I may be old...but atleast I'm not a Freshman

Ok, So I'm not Actually Old...
I am by no means "old." People get a little frustrated when I talk about the aging process, my joints getting weaker, etc when in all honesty, I'm pretty young in comparison to the rest of the world.

Like a well-trained child of "Sue", I will never reveal my true age. To you, I will forever be 21+, until I turn 30, and then I will be 30+, etc. (Today, I love to use etc.) Mom has been, dare I say, 50 (eeeek, I said it, please don't kill me Sue) "for more than one year now." Through this tedious effort to hide her real age from the public, friends and family, people have actually become confused about how old she is, so I know this method of secrecy and confusion does in fact work.

I may not be old, but I'm old enough to know better...
So I may not be an old, wise woman of the world yet, but I do have a few life-stories under my belt. When you're 18 and a fresh, young high school graduate, all you can think about it getting into college...to continue on your mission to impress people, and be the coolest of the cool...is this not the reason people go to college?



Kidding.

But, it's damn funny to see the new faces of America's intellectual future walking down the main walkway at school...

in....high...heels.



HAHAHAHAH

According to the man on the radio, the heat index was 106 today. In this awful heat I came across a little 18 year old girl with her backpack on, capri pants and a very snug shirt cruisin' down the sidewalk enjoying the sweet smell of freedom [from parental control] at school. The poor thing can be found staying out late, watching tv at all hours of the night and just being a rebel in general on campus for the rest of the semester...until she finds out her grades will suffer, and thus her future, when finals time comes in December and she bombs at least 1 final.

Good luck sweet freshmen. May the Lord be with you.

There's a Handbook for Everything!
So "Running Off The Reese's" and I are going to create a student handbook, specifically for freshmen, to help those young fresh-faces of college avoid inevitable failure at life...like the "high heel incident" noted above.

Please feel free to post your commentary below about rules and regulations you feel the infamous "incoming freshmen" should know about.

Today's Goal: Whew...it's late it the day, I've accomplished all I want to...or all I'm going to, so now it's to the couch to watch the tube!

Today's Obsession: Watch the season finale of The Real Housewives of New Jersey... you know it's going to be INSANE!

Mold in Humid Places

Where Does Mold Grow?
According to eHow.com
"When these [mold] spores settle in and find their selves a nice warm, moist spot they will begin to feed and germinate, causing even bigger and deadlier health problems.

Read more: How Does Mold Grow? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4564052_mold-grow.html#ixzz0y2osZuSo"

Guess who has Mold in the House?
This girl!!!

After living at The Shores apartments, in Corpus Christi, Texas, for 2 months, mold has started growing on my walls in the laundry room. Apparently while I was in Montana the neighbor above me moved out and took his washer and dryer with him. After he left, water leaked into my apartment, directly below, and accumulated standing water for over 24 hours. I notified the apartment office immediately.

One week later, I have mold growing. No worries. I have taken pictures and kept proper documentation so when my lungs begin to swell and respiratory distress sets in, there will be proof of mold infection...I am counting on you, reader, to dig through my mold-ridden apartment and find this documentation and turn it into the authorities.

Lol...Okay. I totally know I'm being dramatic, but I'm just SO frustrated right now. This all could have been avoided if proper upkeep of the apartment was maintained.

Now What?
Now. I finish my at-home mold test and let it sit for 48 hours so I can get an accurate mold count.

Wish me luck!

Today's Goal: Get a good night's sleep

Today's Obsession: Acquiring an accurate mold count!

Grilling 101: Grill-Masters Prohibited

Grilling 101: Grilling with Chub
I have never grilled before. I have owned a cheap-o Wal-Mart grill that my best friend and old roommate use to fire-up from time to time to make cheeseburgers, but I was always happy to be the assistant.

Last night, I officially grilled solo for the first time! It was a pile of emotions all wrapped into a few hours that ended with me and 5 friends gorging ourselves with deliciously well-cooked hamburger meat.

Be aware, I believe it is illegal in the state of Texas to even have a grill in the vicinity of your apartment...something about burning down the entire complex, who knows. So when you are being a law-breaker like myself, be sure to keep your ears open for the sound of a siren. If the siren gets closer, wheel your mini-grill over to your neighbors apartment, take the charcoal inside and watch the drama unfold! No, don't do that, that's mean.

Here is a very simplified grilling guide that should not for any reason be used without questioning another source.

Step 1: Put some self-lighting charcoal nuggets into your mini-grill

Step 2: Light 'em (I would suggest sticking your long, candle lighter into the grill from the side. Oh! And not too many nuggets, otherwise things can go awry. I came close to burning my entire right arm off when I lit my nuggets from the top, and then how would I be a nurse?!)



Step 3: Let the fire die..on it's own, do NOT close the pit...one of the failures I stumbled on last night.

Step 4: Call your friend who has a husband and tell them the grill is ready and we should put the burgers on soon.



When the husband gets there, give him a drink and send him outside to fix whatever may be going wrong. I personally believe men like to take over grilling, fixing cars, changing tires, etc. for women. There's a good possibility the ego boost of taking care of business hides the fact that we women have just put them to work :)

Step 5: Friend's husband grills the burgers.

Now get out there and do some grillin'!!

Breast Milk
Who knew the breast feeding process was so interesting.


Hopefully you can understand how awkward I felt opening this picture up in the middle of eating lunch in the UC on campus the other day. Don't worry. When we cover the reproductive systems in class, I will NOT be posting pictures.

Anyhow, I found out how cool breast feeding was on my first day in Pharmacology class. There are certain medicines you should definitely steer clear of, then those that can be substituted for another brand of medicine depending on how the medicine is broken down and carried across membranes.

Check out this website and you can learn all about it!!

The Infamous Comma
A little while back, I stated I was confident in my use of commas in a phrase that contained a list of 3 items and there was no need for a comma between the 2nd listed item and the word "and". I was corrected by a friend of mine, but I am finally ready to rebuttal the issue that this style of word phrasing does not exist.

According to the AP Stylebook, Punctuation Guide, page 325.
"In a series: Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry."

Be aware sweet readers, this particular style book is used most frequently by magazine and newspaper editors and broadcasters, as well as others in the media industry.

Today's Goal: Read 1 chapter for each of my 4 classes...by the pool...without falling asleep.



Today's Obsession: Whale Wars!! Season finale tonight...hahaha...they are so flipping dramatic!

Corpus Christi Runner's Suicide Watch

Living Runners
Corpus Christi, TX may be on the list of the fattest cities in America, but if people keep running mid-day it will also become the location of highest deaths numbers via heat stroke! The following photos are taken within the hour, these people are obviously not in their right mind.

Exhibit A



::White male, in his early 20's, doing what appears to be "jogging" or "yogging" I'm not sure::

Exhibit B




::Hispanic male, late teens, riding bicycle::

ATTENTION: When you see these types of people, pull over and ask them if they are in their right state of mind. Obviously they aren't. Look what sort of conditions they're working out in.

Temperature: 97 degrees
Humidity: 44%
Feels like: Hell
Wind: There is no wind today, the weatherman here lies.

Dead Runners
These conditions and those that are considerably worse on different days of the week, are the reasons people have heat exhaustion, and sometimes stroke (don't quote me on this).




So hopefully exhaustion and stroke don't become an epidemic in Corpus, otherwise the local news stations will have no choice but to write stories of the demise of "fit people." And lets just get real if there were an epidemic of the physically fit croaking all over town due to heat and exhaustion it would be awful. Yet, when one attractive and fit person croaks...especially due to the training that leads them to be so in shape...us couch-potatoes...kindaaaaa grin. Now no one comes out and admits their pleasure with this gruesome turn of events...but we've all done it.

No Dead Runners....yet
Thankfully news stations don't have this runner's heat stroke epidemic to deal with just yet. So they focus on more important stories. You would think this video clip would be concerned with domestic and violent crimes, but I believe there's a hidden message here...EDUCATION...GET SOME!!



The hip hop version




Let's Sum it Up
1. We have some serious fat Americans in Corpus

2. We have some runners who are running towards death in Corpus

3. We have some very uneducated beings "hidin' their kids, hidin' their wives and hidin' their husbands cause they rapin' errbody round here."

4. We have some very good video editors out there! Bravo guys! I enjoy the edited version almost as much as I like the raw footage.

Let me know if these videos don't work!

Dancing my way to Success

I'm Definitely going to Dress my Children in Animal Costumes
I've never seen a cute baby cow!! I just have to send a shout out to Adam Sandler, "good job reproducing Adam, who knew you could make such a cute kid." I really didn't expect it.



Back to school. Back to school. To prove to Dad that I'm not a fool.



Yesterday was my first day back to school, and oh how I love to learn! Yes, by mid-semester I will want to hang myself from stress and exhaustion, but I do enjoy the beginning-semester bliss I'm feeling now! If only someone would throw me a party at the end of each semester like Billy Madison had...that would be stellar!

So I got to have my first class of the day, and semester, in the new nursing building! Eeee...I just get excited thinking about it. One day I won't be able to control my excitement for nursing anymore and I whip out my nursing cap and cape and go skipping down the hallway...and probably burst into song too, I grew up watching too many musicals. Then other little nurses will pop out from behind the walls and we shall have a full on TAP NUMBER!




Ok. I've regained my sanity after that little imaginative episode.

Thankfully, my first class wasn't until 1-o-clock in the afternoon. I have never in my entire college career had a day of classes that started after 10 a.m. So this is nice...this is real nice. It's real nice until you get to campus 30 minutes before class and there are no places to park, I swear it's a miniature Texas State University. Except these kids don't know how good they've got it. Us Bobcats were given the privilege to park our cars "on campus" then walk 2 miles, UP HILL, to get to class.



Trust me. This is not a hill you WANT to walk up. I always felt bad for people who had to sit next to me after that long hike in the Texas heat, I know I couldn't have smelled delicious, like normal, after I climbed those hellish stairs. Just in case you find yourself in a similar scenario, just follow these basic steps.



I guess the only reason I walked up there every day might have had something to do with me getting my degree. AKA: the light at the end of the tunnel



...such a long tunnel. Why did I start a new tunnel?! Crap. New tunnel (nursing), different city (Corpus). Wait! I refuse to lose my drive at the beginning of my nursing journey.

Next item of business.

Today's Goal: Literally accomplish...hmm let me count real fast...10 different and very important things today. They are all boring and I'm sure insignificant to anyone elses livelihood, so I won't bore you.

(My spell check keeps telling me "elses" is not a word. Am I having a bad blond moment? Somebody help me out here)

Today's Obsession: Getting the word out. There's finally another girl who understands 'not holding back anything' on the first date. hahahahahahh

PDA on a Plane....Really?!

A Happy Texan
Even though I have been pretty bummed about leaving my mountain oasis, the minute I got off the plane in Austin last night...I was overjoyed. I'm a true Texan, what can I say? I was raised by the motto: American by Birth, Texan by the Grace of God. Lol.

I was also happy to know (or at least I thought) that I would forever avoid this trashy display of manhood after arriving back in the motherland.



I'm pretty sure some want-to-be mountain men use these decals to portray they are "hunters & fishers"...a comment made constantly by The Millionaire Matchmaker on her show.




Omg! I have a task for her! Clean up the men of Montana...no offense boys, but somebody had to say something.

This morning I ran into to Starbucks. On my way out I hopped in my car, only to look up and see this.



This man didn't want to waste his time with a laptop. He was obviously trying to get some SERIOUS work done. Just an odd thought I'd share with you.

Do you do PDA?
I don't. Who knows. Maybe one day that will change, but I doubt it. I'd prefer not showing any public displays of affection at all, no matter where I am...ever. It's just not my thing looking deeply into someone's eyes while I mid-shop or mid-dinner.

Considering I'm not a PDA person, I obviously wasn't a big fan of the couple pretty much making out on the plane ride to Austin last night.

I sit down and am happy to see I will have my entire row to myself....SCORE! Then a woman sits down and then says something about needing to take her little girl's backpack back to her. (It was a Barbie backpack so I this was no adult child the woman was traveling with). So I offered to switch seats with the daughter so she could be by her mom.

DANGIT! She said yes.

Little did I know, I would have my worst PDA nightmare come true.

Another glass of wine please!

I can't get Enough Enrique
I know I've already talked about Enrique and his new hit song, but I just can't get enough! I was jamming in the RAV4 this morning down the highway and this is the best mental image I can give you.

(Please click the embedded link and listen to the first part of the song, I'm pretty sure you will understand my next paragraph after listening)

Enrique Iglesias blaring his song (I Like It, featuring Pit Bull) over the loud speaker, surrounded by mirrors telling ladies to get those knees up higher and sweat, sweat, sweat! Similar to the interesting Mr. Simmons, but not so hyper. I could see Enrique only getting really into the workout after a long day when he needed to aerobicize to relieve the pressure of the celeb lifestyle.

Look at this face. He definitely does aerobics.



Specifically, step aerobics.


Can't you just see him, running around in 80's spandex-including waste-high belt, clapping his hands, telling at women, in his fabulous accent, to get those knees up high! High! High! Maybe that's just me and my mind being a little loopy.

Today's Goal: See Ben Campos (the radio man) and my bff Hannah!
So I realize today is over with and I must say: I saw the fabulous Ben Campos & I took a grand 4 hour nap at Hannah's folk's house, so I consider both goals completed!

Today's Obsession: Enrique...duh

One Flight down, One to Go

Kalispell to Salt Lake City
So I can't believe I got through the little-plane flight to Salt Lake City from Kalispell, MT. I don't do small planes let's just get that clear.

So of course I ordered a little glass of vino on the flight and didn't finish the mini bottle they gave me, so I may have slipped it into my backpack...just call me Winona Ryder...but I like to steal from Delta. (kidding of course, I did pay for my wine. Ha! Sounds like a typical Winona response).



Salt Lake Airport
Of course the first thing I do when I get into an airport is eat and have something to drink...these are a few of my favorite things!



So I'm sitting here and the older lady looks at me and says "isn't our waiter cute." (There was a little bit of hinting, I'm not sure about what, maybe she thought I should hit on him or something?) She had a cute dog that she carried in her bag, so I ignored her ridiculous comment about hitting on the cute waiter.




So I'm sitting there being a creeper and oohing and awing over this fugly dog and I start to chat with the woman. So it turns out I get to know this woman, and she's pretty sweet. Worked in Advertising for years and got her degree for U of Florida in PR. INSTANT FRIENDS!! Oh and I love the fact she hand feeding her service pooch people food from her dinner. Okay, I have officially decided they are the sweetest couple ever! They've been on vacation to Billings, MT. and they're on their way back Nashville. Good people...I love meeting good people.

Anyhoo, I passed hitting on the airport waiter and decided I had better chances of happiness by ordering a large order of nachos.


Yeahhhhh boyyyyy.



Oh, wonderful! There is a delay in my flight, but at least I spy cute boys on my delayed flight! Yay! Hopefully I won't scare them away with my "xanex eyes".

Welp, that's all folks!

Mountain Vacation Days 9 through 11: An Animal Recap

Animales de los montanas
So I have been a Montana cabin-dweller at my parent's house for the past 6 years and pretty much haven't seen one darn animal, other than deer.

Let's get real though...there are deer in Texas, I want to see the big boys! I've always had somewhat of an animal checklist which included:

1. Grizzly bear
2. Moose
3. Elk
4. Wolf
5. Mountain goat

I think God may have misinterpreted this animal checklist for somewhat of a Bucket List. Ya know, the things you have to do or see before you die.

I have seen each and every one of these things. 3 grizzly bear and one grizz had a cub with her, so I guess that's technically 4 grizzly bear.



A cow moose, lingering in the river as I hiked down from Grinnell.



Elk, Mom and I have seen in a herd when we've driven to MT in previous years. I've seen one wolf by the side of the road in Yellowstone National Park.

Then the mountains goats showed their pretty faces as I was driving around a cliff on "Going to the Sun Road." Mountain goats are not to be mistaken with the personal mountain goat I own and call by the name of Maddie. And don't worry about the hazy white blog next to Maddie. It's not a ghost, it's her cousin Emma Lough, AKA: The blur or haze, just depends on what I feel like calling that dog on a particular day.


I'm pretty sure the first words that came out of my mouth when I saw the goats

(after....DAS GOATS!! Of course I'm always thinking of the movie Beerfest)

was, "okay I must be getting ready to die."

It's not typical to see that many animals, and that much variety within a week's time. So basically, pray my flight lands safely tomorrow night.

Today's Goal: shellacking bear poop I picked up on the Grinnell hike. Google shellacking, it's an actual verb, or more commonly a noun: shellac.

Today's Obsession: Get caught up on my email and blogging....I'm so close to being done!

Mountain Vacation Day 8 1/2: To the Summit!

So I have finally established enough energy to write the story of the rest of my Mountain Vacation Day 8. After finishing day 8 I will give a quick recap of days 9 through 11…I believe and then, before ya know it, the Mountain Vacation story will be complete.
…Now were we?

Oh yes…the hike.
Let me say what I said before.
Hike to Grinnell Glacier Lookout
Mileage: 11.68 round trip (9.68 mi round trip if you take the boat one way) So be sure and take some toilet paper because trust me...you will need to use it at some point.



Time Elapsed: 5 hours
Level of Difficulty: Glacier hiking books will say it's easy....they're full of crap. A more accurate rating would be moderate. Mom says an accurate rating for the typical Texas mom would be difficult-strenuous.



1.45 Miles into the Hike
Mom and I come across a family of 4 (Mom, Dad and two boys) who inform us that the hike, “only went uphill from there.” Thanks a lot family of 4, that’s exactly the encouragement that Sue and I needed when we were on the verge of death hiking up a mountain.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the hike to Grinnell Glacier has been quoted by an avid hiker as an “easy” hike, but I disagree. It is a moderate hike...don't believe the "experts," they hike too fast.

Sue and I kept a pace of about 22 minutes per mile, which was pretty good when you think about going straight up a mountain for 22 minutes straight. And yes, we did stop every tenth of a mile to rest, drink water and let other more fit hikers pass us.

2 Miles
Two miles roles around and Mom has decided she better lean gracefully against a tree and let me continue on towards the “summit”.

I hiked on.

The blood, the sweat and the tears couldn’t stop me from the summit. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic. If you do the math, the hike UP the mountain is exactly 3.5 miles. By the time 2.6 miles came I was hurtin’ pretty bad. Let’s get real, if you’re from Texas you’re not use to walking, uphill, on shale, with a cliff to the left of you, life is going to suck when you first start hiking in the mountains.

Yet I pressed on!

2.9 Miles
2.9 miles came and I was threatened by the thought of turning back. I kept coming to a bend on the mountain and thought, “Oh! The glacier is just around the corner.” Then...that bend came and went. Soon enough I saw another bend that promised a frozen glacier at the end…and was yet again, sadly disappointed. I did catch myself singing the song by the late and great Pocahontas



"Just Around the River Bend." Maybe you've heard of it.

3.5 Miles ….and an Out-House
So I come to a sign


0.4 miles to the actual lookout, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I just walked straight through grizzly country, hoping I wouldn’t fall off a cliff and you’re telling me I still have 0.4 miles to hike?! Well, at least there’s an outhouse I can have a break in.



Then I see snow…



I think this is the glacier that I’ve been panting towards for the past 3 hours. SAY WHAT?! I could have just Googled the glacier if I wanted to see this.

3.40 miles
I was beyond ready and willing to turn back. I knew Sue was freaking out at the waterfall where I had left her and should turn back at any moment to avoid certain grizzly bear attack. But, I pressed on .10 miles from the “summit” and I couldn’t push on? Come on now, what kind of “athlete” am I?

3.50 miles
It was sooo worth it.

YouTube

Comin’ Back Down
As you can see, I made it to the glacier, one of 10 still in existence in Glacier National Park. Turns out, people thought Mom was dying on the side of the mountain...haha.

A cool young hiker had stopped and asked her why she was sitting by the waterfall. She, in-turn, explained that her daughter had hiked to the glacier and was returning for her…I’m pretty sure the hiker believed she had lost her mind up on a mountain and was sitting there, only to be eaten by bears later that evening.

Needless to say, I picked Mom back up on the hike down from the glacier and didn't leave her there stranded for the bears to snack on.



Dead and Exhausted
I’m sorry to say this but I was sweaty and looked like I had been hit by an 18-wheeler after I got down from Grinnell Glacier. Mom opted to take my backpack I had been hiking with the first 8 miles and hiked it into the starting point of the hike, Many Glacier Hotel, for the last 2 miles of the hike. It’s fairly accurate to say I was a sweaty beast. If we came across any bears on our hike, no worries Sue! No need to bear spray!! I was starving and would have slayed a bear/moose/or deer for that matter on site if it would have stepped in front of me! I was on a hiker’s high, much like the runner’s high.

We hiked into Many Galcier hotel exactly 5 ½ hours and 9.37 miles later that day. I’m not sure why, but people wouldn’t stand next to me with a wall of sweat drooling down my back (I know that’s a lovely visual for all you readers). Literally, a woman at the hotel took a step away from me after standing in my vicinity for a few seconds….I was slightly offended, and wanted to step towards her just to be mean.

After a long day of hiking and fearing bear attacks, we ventured on our way out of Many Glacier area to get to a hotel, that we haven’t booked yet, for the night.

No Room at the Inn
I’m sure you’ve heard the biblical story about Mary and Joseph being turned away because there was “no room at the inn”? Sue and I had a similar experience, except neither of us were on the water-breaking verge of a virgin birth.

Post-exhaustion, we attempted to find a hotel room available, during peak tourist time. Of course there were no rooms available in any of the hotels in East Glacier, so the kind concierge gave us the name of a “B&B” down the road a ways from St. Mary’s.
...Turned out to be 14 miles “down the way.”

That's when a Blackfoot Indian named Alger flagged us down off Highway 17, just north of Babb, Montana.



Google maps that place...I dare you. A very kind man he was, and a very simple man. If you need a good, clean place to stay next time you go through Babb, give Alger a call, he'll hook you up with a room. He also happens to run the Blackfeet Outfitters. Check out his website, apparently he's quite the guide.

A Nice Dinner gone Tacky, then back to Alger's
Alger was nice enough to suggest a few dinner places for Mom and I so we headed back into Babb and stopped at the Cattle Baron Supper Club.

I was a tad concerned we might get into a bar fight in here, but you walk into the bar and restaurant and it's amazing. Everything is beautifully crafted and there are stuffed animals all over the place, if you're into that sort of thing.

Sue and I sit down and we are so glad to be in a nice establishment when I begin to unintentionally overhear the men at the table over having a delightful conversation. Now I know people who can cuss with creativity and these guys didn't waste any time being creative, they just wanted to use the f-bomb as much and as often as possible. To sum up these men, they were self-proclaimed white, male "elitists" of America who changed others' lives by how much they tipped.

I was personally overwhelmed by their ignorance and lack of respect for others in a public dining establishment, so I complained....I did! And I hate complainers, so hopefully that tells you about how bad they were.

Oh, and they were beautiful men. I have no idea how they ever got married.

So the night came to a close and I didn't fight any local Babb-sters.

The End

I don't know about you, but I'm personally glad to have that story finished and told...sure took me long enough. Oh yes, and you may all call me Heidi now, after decending from the Alps-looking glacier.

Mountain Vacation Day 8: Morning Glory has a Whole New Meaning for Me!

Morning Glory...AKA: St. Mary's Mimosas
This morning Mom and I left the beautiful atmosphere of St. Mary’s Lodge

and went off into the wilderness. I DEFINITELY started my day out with a “Montana Cowgirl Breakfast.” (It comes with clogged arteries and small heart attack). I also slipped in a little thing called a Mimosa with breakfast

...now THAT'S the way to start out your morning, what was I thinking chugging coffee everyday?! Watch out nursing school, I'll be coming to classes real happy every morning from now on!

Nursing classes start on Wednesday by the way. Eeeee! Excited!

So after a fabulous breakfast at the lodge, Mom and I headed on down the road to Many Glacier Hotel. It's truly amazing and I suggest if you can find a way to get up there, you should do it! The history behind the hotel is so interesting. Read up on it here if you'd like. Mom and I got the whole sh-peel on a boat ride earlier today.

Now usually I'm not a touristy boat-ride kind of girl. Sitting in any type of vehicle (boat or bus), with 18 of my "closest friends" is just not my cup-o-tea. For instance....

Let your mind wonder for a minute.
Bad Tourist Adventure 1: What happens when you're on the Going to the Sun Road (which is cliff-ridden) and one tourist sees a bear. If the tourist is smart, and fears for his life like he should while on that road with a bunch of complete strangers, he will keep his mouth shut. Most tourists, being on some sort of high while their on vacation, are not that smart. The tourist mentions the bear, everyone rushes to one side of the bus to see the bear, then the entire bus rocks and goes tumbling down the mountain. No thanks, not for me.

Better yet...the idea of the Red Bus Tour through Glacier may seem like a good idea, but how would you have liked to be the group who had the driver who actually had a heart attack and drove off the road while touring the park? I'm not even joking. True story. You'll NEVER get me on a Red Bus Tour....ever.

Bad Tourist Adventure 2: This warning was actually given to us while we were on the boat today. Miss Captain Ashley over the mic (they're using a mic on a 25-person boat): "Now I'm sure we'll see some wildlife out there today and we ask that you point it out. But once you point it out we ask that everyone doesn't rush over to one side of the boat, otherwise we'll be using our life jackets today...." Thank you Captain Ashely, I'm glad I didn't have a fear of boating or I'd be off that little chugger and swimming back to shore in no time.

I know I know, if I'm not a big Touristy-Bus/Boat Girl...Why was I on one?
The goal of today was to make it to Glinnell Glacier and see the beautiful masses of ice that are actually in constant movement. There are only 10 glaciers left in the Park, according to Captain Ashley. The last time I came up to the mountains 2 years ago, I was determined to go see a glacier, but time wouldn't permit so I went back to Texas a glacier-less girl...I was very sad.

But since I was so determined this year, Mom and I hopped on that touristy boat that took us to the other side of lake at Many Glacier Hotel, a listened to Captain Ashely lie about the bears not being as big in Many Glacier part of the country, because it cut off 2 miles worth of hiking towards the glacier lookout. You can count on us to find a short cut, or just avoid as much physical activity as possible when we know we're going on a long hike....I'm kidding of course....kind of.

The Actual Hike
Hike to Grinnell Glacier Lookout
Mileage: 11.68 round trip (9.68 mi round trip if you take the boat one way)
Time Elapsed: 5 hours
Level of Difficulty: Glacier hiking books will say it's easy....they're full of crap. A more accurate rating would be moderate. Mom says an accurate rating for the typical Texas mom would be difficult-strenuous.

Today's Goal: Get through blogging about this entire day without writing a novel.

Today's Obsession: See me some animales!

Take a break from reading and get back to work! (you know who I'm talking to). There will be more on Day 8 later!

Mountain Vacation Day 7 1/2: Have you Heard about the Tepees

Have you Heard About the Tepees?

So during my last post I was feeling a tad pressured to wrap it up since Mom was sitting next to me being bored in the St. Mary’s lounge after dinner. What I forgot to mention was we were staying at a beautiful hotel in St. Mary’s.

Mom and I found out about a special accommodation the hotel at St. Mary’s offers while we were checking-in earlier today. A little man, say in his late 40s, early 50s was checking into his tepee. I tried not to chuckle as Mercedes, the check-in girl, was telling the man about his tepee. Then he turned back to us and we assured him his children would have a blast staying in the tepee. Little does that poor man know those kids are going to hate him by tomorrow morning when they’re little booties are freezing and they wake up with the sun.

Now there are multiple options at the hotel in St. Mary’s.

The basement accommodations:

The regular accommodations that don’t include AC, TV, etc:

The regular accommodations that DO include AC, TV, etc:

I’m sure there is an Oprah suite somewhere in this hotel also.

Then there are the tepees you heard about earlier. Two tepees literally sit on the side of the road for little families to stay in that want to really rough it out in the woods.

These tepees come equipped with a shower house key for…you know…shower and restroom needs. I’m sure after hearing about the shower house key that comes included with the tepee package you’ll be calling St. Mary’s Lodges to book one ASAP.

What do these families do while they’re staying in tepees?

The little hooligans play in the river and stop any wildlife from coming close to the area.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em. I just think praise the Lord they’re keeping busy when they’re on a family vacation. One certain family vacation that could possibly be similar to the one I took when I was younger. 14 years old, getting ready to start high school, only interested in boys and my family decides to take me into the woods for a month….SAY WHAT?!

Anyway that time in my life is over now and I just hope those poor souls in the tepee don’t kill each other tonight.

Have you Heard About the Rude RV Owner?

After the sweet little man who wanted his children to stay in a tepee for their vacation left with his shower house key, a woman joined us at the front desk. She was hacked off as all get out! Now I understand how frustrating it can be and just how flustered you can become when your hotel plans get a little switched up.

Eg. Woman “A” books 2 hotel rooms that are on the same side of the hotel, facing the same side. The hotel tells woman “A” this is possible and her rooms are being cleaned.

Woman “A” goes to check-in at the front desk and two different rooms are given to her. [Just an aside: 2 rooms are promised to her and then given to her during peak tourist time & during the 100^th year anniversary of Glacier Park….let that sink it…she’s lucky]

Woman “A” gets her panties in all sorts of a bunch and tells Mercedes the rooms given to her were not the rooms promised, even though they are the exact same type of room at the same price.

Mercedes explains to Woman “A” that she’s sorry but the rooms are all booked up and she is more than welcome to stay in the rooms given to Woman “A”.

Correct Response by Woman “A”: Well ok, I’m disappointed at the inconvenience but we will take the rooms.

Incorrect/Ignorant/Actual Response by Woman “A”: Well I’ve already parked the RV out in the front of the rooms I thought we were going to have….can’t you just have the people in those rooms move?

I’m pretty sure Woman “A” was a resident of a northern state, possibly Minnesota. All I can say is my Dad’s favorite bumper sticker:

“American by birth, Texan by the grace of God.”

No offense all you non-Texans….Texans are just cooler.