip just a little bit smoother (for you AND the people around you!):

1. When you see something you want to take a picture of, please pull off to the side of the road so that those driving behind you may pass. They may not be quite so interested in the flower you stopped in the middle of the road to take a picture of.

2. Should you stumble upon a herd of animals crossing the road, please DO stop so that you, your car, and the animal remain uninjured. However, once the herd is safely across, it would be great to start moving again...even if only to find the nearest pulloff.

3. National Parks are gorgeous. That is a fact. It is perfectly fine to drive below the speed limit to view these beautiful wonders. Please be aware of your rearview mirror. If you notice 8 cars right behind you, you might consider pulling over to let them pass. Sometimes others might want to look at something else.

4. ALWAYS take extra hand sanitizer and water bottles with you into the parks. Sometimes you just gotta go.

More tips to come...


***Claimer: these are all based on real life experiences. True story.

Ennis Edventures with the Eggletons

Last weekend I went to Ennis, Montana to visit the Eggletons. For those of you who don't know, Tammy was one of my teachers before she moved to Nebraska and then to Germany....so when I went to Germany 2 years ago, they are who I visited. Erica is about to start her freshman year at MSU in Bozeman, so hopefully I'll be able to see them much more regularly!

I drove over to Bozeman last Friday afternoon after I got done with work (future blog post coming about proper Park etiquette...pretty much out of control), and got in right after supper. I had a gorgeous drive through the park and then through Montana. I drove past this lake that was created about 10 years ago due to an earthquake that created a big rock slide to dam up the water.

Saturday Erica was running a 5K and then we took a short trip over the mountain to Virginia City and Nevada City. We got to take a fire truck tour and go on a short train ride. We went up to Boot Hill in Virginia City which was also a great view of the rest of town.

Erica in the outhouse...

me in the outhouse...

 on the train ride...

 boot hill

 Virginia City

Saturday night we went to a spaghetti supper in the park because Erica was running in a half-marathon on Sunday.....the 5K was just her warm up! We sat with this man originally from Poland who was running in his 315th marathon Sunday....he's run marathons in all 50 states and is working his way back through them again. He had some neat stories. The race on Sunday was up on a mountain top and it was absolutely gorgeous up there! We got there early enough for me to walk a couple of miles...everything was conveniently marked for me to measure how far I walked! Here's some pictures from up there on the mountain top and then the drive back into Ennis...

 Indian Paintbrush

Erica closing in on the finish line!

it felt like the Blowing Rock up there

 Mama, I promise I wasn't going to fall

Erica at the highest point along the race route

 Black Butte Mountain behind me

Monday we went tubing and ate a picnic on the river before I headed back to Cody. I got to skype with Dad and Mike on Monday morning before we left for tubing which was fantastic...chances are looking really good for Mike and Lesley to come visit me...when Mama and Dad come visit! Family reunion in Cody!! I am BEYOND excited for this. Even if it doesn't work out for them all to be here at the same time it sure is exciting to think about! It was great to see some old friends last weekend, and I'm looking forward to hopefully visiting Erica while she's in Bozeman! 

The weather is certainly changing again. I don't know if there is going to be an early fall or not, but it is much cooler in the nights than it has been. I went to the drive-in movies last night and got a little chilled sitting outside. I had a blanket but probably could have used another one! It is getting in the 50s now. We'll see how soon winter gets here! 

Coming soon: Proper Etiquette and Procedures for Traveling Through National Parks. A MUST READ for travelers. Really.