"WE'VE LANDED ON THE MOON"...and a rink, and I'm never drinking red wine again.

Well, I realize it is now a week after Thanksgiving, BUT I also realize that it is exactly ONE WEEK after one of the best Thanksgivings I've had. Since I've moved to Wyo, I've made amazing friends, and had wonderful friends visit me. There's nothing really like being around family though--especially when you're from one so tight-knit as mine. I mentioned before that my cousin started playing hockey in Colorado for a bit, so when I got the text asking what I was doing for Thanksgiving, I knew there was nothing I'd rather do then go down and spend time with him.

I went down on a Wednesday. I brought things for the entire weekend because I didn't know what I would end up doing. I had intended to have a super productive weekend doing homework and reports no matter what (I even took my backpack with me to CO). This did not happen. In fact, I did nothing related to school. Actually, I did read a couple pages of a text book, but I was quickly distracted. So, alas, no homework got done.

Okay, I'll start the categories for you guys now.

WEDNESDAY. My cousin had a game on Wednesday night, so I slept in and spent the entire day relaxing and cleaning before heading down there. On the way down, I stopped at the mall in Cheyenne and bought a few things (I NEEDED BOOTS, OKAY!?). I decided that I wanted to wear some of my new purchases about halfway to Loveland, so I pulled over at a gas station to change. I really made an ordeal of the whole thing unintentionally. I walked in went to the bathroom to change. About a second after I got in there, some girls came screaming in and banging on the door that she had to go to the bathroom and wouldn't wait. So I hurriedly put my pants back on, gathered my things, and opened the door. She was gone. I walked around a bit and didn't see anyone. So I went back in to finish changing. Then I remembered that I needed to pick something up in case I went low, so I went to the cooler (clothes in hand) and grabbed an apple juice. I paid for the apple juice, and then realized I had to pee. So I went into the bathroom again with my new purchase. Three trips to the bathroom, one gas station stop. Yea. So after that I drove down to my cousin's game. After the game we went out to eat and there was this band that couldn't figure out what genre of music they wanted to focus on. Some of the guys were lookin' like they jumped out of the 80's and a couple of others looked like they left their tractor outside. There was a MASSIVE American flag in the background though, so... who knows. We went back to the apartment, watched some Planet Earth and caught up a bit. That was that pretty much.

THURSDAY. Thanksgiving morning I slept in for a while. My cousin had practice early, so when he got back we went to brunch. I didn't know, however, that we would be leaving right from brunch to our Thanksgiving dinner location. The night before we both decided that it'd be pretty sick to have Thanksgiving dinner in the mountains. So after lunch, we get in the car and he says, "Have you ever seen Dumb and Dumber?" To which I replied, "HAVE I SEEN IT?! I LOVE THAT MOVIE!" Guess where we were eating our Thanksgiving dinner...... in the hotel that they filmed Dumb and Dumber AND The Shining. SCHWHATCHU SAY?! I was really excited. The restaurant is called The Stanley (for those of you who prefer Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, it's The Danby). It's beautiful and kind of reminds me of a smaller version of The Grand on Mack Island. The drive up there (to Estes Park, CO) was super windy, but incredibly beautiful. We were literally climbing mountains.

NEVILLE. So, my friends and I have this little Neville character that we take with us when we travel to put in pictures. It's the "Potato Neville" from the "Potter Puppet Pals" videos. My personal favorite moment is in the "Wizard Swears" video when he says that his, "grandmother forbids [him] from using raunchy language." Oh, Neville. Anywho! Neville came with us to Lolla, and then went to NYC (as one of my friends lives there). Then I received him in the most wonderful carepackage EVER (think a homemade book, homemade biscotti, winter in a can, and some Christmas music!). I swear there's a point to this! Okay, so Neville is out here with me now. He is taking in the Western landscape and enjoying every minute of it. He came with me to Colorado over Thanksgiving, and boy did he love it! He took A TON of pictures in the mountains; rather, I took a lot of pictures of him. My cousin and I went into the Rocky Mountain National Park in between visiting The Stanley and dinner at The Stanley. They were seriously some of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Some of the pictures (including Neville) are on my Facebook if anyone should want to see them!

TOURISTS, FROM OTHER COUNTRIES. We spent a lot of our time trying to see wildlife in the park. We saw a couple of deer and a ton of birds. As we were leavin the park though, we saw a herd of elk! Some of them were HUGE. It was crazy. They cross over a road to go into some plains during the day, and we were catching them as they were about to do this... or so we thought. We waited, and here is what happened. Has anyone ever seen the picture of the Chinese man RIGHT UP AGAINST A BUFFALO WITH HIS IPAD?! This was pretty much that, but just a bit less extreme. We first met the tourists up on the top of the "Never Summer" mountain range. My cousin was climbing up the rocks to get a good picture, and the group of men (I will not say where they were from) got REALLY excited, pointed at him, and practically chased him up the rock. It was really weird, and I got very nervous. So I followed him. We ended up just getting some pictures (and having to take some pictures for them), and then we left. Immediately after, we discussed how FREAKING WEIRD they were. Cut to seeing the elk. A TON of rental vans carrying individuals of varying nationalities pulled up. Normally, the elk would cross the street and that would be that. BUT NOT TODAY. No way, Jose! The kept going right up to them! With their children, and cameras. People were jumping, skipping, running, giggling, yelling, and being generally dumb. I mean, come on. YOU ARE IN THE WILD. THESE ELK WILL CHARGE YOU. DON'T DO IT. YOU WILL GET CHLAMYDIA AND DIE. JUST, DON'T DO IT. (I'm sorry, I had to. It fit the tone of the sentence). But really. These people were being dumb. Specifically, the one older woman that took her three assumed grandchildren RIGHT UP to the elk whilst one continued to swing his lunchbox... of all things. What possessed this child to take his lunchbox from the car into the field of raving, aggravated elk is beyond me. But he was only four or so, so I'll let it slide. I digress. That rant is now over.

DINNER. Was delicious! The Stanley serves up a mean meal. We drove around a bit trying to figure out where to eat because they were not serving food until later, but we just ended up back there. Their whiskey selection was HUGE also. Alright, that's all about dinner.

FRIDAY (AND WINE). So Friday I got up kind of early and went "Black Friday" shopping. I bought a few shirts and a pair of sunglasses. We didn't get up early enough to catch any of the sales, so I didn't buy all that much. After their morning practice, the guys met us at the mall and we all went to get sushi for lunch. We went back to the apartment to get ready for the game, then a few of us went over to one of the wive's houses for appetizers and wine. Here begins my night. I drank wine there, and I was fine. We went to the game a bit late, and because we were in the upper suite section, we could continue to drink (more than just beer). I drank there. After the game, we went to pick up more drinks and ended up at the apartment. We had some wine, and my cousin and I had some heart to heart and then I got all emotional and girly and blah blah blah..... Well, fast forward to morning and I wake up. My cousin says he'll be back after practice so we can go to lunch, and I think nothing of anything. UNTIL I LOOK AT THE FLOOR. WHERE THERE IS A HUGE RED WINE STAIN. I immediately start freaking out. There are no wine glasses near me, but I am the only one in the room. It's right by the couch I slept on. Obviously, it was my fault. I get up and start cleaning... and cleaning... and cleaning. Then, my cousin's roommate's fiance (bless her heart) was going to the store. She picked me up some carpet cleaner that took the stain RIGHT OUT and all was right with the world. I layed back down to sleep until my cousin got home and despite my killer headache, we had a good day looking at boots, going to hockey games, and having a couple drinks that night. He played great, and I drove home late later that night. All in all, it was an excellent weekend. Also, in short, I am never drinking red wine again. For now.

NOW. I spent the ENTIRE week doing reports, reading, projects, etc. I have one week left of class, two exams, and a few wind-down days before I'm back home in the Yoop! I'm excited. We start studying for finals tomorrow (at an ugly sweater Christmas party). Wish me luck! Sorry it was so wordy, I'm avoiding homework ;).

Love, y'all!

Wizards, Wine, and Waldo.

WANT TO HEAR SOMETHING FUNNY?!

So... I have been having brief periods of reminiscence, but now I have an actual life-in-the-Wild-West-update.

I told you on Sunday I was headed off to have an excellent home-made dinner with a friend and the woman she rents from right? Right. Well, first off: IT WAS EXCELLENT. Yum. I even was sent home with leftovers, but that is beside the point (meaning, I'll get to that part soon enough). So I have been eating turkey and cranberry sauce for two days now. Anywho, here is how dinner went:

I had been in the grad room doing reports/paperwork/heavensknowswhat and was really tired and not pretty looking. I stopped at a liquor store near my apartment (and my friend's house) to get some wine. I picked a lovely bottle (this is an overexaggeration) and headed over. I walk in and the woman--who is truly lovely--gave me a huge hug and said she was "so glad that [I] could make it." I immediately felt right at home. Dinner wasn't ready yet, so we jumped into one of the bottles of wine. After watching some Wizard of Oz and being introduced to port wine--a cheese apparently--we sat down at the table to eat. We talked about hockey (which her family played), Canada (where her family was from), fishing (which her family loved), and growing up. Dinner was DELICIOUS. Before we ate dessert, we took a break and watched some more TV. We all kept laughing about the AMA's that were on and the performers that were winning and such. Her son made some funny comments and we all drank wine and laughed (OH! I forgot to mention she had an attractive son? Maybe you'll want to keep that in mind.). Throughout the evening the woman kept telling me how wonderful it would be if I could join them in Montana for Thanksgiving (witwas incredibly sweet of her to invite me, and it would have been fun to go to).

So I, my friend, and the woman's son are all sitting at the table talking and joking around. There is a new kitty in the house, and it was playing in a paper bag; this was amusing to my friend. For anyone who knows me, you know I don't like cats. For some reason though, I became comfortable with this one. So my friend is cracking up and telling me I HAVE to get up and look around the corner at this cat. So I do. It stops moving. When I go back to sit down I feel something briefly caress my hand. Not long enough to be something sturdy, but not light enough to be air. I look, and in slow motion I see the red wine I was drinking careen across the table. Onto the woman's car papers, car manual, and her son's phone. The papers will forever be tainted with the purple stain of holiday joviality. I run to the kitchen to grab paper towels and quickly clean it up. Her son helped. That was picked up and it seemed as if there was no love lost. Commence end of the evening. Please keep in mind that I was NOT drunk... or even buzzed for that matter. I was being me, which apparently just necessitates frivolous and unnecessary occurrences.

We eat some awesome pumpkin pie (now, I don't normally like pumpkin pie, BUT THIS WAS SO GOOD. It had coconut in it so it wasn't the normal texture that I don't care for). My friend and I were getting ready to leave and started to walk down the stairs. I had pie and leftovers in hand. I turn to thank the woman hosting the dinner and true to form WOOSH. Down I went. BUMP BUMP BUMP down the stairs. Now, the house is not big, and I hit a broom, so it made an almighty clatter... that everyone in the house could definitely hear. The woman--in her adorable high pitched motherly voice--said, "Oh, my goodness, dear! Are you alright!" To which I popped back up (pie and leftovers in-tact and in-hand, mind you) and said, "Yep! I'm good. Just clumsy!" These people probably think I'm a drunk or something. C'est la vie. The best part of the evening, despite my graceful Beyonce style wipeout, was my friend's comment when we finally got down to her apartment. I was embarassed. She looked me dead in the eyes and said, "Well, I mean, you are wearing fluffy Waldo socks... so you kinda had it coming." With that, I learned my lesson. DO NOT wear fluffy white and red (or any color, for that matter) striped shea butter microfleece Bath and Body Works socks to occasions where you may be trying to make an impression or meet cute strangers. Lesson learned.

Well, Thanksgiving. I am not going to Montana. My cousin and I talked and he has hockey games on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. I am going down there on Wednesday for the game and will come back if I need for reports/paperwork/and such. By down there I mean Colorado (Fort Collins/Denver area). Who would have thought a year ago that I would be spending my Thanksgiving in the Wild West, let alone with a close family member. Cool stuff, eh? I'm excited. For hockey, for cousin time, for everything. 3 more weeks until I'm home. :)

Love y'all. I'll try and keep this more updated.

OH PS) If you are in the area,and are in need of automotive care, go to Plains Tires. Seriously. They are incredibly nice and only charged me $20 for a new spare tire (with good treads), a change of rims, and an all around tire check. Now THAT is the out-West hospitality I've grown used to :).

Rushed: quotes, philosophy, scoreboard.

“One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility” 
-Eleanor Roosevelt.

This is a difficult time of the year. For everyone. I think the best part about it though is that everyone just refuses to let the fact that a lot of bad things, a lot of bad feelings, a lot of longing, a lot of missing, a lot of intense emotions dictate how their holiday season will be. On top of the things I've just listed, I've been thinking a lot about my life lately... and it comes down to two different things.

One: WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!
Two: There's nothing else I'd rather be doing.

These are conflicting thoughts. I was SO excited to move out here because it was something new (and it's definitely something new). I love it. I love the friends I've made, I love the program I'm in, I love the clients I have, I love the experiences I'm living. I'm at that point now though where I miss home. I miss my friends all being in one place. I miss my dog. I miss Blackrocks' beer and Zorba's gyros. I miss not having those people around that make me feel like no matter what stupid crap I say, they still love being around me (and that most of these ramblings are just me talking out loud to no one in particular). I miss feeling like a kid. NOW, that was a Debbie Downer (WAH WAHHHH) statement, but hear me out.

What makes me realize I'm growing up (and terrifies me at the same time) is that I'm okay with all of these things. Yea, it hurts. Missing places/people is never fun, but it isn't a constant. It's more of a wave--the ebb and flow of typical emotions people experience all the time. This makes me feel better. Another thing I've truly realized, and this has perhaps been the most difficult thing I've learned, is that a lot of times IT DOESN'T MATTER. I'm not saying people don't matter, or things don't matter, or lessons don't matter. I'm saying that there are certain things that we hold on to and run round and round in our head with and then we often come to the point where we throw our hands up and say, "It really doesn't matter does it? This doesn't matter." There are things we can change, and things we cannot. Growing up I've realized is a lot like leaning over a bridge and taking a picture of the water below you. It keeps moving, rushing. You are trying to capture it. Grab it in a moment you enjoy and keep it there forever. But you drop your camera. As you reach out to catch it you realize that it's either let the camera fall, or fall yourself. So you stay put, with your feet firmly planted on the bridge, and you watch your camera--your moments stopped in time--rush by in the current beneath you. You made your choice, you stayed put and chose to deal with the repercussions of not chasing after the past. But isn't that beautiful? That you recognized your choice: jump or let it go. I believe it was Robert Frost (that famous guy who wrote about the fork in the road and choosing your path, coincidentally) that said, "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." Growing up is about letting go. Not of everything obviously, but of those things that need not be held onto. This is my current battle. Letting go. But I'm doing it, and it's a good feeling. And I can't wait to see what's on the other side of that bridge :).

NOW AFTER ALL THAT ANNOYING BLUNDERING ABOUT LIFE AND YADDA YADDA, HERE IS WHAT'S GOING ON IN MY LIFE (abridged):

I have pretty much only had four days of courses in the last two weeks. (SCORE).
I have not seen any more hockey since I went to watch my cousin in Loveland (UNSCORE).
My cousin and I are doing Thanksgiving dinner together, and I am going to his hockey games this coming weekend. (SCORE).
I have been learning new moves in country swing. Think, Dirty Dancing (the movie, obviously) dip. (SCORE).
I am rushing to type this because I am going to have a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with my friend and the lady she rents from. The lady felt badly that I didn't have family here for Thanksgiving. She is so sweet. Everyone in Wyoming is incredibly sweet. (SCORE).
I have a RIDICULOUS amount of school reading to catch up on (UNSCORE).
I am still in love with spaghetti squash (SCORE).
I have a lot of reports and projects due in the upcoming weeks (UNSCORE).
I haven't been hit by a bunny or brushweed lately (SCORE).
My neighbor keeps forgetting to take out her trash before she leaves for days at a time (UNSCORE).
I only have 14 days left of school. (SCOOOOORRRREEE).
I will be home in less than a month. (SCORE).
I am about to go enjoy some wine and food (SCORE).
I have to be up at 6:30 to begin my week tomorrow (UNSCORE).

So, what's the score?

Mia: 9. Life: 5.
Ha. I win.
Love y'all. :)