Visiting Australians + Party on the Hill
April 29, 2008
Well, well! All is well!
The weather has still been a bit crazy, spring-like one minute – snowing the next 
Today I finalized my 3 day trip this summer to climb the Grand Teton. So excited for that, but it’s not until July 11 . . . I’ve been getting more involved with the mountain biking company with regards to their website & starting their blog. I can’t WAIT for mountain biking season to begin (early June)! I will also act as photographer on several trips in an effort to collect some fabulous pictures in the database!
On the same photography note, I recently became a member of the Art Association in town & signed up for a class: Morning in the field (for 4 weeks during June & July) Check out the description –> This field photography course takes advantage of the sweet morning light, which is the best time to photograph in Jackson Hole. Participants will meet and go to a different location each Wednesday morning (leaving at or before dawn to reach our location). Returning to town at approx. 8:30 AM. What fun to come!
The PAWS office had a mini-visitor for a few days — a 6 month old mini dachund named Tanner. He would just curl up on your lap & go to sleep! So darling! Another exciting thing going on was that the high school girls had their first EVER girl’s lacrosse practice for the town of Jackson Hole. It’s been great being a part of the program. The other 2 coaches played division 1 LAX at their colleges, so it’s great coaching with ladies that know the game backwards & forwards. I also hear there is a co-ed pick-up league for lacrosse this summer. I definitely want to play!
On Saturday, I had some visitors from Sydney, Australia. When Jane & Ryan visited, they turned me on to a great site: www.couchsurfing.com I have been having a great time meeting the most interesting travelers passing through Jackson Hole. After we went through the park & took pictures, we went to happy hour & had great food and discussion. Then we went over to my neighbor’s place to watch a movie & relax. Sunday I was invited to a BBQ up the hill. It was good times, fer sher.
So, I’m very excited for my mom to visit next week, we have many plans!
It will be great to see her after 5 months time 
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BBQs & Mountain Climbing!
April 21, 2008
Last week at PAWS, Buddy the black lab was in our office. His owners can’t care for him anymore (sad!) – so we put an “adopt me” coat on him & I got to walk him around the town square I also worked at the newspaper again doing proofing/copy editing. There’s nothing like heading home at midnight in pitch blackness on your bike!
On another note, I have become good friends with my next door neighbors, Sacre (sa-cray) & Michelle. I found out Sacre is a rock climber & we are going to go this summer all over the Tetons. Also, he gave me a sick pair of women’s skis for free ($400) because he works at Snow King & no one claimed them in the lost & found area! It’s been fun going right next door all the time to hang out & have barbeques with my neighbors! Sac (sock) & I climbed/boarded Snow King today which was amazing!
A couple other bulleted notes . . .
* I got my 1st real consulting gig! My mom almost flipped when she heard I went to the initial interview in jeans & a sweater!! LOL
* I also went “real” cowboy hat shopping for my girlfriend’s son. He just turned 3!
* I stopped by the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides office to see about climbing the Grand Teton this summer!
* I tried to cook a steak & my whole house smelled like steak for 3 days!! Yuck! I’ll leave meat cooking to the boys next time!
* My radio station voiceovers are being played on the community radio — it’s so cool to hear your own voice out of the blue!
I’ve been having soooooooo much fun here, I am seriously considering staying through another winter here . . . So plan your vacations to Jackson Hole my peoples!
Ciao for now 
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Radio Party + Mountain Closing!
April 7, 2008
Last week I recorded some station IDs for the radio station to play in between songs. Radio IDs are simply short blurbs like: “89.1 KHOL, Community Radio for Jackson Hole” The station went live for the first time on Friday & they had a party. I was proudly the 1st woman voice on the community radio station. I did 2 live station IDs over the air & I even got to pick my lead in songs! The 1st one said, “Hey, this is Rose & I support Jackson Hole Community Radio because I love music! Tune into 89.1 KHOL everyday . . . because now, you can.” & the song lead in was Zero 7’s Waiting Line. Then I did another (after a few glasses of champagne) that went like this, “Your new ‘nar’ station is KHOL 89.1 FM, community radio for everyone – including the ‘bro bras.’” Song lead in was White Unicorn by Wolf Mother (I had a bro bra* pick that song for me LOL).
* Definition of a bro bra: Dudes hanging around other dudes in their enviroment and participating in dude activities like surfing, skating, snowboarding. These guys constantly use and abuse words like bro, ripping, shred, epic, rad, nar, narly, dude, sick, bra, etc.
So, I have never seen a party bigger than this . . . Crazy outfits everywhere, people laughing, dancing, thowing snowballs. It was quite the time. I didn’t go boarding because I was sick the day before with the flu & I didn’t want to push it. So I just sat around & watched the crazies do their thing & snapped some photos. I went into the Mangy Moose & saw a great band play – at the end there were 5 guys playing all different drums. Then I hung out with the band for a bit afterwards because I happened to be standing there by myself when the place cleared out. Anyway, I flitted here & there, did some dancing & said goodbye to the “VC” forever (the Village Café is being torn down soon to make way for a better apres ski experience).
A crazy night was had by all, fer sher
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Bull + Luge Riding
April 2, 2008
What a wild week!
It started out pretty bland, but boy – did it end with a BANG!
My boss from PAWS & I walked dogs at the shelter last week, which was so rewarding! I loved that I was able to walk 2 dogs with the names Lou & Frankie :) Then I went to a meeting to discuss short-term pet fostering (which I plan to do). It was uber-weird being in a business conference room like that for 2 hours! I also took some time out to relax one night & watched a very inspiring movie called “Into the Wild.” It’s a new movie directed by Sean Penn, based on a true story of a young guy who travels around & ends his journey in backwoods Alaska. Hmmm . . . I should plan on getting there at some point too LOL
Anyhoo! Later in the week, I went next door - over to Snow King Mountain. The world championship hill climb started on Thursday, but nothing exciting was happening except for a bunch of geared-up, redneck snowmobilers hanging out in their Polaris jackets. I did learn that Snow King rises 1,500 vertical feet above the town of Jackson Hole & the route steepens to nearly a 45 degree angle, so snowmobilers often tumble hundreds of feet back downhill. I really didn’t see much, but check out this video, it’s pretty gnarly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS-brLcZh1M
Then, I went snowboarding by myself Friday. Later that day, I had a meeting with an event company to establish work for the weekend at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. That’s where I met some new friends & the wildness began! My new friends had driven from Colorado for the event & we instantly hit it off. Christine & I rode the mechanical bull (that is now checked off my list of things to do!) & I showed them around town.
I invited Christine to stay at my place overnight & it was great to once again have a girl in the house with me. I was also fortunate enough again to be riding around in a car LOL. I worked all day Saturday at the luge event, in a giant Verizon dome set up on the mountain. I worked the “green screen” area, which is where people get photos of themselves & then the pic is placed within a pre-set extreme sports background. Good times. That night we went to the free Michael Franti concert at the village. It was spectacular! Justin, Christine & myself had a fabulous time with a few drinks & dancing (some of us without shoes on)!
Sunday, I worked again, but this time I was dying to try out the luge before it opened to the public. A few other ladies wanted to do it too, so I joined them in the walk up the hill. We all decided to forgo goggles & helmets — & I didn’t have gloves. OK! So now the interesting part comes . . . Everyone is just heading down & they are going out-of-control all over & up the curves of the luge track. So I figured – I’ll probably look like an idiot like the rest of them, so I start to go.
& away I went — unbelievably, I was a super straight shot. I was going about 30 wicked miles an hour on a plastic sled down a luge track. Not scared at all! But, not knowing anything about “luging,” I figured the ramp of snow at the end would act like a truck runaway ramp & I would just slide back down & stop. I was having too much fun to stop & think. & then . . . I hit the photographer, full on. Broke his shoulder. Then I was hysterical. Thank goodness he was super-cool about it. Brandon also plans to put the footage on uTube, so I’ll post that when it’s ready. He insists he’s going to come mountain biking with me in Jackson this summer. We even had a pic of us taken on the luge for the “green screen.” & the USA Luge team invited me to their training center in Lake Placid to do it for real. I doubt I will be easily forgotten by them.
& yes, I know — thank heavens I didn’t hurt myself (maybe a minor case of whiplash as I did hit the bungee fence, flip over & knock my head). & I don’t have any medical insurance at this point. I-yi-yi, of course I am rethinking that now.
So! All’s well that ends well.
Never a dull moment here in Jackson Hole of course.
My life is like an extreme soap opera!
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