Saturday, August 21, 2010

Goodbye Rocky Mountains...

Here I am, sitting with Kelly in Denver International Airport. Kelly, Job (one of the other students from Calvin), and I fly out this morning! Because the only person left with a car at SMR had to work this morning, he dropped us off here last night at around 1:00 AM. The three of us took turns sleeping and staying awake to watch our luggage (I think I got 20 minutes total of actual sleep). At 4:00 we watched the airport come to life, and were able to watch our last Colorado sunrise a little later. My plane doesn't actually take off until 10:30 AM, so I'm seeing Kelly off on her plane to Grand Rapids at 8:40 then heading to find my terminal.
Though this summer was an adventure- an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, I am SO excited to be heading back home to see my family... and though I'll miss the mountains, I might even be a little excited for the good old midwest humidity ;)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

It's the little things...

Tonight, tomorrow night, AND Thursday night, my roommate Kelly reserved a room at Indian Peaks with her complimentary nights that we get as staff. I am so excited for this "retreat" with my roommates, but I'm also excited about things that I would've taken for granted a couple months ago...

#1) The Bathroom: Having a shower right in my room that is clean, well lit, has warm water (as opposed to HOT or COLD), and has water pressure!
#2) The Bed: Being able to stretch out my legs in bed and not have my feet hanging off, not worrying about the creaking it makes at the slightest movement, and being able to sit up in it without banging my head on the top bunk... (and the mattresses are SO comfortable:)
#3) The Silence: Going to sleep without hearing other people talking in the rooms around me! (I might even be able to take an actual nap tomorrow! :)
#4) The Screens: There are no random bugs in this room- the windows have screens!
#5) The Internet: Indian Peaks has its own wireless, which is faster and more reliable than the internet in Blue Ridge
#6) The Fridge: I don't know what I'll use this perk for yet, but if I want to bring something back to my room that needs refrigeration, I have that option!

It feels like a mini-vacation already :)

Friday, August 6, 2010

One is Silver and the other Gold :)

These past few weeks have reminded me of how richly blessed I have been in my relationships- new and old :)
Since my last post, I was surprised by a (brief) visit from Jerry and Bonnie Van Someren, a couple from my home church who were riding through Colorado on their motorcycle and happened to drive past SMR. Just a few days later, I had a chance to visit shortly with my Uncle John and Aunt Caroline while they were here for their Larson family reunion.
This past weekend I was blessed with a visit from 3 of my high school friends, Kya, Jennifer, and Leanne. Yes, they drove all the way from Wisconsin just to camp at Snow Mountain Ranch (and see me :)! We had a great time hiking (though not all of them went exactly as planned...), driving (Trail Ridge Road... kudos to Kya for excellent driving skills), shopping (plenty of souvenir stores in the area!), and hanging out at the campsite (/in the tent, when the weather wasn't cooperating with our plans). I am so glad that they took the time and effort to make the trip, and hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!
Today was the last day at work for many of my co-workers... it was hard to say goodbye, and the Grill will not be the same without them, but I am thankful for the chance I had to get to know so many incredible people this summer!