No...I Didn't Fall Off The Face of the Earth...Just Into A Valley In CO`

Hey all...long time, huh? Well, I'm doing amazingly well here in CO...I can't believe I only have four more weeks or so before I have to leave this place...I feel like I've found a part of myself here that I knew existed, but could never access before. I apologize to all of you who I haven't kept in touch w/ this summer...living life every second kind of got in the way--I miss you all though, and I can't wait to see everyone. On that note...I think my pre-England visit to campus may not happen b/c my family and I are going to San Diego for a week and then I have to pack and chill and get ready. But I'll have a phone, so I'm sure we'll talk.

Did I mention that I got bucked off of a horse and bought a guitar all in the same day...but I'm trying to get more diligent w/ practicing but things seem to crop up every night and I work all day. I'm going to have my guitar forever, and I don't want to stay home on my last nights at the ranch b/c I'm busy practicing.

Did I mention that I have fallen in love w/ Chris Ledoux? My favorite song at the moment is Tougher Than The Rest.

And I sat the trot for about half the time when I went riding this morning.

Last Free Weekend of the Summer

This past weekend was my last free weekend of the summer--from here on in I'll have 1 day off a week and it won't necessarily be the weekend. We went up to Lost Lakes and went camping--easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Mom was afraid I'd fall for some cowboy this summer and not come back--so far I don't think that's going to happen...but I'm definitely falling in love with this little slice of Colorado...and I want to see more of "the West"--there's something about it that touches my soul.

More on the weekends events later,
Katie

First Post From The Ranch

I have to go get started on dishes pretty soon here so I'm going to just post an exerpt from an email I sent to my parents just now. If "ya'll" haven't heard, I can't access my wiscmail out here so you should send me email to compulsivwriter6@airpost.net.

I'm finally getting on the internet--our server fills up fast so it'snot in service when there's a lot of ppl in the area on. Today was crazyfun--Friday and Aaron decided to give us a half day b/c we've beengetting so much done all week and it's the beggining of the first (andmaybe only) long weekend (and by long I mean longer than 1 day) of the summer. I got my own crew today, which was kind of cool. Aaron justcomes out of his office w/ the little papers w/ the groups listed onthem and the jobs written on them and starts handing them out to the guys who always lead the teams--Andy (full time fishing guide who liveshere w/ his wife Sarah year round--this is his 4th summer and he'sreally cool [not "real cool"]), Dave (Andy's best friend--first summerhere, but he just graduated w/ a construction/architecture/all aroundsuperman degree so he's amazing at everything), and Damon (the headwrangler / foreman--basically Aaron's 2nd in command--he's an amazingleader)...and Katie Moss! Oh yeah, that's me.

When we got off work at noon, I ate w/ Brady (cute wrangler--he's really sweet) Jen (other wrangler) and Dave. It was burgers, fries, churros (youknow those fried dough things covered w/ cinammon sugar), and sweet tea.Yummy.

Then some of the girls and I (Beth, Pam, Sarah, and Kate) went into Creede to San Juan Sports and I bought my Carharts ($16.50 baby--they were on sale for 30 and then they rang up wrong and the girl was like"whatever") and a Camelbak (we're going to hike to Table Rock tomorrow--five or six hours altogether and then camp on the Pallisades (cliffs) on Sunday night)--all for the low low price of $60--which is amazing!

Tonight is our first barn dance--we invited the two nearest ranches to ours so that should be fun. We went and set up the stereo system in the"new barn" (b/c it's only 5 years old) in the loft--Christmas lights, an amazing stereo w/ 5 speakers we put around the barn, and hay bales with 2x10s spread between them as benches around the sides. It's going to be a blast. Damon and Brady (who are Brothers and grew up on their ranch inWyoming and are allegedly amazing dancers) are going to give a little lesson right before nine. I have dish duty tonight after dinner w/ Liz (another housekeeper who seems really cool--she's 22...she was on my crew today and she didn't drag her heels) so we're going to try to get out of there quick.

I like it here. It's not as commercial as the Lane Guest Ranch--I think you'd get a better flavor of the "Western attitude"--I love it.It's so funny--they think I talk really fast and am a really hard worker--I think it's just that I don't have that deceptive relaxed appearance that everyone else seems to have--they manage to get tons done w/o seeming to rush. It's very deliberate.

Love "ya'll"
Katie

Sinagirl, of course Germany is on my list! I just assumed that one was set in stone so it didn't need to be on my wishlist!

Where to Go?

So I'm thinking about England and where I should try to get to on the weekends...ideas are welcome. So far I have....I can already tell I won't be able to go all the places that pop into my head, but what an amazing gift to have to choose!

London, of course
Ireland (Dublin, but other places too if I can figure out where I should go)
Spain (Barcelona, maybe also Madrid or Seville)
France (Paris
Italy (Florence, Venice, Rome)
Greece (Santorini)
Scotland (Edinburgh)
Czech Republic (Prague)

Mmm...country

Yeah, so I'm getting tons of Econ studying done right now (can't you tell? why else would I be on the internet...no, seriously though). And I'm listening to music and I have to post some lyrics here b/c apartenly (how do you spell that?) I'm in a "protect the female" mood--you'll get what I mean if you know these songs. Oh, all right, in deference to those of you who can't stand reading my country lyrics (not that that should matter, but it is rather boring to read lyrics when the music is so much better), I'll just post titles.

Treat Her Right by Sawyer Brown
Come Cryin' To Me by Lonestar
Shameless by Garth Brooks

And Kenny Chesney in general...I love Anything But Mine

Happy pre-finals week (or euphemistically called "the last week of classes") everyone

A Night Run

Some thoughts I had while running...started out as a little amateur poetry, but then ended up as just phrases...unpolished but hopefully you get the jist.

If I were a poet with a gift for words
I saw tonight what I'd write about--
Running through a rain-drenched dusk
When the sun is gone, but the light's still out
Seeing myself and the trees above reflected beneath my feet
Pounding across water spread thin over black concrete
Wearing home wrapped around me
Warm and familiar and as ragged as my breath
Feeling the wind on my face carrying water and life and change
Thinking of nothing but the lyrics flowing through my mind
Seeing all the rich colors of twilight brought into sudden focus as the light fades
Caught up in a moment devoid of planning or studying or relationships
All the more precious for my inability to keep it from slipping on by
Then suddenly it's gone and my concentration breaks
But a new kind of rarity unfolds in the air around me and radiates through my body
Suddenly my eyes stop seeing colors as darkness paints everything in shades of gray
My ears take over morphing my breath and the crunch of gravel beneath my feet into explosions that blanket all other sounds
My senses strain to hear the sudden abundance of unexplained and intuitively ominous noises from the darkness of the trees and brush on either side of me
The hair on my neck stands up as the darkness and loud noises of night close in on me
A chill runs up my spine and primitive images of predator and prey flahs behind my eyes
I hear crashing off to my left and in my minds eyes see an amorphous wolf-like menace racing through the underbrush
I find myself clenching my teeth, running faster, focusing harder on this threat-filled nighttime world

That's as far as I got between running and the house meeting tonight. So that's all there is. Not exactly poetry, but glad I got something down b/c it was an amazing run. Stupid--it got dark faster than I'd planned on--and next time if I run that late I'll have to take a friend, but amazing none the less.

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy crazy day--up at 5:30 for a run out to Picnic Point...unfortunately too early to play my favorite morning game...a little something I like to call "Outrun the Navy/Army"--you see the army/navy guys and girls run in groups around 7 most mornings on lakeshore...so my game is that if I see them, I have to be running as fast as them, preferably faster (they don't run that fast b/c they run really far, I think)...anyway, it's always harder when they run up behind me b/c then I have to run hard until our paths diverge, but if they're running towards me, it's just fun to mess w/ them...and the guys all say good morning if they're running alone or in a smaller group so that's fun too...and I saw my instructor from my ROTC class last semester...definitely ran faster than him (I'm grinning right now in case you couldn't infer that)

Anyhow, running, then class from 7:15 until 11, then IB 399 hmwk/library/lunch till 5, then Roundtable (pizza and a movie, yay), then Brit History movie till 9 (not so yay), then back here for a little more work and then crash and it's a brand new day!

Btw, it was sooooo great to be home this weekend. I don't think I got all of my homesickness out of my system yet...and maybe I won't get the chance to...sad...I LOVE MY FAMILY, they're the best and I don't know what I'd do w/o them...they're my rock

In other news--if you don't see me around it's because I'm trying to get a jump start on studying for finals (b/c i have 5 in 4 days...and a few of them actually matter)...leave me a message on my phone or here or on IM or on my whiteboard or whatever and 1) I'll feel special, 2) I'll smile, and 3) I'll get back to you...see, everybody is happy!

Okay, I'm not making much sense now so I'll go to bed