Supermoon

From what the guests tell me, and internet news sites confirm, the moon is the closest it's been to the earth in 18 years. Supermoon, is what they call it (kinda cheesy). This is a shot I got on my way back from square dance last night, which was really cloudy and windy. The light on the left is my porch light :) Home! I love it when I see a house illuminated by the lights within... it looks so inviting and gives me such a homey, cozy feeling. Not to mention the satisfaction of curiosity when I can see into people's homes and admire their decor... or see what's on TV at the moment... :P

Thank God, it's Sunday! Most of the working world thank God for Fridays, when their work week is over and they can have a break. For us in the hospitality industry, we thank God for Sunday nights, because we work the whole weekend... and man, did I work! We had over 60 people over, which is almost summer-time numbers... with an off-season staff. We added a seat to each table, so I had 9 instead of 8 guests' drinks and orders to memorize (we 4 diamond staff don't write things down, ugh!). My poor brain! My aching feet (darn cowboy boots)! My arms and back and legs and... everything!

Us waitrii are so tired, we've gotten a bit loopy. We had a manic giggle-fest this morning at breakfast, which scared most of the other staff, just thinking about all we've been through and how we still had breakfast and lunch to go through. Courteney kept desperately repeating, "It's fine. This is fine. We are fine." Breakfast Saturday morning was terrible, the kitchen was backed up, and guests were complaining about the 20-minute wait, which I completely understand, because they had to be ready for their rides. It was like putting out little fires all over the place. How do you keep guests busy and happy when the kitchen is backed up? We offer fruit bowls, refill coffee and juice a million times, stand there and chat until you run out of things to say and it gets super awkward... then abruptly say, "I'll go check on your order!"... repeat with your other table until you are about to go crazy and are desperate... but you keep smiling, you try your best to avoid "hovering" in the kitchen and putting even more pressure on the cooks... and you get through it. We got through it. Hallelujah!

But enough of the complaining. It was good to see the ranch come alive with guests and to really test how well I can serve them. And us waitrii weren't the only ones working hard... the wranglers, so far, have been taking out groups with less than 10 people, with two wranglers each... this weekend, they were taking out groups of 10 or more, with only one wrangler to keep the guests and horses together. In the off-season, we only have about 80 horses... and it was difficult to match the riding ability of the guest to the personality of the horse with so few to choose from. Another issue we had was that some guests would tell the wranglers that they're very comfortable with horses, and signed up to go with the progressive beginner or intermediate groups... only to reveal mid-ride that they've never ridden a horse before. What a drag on the other guests who want to lope (ride really, really fast) but can't because the "hero" can't stay on his horse! There's a lesson for you, don't be a hero.

Care package of the week from a Girl Scout family! YESSSS!!!!! Thin mints are my FAVORITE! And Samoas are my roomies' favorite! I love it when everybody wins!