Going on week two.....

Hey folks, we're going on week two. Today I kind-of felt like I'm living in a never ending girls camp :) I'm finally starting to get a good group of girls, we're going to hike in a few minutes.

I've decided that I'm going to have to count the accident free days instead courting the days that people yell at us....because it's more often than not. I might start a chart and I can put stars on it ;) Last night we had a large group check in and something went wrong (which was their fault in the booking) and we had this large black man with a head full of long braid came in and chew us out (in front of all the kids) "This is unacceptable, you will fix this". I was really glad I wasn't the manager...wow! Afterwards, someone nicknamed him "The Gorilla" and that made it all better :) So for the remainder of their stay we can cry "GORILLA" instead of wolf. People are funny.

I have wed/thurs off this week and I was going to go home, but my family has forgotten about me and they are probably in CA as we speak. I called to see if it would be ok if I came home and they said sure, but they would all be in Disney Land.....so I will be heading down to St. George to hang with annie. If anyone wants to come down (KATE) that would be fun.

OH, another funny tidbit, my roommate Kezia has a vocal tick....it's a mix between a hiccup and a dinosaur roar.....I must write a book with funny roommates stories, perhaps a bathroom reader?

Have a good monday everyone, I'm off to hike.

Love Stace

First trip to Zion

Hey folks,
I had a few days off, so I headed to my cousin's house (Esplin's) to crash for a couple days. I hope they didn't mind ;) Today Lindy, Dallan, Eli, and I headed down to Zion's canyon to do some hiking. I bought a park pass with the hopes of making it to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Yellowstone this year! I also want to do all the trails in Zion this summer, so today we knocked two off the list. The first trail would really be a much better bike route, so maybe we'll have to try that one again on a bike. We then took the shuttle up and down the canyon and it is sure beautiful. I haven't been to Zion's in over a year and I am just blown away by how beautiful it is. I really do think we take the things that we live close to for granted. People travel all over the world to see things that are just a few minutes from us. I really want to take advantage of what is around me this summer, if nothing else I live in a wonderful area.

The second hike we went on was on the east side of the canyon, called Canyon overlook. It was gorgeous! I highly recommend it to everyone! I don't think many people hike it because it's right before the tunnel and on the other side of Zion. You end up on top of the arch that you can see through the tunnel, it was amazing!!! I did get a little sun and I remember the feeling of headaches and warm skin.

Work is going well, I think I'm picking up on a lot. I'm getting to deal with nasty customers, I haven't had much experience in that. Why do people think that is appropriate to do to other people? It is not my fault the price is high or your key doesn't work, but somehow it's ok to yell at me and get mad.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Love Stace

Jolley's Trail

Hello folks, I hope everyone is having a good monday. This morning I went on Jolley's trail hike. At the end, you enter through Zion National Park and the most amazing view is in front of you. It was very cool.

Work is going well. I'm just trying to remember everything.

Have a great day!

Love Stace

Turning cowgirl...

As promised, here are some more pictures.....I told you I am in the middle of nowhere. Today has been awesome! I'm feeling quite outdoorsy. I got up and went to breakfast and then was invited to join the morning horse ride group. Trying to do everything, I grabbed my sweater and shoes and headed off on an hour horse ride up the mountain. Syd, I was thinking of you the whole time. The full time staff live here with all their families and the front desk manager has 4 girls; two of the girls are 14 and 11 and help with the horses. Every time I see them, I think of you. I know you would love to be the wrangler's helper. I rode on a black/brown horse named Pepsi. I thought you'd be proud of me :)

After the horse ride I headed over to the Rec barn and did Zip lining. I was way nervous....The rec barn is 3 stories tall and then there is the zip line tower off of that. So needless to say we were very high. But I strapped myself in, put on my helmet and jumped off the platform. It's only nerve racking for the first couple seconds when you are just free falling.

Last night a few of the staff members and I played a game and watched a movie. As we were coming out, it was dark and I was the first one to the door. I stepped outside and standing to my left was the biggest mountain lion I have ever seen (not that I've seen many). I about flipped, but before I could my roommate followed me and started screaming. The boys had to catch her from falling over. By this point a bunch of the guys came around the corner busting up laughing....yes, it was a large stuffed mountain lion. They guys picked up the lion and put it back in the rec lounge. I thought it was pretty funny, but I do have to admit to watching my back when I went outside next :)

Did I mention everyone is so cool and inclusive here? Everyone invites you to do stuff, something is always going on, and people know if someone is missing. Today I've had a great morning and I'm totally excited to get into the grove of things.

I start work today and I'm excited to also get going on that. So far there are just the 3 full time ladies and I, but slowly more girls will come I'm sure.

Hope you are all having a great day!

Love Stace

Second day

Hello everyone!

I'm officially here at Zion Ponderosa Resort....it is in the middle of nowhere. I guess I didn't realize how far out I was. Thanks to Colin and Lindy for coming with me, I don't think I would have found this by myself. So I got checked in and they showed me to my dorm room. I actually live right under the lodge which is good for several reason....closer to work, food, and WIRELESS!!!! Our dorm is pretty small, 4bunk beds, and a large shower/bathroom area, plus a washer/dryer. I guess they figure we'll be working or playing most of the time. Although I am in the middle of nowhere, the resort is really nice. There is a ton to do, here are some:
swimming, fishing, hiking, rock wall, volleyball, baseball, tennis, archery, ultimate Frisbee course, atv trails, zip line, and horse riding. As far as accommodations, there are RV sites, tent camping, and then tons of cabins. It really is a nice place. The food seems like it is going to be great, kind-of meat/potato backwoods diet. Thankfully they have salad and fruit bar.

Yesterday I had to do a drug test and I can't work for 24 hours after that, so I'm just chillin today. Hopefully I can start tonight or tomorrow morning.

The staff seems to be really inclusive. There are only a few of us here now, but by the end they said there should be about 70 college kids working. I'm pretty excited to meet lots of new people.

Here are some pictures of the resort, and yes syd there are lots horses.



Here are some pictures of the resort, and yes syd there are lots horses....ok, my compture is being stupid so I'll have to add more pictures later.

Testing

Hey folks,

I have 1.5 days of school left....just one more test.....that means It's summer time and time to work my guts out! This summer I'm really excited though, I will be working at Zion Ponderosa Resort on the East side of Zion's Canyon. I will be there from April 17th until August 31st. I don't know how often I will be able to post, but I will post pictures when I can.

Hope everyone has a great summer. Get lots of sun, have tons of BBQ's, go to the park, and eat a snowcone!

Love Stace