frigid air and hot springs.

i am writing this entry on my phone as i am riding my bike (on my trainer in my cabin). isn't technology great!?

i can't believe there is only one week left of work for the year. time certainly flies when you are having fun. last weekend was full of adventures...a big midweek snowstorm, night out at the karaoke bar with almost all of my coworkers (over 30 people), and a day at the desert hot springs. mainly meaning i didn't sleep as much as i needed to...

the only mishap was hitting a patch of ice on the windy mountain highway into town sending my car into the guard rail...don't worry: leopold (my car) is fine as well as everyone in the car. surprisingly, the guard rail only left 3 tiny scratches and and took a tiny piece of my hubcap as a souvenir.

i am looking forward to wrapping up the season soon and spending time back in the Midwest. that's right...this one is coming back! in chicago for a few days before Christmas and then in Michigan until January 7. give me a shout if you want to get together!!

here are some photos from my adventures:

road trip and california in pictures.

just some snapshots from life recently...

olivia's cute. my brother is even cuter.

bear lake in northern utah.

grand teton national park!

more grand teton.

jenny lake at grand teton national park.

me just before the geyser attacked me with sulfur fumes.

yellowstone national park.

yellowstone national park.

lake tahoe!

on the way to mineral king at sequoia national park.

thia with a sequoia tree.

i fell in love with this tree. reminded me of a seahorse.

mt. sugarloaf at sunset from burnt flats.

karis and joe getting sucked up by a tree during trail work.

whistle while we work (do do do do do do do do).

karis wears many hats.

along the PCT north of fawnskin, ca.

family, thanksgiving and power tools

no gathering of my family would be complete without the droning of a power drill or a trip to home depot. normally it's my parents working on some sort of home improvement project, but this time i'm visiting my aunt and uncle at their beautiful abode in colorado springs, and they seem to be at the throes of home improvement projects.

when my aunt and grandmother picked me up from the aiport, my grandma proudly told me how she just bought them a new microwave to fit over their stove. while i bummed around enjoying the splendor of being around family (and greedily doing as many things as i can on their high speed internet), my aunt and uncle were busy at work the rest of the evening trying to install this microwave. trial and error revealed some holes drilled in the wrong place (measure twice, drill once, my friends), so i was called over to help out. eventually the microwave found it's new home (power drill and saw: check).

the next morning, on a simple trip to the store to get yeast for baking bread (must...feed...the...addiction...), we stopped by REI, home depot and a camera shop before making it to the grocery store (home depot stop: check).

i've spent the past few days relaxing, crocheting, writing letters, buying way too many things on the internet (all on sale and free shipping...), and listening to my sassy grandma's banter. she claims she's losing her sense of humor with her age; i just think she's getting more hilarious. i really wish i had a tape recorder to capture her remarks about life.

i'm writing this entry to the soundtrack of a power drill, shopvac and clanging of electronic bits as my uncle tries to configure a way to use skype in the living room. by the way, i just got skype (username: miller.is.robin) and was able to catch up with my good friend heidi in real time! she's teaching english in taiwan and has her own blog (http://heidialford.tumblr.com/). we communicate mainly through written correspondence; however, i thoroughly enjoyed our nearly 2 hour conversation...both of us in pajamas thanks to the 15 hour time difference! me just having woken up and her about to call it a night.

back on track...we did the quick and dirty version of the garden of the gods in manitou springs. i snapped some photos of the kissing camels, held up balance rock and was wooed into buying too many postcards at the trading post. then we stuffed ourselves silly with sushi before returning to prepare pies for tomorrow's feast.

at the trading post by the garden of the gods, there was a sign saying "it all started when two people fell in love". being with family for thanksgiving makes me reflect on the gravity of this souvenir sign. family does start when two people fall in love. the reason that all the people in the room around me are here is because two people fell in love enough to welcome children into their lives.

what the future holds for my family remains unknown. for now, i will enjoy the time we have to spend together.

oh, hello there fall.

today, while i walked over to sneak dinner from the camp nawakwa (we didn't have program today), i thought about fall. i've been thinking about fall a lot lately. friends have been asking me what fall is like in the mountains. i used to tell them that it made me miss the brilliant colors of the midwest. that it made me nostalgic for making giant leaf piles, jumping in them, and promptly stuffing those leaf piles down the jackets of anyone nearby. that it made me miss home.

this year, i'm embracing fall in the mountains. since i spend my days in the kitchen instead of outside, i've come to appreciate my time outside so much more than i ever have. i relish the warm sunshine on my skin and the cool shade under the oak trees. i have two beautiful windows in my room and love seeing the oak trees change from yellow, the orange, and eventually to red. yesterday, when i was hiking with friends, we found a cave and even met a new bat friend! how perfect for a halloween adventure. last week i even served up pumpkin spice coffee instead of the normal blend.

fall has been an awakening for me this year. i've been learning a new job, a challenging and exhausting job. i've been adjusting to a community full of familiar friends and new faces...as well as the difficulty of fitting in when my position is completely different from everyone else i work with. i am trying to stay connected to friends and family who are not in this community...and am finally planning the time to keep in touch (sorry pen pals...you will get letters!). it's not easy...but no one ever said life was.

i am enjoying myself. i get to create delicious, healthy food. highlights include breakfast crepe "lasagna", quinoa-black bean-sweet potato burgers, and finally finding time to bake bread from scratch! i'm slowly reclaiming free time during the week...hoping to get on some bike rides this week before it gets too chilly. and the weekends are always full of adventure : )

pictures will come soon...

back to the daily grind. cooking up a storm.

it has been quite some time since i gave attention to my blog. i guess you could say i took a summer vacation from blogging. to sum up the rest of my summer: my trail crew in oregon was a blast (i'll post pictures soon), my 3 weeks at home in michigan were blissful and my road trip back to california was splendid.

highlights from my road trip included seeing my brother and his family in kansas at my grandmother's house, visiting my train acquaintance (rob) in utah, spending time with kyle at grand teton NP and camping with thia in lake tahoe and sequoia national park.

when i got back to california, i hit the ground running. i spent the first week training under the other head cook, a beautiful soul named natalie, while cooking for new staff training. we made some delicious treats...especially spring rolls, homemade falafel, and extra delicious carrot cake.

the second week was the real deal...150 kids, 50 staff and teachers, and a kitchen full of food. i really got a sense for what it's like to be not only the cook, but the kitchen manager (my actual title). it's a new challenge for me to juggle trays of tater tots for the kids while not overcooking the veggie fritatta for the adults all the while baking tantalizing treats that are not kind on the waistline and making sure there is enough hand soap (random, but apparently i'm also in charge of ordering cleaning supplies for camp. hand soap has been the one that hasn't come in yet...and the one we really need. oh well!). i am starting to notice my biceps and quads getting much stronger and defined from regularly lifting 50 pound bags of flour and large pots of boiling water.

my almost-disaster came when i mixed up the squeezy bottles of cooking oil and dish soap (both yellow liquids that i hadn't labeled yet). you can imagine my surprise when i wondered why the green peppers i was cooking kept smelling so clean and bubbled up quite nicely. good thing i caught that before adding it to the huge vat of sloppy joes for the kiddos.

i'm slowly catching up on rest. i spent the weekend sleeping in, settling into my room and frolicking outside. it's amazing how soothing time outside with wonderful people can be to the tired soul.

this week i'm headed to virginia to see my best friend from college get married! i am escaping a puking epidemic that is going around camp and some icky weather passing through southern california. no complaints here!

summer adventure. perpetual weekend.

being at home with no concrete plans makes me feel like i'm living the perpetual weekend. and i love it! i stay up way too late, watch too many movies, sleep in too much, and haven't been too productive with my time.

my big life decisions revolve around what pointless tv show i want to stream on netflix and how many pairs of underwear i should bring with for a month of trail work. right now, i'm debating about whether to bring overalls with me...

but, my trip to oregon is just around the corner. in less than 2 days, i'll be on my way to see if i have what it takes to be a high school crew leader! i'm stoked. it'll be nice to do something with my time. i will miss playing with my cats and making food for my parents though...

here are some recent photos from my life...

amos lee concert at meijer gardens.

veggie enchiladas i made for the show.

this guy, mutlu, most entertaining performer ever.

homemade pizza. and an ice cold oberon, of course.

dad watching fireworks on the 4th.

peter frampton! 4th of july concert.

sophie relaxing on the deck.

random frog in reading, pa.

yes! storm drain labels!

crazy fun bookstore in metuchen, NJ.

there was a double rainbow, all the way. so intense.

music under the tent (before the storm rolled in).

hawley!

summer adventure. rethinking my bucket list.

now that i'm home with an abundance of free time, i've been pondering the direction of my life. how do my choices fit in with those overarching goals on my bucket list? can i keep living this life of adventure and still support myself in the long run? what will it take to get me to settle down in one place with a career?

so, i've started rethinking my bucket list. here are some of the current entries:

- go on a long distance bike ride (summer 2012?)

- hike the AT or the PCT (doing trail work on the PCT this summer!)

- become mayor of a small town (i'm the mayor of high trails...)

- visit all 7 continents (3 down! 4 to go)

- go on a hot air balloon ride (uhh...expensive)

- live on a farm (i keep meeting cool young farmers...maybe they'll need an intern someday)

- be in a band (learning the banjo...)

it seems as though i'm doing pretty well on these goals. in a few years, i might need to make a whole new bucket list! i'm starting to think about where i see myself in the next few years. graduate school? a more permanent job? still adventuring? the options are a little overwhelming, and i keep trying to tell myself to take life one step at a time. easier said than done for this super planner.

in other life news, i've started riding my bike again and even started logging my miles on the dailymile. slowly, i'm catching up on some letter writing and postcards. pen pals, don't fret. mail is coming your way! i'm starting to sort through recipes i want to try on my parents for next year's culinary adventures as one of the head cooks at high trails (ah!).

time to run some errands!

summer adventure. road trip to exhaustion.

i am exhausted. completely exhausted. i'm physically drained with a sprained ankle (that i'm too stubborn and busy to slow down enough and let heal). i'm emotionally taxed with making new friends and visiting old. i'm mentally wiped from spending way too much time in my car.

but, it is all part of the glorious adventure of summer.

after my brief jaunt across the country, i spent nearly 2 weeks training for my summer job with SCA. i am  excited for the work, but i'm also feeling a little overwhelmed with all that needs to happen before i leave. i loved being back in new england. i met some fascinating people that i hope to build some friendships with as time goes on. oh, and i celebrated my 24th birthday! yay!

i woke up saturday morning slightly groggy from a rowdy evening of celebrating my birthday, said goodbye to many of my new cohorts and packed my car in with an additional 3 people (little leopold, my corolla, was bursting at the seams!) for a whirlwind trip from NH to boston and back to western massachusetts. i fought through my tiredness and even went contra dancing!

i left hawley early this morning, stopped in new jersey for lunch with my friend kevin, rescued my friend kt's bike in kutztown, pa and am now in reading, pa visiting a friend from high school. tomorrow i'm headed to pittsburgh to see molly! i just wish i didn't feel so much like a zombie...

new challenges. job transitions.

right now i'm at the old cummington creamery in western massachusetts, using some high speed internet and trying to catch up on everything. 

the last few weeks at work were fun with lots of smiles and adventures! here are some of the photo highlights...

a few of us celebrated our 12th birthdays with minigolf and beer.

a newt at camp sturtevant!

they had mules to bring in our food and gear.

there were lots of waterfalls.

and a big telescope on top of mt. wilson.

view of LA from mt. wilson!

rob and i on the way to camp sturtevant for contra.

i also managed to snap a few photos of students in my last field group.

romping along frog creek.

they loved this area.

my crazy group of boys.

ten essentials!

hanging out at one of my favorite spots.

climbing trees in the enchanted forest.

shelter building!

and a few of my coworkers...

karis and i on the last day (check out my awesome outfit).

melissa with clancy (the dophin) as the lorax.

my boss. yup. crazy british man.

with as much fun as there was, i have been rather stressed with the end of my job at high trails and the transition to my crew leading position with SCA. i realized a few days ago that there were things i probably should have been doing to be more organized and prepared, and now i feel like i'm a few steps behind where i should be. i know that it will all work out in the end, but right now i'm feeling overwhelmed.

i did have a nice trip across the country complete with delightful visits to good friends and family.

grand canyon!

jumping lizard in AZ.

lizard doing yoga?

4 corners!

rocky mountains.

mesa verde national park.

sunset coming out of the rockies.

i've managed to pack in a lot during my visit to massachusetts: the montague book mill, people's pint, contra dancing in greenfield, pancakes with former corps members, ice cream from the creamery, time with some older generation friends in plainfield (with delicious food!) and a day of lazying around hawley.

but with all of this excitement...i lost my voice! i'm hoping it returns before i go to crew leader training...