Monday, June 29, 2009

I'm famous!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30170251@N06/3669662870/in/set-72157619661056931/

Yesterday I went to Copper Basin. Fact, what I thought was copper basin was lower copper basin. What is upper copper basin is a lot higher than lower copper basin but 10 times as beautiful. Great hike! Extremely steep but worth it for the view. I'll put pictures up when I think to bring my camera to the computers.

By the time we got back there was time to shower and hang out for a while, then dinner. Cafe Holden....pasta! Mmmmmm. There was a jazz band playing while we ate...classy. Haha. After dinner we went on a heist to get some cookies that were designated for the minors/jr minors. Great heist. After Eucharist, a bunch of us watched Dr. No...or whatever bond movie that is...Sean Connery. I slept through most of it, I was all tuckered out from the hike :).

Amy

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.

Last night a bunch of us went up to the second level and went star gazing while sitting on top of the buses near the garage. It was nice. This morning, since we were out really late, a bunch of us had pancakes. This afternoon one of the high schoolers in the village was babysitting Aubrey again. He's made it a habit of bringing her in so I can hold her while he's babysitting. It's nice because then I can hand her back when she does something gross. Yesterday at lunch I got a necklace from someone who has been here as a guest. Aubrey played with it for a long time. THIS MORNING PACK LLAMAS CAME THOUGH THE VILLAGE TO WORK ON TRAILS!!!! I got to walk one all the way to the rangers station. This was the best day ever. Tonight they are projecting the sound of music on a massive screen at the top of chalet hill.....I can't find anyone to scoop ice cream but I know the entire village is going to come get ice cream to go watch it but I don't have anyone to scoop!!!! Urrgggg. I'm frustrated. I'm really excited for my new staff member to come. Since Allison left I have to do all the work myself. I've been starting at 11am to carry ice down and laundry and dishes then by the time garbage and recycling and cleaning and everything is done at night I don't get done until 11pm. I take a lunch and dinner break but my work load is a lot more intense now. I think I'm finally starting to be on top of my ice cream ordering. I just need to order 25 tubs (3 gallons each) of ice cream every Thursday and every Monday. Perfect.

Last night was the staff social at the Hinderlies' chalet. Paul made the most amazing chocolate fudge to go along with the ice cream I supplied. Oh man. These past few days have been nice hanging out with different people. The weather is finally warm and sunny again. It's funny to hear people talk about it now being too warm when the last few weeks people were talking about it being too cold! Hmm. This coming Monday I'll have been here 4 weeks. Does it feel like I've been gone that long? No.

Amy

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Picture update!


This is how Allison thinks pirates dress??? This was her costume for pirate night, our first theme night.

Group shot on the way down from Holden Lake. Nice scenery eh?

Allison and butt tree.

Hiking back down on the way from Holden Lake, this is the avalanche (way bigger than the one on the way to Hart lake).

I fell in the mud on the way down from Holden Lake on Sunday. Allison thought it was hilarious. Actually, I couldn't really stop laughing either the entire trip down.

This tree has a face... :)

Paaaaarrrrrrrrrate night!!!!

This is part of the snack bar for those of you who have yet to see it.

More snack bar. I took it from the door coming in, right to the left is a wall of windows. Around the corner is a stair case to go down to the pool hall or up to the village center.

Earlier today I went into one of the storage lockers (Moe) to get some supplies for the snack bar. I was in there for a second when a small child (probably 7 years old) came out of the dark and toward the door. I asked him if he just ran in because if he did that was a bad idea. He looked at me with really sad eyes and told me that he had been stuck in there for a really long time. Someone shut the door on him! Haha.

This was a sad day for me, Allison left! Not only did I lose my only staff member (until I get another in July) but I lost one of my best friends for the past few years. I don't know when I'll see her again but I'm excited for what she has coming up. :)

Safe travels Allison! I miss you more than you know up here and I couldn't have picked a better person to share it with!


Amy

Monday, June 22, 2009

Day Off!

Yesterday morning, being my day off and all, I decided to go on a hike to Holden Lake with a bunch of people (8 people). It was a great hike. When we got to the boulder field on the other side of the lake we all wanted to play on it for a while but it was still pretty snow-covered and really cold so we headed down after eating lunch and resting for a little while. On the way down I slipped in some mud and basically sat down in a river. Awesome. Actually, I found it really funny the entire trip down. We got back in just enough time to shower, hang out for a little but, then head to dinner. After dinner I sat around my chalet and read until it was time to go to Eucharist. Lot's of peace sharing at Eucharist. I think I peaced most of the village. After Eucharist there was disco line dancing in the Village Center!!! Allison and I waited around for that until the crowd showed. The crowd didn't show (why it didn't still baffles me). We started. It was just Allison, me, Norm (the guy teaching it) his wife and 2 other random people. After a while people started to become curious about the disco music coming from the VC so they came to check it out, and stayed after a lot of coercing. We learned how to do the Hustle, the Bus Stop, the Bus Walk, The Watergate, the Bump, the twist...I think that's it. It was a lot of fun. At the end of it we were just dancing around and my bare feet (slippery from the dirty floor) slipped out from under me and I fell on my butt. Lots of falling yesterday. It was also hilarious. After that was over a few of us headed over to the dining hall to play cards. We played spoons for a while and showed off some of our mad dancing skills ( the hustle), then played rummy for while. By that time it was around Midnight and we were all exhausted from the hiking and dancing and falling. We went to bed. I walked back to my chalet and there was a party going on. I wasn't going to get to sleep with everyone yelling and laughing and hanging out downstairs so I hung out for a while until someone came down and asked them to be quiet. The venue changed and I went to bed. What a great day off!

This morning I slept in and missed breakfast. I went to the dining hall to grab some toast when I saw Jacki and Jessie. We went and stuck our feet in the jacuzzi for a while. I made what I would later find out was a mistake and laid down for a while while everyone else had their feet in the jacuzzi. Coffee break. After coffee break I checked the kitchen computer for confirmation of my order of ice cream that I ordered Thursday morning...nothing still so I sent another e-mail asking how quickly they could get it here since they didn't receive my last order and I AM GOING TO RUN OUT OF ICE CREAM TODAY! I have 5 three gallon tubs of ice cream left (all chocolate) and I can easily go through them all this afternoon, especially given the fact that we were closed yesterday and 98 people came in! We're hoping for a miracle mystery ice cream delivery today....hmm. I'll keep you updated!

Now for the mistake of laying down outside near a lot of pine needles and leaves and stuff! I was ordering ice cream (on the kitchen computer) when I was playing with my hair. I felt a lump on my scalp. When I went to pull it out it was stuck pretty hard, so I pulled harder and PULLED OUT A TICK!!! I am SOOOOOO grossed out! This is the first tick I've seen, let alone had. I checked the rest of my head and body and I'm clean but I feel so gross! Ewwwwww.....

It's been an interesting morning so far, I'm curious as to how it will pan out. Ok, now I'm going to go and read for a while and try to get over how disgusted I am from finding a small insect burrowed into my scalp.

I hope everyone had a great fathers day and summer solstice!!

Amy

Thursday, June 18, 2009

I'm Becoming a Villager

As I'm sure you've noticed, my posts are not as lengthy and more boring. For the last 2 and a half weeks since I've been here I've been in go mode, like normal for Holden. Of course I'm relaxed by the people, the atmosphere, and the wonderful scenery but I am always doing something. The last few days I have taken to sort of slow down and truly ease into Holden as a way of life. The more I'm outside and around, the frecklier my shoulders get. I am taking the number of freckles (in place of a tan) as a sign that I have been here long enough to be in living here mode, as opposed to here for 5 days so I must do everything mode. This is a nice pace. I don't feel guilty and impatient for standing around and talking to a guest or friend for hours on end. I have a lot of time here. I have now done laundry, I'm familiar with most of the staff (long term and short term), I know where to find things and who I need to talk to about different things, I FOUND MY TURNOVER FILE!! I have a handle on when I need to be places. I feel like I belong here now, like this is my village, instead of a guest. It's a nice feeling. I've been on the go with school finishing up, graduation, graduation parties, the week I was home trying to see everyone, unpacking, packing, moving...I feel like I'm finally processing everything and can take some time to relax and hang out with different people but not really do a whole lot.

Ebenezer folks, any requests for ice cream for when you're here?? Let me know. I'm ordering today and them next week and the next week but if you have any requests, let me know.

I'm feeling at home in my chalet, I am officially not moving to Agape. I like my housemates and my roommates...I haven't had to walk back home along the last few days because I tag along with other people I live with so the creepiness is downplayed.

Things are going really well.

I would love to hear from any of you!!

Amy

:)

Yesterday I had an area head meeting. That pretty much consisted of everyone going in a circle sharing their hi's and lows. After that me had announcements and discussed who needs what, we had some candy, then split. Coffee Break was Rhubarb apple crisp! Mmmm. Hang around, hang around, waved goodbye to the bus, got laundry for the snack bar and dishes that the kitchen has been hoarding. Lunch. Said goodbye to the bus again. Snack bar. I helped Allison warp and inkle loom. I had dish team. Dinner. Vespers. Snack Bar. The Lift. After the Lift and hanging out in the Dining Hall, I went back to Chalet 1 with a friend and watched the first half of Unbreakable, until we couldn't stay awake anymore.

That's pretty much all I've been up to. I have received one picture request that I plan on fulfilling tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I can't think of a title.

Yesterday morning I got up for breakfast! Pancakes. I hung around, read, chatted..the usual. After coffee break I waved goodbye to the bus. After that I went and collected a bunch of random things I needed for the snack bar (medium gloves, green scrubby, sugar cones). Lunch. Wow, I'm really struggling to remember what I did. I need to start updating at night. Snack bar in the afternoon went well, I had some great scoopers and a lot of people came, which was a nice change. Once 4:00 hit and we were closed I had to strategically sweep and wipe things down to hint that people should hit the road. We had a big crowd for a while, it was great! The more people, the better. The snack bar has become quite the little hang out place for staff, which thrills me to death. No longer am I cut off from the village when I'm at work. A friend of mine was sitting by me while I was at work and was telling me that he and my roommate are brother and sister...small world! He said he found out when I told him to grab my ipod from my room and it was his sisters room too. haha. Oh Holden, never know what to expect.

I think more people who come through the snack bar are more entertained by my itrip that gives me the ability to transmit my ipod through the radio than they are the ice cream. Speaking of radio, the one in the snack bar was someone else so I told them they could take it because there was another one in the cupboard. Turns out the one in t he cupboard doesn't work so I've been carrying my alarm clock back and forth every day. Woohoo.

Last night after work I hung out on the porch of chalet 3 with my roommate and a bunch of people. After that I went to the dining hall to hang out with a bunch of people. After that, I went back to the chalet 3 porch...mostly because a friend of mine who lives in Chalet 1 told me he would walk back with me if I waited, so I did....for an hour. Why are you so creepy chalet 1??

Ok, people are waiting for the computer now!

Don't be strangers!

Amy

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mo pictures!


This is for those of you who were disturbed by the mouse story. Notice me putting a spider in a cup to free it outside!

This is for those of you who saw the avalanche in winter. This is it now.

This is Allison and I being "holdeny" on the way to Hart lake

Thanks to everyone who has been sending me mail! It really makes my day!

Yesterday morning I broke some rules and chatted with Diana via gmail chat. :). My days are becoming more and more regular, I pretty much spend my days hanging out with different people. I made an announcement at lunch asking for 2 volunteers, they are from Indiana, we had a really good time. They signed up to scoop 2 more times this week before they leave. Yesterday during my afternoon shift, one of the Narnia workers was babysitting Aubrey, the village baby when he wanted some ice cream. I bribed him with ice cream to let me play with her for a while...so cute! Errmmm...I mean, sticky.

I'm sorry to say that there isn't a lot to report. I'll take some more pictures and load them more frequently.

Don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail if you want to hear from me or if you want any more details or anything, I've been pretty good about checking and would love to hear from most anyone!

Peace!

Amy

Monday, June 15, 2009

Pictures!


Allison "working" oh so very hard.

The other side of the room, sorry the picture doesn't show much.

My bed and nook area, the closet is to the left.

The view from the porch of Chalet 1, my home for the next few months.
My weaving, it's done and cut off now. Present for Mommy!

So here are some of the promised pictures! Let me know what else you want to see.

OK, I've spent the last 30 minutes trying to upload 3 more pictures and it's not happening so those will come at a later date, hopefully late at night when there is no one trying to use the internet so it's faster.

Thanks for reading/looking!

Amy

Sunday, June 14, 2009

I can't beleive another week has gone by.

Well, it's been a long time since I posted due mostly to lack of internet, so I can't remember what I've been up to, neither can Allison. Sorry. Yesterday I hung out with the roomie for a while before Vespers. She played christmas songs on the harp while I wrote a letter home. While I was at work, my scoopers (the families of my scoopers) brought us all huckleberry pie...HUCKLEBERRY PIE (did you hear that Dad?). After work Allison and I went to the dining hall and played apples to apples and catch phrase with basically the entire staff. We all ate a bunch of chocolate chip cookies that were intended for the minors and junior minors (nobody cared because there is only 1). We stayed there until bed time.

Oh! I remember. The night before last, after work, there was a massive jam session happening on the front porch of my chalet. This is what made me decide that I don't think I want to move, if that would have been an option. I'm starting to really like my house mates...even if there are too many boys and it's always dirty. Our last person moved in so now there are 9 of us: 3 girls and 6 guys.

This morning Allison, Maggie, Hannah, and I went out to Hart lake. It was a gorgeous day (I took pictures that I will post soon, seriously.). We made it back just in time to miss the rain. I took the best shower of my life, then headed to Agape to watch a movie with Matia ("Yes Man"). After the movie, we had dinner. After dinner I went to choir. After choir I met in the VC, where I already was, to figure out communion stuff because I was assisting. Eucharist was fun. Now I'm here. Everyone is going to the jacuzzi but it's still too warm outside for that. Now I'm just hanging out until 10pm when we're all going to play games or something. Maybe I'll crash the minors and junior minors bowling event like the minors and junior minors person told me to. Hmmm.

My days have pretty much been consisting of setting up snack bar stuff, ordering things, reading, and hanging out with various people. That's what I've been up to.


Amy

Friday, June 12, 2009

Relaxation

The longer I'm here, the more I seem to get into the swing of things. Right now, I'm very comfortable with the people I hang out with and the people I eat with. As for the people I live with, I don't spend much time there because it's creepy so I don't spend that much time with them. That's ok though. It's almost time to do laundry for the first time since I've been here. That means I'm really here for a while. It's beginning to look more and more likely that I will be able to hike in this summer! I am going to submit my request today. Then again, it might be declined since I want to leave during the peak of summer. Paul and Carol Hinderlie just ran through where I am and whisper-yelled "morning" as they ran by. That was interesting.

Ok, what did I do yesterday (most productive day I've had here so far).

I ordered pop! I ordered ice cream! Found malt powder so now we have shakes AND malts! Messed with the pop machine for a while ( I still don't know how to work it completely, there is an open valve somewhere where the CO2 tank hooks up to the machine). I finished my weaving, hung out in the bookstore with Matia. Hung out in the posti-office with Wanda. Stole a straw dispenser. Played a GIANT game of 500 (flyers up with a point system) with a GIANT exercise ball rightfully dubbed "big ball". That was a lot of fun. We're working out the rules to human bowling. I Learned how to cash out the cash box, I set up everything for my stipend (yeah!), had dish team, or was that the day before? Oh well. I'm not sure what else I did but all of that was before 1:30. After we closed, which was late because I stayed open a few minutes for some people who are leaving today, Allison and I hung out on the porch swing for a while being tired, untill Dillon walked by then we started cracking up thinking about how fun the game of big ball was and how funny it was when he got hit in the face with the big ball, then Allison went to bed and I was no longer tired so I hung out in the dining hall with a few people until I was tired enough to not be scared of the walk back to my creepy creepy residence. How do you like my lack of punctuation? This morning I think is going to be pretty leisurely. I'm going to go finish tieing off my weaving (after I finish taking out all the mop cord). I decided that I'm going to make a rag rug after I'm done with this one.

Ok, that's all for now. Let me know what you want pictures of! There's no use dragging my lap top all the way here so I can put one picture up.

Amy

Thursday, June 11, 2009

This is going to be quick because my stomach is a-rumblin

I pretty much spent the morning weaving since I need to have my loom one by today since there are guests who signed up after me.

Ok, I had my first mouse yesterday...I didn't get it myself. Actually, I always make fun of girls in the movies who are standing on chairs and squealing but that was definitely me last night. Luckily, my friend Brandon (who is built like an ox) was downstairs at the Lift. He heard Allison and I screaming and evidently assumed it was a mouse instead of some kind of emergency. He showed up with an wrench in his hand running around the snack bar yelling, "I'M GONNA KILL IT!!" He was LITERALLY throwing all the benches and tables in the snack bar around trying to find this tiny mouse so he could kill it. After a while of not seeing it, he moved a bench again and there was a dead mouse under it (that wasn't there before). It was smushed in the searching process. I tried to get him to dispose of it humanely in it's natural habitat (the woods) but he said no, it came in the snack bar and therefore must be executed. I was a little upset about it. He's here as long as I am so I told him that I would give him 1 free scoop of ice cream for every mouse he disposed of. Ugg. I wish you could have seen him throwing furniture and running around with a wrench looking for the smallest mouse I have ever seen.

For vespers yesterday, the choir sang this neat song. The two musicians are amazing and they studied for a while in Tanzania so everything has these really neat and hearty harmonies that is just a lot of fun to sing.

That's all for now, I'm hungry and I hear they have eggs for breakfast! I promise to post more later.

Amy

XOXOX

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

I guess it's not quite summer yet, it's still cold(ish).

Yesterday morning, I started my weaving down in the craft cave. I took a picture to share but I keep forgetting to put it on my computer. I spent a long time in the morning weaving, and in the afternoon, weaving. I took a break to go and wave off the first bus, so did most of the rest of the village. The only problem was, nobody was leaving on it. There was a lot of fake crying and yelling after the empty bus to please don't go. We saw the bus driver a while later when he came up with a big pile of new guests. After a while, I went to go see Pat off, who was leaving today to go home even after my constant nagging her to stay. She reminds me a lot of Mom. At 2:00, the snack bar opened, hardly anyone showed up. Last night though, after Vespers, we had another anonymous donor come and pay for everyones ice cream! It was a different person than the last time. Some man came up to me, handed me a $50 and said, "I want to buy everyone ice cream, let me know if you need more." I told him I thought that would be fine and thank you so much. He came back later after examining the line and gave me another $20. After that, people just kept giving me the money that they wanted to buy their ice cream with saying, "well, add this to it when the pool runs out." Holden Village payed it forward in ice cream last night! What's funny is that the guy who donated the original money sat at the end of the bar watching me tell everyone that the ice cream was free and watching it make everyones day. It was a great night, a lot of fun! I definitely have the best job in the village. After the snack shop closed, we all hung out in the dinning hall and played games.

This morning I sat at a table with a bunch of people I kind of know. We talked about the Peace Corps ( I don't know how it keeps coming up).

In about an hour and 20 minutes I have my first area head meeting. Dish team at 11:30. Staff meeting at 5:45? 6:45? I should check with someone. I'm mostly writing this down so I'll remember. Wow, the power just went out but my computer has a blackout buster so I saved and am just going to keep going. Everything is beeping!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Everyone is leaving

I have officially been at Holden one week. I know most staff members in the village and a lot of the guests. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and Thursday, people I know and have become close to are leaving the village. This is just the first turnaround since I've been here, I need to get used to it.

Yesterday, after packing, cleaning my room, waiting out the rain, and procrastinating as long as humanly possible, I made the move to chalet 1 (my new home). I enlisted some friends here and we made it in one trip! I am now all moved in...even my toothbrush has a home, which can be tricky moving into a house with 8 other people already living here. I am happy with it because I think it is as close to a commune as I will ever get.

Before dinner I went to read on the arc, when I found out there was a jam session going on between a bunch of Minnesotans. I listened to all the folk music they played for a long time until the dinner bell rang. During the jam session, I overheard the person next to me mention that he and his wife were in the Peace Corps together. Obviously we chatted about that for a long time. When I mentioned that I will be going to Africa all the people around us sort of jumped into the conversation. I didn't get any reading done. In fact, I'm not really getting a lot of reading done because I always end up talking to the people around me (I blame Mom and Dad for that personality trait). I literally sit on the arc for a few hours and just chat and chat and chat with whoever comes along and sits within speaking range of me. I've never been an arc chatter, I guess I am now.

After dinner I went to choir practice (represent choir kids)! The guest musicians are fantastic!! Everyone in the congregation was dancing, which doesn't happen even at Holden. It was the best service I have been to in a looong time. I realized after Eucharist that I never really get into the Holden swing of things until a Eucharist service. I never noticed because we normally come up on Sundays, when I came on a Monday this trip. I've been homesick and mopey and thinking about T.V. and the internet all week. Since last night's service, it hasn't been on my mind. Who knew that was really what put me in the Holden mindset?

Today the snack bar opened in the afternoon for the first time! Woohoo. Our very first customer put a $50 down and when I started to make change for him he told me that it was an anonymous donation, he wanted to pay for the first $50 worth of ice cream! People were very please, and he sat and watched everyone smile for a while when I told other customers that the ice cream was free. It was adorable. The money didn't even last a hour, surprising because we've been really slow after Vespers.

Andrew left today, I don't think he knows but a lot of people were crying as the bus left. I got to (ready for this Diana?) play the drums twice today!!!!! Yes folks, the holden drums. Word is getting around the village that Allison plays djembe so, as her friend, I get to play too! Awesome!

I'm having a great time and I miss you all!!!

Amy

XOXOXO

Pictures coming soon! I know I promise that a lot, when will you learn that I'm all talk?

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Getting comfortable

This was my first Saturday I've spent in the Village, during summer, for a long time. Sunday is all a buzz normally with different schedules and services and all, but Saturdays seem pretty leisurely. The day pretty much consisted of hanging out with different groups of people in different areas.

I checked out my room in Chalet 1 (I'm moving tomorrow) and it is nice. I will be facing the road. I'll also have a roommate, which I'm sort of excited about. We're on completely opposite working schedules so that will also be just dandy. She did tell me today though (within 5 minutes of meeting her, finding out that she was going to be my roommate, and finding out that I was going to have a roommate) that she sleepwalks, so we'll see how that goes.

After dinner a ton of us headed out to 10 mile falls. I still have no mail from my family after sending 2 letters now, one of which I sent out today and won't be there for a few days (hint hint). Vespers was in the VC for the first time, the decorations are neat. I'll try to get pictures up sometime. Directly after Vespers, all of the area heads had training. The meeting kind of dragged on for hours (literally) but I suppose all of the information was necessary. It was a culmination of supervising volunteers 101, upcoming meetings, and a rousing game of "Name Your Supervisor". I rocked that game. I didn't have to run snack bar tonight because of the meeting, so the Coffey's were in charge of that.

I just found out also today that guys will be out numbering girls 4 to 3 in Chalet 1. I've never lived anywhere with those sorts of ratios. I'll probably have to get used to it being a little smelly, not because of the ratios but because of the positions everyone holds. I'll be living with the head maverick, cook, head waitri, lawns and gardens person, kitchen staff and one to be determined person. I don't know if these are all semi-smelly "professions" or if Holden just requires you to really get your hands dirty. Either way, after finding out some of the people I'll be living with, and spending some time with them, I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about the change. I'm not looking forward, however, to moving all of my stuff tomorrow after I get back from a hike to Hart Lake with Allison.

OH! I can't believe I forgot that graduation was today! Graduation was wonderful, it came complete with Pomp and Circumstance, something left out of my own graduation... The first speaker was fantastic, I feel like he made of for the horribleness of the speaker at my graduation. Speaking of that speaker (haha), today in Vespers, someone read one of his poems. Interesting. Ok, word on the street is that there is a bon fire, so I guess that's all for tonight.

Amy

xoxoxoxoxo

Friday, June 5, 2009

Foam Henge

Here is the promised picture of Foam Henge. Yes those are giant foam blocks.



Also, I learned tonight that they're moving all of the area heads (including me) into the chalets. I will be moving to Chalet 1. I haven't quite decided how I feel about the move since I'll be leaving some good friends but I'm sure it will be fine. I have to be moved out of my room in lodge 1 by the 8th. I walked out to the Labyrinth today with a few people. After lunch I went to the snack bar and scrubbed EVERYTHING! That place is so clean now! I finished there right about the time when the barge came so there were truck loads of stuff to unload. We formed a sort of bucket bregade and shuffled all the food into the three coolers: Larry, Curly, and Moe. After that we hung around for a little until dinner. After dinner I went to set up the snack bar for Allison because she was opening by herself because I had an area head meeting right after vespers.

After I finished setting up I helped with the BOOKSTORE BLITZ! We moved everything from the temporary bookstore to the new/old bookstore in the Hotel Basement. It took until right before Vespers. Before Vespers I spoke with some woman who was from Copenhagen. I told her about Meredith falling in love with the city and she told me that it was dirty all the time and there was too much litter and graffiti. I thought that was funny. After Vespers I found out I was moving and then ran over to the snack bar. I made it there right before opening. It was slow again and the group from Trinity Lutheran in Lynnwood scooped. After cleaning up and closing Allison and I hot tubbed for a while until we got tired. Now we're here e-mailing our family members.

I think I just figured out how to get pop up here for the snack bar! Woohoo! Well, I'm pretty tired, all this getting up before 9am stuff kind of tuckers me out. I'll update soon. Enjoy foam hendge!

This is one of the Dutcheresque decorations in my room. This is hanging on the front of my door. One of the others I won't post here because it has Esme's address on it. You get the picture.

This is the sweet "Great job graduating" card Lee sent me. I just thought the cover, being his face and all, was so awesome I had to share. That's all for now.
Amy

XOXOXOXO

The Snack Bar Continues

Yesterday morning I had my first garbology duty. I was told that there wasn't very much stuff so it didn't take very long. Here's what happens. You collect all the compost and recyclable materials from the village. Then bring it to the garbo loading dock. Sort the recyclables. Then go up to the second level where all the compost stuff is and mash up the compost stuff...then put it in it's place in the compost area. Spread saw dust on top, then ash on top of that. The ash keeps the smell down and the saw dust absorbs liquid. I stepped in some really raunchy garbo goop while shoveling and now my shoes smell so bad I had to put them on the porch to air out. Yuck. For the rest of the day I pretty much lounged around and relaxed, read by book and hung out with various people.

After vespers (we had them right after dinner at the tables) I ran around with Allison collecting all the things I need to set up for t he Snack bar later that night. Mostly staff volunteered so it was as easy as it could be. That was quite a relief because it was the first day with a lot of people showing up. It went pretty smoothly. After we finished closing and cleaning up, Allison and I headed over to this lady Beth's room to hang out for a while. We met her on the boat up and she was leaving today, she's a pastor on sabbatical.

After Beth's we headed over to the Lift where there was a hipster party. We danced and hung out for a long time. After that ended we soaked our feet in the hot tub then headed to bed.

This morning we said goodbye to Beth and her son Will. I think I'm going to be deep cleaning the snack bar so it doesn't constantly smell like ice cream today. Tonight I have my first area head meeting. There was talk during coffee break about all of the area heads moving into Chalet 12? Weird. Anywho, that's all for now, I have some things to do so that's it. One day I'll drag my laptop over here and put up pictures of foam henge and other things, I promise!!

I miss you all and am always thinking about you! xoxoxoxo

Amy

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Holden Village: The Beginning

Allison and I arrived in the village Monday afternoon after a long long trek from home. We were welcomed by Virginia and Esme Dutcher, complete with a sign! We had lunch and hung out for a while. They helped me bring my stuff to my room. When we got there they had decorated my room in a very Dutcheresque fashion (pictures to come).

After they left, the day pretty much consisted of getting to know a bunch of people, except for a short stint in the snack bar learning the very basics of what is supposed to happen. Yesterday (Tuesday) was a little more action packed. After breakfast, Allison and I went for a short hike to 10 mile falls. We made it back just in time for coffee break. We then attempted to play frisbee golf up on the second level but were not successful because of my insane lack of direction. We looked at the map in the hike haus after we came down and now we're pretty sure we can figure it out. After our frisbee failure, we read on the porch for a while and then hung out by the river seeing who could skip rocks the highest. We meet more and more people...some of whom I can remember names for :). I checked out t he candy at the bookstore and made friends with some people in there who soon after confused me with someone else. I found Paul, my direct supervisor here, we spoke for a while about expectations for the snack bar and where I am right now in my life. After dinner, the road exploded into a massive game of kickball. After that we all sort of went into the fireside room (where vespers are still being held) for an evening worship service. A little after the service, a bunch of us went in the sauna. By a bunch of us I mean A BUNCH OF US. We were in there for a long time; my hands got prunny. After the sauna, we hung out some more on the porch swing (sensing a pattern) then eventually went to bed. This morning we all woke up to a foam version of stone henge in the grass next to the arc. It's called foam henge.

Now, I'm just waiting for 9am to come, I'm going on up to the third level. After that I have my first go at dish team. Then, maybe Allison and I will hike to Hart lake? Who knows. I still have to get into contact with a lot of people about training me for snack bar, and ordering ice cream, and setting up my stipend. The Snack bar opens on Saturday under my care for the first time. I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed about all the things that need to happen before then (and being overwhelmed at Holden is a completely new thing for me), but what better place to deal with stress than the least stressful place I have yet to come across. Right now, there is a lot of "talk to this person, then talk to this person". I have no idea who these people are. I'm finding the staff wall (my picture is up, it's official!) to be very helpful!

That's all for now, I have to run. I miss you all very much and look forward to hearing from you! Hopefully it won't be so long between now and my next post!!

XOXOXOXO