tourons are people too!

Sunday...I the official end to the week. I sit here in my office at 10:00 on the computer because I decided to cancel my star gazing program tonight due to lots of clouds and a HUGE full moon.
I had a great day (after my attitude adjustment described below) I had this renewed love for Yosemite's tourists again and I couldn't wait to go to work today and have conversations with people. I am supposed to hang out at the Ahwahnee hotel on sunday afternoons and ask people if they have questions about the hotel or the park, and just have some good conversation with visitors. I usually only stay for about an hour then make my way back to the office for research and program time. But, today I ended up staying around for over two hours just talking with different folks, and I had a blast!
I am learning that if you are going to work at a national park, or anywhere where your job is to serve visitors, you have to keep an appreciation and love for your visitors. I have to remind myself that people are here from all different walks of life, excited about being here, and eager to have fun...just like I am! Most of them are getting an experience of a lifetime, and I get to be a part of that for them.
When I lose sight of that, I lose that passion and motivation for my job. People just become annoying "tourons" instead of people having a significant family vacation or a couple on their anniversary trip, or a group of kids in nature for the first time....I am finding that whatever I do, I can not do my job well if I am not loving the people I am serving.

Attitude Adjustment

Had a bit of a frustrating weekend as I twisted my ankle pretty good bouldering on Thursday, and had a hurting knee on top of that. I was forced to say no to a lot of opportunities to go climbing and backpacking and running...which was so stinkin hard since I only have about two weeks left here in Yosemite. But, its crazy how the Lord turns everything good because slowing down for me is the hardest thing in the world to do, even though I tell the people here to do it all the time...sit back, relax, enjoy nature, rest in this moment...etc, but I find it so hard to do myself!
I ate a HUGE piece of humble pie yesterday, as the valley was crowded with weekend traffic and tourists everywhere, it was hot, and I was hurt with my panties in a wad bc my plans got wrecked. So here I am zooming around the bike paths on my bike, all annoyed at the number of tourists in my way, when turn a corner and have a close collision with a lady walking.
I stopped to make sure she was alright, and I felt bad, but I still had this attitude like...dang tourists need to watch where they are going!
Then she looked at me and said she was ok, but that I needed to "slow down, it's a pretty place, why are you in such a rush! slow down."
My first wicked instinct overtook me and I said "its different when you live here"
Then I thought to myself, ARE YOU SERIOUS? Who am I? I am in no rush. It was my day off, I had no where to be, nothing to do, yet I feel a need to rush around with my panties in a wad bc things weren't going exactly my way? Have I forgotten what a privilege I have been given to be able to live and work here in awesome Yosemite? the place people come from across the world to see?
The truth is I have.
It is so easy to lose sight of things, its kind of ridiculous. Needless to say, I had a small breakdown, repenting for my lack of gratitude, thanking God for my health...the fact that I can go out and run 15 miles and hike across mountains and bike and do all of these wonderful things. So many people out there are not able to do what I get to, I am so richly blessed.
Thank God for attitude adjustments.

Thank God for family

I stood on that tippy top point!! what a view....the most incredible one i've ever seen~ ->

I can't explain the way I feel right now, just that I want to burst with this love in my heart for my family. I am so thankful for all of you who are my family reading this right now. We have something special you know? The fact that we love and take care of each other. I wish all the people around me here got to experience that.

Mom and Jim came and visited me last week! It was awesome, we had a blast. They came to see my programs, and then we had some great adventures on my days off. We stayed in Oakhurst at a b&b, then made a day going to Glacier Point, the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequioas, stopped by Summit to check out the base camp, and had wine and chips and salsa with the sunset. The next day we went to tuolumne and I did a crazy burly awesome adventure to the top of unicorn peak while mom and jim took a more chill route down the beautiful Lylle Canyon on the JMT trail. We met back up and celebrated the awesomeness!

I really wish Dad, J n Meg, Sarah, Carter, Gmommy n Gdaddy, ok lets be honest...I wish all you guys could come visit!! but hopefully my life will take me to more awesome places like this one where you can come visit!

(internship post here guys) interpretation is like an onion...it has layers -donkey from shrek

Had my mid-season evaluation meeting with my supervisor yesterday. It was really encouraging. She instilled a lot of confidence in me and encouraged me to go out on a limb, take risks, and try new things. I also got some good feedback on things I can work on, like my nervous "stepping" habit and my funky transitions.

tasks for this week:

1. figure out how to make my stroll about John Muir's "saunterings" and the management balancing act of our national parks relevant to teenagers or young kids that come on my program

2. Get more activities for my family stroll so that I can be ready for anybody that comes on it.... two year old to eighty-two year old. Bring it on

3. What the heck are you going to do if the back rooms of the Ahwahnee are closed when you give your Ahwahnee tour sunday?

4. hitch hike to tuolumne to go climbing and camp out with amy, meg, and glen

Biggest lesson learned so far:

Interpretation is not a solid rock. It is like a parfait- with layers. You can not be a perfectionist and be an interpreter, or you will be stressed to the max 24/7. It is important to have a solid foundation, then build apon that foundation through trial and error. It takes time and experience... and it takes a light attitude to just have FUN with it!

where else but Montreat would your professor come kick it with you for a few days in Yosemite?

This week was a crazy one, but a lot of fun! Sunday was the 4^th of July celebration that we put on at Curry Village. I MC’d the talent show, but sadly, I made a little girl histerically cry and made her mom irate bc she didn’t make it into the show. Oops….what do you do? Despite that, it all went over really well and we got to celebrate with banana splits afterward. Dottie got here on Monday morning and we had a blast! We took her to Glacier Point and up to Tuolumne for a little hike. She came to see my star program, my stroll, Ahwahnee tour, and film, which was really cool bc she gave me some good feedback. She also fed me, Broc, and Amy really well…that mom that she is! Hoping it was a refreshing time for her as her life is so crazy right now.

Missing my friends and family a lot, but I have gotten to catch up with people this week, and that has been good! Still thinking about Summit Adventure and if that is how I want to spend my last semester at Montreat. I see how precious my life at Montreat is, but I am still torn with a call to a new adventure. This place is awesome, but my heart is in western NC. I hate this because I have to make a decision really soon. Oh Lord what to do!