Summer Days

The view from our new backyard in Yellowstone National Park

Finally I feel like we have time. Time to breathe. Life has been a whirlwind. We left Louisiana after 6 months of begging from Tuck, and a lovely sis (and friends) who vetted my resume numerous times while I applied for every position that I could think of that was available in the Park. The result was a good job offer in F&B .

That one little offer caused a rush to pack, I put all of our worldly goods in storage, quit my job, say a tearful goodbye to Mitch and Monica, and ran to Yellowstone. With a car, a dog, 2 suitcases and not much else. When we arrived here we budged into CC's 400 square foot apartment with Tuck and I and our dog. Bless her landlord for being so tolerant! CC put up with Tuck and the dog while I ran around the Park opening locations with all of my new co workers. For 7 weeks. The fact that she does not need inpatient psychiatric care after that is amazing.

Tuck jumped into school in Gardiner and finished out the year with good grades. He got involved in Scouts and the Troop is really active and does lots of campouts. The leaders are really nice people who care. He is doing firewood fundraisers (splitting wood) and playing with new friends. And as you can imagine the ever present computer is still tops in his day. He has met new friends who share his love of the net, go figure. He has done this really neat program called Exploring Yellowstone, they take the kids all over the Park on hikes and many different adventures. It gets him out of the house and away from the computer screen. It gives him balance in his life.

We are enjoying living in a small town. Everyone knows Tuck now. I am still referred to as "Oh, so you must be Carries sister" it's fun.

As I like to call it, my sis won the park service lottery and we are now the proud renters of a govt house in Lower Mammoth. We are now actually living in the Park. We all have our own bedroom and space for all of the critters. Since we moved in we have had lots of guests. I have always loved having lots of people around, it keeps you busy. We have also started entertaining and having people up for dinners and BBQ's. Last night it was an impromptu dinner for 10 or so consisting of Louisiana Gumbo ending with homemade blue berry ice cream. Pretty sweet.

So my job is good, Tuck is happy, and my sis is hanging in there. Just another day in Paradise!

Summer in Yellowstone

The roads are busy. There are people driving the wrong way down one way roads everywhere. They back up into you without looking to see if anyone is behind them. Lovely. It's kind of like playing bumper cars. Tuck gets really frustrated and I just keep telling him that the tourists are the reason that we get to live here. No tourists no job.

On the plus side we have a house in the park, it has a beautiful view of the valley and mountains. There is room to move for all of us. Outside every morning you can see Elk or Bison I even saw a Fox right outside the back door.

Montana

After months of begging and pleading from Tucker, we are up in Montana. All of our worldly possessions are in storage in Louisiana. We moved up with suitcases with some clothes and our Black Lab Dozer. I literally packed what I could in the convertible and left. Our kitty Visa is hanging out with Mitch and Monica for the summer in Louisiana.

It was a whirlwind move (of course). I ended up getting a great job offer to work in Yellowstone Nat'l Park and needed to be their ASAP. So off we went.

Tucker is loving the small town where he has been doing research. He is saying hello to everyone he meets to see who responds. He says this is the happiest place ever,everyone says hello to him.

He loves school where his desk chair is an exercise ball (the best idea ever!). He has friends and seems very happy. He is playing basketball and says he wants to join the team next winter. He brought home a saxophone a couple of nights ago for music class and has played it every night. This just clarifies to me that we need to get a house not an apartment. We are currently staying with CC in her little apartment until we find something a little more permanent. Poor CC!

There is still snow on the mountains and in the park up here. I am so grateful that I will have the "summer" to acclimate to the cooler weather. My job has me off into all of the areas in the park for the next month and a half, and I am loving it. Tuck and CC are hanging out together while I am out and about.

It is so different to have a commute where the "traffic" is Bison on the road as well as Elk and Moose. The other day on the way to Old Faithful, I saw baby Bison, a Black Wolf, and a Bear all in the same 20 mile drive. Crazy! Very different from my previous commute on freeways to take Tuck to school and then get myself to work.

Just another day in paradise.

Warm Days

It is now warm, in the 70s here. We are wearing shorts and T-shirts. It makes me smile when I see pictures from my sister from the first day of Spring in the park (Yellowstone). They are buried in snow.

Tucker has been teaching himself to ride a skateboard. When he starts anything he dives into it and obsesses. Like last week he wanted to read the series the Rangers Apprentice books. We went to Barnes & Noble to get the first one. Two days later we were back to get the rest of them (we had to special order one). He spent every night reading every book. We just went last night to get book 8 (our order came in) and he spent the night reading.

He is the same way with Skateboarding. We first went and got an inexpensive board and he spent 2 days practicing. We found a skate park in town. It is an outdoor park by the red river. Tons of kids ride there and have fun. Tucker went there practicing for 2 days before he asked me to take him to get a good board. We went to a great store and he picked out all of the components and had them build a board for him. He used his own money that he had been saving for something special. He is saving the other board just in case friends would like to skateboard with him. He loves to practice. He says next time he is in Yellowstone with CC and his friend Ben he is going to get them to ride with him.

CC had better get really good pads! She used to skate years ago and I bet he will get her onto a board. We will have to see.

Fat Tuesday

Today is the last day of Mardi Gras. We only went to one of the parades this year. Last Saturday it was cold and rainy so we stayed home. Tonight the parade is at 11:30pm, it has been a very wet day and it is just too late for me. I wouldn't be able to make it to work tomorrow if I went.

It is horrible when you attempt responsibility.

On another note, Tuck is addicted to U Tube. He asked me if we had a pop can and a chocolate bar, evidentally you can start a fire with them. Who knew?

Good Morning Wednesday!

It only took me 2 hours to get Tucker out of bed, (he was lobbying hard for a day off) he took a 45 minute shower with the door locked so I was stuck pounding on the door to try to get him out. I get into the bathroom to blow dry my hair and on the steamy mirror 3 feet high is a stick figure with a frown, next to that in a box is one word MONTANA.

I was only one hour and 15 minutes late to work.

Another day in paradise.

Running Hard

We have been so busy.

Tucker received his Arrow of Light Award from cub scouts. Basically he has graduated from cub scouts to boy scouts. He also received the Super Achiever Award. This means he earned all of the pins that you could possible earn. Mitch and I were at the crossing over ceremony, it was really great! They had scouts dressed up as Indians who did a special presentation for the boys and then they got to walk over the bridge to their new scout troops. I really thought it was great.

This Saturday we went to one of the Mardi Gras parades. Mitch and Monica came with. Tuck and a couple of his friends and I spent the day at the parade route near a park. The kids played and we had a BBQ and ran around until the parade started that night. We had a blast. The floats were incredible and we all caught lots of really great beads (I also caught a voodoo doll!). Tuck caught a mini Clifford which he loved and we all caught specialty beads.

We have one more parade this weekend and then we are done with parades for the season.

Happy Valentines Day!

It always helps to call my sis to wish her a happy Valentines Day and have her tell me that it is just a fake holiday. Good morning to you too!

I spent the night last night with Tucker on the couch sniffling and coughing and complaining (he has a cold). He can't go to school, the meds are horrible, he told CC he would never take Day Quil again so he threw it out into the yard, his throat hurts so badly he can't swallow, on and on. All the while I am filling out his 24 Valentines and putting chocolate hearts on them while he is watching Meteorite Men. This morning I dragged him out of bed and threw him in the car with all of his gifts (and one for the teacher too). He made it to school a little late but better than never. I may sound unfeeling but its just a cold (not a smidge of a fever) and he is using any excuse possible to stay home from school lately.

At least the weather is back into the 60s for this week, I am not freezing to death for a change! We are just not used to the cold down here.

What a way to wake up

Homemade Bread that I made. I am trying to eat better (Tucker too) so we are making more things from scratch. It tastes so much better.

The bread while it is rising one is an olive loaf and the rest are biscuits.

This is how I woke up this morning, with this lovely note lying on the floor in my room. Needless to say we are taking the day off, what else could you do with a note like this?

Another Day

Last night I was forced to make an emergency run to Walmart for posterboard. A science project was due today (of course). After a few choice words to my lovely son regarding his inability to do homework before the deadline, I made a run for it.

Honestly, the project turned out great. Very sparkley with glitter everywhere. Who can't use a little more glitter in their life?

I definitely have the winter blues. It is back to reasonable temperatures here (in the 50s) but it is cloudy and rainy. Not the sunny, hot place that I enjoy. On the plus side, we are in the midst of Mardi Gras season down here in the South!

Here is a list of the parades that Tuck and I are going to attend this season. People stake out spots along the parade route early in the am, and spend the day drinking and cooking out for the day and running around in the streets. In the evening you check out the parade and catch beads, it is great fun!

The Krewe of Centaur Parade is Saturday, February 26th at 430 p.m.

The Krewe of Gemini rolls through Shreveport on Saturday, March 5 at 430 p.m.

The Krewe of Aesclepius is the final parade of the Mardi Gras Season on Fat Tuesday, March 8th in Bossier City.

Tuesday Night

The lovely dog is snuggled up on the floor destroying the toy he received for Christmas (the floor is covered in shreds of threads. I am unsucessfully attempting to remove by defunct antivirus from my laptop so I can install one that works (not going to happen tonight), and my lovely son Tucker. Oh Tuck, is attempting to remember what book he read weeks ago for the book report that is due tomorrow. Christmas has wiped his brain clean. He has no idea what it was.

Last but not least it's frickin COLD here, 19 degrees tonight, swell..... Why did I move here again? Someone please remind me!

ice

We have a fine coating of ice on the roads down here, barely a thin layer. It is frigid for us (in the 20s at night 30s in the day) for the next week. For today they have closed the bridges and shut down the schools. Its an ice day off! Tuck is thrilled, and I am mystified. The whole town is shut down for this? Who would have thought!

Haircuts

Dozer trying to play with our kitty Visa


The drama boy getting a trim from his big brother

Tucker would not go to a hair salon for a trim. Would not! I begged, pleaded, and pracitcally bribed him. No dice. Finally, I asked him if his brother could give him a trim, and voila! Success! Mitch came by the house and gave the little monster a trim so we could avoid detention at school for moppy hair touching his ears (via school policy).

Tucker and his buddy Robert playing computer games (as usual)! With Tucks new haircut.

The New Year

Tucker returned from a whirlwind trip to Montana right before the new year. He loves Montana and his CC (my sis). He cross country skied, and sledded, and ran around with his best buddy Ben. My sister and her friends spent countless hours taking him on adventures and playing with him. He has decided he is going to live up there. (I can join him if I would like to) I have conviced him to "tough" it out for the rest of the school year. Right now in Montana it gets down in the -10 to 20's, here it is in the 30-40s at night. Today it was in the 60s, no coat needed.

While he was gone I worked....and worked. And spent countless hours alone.

Yes, alone.

For the first time in years.

Mitch was around, sometimes, but he works alot and has his own busy life. For that I am glad, I never wanted to have grown men on the couch playing video games in their 20s. Mitch is self sufficient, has direction, a good job, money in the bank, and his own home with Monica. He is doing really well. I am always very proud of him.

So now it's just me and the high maintinence 11 year old.

Just like his mother.