Sorry it has been so long

So I know that it has been a little bit of time since my last post so here is a quick update on what is going on...first my computer hard drive crashed got it somewhat fixed at least to the point that I could turn on my computer and get things going but it took forever to get anything done, well after I got my computer working my iPod hard drive crashed so that was not much fun and that I couldn't get fixed so I ended up getting a new one, but I think that this one is going to last me a lot longer with the size that it is and everything with all of my music on it and everything it isn't even taking up 10% of the space on it and it was cheaper than a touch.  Well once I got everything working to I point that I thought that I would be good my computer hard drive crashed again the good thing for me is that I had everything backed up on my external hard drive so nothing was lost or I hope that nothing was lost I still need to take a look and see, but from the looks of it everything is still there...oh the joys of computers.

Alright so I am going to try and remember everything that I have done for the past few weeks.  Now as most of you may know a few weeks back I went on a hike/camp out with my roommate Sam, really the first chance that we have had to go out into the back-country and see some of the sights, and for the most part I really enjoyed it, got to use my new pack, and find out that the tent that I am borrowing doesn't have any tent stakes in it (and it is one of the ones that you need the stakes to make the tent stay up luckily for me there where plenty of rocks around that I could use.  Now like I said it was a combination hike and camp out in total I think that we ended up backpacking close to 25 miles for the three days that we where out and during that time we saw two adult bears, one cub, and a bunch of fossils on the top of one of the mountains (all of the fossils being sea creatures as odd as that my sound).  And to end off the hike we went to the top of the Tooth of Time and hiked into base camp from there.  Like I said we had a lot of fun with that, got to know a few new people and make some new friends.  I am looking forward to my next chance to go out into the back-country.

Next up is LDS week, now at first this was a big shock for me...as odd as it may sound...I got up in the morning got ready for church, I was speaking in the Raton branch, and step out the door and the first thing that I see is that there is hundreds of other people dressed up in church clothes heading off to their classes around the camp. I was not something that I was use to seeing well at least not out here.  The best way to try and describe what it was like was like going to stake conference for sacrament meeting with the number of people.  Now as far as my work goes, it has been fun.  Everyone has made it seem like these weeks are the hardest because there are so many people, but really I haven't seen anything different from working at Coneys  as long as you are doing your job and letting people know what is going on they are very cooperative and are willing to wait the extra five minutes for the food to come out.  The only thing is the kids are really, really loud in the mornings...mostly when you are trying to sleep in.  Take that back they are loud all of the time, but really it is nice having more people around and ones that understand what it is that I am talking about when I mention something about the church.

Now for everyones favorite part the pictures...

The Zipline

Ya, I did it I got up to the top of the pole and I went down the zipline that they have here. So here is a picture that one of the other guys there took of me comming down.

Western Night

Now the fun begins...every Tuesday night we have what we call our Western Night, when we are allowed to get out of our work cloths and put on something a little more normal, that is if you sport the cowboy look.  Those nights we have everything from dinner out on the lawn, being buffalo BBQ and watermelon, to games and roping lessons.  And then we end the night with a western dance.  Now the other night was not the real thing it was, for lack of better words, a dress rehearsal of sorts, and really I think that we only call it that because it is only staff here right now and it was only staff participating in all of the nights activities.

I had a lot of fun with it, the food was great, and it was really nice to sit outside and enjoy a meal in the cool evening air, and it also was nice not having to put on my uniform for once to eat a meal.  Now I didn't have the chance to go out and play any of the games because I got to talking with some other people and well we just didn't get out there soon enough to try them out, but the dance was a good one.  A nice touch to the night was that they spent the time to teach us some line dances, like the electric slide, the roper, the chicken dance (not the one that everyone knows,) and they also taught us the two step.  For me I think that it is going to take me all summer to get some of them down to a point that I feel that I can do them, but I think that is the case with just about every one that was there.

Like I said things are starting to warm up and get going, we have re opened the dining hall here at PTC, training is finishing up, or at least I hope that it is, really there is only so much of it that a person can handle before they crack and really the best way to put it is just like cabin fever, all you want to do is to go out and get to work not sit in a room the whole day learning how to do the work, but everything is needed in some way for everyone how else would things get done as smoothly as what I have seen without it.

I would, though, have to say that one of the best things of coming out here would be the friends that I have made and how much of a help they have been to me to help me catch on to things and get me going.  And really around them there is never a dull moment everyday ends up being new and exciting to the point that I go to bed happy and tired even if it is only 9 at night.  Well I am going to get going but here are some pictures from the BBQ and the dance, enjoy!

A Change of Pace

Today was a little bit of a adventure for me, not that it was hard or anything like that. I just wasn't expecting for things to happen the way that they did...or really I did I just forgot that they where going to happen the way that they did.  I woke up thinking that going to work today was going to be just like any other day, not too many worries but ends up that it was my turn to take the wheel and drive for even just a short time.  I really don't know what it is that I can say about it, really I felt like I was back at home doing what it was that I did at work, just a lot more people to try and keep busy for the time that they came into work, and luckily for me there where things that needed to be done that took everyones help to get it finished.

Well the activities have started, and I have been having fun with them, though I will tell you that I am not the best at any of them, and that if I win at any of the games that they have it is just luck.  A few days ago they had a Game Triathlon, it consisted of the games of Pool, Fooseball, and Table Tennis, three games that I have absolutely no skills in, but I gave it a try, and made it one round in foosball, not much more in anything else.  But I had fun cheering on the others that where playing.  I am looking forward to the other things that they have planed out for the summer.

The only thing that I have a hard time with is some of the movies that people want to watch out in the public room with most of them being rated R.  I know that it might be a little different for those that have never meet anyone with the standards that I have, with the staying away from the really violent movies and the really foul language and other things like that, and you can tell that most people at some point in their life have known someone that has meet a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, because when I walk into the room they change the way that they are talking to be something more respectful then what it was before, some have even warned me to stay away from some areas because of things that they are doing.  In a way it is nice that people care about helping me out that they are willing to go to that point of trying to change what it is that they are doing when I am around, I just wish that there was a way to get something in the SSSAC (staff activities center) to have the movies that have the R rating into one of the privet TV room for the sake of cleaning the air.

Well, as for me. I am doing well, really enjoying myself, I got to have a talk today with one of the guys in the kitchen about the church today, and the first thing that he asked me about it was about food storage, and I thought that it was interesting what it was that he said to me about it, just that it was a good idea but having more than a six month food storage is just over kill.  Not much that I can say to that, but I thought that it was good that he even knew some of the things that we do as a church, and just a little ironic that it was about food storage with him being one of the guys making all of the food for us.  And for the both of us, we can't wait until the back country opens back up for hiking and camping, me so I can try out my new backpack and well get out and explore a little more of what is out here.  I am also excited for when they get more of the things open over here in the camps so I can try out some of the stuff that they have here, and one of these days I am going to try and take the tour of the villa and learn a little more about where it is that I am staying at.  Well I love you all and hope that those of you that are still in school have the best of luck with the last few weeks of classes.

Eating Like a King

Up till now we have been making every one of the meals on the menu, that was until today when the food company came in and started making meals, and they are really spoiling us with just about everything that they have from this morning when they had a table out and cooked omelets on the spot, with tomato, grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese, and tonight a pasta bar, and this from what I understand is only for the staff and faculty.  Lunch was also really good, Santa Fe Chicken (grilled chicken with tomatoes, green chili, onions, and cheese,) scalloped potatoes, (also with some green chilies, and red peppers,) and beans, with some meat sandwiches.  But like I said this is only for the staff, and so in a few weeks when everything starts to get back to normal then the menus are going to start to change up to something a little more well normal and more routine with the food.

As for me with the work that we have to do, it has been cut down by a lot, now we don't have to worry about cooking the food, we don't have to do the dishes from the food, all that we need to do is to serve it and to wash all of the plates, cups, and utensils.

Well I hope that you are all doing well.  Talk to you all soon.

I Hiked the Tooth!!!!!

I did it, and really I can't believe that I did it either, quite literally I think that it was much harder to do than hiking Timp. because this was climbing over boulders and not just a plain trail all of the way up.  It was a lot of fun we left early enough that we where able to go and to see the sun set over the mountains, and I didn't really know this but it is really flat out here.  When you look into Colorado you can see the mountains, in fact from the top of the tooth you can see into Colorado, no cities but some of the ranges that are there, and if you are to look the other way there is nothing just flat land as far as the eye can see.  But like I said I had a great time on this hike and I hope to go out and to do it again.

And the Work Goes On

Well today was my first day of doing what it is that I am going to be doing for the summer, now if that doesn't make much or any scene to you here is a little explanation of what is going on...for the past few days I have been doing the work of going around and getting things done and set up before meals start, now they have started to get me going on now checking people off on what it is that they are doing, along with getting all of my stuff done that I am asked to get done.  So in the long run it is a lot of running around from place to place, but with all of the people that I am working with there is no way that this is going to get old, or at least this is not going to get old anytime soon, and after all of the stories that I have heard over the past few days it sounds like things are going to get really exciting, everything from cardboard battles between the two dining halls, to the COPE course that they are planning for all of us to go to, I don't think that I will have too much time to be lazy.

I have gotten some questions about the weather, and other things like that, so here is what it is that I have to say.  Now for the most part it has been really nice here, the sun has been out just about everyday and the temperature ranges from about 34 degrees in the morning to about 70 degrees in the afternoon at the hottest time, when I first got here we had a few days when it snowed for a little bit, and when I say a little bit I mean about 2 min and then the sun is back out and melting what it is that has fallen.  Now, from what it is that I can tell, it is a lot dryer here then it is in Utah.

As for me, I am doing well.  From what I understand most people, as odd as it may sound, loose a lot of weight when they are working in the dinning hall, compared to the other departments around the camp, and I know that I am going to try to loose as much as I can so to do that I am going to take a lot more hikes this summer then what it is that I normally would during the summer, also if I ever plan on going into the city I will try and walk there if I can, and it is not that far it is about four miles away from where it is that I am though it will take me a little time to get there I think that it will help me out a lot on trying to loose the weight that I want to.

Well that is all for me let me know if any of you have questions for me alright.