Big News!

I have some big news...

I put in my two week notice at my job today and I'm getting ready to move to Yellowstone National Park for the summer! 

I've had this photo at my desk - for when I get frustrated.

That's right - bears, bison, and foxes.  Waterfalls and geysers.  I am so excited for this next adventure to begin.  I realized a few months ago that I'm not quite the city girl that I thought I was - last August to be exact.  There was a meteor shower happening - a show of falling stars waiting for wishes.  I went out into my backyard area (a 10x10 squared in piece of grass that I have to walk down three flights of stairs to get to and share with 5 other apartments) to watch.  I sat out there for about 30 minutes during what was supposed to be the peak of the excitement.  I couldn't see anything.

I started thinking about how when I was a kid - probably about 8 years old - we lived in Hot Springs, AR.  It was this neat little town that was built on these incredible springs that would come out of the ground at scalding hot temperatures.  Teddy Roosevelt used to go their for the "healing powers" of these springs - as well as it being the boyhood town of President Bill Clinton.  There was a mountain behind our house that my family used to go walking through on nice evenings.  There was one evening that we went and there were so many fireflies out.  It felt as if the stars had just fallen out of the heavens and were floating around us.  It was so magical.

I miss this feeling.  I thought I wanted to be in the city, which I'm so thankful for my time in Chicago and the friends that I've made while here.  I need to be somewhere when I can get lost in the beauty of nature.  I know Yellowstone is the other extreme.  It's a summer job - working at a front desk in a hotel.  (If you are at Yellowstone this summer, I'll be a Canyon Lodge - stop by and say "Hi!")  The experience of the (mostly) undisturbed nature here is something that will be unforgettable.

I won't have a kitchen so the topic of my blog might change some.  I definitely want to share my adventures with you.  However, it's also left me wondering what I really want to do with my life.  I've said before that I wouldn't want to be a chef - but I do have a strong passion for food.  (Duh!)  Recently, I read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  It's a great book and something that I recommend for anyone who is an omnivore.  It got me thinking more about where my food comes from and just food education in general.  After Yellowstone, (I think) I'm going to try and get an apprenticeship at a sustainable farm.

I specifically want a sustainable farm instead of just something like organic.  Organic farms are great; however, a lot of them are still single crop type farms.  I feel in love with the idea of everything being a cycle.  Cows eat grass.  Chickens eat bugs from cow poop.  Cow and chicken fertilizer grow the grass.  (And so many more...)  I want to learn this type of agriculture through doing.  Eventually, I'd like to have something of my own and work within my community to help educate the importance of eating whole foods (i.e. not processed).

This means that even though I'm not going to have a kitchen, I am going to be educating myself on these things and sharing what I learn here.  I do have a handful of things that I've made and haven't blogged about - so those are still to come.  I'll be sharing my adventures with Yogi Bear and sharing what I learn (and any new developments) as I head down my new path.  

All photos by my friend, Tyson Budd, who worked there last summer.  So excited!!!!