Final(s) Week!

As most colleges go through their finals week, I am also going through a final week, of sorts. Today is the last Monday I'll be at the ranch. And so the countdown begins. :(

It's sort of a crazy week. The senior class from a private high school in Atlanta, GA, is here until Thursday for their senior trip. Spoiled rich brats... just kidding! They're actually really sweet. Their southern upbringing makes for very polite, respectful youngsters. I've gotten so many, "Thank you, ma'am", and "Please, ma'am" responses that I feel quite old, but quite respected. Ha. I guess the south has a few redeeming qualities...

I spent all of my breaks today planning my road trip home. Booked campsites near the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde National Park. Put down a deposit on the rafting trip with Noah's Ark (yes, they're a Christian organization, similar to Lost Valley). Sought advice from TripAdvisor on whether to drive up Pike's Peak or just take the Cog Railway. Printed out coupons for both options, just in case we change our mind (my parents would be so proud of me, using coupons). Mapped out the entire journey on googlemaps. I felt quite productive and detail-oriented today. *pats self on back* All this planning is making me super excited about going home!!!

I'm also a bit sad, however. I'm the type of person that doesn't like to dwell on negativity... and so I haven't really been thinking about the finality of leaving this place. It probably won't hit me until I've journeyed all the way home and I'm lying in bed, my home bed, and wondering at how different it feels from my bunk in the Hide-a-Way Annex studio apartment. And then it'll probably hit me again, when a song will play on the radio... one that we listened to while cleaning cabins... or a song we all sang to as we polished silverware in the dining room before dinner... sigh...

But I'll save the nostalgia for later. I'm still here on the ranch, and it's way past my bed time! Good night!

Additional Uses for Bug Spray

P1010703, a photo by sun5hine09 on Flickr.

Sorry I haven't been consistently updating... with little more than a week left and the season coming to a close, things have been a bit hectic as we wrap things up for spring and prepare for the incoming summer staff.

Here's a pic of my roomie getting the best use out of her expired bug spray. Pyromaniac bonding time! I will MISS her when I'm gone!!!

Home is where...

This past weekend, I went home for the first time in three months. It's the longest I've ever been away, but I didn't think anything would really change... and it didn't, but I did!

The first shocker was when I walked out of John Wayne airport was the thought, "Boy, is it HUMID here!". That's how dry it is in Colorado, that the Southern Californian desert feels humid in comparison.

The second "woah" moment was when I walked into my house and was enveloped in a huge cloud of... Asian-ness. My exact words were, "It smells so ASIAN in here!" The mixture of stir-fry/mothballs was a familiar scent, but one I never associated with my own house. Is that how I smell all the time? Ewww... Smells aside, it was great to be home. My parents spoiled me rotten, always have. Oh, how I love them! My brothers... same old lazy bums, j/k :P

The rest of the weekend was mani/pedi, teeth cleaning, and wedding preparations. It was awesome seeing old friends, meeting new friends (all relatives of the groom, with 11 uncles and aunts, he has a TON of cousins), and celebrating the union of two wonderful people. Awkward wedding banquet moment:

     Person A, "There are over 250 people here. I wouldn't have this many people at my wedding, it's just too much."
     Person B, "Yeah, if I haven't talked to someone in a year, they're not invited."
     Awkward pause...
     Person A, "Everyone at this table... we all haven't seen each other in over a year. Weddings are what bring us together."
     Embarrassed laughter.
     Awkward silence.
     Everyone eats.

Hee hee. Guess which person was me! :P

The lovely bride escorted by her father down the aisle. So happy for ya, Meesh! Photo courtesy of LC.