Expect the Unexpected

So I have made it once again safely and soundly to my new destination: Signal Mountain Lodge in the Grand Teton National Park. That's in Wyoming, near Yellowstone.

So I got back to the US a month ago now. The time spent at home was not nearly as bad as it could have been. I did manage to see a few dear friends, watch some King of the Hill, and convert two of my pairs of pants into skirts. I managed to stay relatively busy. But I am glad to be gone.

The drive over went pretty smoothly. I spent the first night visiting my darling friend Mel in Pullman, then the next day I drove the remaining twelve hours over to Grand Teton Park. The twelve hour drive wouldn't have been so bad, except that I needed to arrive by 3 pm at work, so I had to leave Pullman at 2 in the morning. Yikes.

But powered by a 16 oz Rockstar (sugarfree), two books on tape, and some bumping tunes, Chloe and the Chloemobile manged to go the distance.

Everything went fine, even though the Chloemobile is minus one functioning spark plug, which basically means she has no power at all, so going up over those mountains was even harder than usual. I hit snow three times going through Idaho. This is probably the thing that made me the most nervous during the drive -- going up over a mountain pass in a crappy car, snow falling, only car on the road at four in the morning. But when my heart started to palpitate I simply put on my Girl Power CD, and everything was okay. I have also gained a new appreciation for Kelly Clarkson; she really helped me through some hard times.

The drive over was beautiful. I was cutting through on a bunch of smaller highways, not the big ol' interstate 90. I saw a bunch of deer, mostly at dawn, many of which I nearly hit with my car. I saw a group of about seven big horned sheep crossing the road, too. Here in the park I've already seen a ton of elk and a few moose, not to mention the whistle pigs. There are also plenty of bear, but I haven't seen any yet. The park is absolutely fundamentally gorgeous. It reminds me of Alaska. I haven't had a chance to explore too much yet, go hiking, but today at work we're going on a mini-tour (I love getting paid for stuff like that), and tomorrow I'll probably head for the hillls at least a little bit. It's still freaking cold here though. Yesterday it SNOWED. Wtf?

There definitely seems to be a lot less bullshit at this job than at my job in Yosemite. They actually treat their employees decently, and my roommate and I have a private bathroom. I am so stoked aobut that. Not to mention the food is actually tasty. So cafeteria food CAN be done well. I am in the "quiet dorm" which means I'm mostly with old people, but that's really okay by me. I have gotten really mellow in my old age. I just don't want to have to deal with people partying all the time. Besides the other dorms are right next door.

So I've only been here a few days, so I haven't really gotten to know anybody too well yet. There are, of course, a good percentage of people that seem to want to spend their entire summer in a drunken stupor, but that's to be expected. I'm sure there are plenty of cool ones too. The staff is like twice as big as at Yosemite, so there should be more variety.

So far I think most people probably think I'm really quiet and reserved. How wrong is THAT assumption hehe. But I haven't really hung out that much yet. I feel a little overwhelmed by all the new faces. And overwhelmed by how different my life is right now than a month ago. So far every night I've spent in my room knitting or reading, then going to be early. I am SO cool. But I don't know, I just haven't felt like hanging out that much. I don't feel like drinking anyway, which is probably what they're doing. Besides, it's freaking cold and I don't even want to leave the room. And also, I know with time, it's all going to happen. I'm going to get to know all of these people, probably more than I'd like to, so why rush it? I'm not that worried about it. I'm easing into it.

Fortunately, I haven't met any boys of interest yet, which makes my life easier. If I liked someone here it would just confuse me. I haven't fully advertised the fact that I have a boyfriend, though I have mentioned it to a few people. I'm a little afraid to make it well known right away because then I bet a lot of the boys wouldn't want to talk to me. That's shallow, but I think it's true. There are a lot of guys here who I bet have been in the mountains a long time and would love to court a fine filly like me. I would like to lead them on a little bit before I tell them I'm not available. Is that so wrong?

So in other words, if you couldn't have guessed, el Cesar and I are still going strong. Stronger than I thought. Stronger than before. During this month apart we have actually grown a lot closer. We talk all the time -- almost every day -- either through email, through chatting, or on the phone. It's good, it's really good. This time we are apart is not just a stagnant part in our relationship -- it is a time of growth.

Which of course, sucks. Because now I have to deal with the immigration process. Something in my live long days I NEVER wanted to deal with. And now I'm doing it -- VOLUNTARILY. Because I WANT to. Am I nuts?? It is SUCH a pain in the ass, you guys. And I've barely even started.

Is this boy worth it? That would be the obvious question, wouldn't it? I haven't even known him for that long. But you know how people always say they "just know"? I think I might just know about him. I'm trying to figure that out right now...I am not yet 100% sure, but I am getting there.

But men are bullshit, right? That has been my mantra for the last few years. Oh let's face it, since puberty. But I keep looking for the bullshit, you guys. And I don't see it. There is no bullshit here. He just loves me. He loves me in the way that Harry loves Charlotte, or Steve loves Miranda -- not the way Big loves Carrie. He just loves me, and that's that. And how do I know? Because he tells me all the time, because he's the sweetest thing ever, and because he always answers my emails, looks for me online, and wants to arrange a time for me to call him. Hence why we're keeping in touch so well. Our relationship has changed so much, I can't even believe it. I never expected this to happen. But I'm glad it has.