Sacrifices?

Sacrifice : a short term loss in return for a greater gain.

I just can't seem to get the right combination when it comes to finding a place to live. This is nothing new, and has been going on for quite sometime now. I have moved soo many times that I think my dad is probably wishing that I would get married and become someone elses problem, because he is the one that helps me move everytime. Which by the way, has been 5 times in the last 2 years.

So my dilema with finding a place to live is : I find the perfect place, but it is over my budget. Or I find a place that I can afford but doesn't allow pets, or they want a 6 mo or year lease and me... committ? I don't think so. So I end up in all these strange little places that accomodate my budget and my family of one huge dog and a screen climbing cat.

The first place in teton valley I rented for only $150. a month, but I gave up an indoor toilet, kitchen and electricity. Then I lived in someonelse's house for 9 mo's and gave up the pets, just recently I have lived in a camper, giving up my dignity and privacy. I just rented an adorable cabin to call home for the winter and it is everything I always wanted, well almost. There is no oven. And I like to bake. But it's a place to call my own. So I have chosen to sacrifice the oven.

I often wonder if I should just get a new career. But I like what I do, I really look forward to going to work. So I figure that happiness outweighs living in any nice home that I would never be in, for being at work all the time at a job I didn't care for, in order to pay the rent. I guess we all make sacrifices of different sorts, and it's hard to understand why others make the sacrifices they do. That reminds me of the sacrifice God made giving up his Son to pay for our sins. I can hardley believe it or comprehend how much love that really is. Just like many people couldn't understand why on earth I would want to live in a cabin with no running water. By living in that cabin I have gained an un forgettable experience and financial freedom. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

Take a hike

I think today was the first day all summer that I ignored my phone for just a couple of hours, so I could take a hike. Because sure enough, the minute I get outside to do something I want to do on my so called scheduled day off, work calls. Therefore I end up working my days off and my days on, and that equals one grumpy girl that has too much pent up energy and needs to take a hike for her sake and everyone else's around her.

So I loaded up BIG T in the backseat of my jetta, Miss Bridget sits where ever she pleases, she usually likes to lounge in the back window and lick her butt. And we drove the mere 3 miles to the trailhead, where we went on the most peaceful, pretty and serene hike. I will share with you a little piece of the serenity and beauty I was able to enjoy.

Letting go...

Yesterday I made the official decision to sell my jeep. It shouldn't be that hard of a decision, you would think, but any kind of decision is hard for me. When it comes to my jeep, this is something that I have had a hard time parting with. I'm not sure exactly why. If I'm holding onto the memories I had in the jeep or the fact that I have just always wanted one and finally got one.

The story behind the jeep. After about a 3 yr relationship ended with the guy I thought , at one tiny moment, I might spend the rest of my life with, I went out and bought a jeep. Well, it wasn't like the next day or anything, but it definetly was the next step to moving on to another chapter. And why not start a new chapter in your life with a cool, red jeep? So despite the naw's and nay's from my father, I did it anyway.

Did the jeep get me anywhere in life? I got some tangles in my hair, I got wet, I got mud splattered, I got whistles, I got stuck, then I got t-boned. I was in a hit and run on my way to work early one morning. I rolled and did a 180 all at the same time. After landing back on my wheels facing the opposite direction, I could just barely make out the truck that hit me, through my completely shattered front window, taking off . He got away, never to be found. And I got a fractured vertebrae, and a totalled jeep without full coverage. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR FATHER AND IF HE SAYS DON'T GET A JEEP, DON'T GET A JEEP.

I was able to repair the jeep enough so that I could still drive it, as long as I tied the door shut or just took it off. Now it isn't even worth half of what I paid for it. And everytime I drive it I am reminded of that day I got hit and how mad it makes me that that person got away with it. So now it's time to let it go, live, and learn. ( shhh, but someday I think I'll get a newer better one?) So long old jeepy.

40 AGAIN and environmentally friendly

I threw a party for my boyfriend's birthday on Friday, he's 40, again.

The birthday boy!

Cloth napkins, real silverware, and biodegradable plates

- for the environment The menu:

Farmers market radishes with anchovy butter

I was too busy talking and eating to get pictures

• Blue cheese bacon burgers - hot off the grill
• Beer bratworst- with sauerkraut
• Farmers market salad with smoked gouda and portabella mushrooms ( Aug issue of Gourmet magazine)
• Corn on the cob - all the way from MN, sent by his mom
• Tater -tots

Yogurt cake with fresh raspberry sauce

The cocktail bar

Gin shandy's, & fresh squeezed lemonade margaritas ...yumWe served lots of ice cold beers, microbrews, twisted iced teas, and some ginger beer & cranberry seltzers for those that would be driving responsibly. Recycleable glass bottles


Thanks to all our friends who came by and helped make Justin's party especially fun!

Wishin' I was fishin'.

This video is from about a month ago. Which was the last time I have (sadly to say) been fishing. It was also the last time that my b.f. and I have had a coinciding day off together.

Living in a "resort town" has changed the meaning of Summertime for me anymore. Now it means making hay while the sun shines. Not rolling in it, which sounds much more enjoyable to me. Not backpacking, camping, lazily floating down the teton river on a super hot day, or taking a 14 hr hike in the tetons whenever I want. These are just some of the things I love summer for. But work has seemed to become a new hobby.

Now I am not complaining about work. I am so thankful to have it. I am just explaining. But therefore I pine away for the fun things I used to do. When I had fun all the time, I pined away for money to spend, and wished I lived in the mountains. Isn't life funny that way?

Living it up

Bridget and Tiny

Ok, so this is the new pad for right now. Or so called the gypsy wagon. That just sounds way more enticing than the camper.

My journey in the solar cabin ended when I was offered a housesitting position that I couldn't pass up. Hmm, lets see, peeing inside sitting on a nice warm toilet seat or outside with snow blowing up my you know what, and possible animals sneaking up on me in the dark . Not a real difficult decision. Of course there's always a catch to something good. I had to give up my pets for 9 months while I lived in luxury. They went to Grandma and pop-pops.

So now that I have lived in a solar cabin in the woods, I can live anywhere, right? yep you got it. So here is where I live for the time being. I could probably live in this little joint for a long time, but winter is fast approaching, and this little thing is not much warmer than a tent, I think. Do I keep emphasizing little, oh yah. Soo little that Tiny, the dog, pretty much takes up the entire thing and has allready stepped on Bridget's foot. Which could do some damage.

Home made natural dryer sheets

So easy to make, re-usable, safe for your body and the environment, and you can make them whatever scent you want.

What you need: 1. An old 100% cotton shirt or other piece of scrap cloth. 2. Scissors 3. Pure essential oils of your choice 4. sandwich bags or rubbermaid container 5. Marker 6. Ruler ( optional )




Use the ruler to measure out desired size. I cut out 4x4 squares

I cut out 15 squares and used three different scent combinations. For a calming blend, use one drop each of chamomile, lavender and rosewood per square. This is nice for sheets. Do not use more than 5 drops of e.o. per square to be safe that it will not get oil on clothing once in the dryer.

I put them in snack bags and labeled them so they would keep their smell and be ready to use. You could also use any airtight container. Re -scent the squares once the essential oils fade after 2 or 3 times use.

Nice and inexspensive essential oils to use are lavender, lemon, and orange. you can also add a few drops to your wash, with baking soda and vinegar as a fabric softener, making them multi-purpose , cost effective and safe for you and the environment.