“How in the world is Wyoming building you into a better woman,” you ask? Well, for starters, I haven’t had a real adventure in a few years. Sure, Sophia and I have gone on some fantastic hikes and Jameisha and I have done some great trail runs. Josh helped me become more comfortable swimming in the ocean. I can kick anyone’s butt hiking or holding a plank for a long time, but really, those are small adventures compared to the ones I used to thrive off of. Last night at the bar, I asked Tucker and John what the most adventurous thing they ever did was. When it was my turn to answer my own question, I realized the last time I had a near-death experience was the summer Jenna was living with me and I almost killed us both white-water kayaking. Ahhh… I should tell that story sometime soon. That was a fantastic adventure.
I am excited to be here and to learn new things and meet new people and maybe even come into close contact with death, but survive it, of course. No broken bones or permanent scars for this little lady. Nothing like having a big bear scratch down the right side of your face… or the left… or anywhere else on your body…
Honestly, folks, Wyoming is awesome. For starters, it is breath-taking-ly gorgeous. It reminds me a lot of Sisters. And I’m loving the snow, which just keeps falling down from the open sky. It would be nice if I had packed warmer clothing, but hearing the crunch of fresh snow beneath my feet, watching it cascade in waterfalls off of the rooftops, getting pounded in the ear by an enormous ball Sophie threw, feeling flakes of snow land on my nose as I make my way to my cabin… it makes me want to sing Bing Crosby Christmas carols. Soon enough, I’ll be roasting chestnuts on an open fire. Note to self: Buy chestnuts at Walmart on the next food run.
As most of you know, I am incredibly shy. I love new experiences, but at the same time, they make me nervous because I have a difficult time forcing myself to interact. I’ve met some phenomenal people at surf camps, YoungLife camps and through my jobs, but never have I met a group of people who made me feel instantly accepted and loved. Everyone here is so cheerful and trusting and genuinely interested in getting to know one another. Working at the health clubs that I teach at and living in California has morphed me a lot. Before college, I never cared what people thought. I mean, I wore sweat pants my first day of college. I wore vintage dresses and heels every day in high school, rain or shine. I still don’t wear make-up, nor do I even know how to apply it really. But I do care what people think now. The ladies at Killer B wear Lulu, so I wear Lulu to fit in and be accepted. The triathletes I train with ride nice bikes, so I always look for the best, most expensive gear. I have a ton of pride and too many clothes to fit in my closet. Here, no one cares what anyone thinks. Five, maybe six layers of clothing? Who cares that we look like miniature Pillsbury Dough Boys. Haven’t showered in five days? Eh, they could go two more before getting wet. Doing yoga on the bathroom floor? Okay, that’s disgusting, but they do it here! Dude, I haven’t shaved my legs in 5 days!!! Hahahahaha. I can just see it now: Jason in Santa Barbara reading my blog with a look of disgust smeared across his freshly shaved face, smelling of expensive cologne and wearing a sock to match his ties with his fancy suit. Cosy in Europe thinking Atta girl, Ashlee because she will sometimes go for weeks without bathing. But someone in Dubois reading this would think I’m prissy and girly. I’m still getting over the feeling of wanting to look at least a little presentable, but comfort and warmth trump pretty clothes and smooth legs any day.
I love the fact that people here are so down to earth. Never have I felt so comfortable and like I belonged more than I do here… and it’s only what? Day 3? 4? I just love it here! I have to tell you a little bit about each person because they are the most amazing people I have ever been around and I am genuinely stoked to have this opportunity to get to know them. I could write a novel on each of them, but I’ll paraphrase for your sake (and mine). Let’s go alphabetically down the list, shall we?
Anne: Anne is one of those tiny, adorable, athletic women who intimidates the hell out of me and who I wish I could be more like. She is this house of power and strength wrapped up in a tiny package. She is a no-nonsense type of girl. When I first met her, I thought she would be one of those individuals who keeps to herself and doesn’t have any desire to get to know me. Now, she is one of my favorite people. I don’t know if we bonded through her helping me grill antelope the other evening or if it was her reassuring me that the bears wouldn’t get me, but our love for early mornings, our conversations about running shoes and seeing her face first thing every morning just makes life exciting. She kind of dresses like me, too, which I like; she’s got the athletic pants, big boots and puffy jacket look going on and it reminds me of the days back in Oregon where I’d be wearing my Lulu pants and just slide on my monstrous boots and my NorthFace before driving to the market. I’m sad that she is leaving for the NorCal trip soon because I would really enjoy getting to know her more and going on some trail runs with her. However, I am positive that she is someone I will make an effort to stay in contact with.
Becki: I haven’t seen Becki too much because she has her baby (aka Critter) and it keeps her preoccupied, but the moment I first spoke to her on the phone, I liked her. The first time I met her, she greeted me with a big smile and cheerful eyes. She is always willing to answer my questions and she gave me a delicious recipe for pizza crust yesterday. When I see her, she is always so full of life and joy. I’m excited to spend more time with her throughout the summer.
Caroline: Caroline is one of those girls who looks gorgeous no matter what she is wearing. I’m not sure if she tries to look good, but she always does. She has this lovely red hair that is full of volume. We had this great conversation the other night while walking down to the office to get online. I really enjoyed hearing about her background. If you were to meet her in town, you wouldn’t think she would be into the outdoors because she is so well put together, but she is all about being outside and climbing Mt Hood and fishing and exploring new areas. She drives a Subaru, so there’s a sign of a great woman right there.
Cooke: Optimism. That is a fantastic word to describe Cooke. He finds the good in every moment. Every morning, he and his girlfriend Erica walk into the kitchen and fill their coffee mugs. Then, we stand in a circle and make a toast to the day. This morning his toast was to the first aid training and may the training scenarios be the only scenarios they encounter the rest of the season. Cheers, we all said as we clinked our mugs. I love that tradition. He and Erica do it every single day. He is so knowledgeable about the earth and farming and chickens. I feel like I learn something new from him every day. He is also very encouraging, always commenting about people‘s strengths and abilities.
Erica: Erica took a little while to open up, but I love our conversations in the kitchen. We talk about her family and her adventures with Cooke. I loved hearing about the names she gives her vehicles, such as Purple Passion and Velvedeer. She is very grateful for what she has and she is a strong woman physically and mentally. It is fun watching her interact with Cooke. I told her this morning that I love the way she calls him Bud. She laughed and said sometimes she calls him other names, such as DumbDumb. Erica just has this great sense of humor and a quick wit that I truly admire.
Jeremy: Jeremy and Becki are the camp directors. They are married and have Critter and another one on the way. No, Critter is not her real name, but I’m a big fan of the nickname. Jeremy was the one who first told me about the cook position. It’s amazing how much faith he and Becki had in me in order to hire me to do something I had never done before. He has been so patient with me this week and has given me a lot of guidance and suggestions for how to make the kitchen run smoothly over the summer. “Hey Ashlee,“ he asked over lunch. “Is this leftover meat?“ “No, why,” I asked, nervously. “It is sausage,” he informed me. Oops… so much for taco salad. Without his words of wisdom, the kitchen would not be a great place to come to. We all know I am not the most organized person around. He has helped me learn to take responsibility for the area and to own it. He has the same humor as my dad, so I am constantly smiling when he’s around because he’s funny yet serious and stern at the same time. It’s a good balance. Plus he likes Jimmy Eats World and the Foo Fighters, so he knows good music. Yesterday, he asked why I wasn’t eating the pizza I had just made. “I don’t like pizza,” I said. “Never trust a cook that doesn’t eat her own food. Also, never trust a skinny cook. That’s two strikes against you,” he commented. I’m skinny? Wow, Wyoming really is a new world. Haha.
John: Or as I like to call him Yo-Han in the best Swedish accent I can muster. John is a Canadian, eh. Every morning at 6AM, he walks into the kitchen to make coffee. He also helps me cook the meat. I don’t know how I am going to cook sausage by myself when he leaves! He may just be a nice guy, but he laughs at all of my corny jokes and even shares some of his own. Just you wait, cycle classes, you are going to hear some AWESOME corny jokes when I return. Such as: What did the mama lamb buy for her baby lamb when it turned 16? A lamb-orghini. John listens to every word you say and you know he is always listening. Sometimes I get so caught up in what I’m doing that I forget to look at people when they’re talking. John stops everything he is doing, stares straight at you and listens. It’s such an admirable quality. And he has this amazing desire to learn. Every morning, he is reading his lifeguard training book or creating meaningful conversations with people. He is constantly smiling and happy to be alive.
Margo: That girl has spunk! She has so much energy coursing through her veins and I have to give her props: she got turf toe so she is in a boot. Remember me talking about the snow in Dubois? Now imagine yourself in the snow. Add a boot with an open toe. So now you are hobbling through the foot-deep snow in a boot, snow on your toes. That is Margo. Add the fact that she lives in the teepee halfway down the hill and you have a girl with spunk. And muscles. Dang, that girl has muscles! Dude, I love Drea’s muscles, but Margo has guns. If a bear ever came her way, she’d just throw it a one, two and that thing would be on the ground. You don’t mess with the best and the best muscle award goes to Margo.
Nicole: I will always remember my first night when Nicole walked into the cabin and asked me if I was actually warm. “Here, let me help you,” she said, as she zipped my sleeping bag all the way to the top and threw my comforter over my face. She always has my back and is trying to help out in any way she can. Like the other girls here, Nicole is a natural beauty and you can’t help but to be a little bit envious of her. Confidence pours out of her with her every movement, but she is so humble and sincere. If I was ever stressed, I feel like she would make me feel at ease. We have created a secret eye/body language that I’m pretty stoked to use this summer. No, I can’t tell you about it! It’s a secret. C’mon. Go look up the meaning of the word “secret” in the dictionary!
Sophie: What can I say about Sophie? She was my very first friend here. I love our pillow talks before bedtime, our random strange glances at each other across the table, her sense of humor, her laugh. Everyone wants to be friends with Sophie and Sophie wants to be friends with everyone. Go get that dictionary again, will you? Open it up, look up the word friend, cross out the definition Webster or whoever put in there and scratch in the word Sophie. If I was ever sad, lonely, homesick, struggling… Sophie is the one I would confide in. She walks into a room and instantly it is ten times brighter; even if it was the brightest sunshiny day ever, she would help illuminate it’s warmth even more. God truly gifted Sophie and I am ecstatic to know her.
Tim: aka Back. Back? Back. Last night, we were getting into the car and Tim was in the middle of Caroline and me. He said he couldn’t find his buckle because his butt was too big. He could not stop talking about how big his butt is, so I started singing Baby Got Back. Then Tucker turned the song on his iPhone and there it was… Tim’s nickname. He calls me Chef-ee, I call him Back. Tim just makes me smile so big. He is always looking out for others and making sure people are safe, happy and content. He likes to tease me about carrying my bear spray everywhere I go. He also teases about my short hair, “Chef-ee, just let what hair you’ve got down and have a good time.” Then I wore pigtails, “What are those? That’s uhm… cute, but I said to let what little hair you have down!” He likes to tease me about my squeaky laugh and my prayer sneezes. Aw man, why is it so funny to hear him pick on me like he‘s my older brother or something? I don’t know, but I am excited for him, Nicole, Sophie and me to live in the cabin together this summer!
Tucker: I nicknamed Tucker The Help because he really is a staff member, not a course director, but he is here early so he does a lot of the general labor around the camp. He is from Virginia and has the coolest accent. I love just sitting and listening to him talk. He wants me to design his first tattoo, which I’m all about! Last night, we discovered we both LOVE Ninja Turtles and Donnatello is our favorite. It was like we were meant to be friends forever. He loves all the good music: country, hiphop, alternative rock… every type of music basically. At the bar yesterday, Tucker and I were talking next to the pool table when this man walked up and started talking to us with ridiculous speech. He repeated himself four or five times, telling us about how he grew up in Jackson, no wait, Dubois. Ohpe! He grew up in both places! And found a prehistoric dragonfly. He wants us to come to his village. Where is his village? In Dubois! Where he grew up! But he grew up in Jackson. And his great grandmother was the first white woman born in Dubois and his great grandpa arrested Butch Cassidy down the road from the saloon. And he loves each and every one of us. Oh wow. Tucker was so patient with the man. “I think I’m going to love it here,” he leaned down and whispered to me.
Honestly, this new family of mine is legit. I’m sorry if my last blog made it sound otherwise. This morning, as I was serving French toast and sausage, Jeremy walked up and stationed himself next to me. He stood tall, looking forward, not at me. “So I read your blog,” he remarked. Uhoh. “It wasn’t supposed to sound the way it came out!” I defended myself. “Just so you know,” he started, not missing a beat. “There hasn’t been a bear sighting at the camp in years. And we make too much noise here for them to come this close anyway.” “Okay, Jeremy,” if Jeremy says it, I’ll believe it.
Yeah, it’s awesome here! I can’t wait to start training again, but so far I love my life!
CYCLE (60 Minutes)
5:00 Warm-up
5:00 Alternating every :30 standing 70 RPM, :30 seated 100 RPM
5:00 95 RPM
2:00 Zone 2, build to zone 3
5:00 Zone 4 seated
3:00 Zone 1 seated
5:00 Zone 4 standing
3:00 Zone 1 standing
5:00 Zone 4 seated
3:00 Zone 1 seated
5:00 Zone 4 standing
3:00 Zone 1 standing
2:00 Zone 2, build to zone 3 seated
2:00 Zone 2, build to zone 3 standing
3:00 Cool down
4:00 Stretch
Wow, you seem really busy but it sounds like you're having a wonderful experience!
ReplyDeleteIt also appears you have the opportunity to blog more often :)
Miss u!