Sheridan Trails

I am ending my term as a VISTA. So now there is a replacement that I have to train. His name is Jesse. He's a really nice guy. Which makes it easy for me to by myself around him. And that is probably not the best thing. See, It's the Christmas season. And I am a HUGE holiday nut. I love all things Christmas. Especially Christmas music. I have had an office mainly to myself for an entire year. Me, all alone, in my cave. I have developed some very strange behavior. Like singing at the top of my lungs without even thinking about it. So, currently I have been listening to Christmas music in my office. Jesse doesn't tell me to turn it off. So I blare it (or what I affectionately call 'ghetto blasting') And sing along with it. This is how I imagine the situation in my office. Me, really going after those high notes. Jesse cringing the entire time. Begging me to stop. But he's too nice to actually say anything. I think I hear his ranting behind me. So I turn around to ...

Prepare yourself. This story is pretty bad. For me. We rolled into Deadwood at about 7:30 ish on Wednesday night. I had only been in the car for about 3 hours, but the guys had been in it for roughly 8, so we were all ready to get out and do something. Saloon no. 10 seemed like the best place to go....at 8 on a Wednesday night. And it was completely dead. There were us, the bartenders, and handful of locals, and some Englishmen. We somehow start talking to the Englishmen, and find out that there is a free Thanksgiving lunch buffet the next day. Happy about this unexpected tip, we start feeling all chummy with the dudes. Mind you, these guys are roughly 50 ish . One looked like Smee on the movie Hook, one looked like an ostrich, and the other one looked like your typical, happy, middle aged Englishman . Naturally, Mike the ostrich, asks me to dance. There is NO ONE on the dance floor. And the band is playing 80s rock ballads. But I still end up out there with Mike. The dancing starte...

Here is a Thanksgiving story for all of you. I am in Deadwood this week(end) for the holidays. It's been a pretty nontraditional Thanksgiving for me....which I surprisingly like. I'm big on tradition, so it shocks me a little bit that I don't mind spending the holiday away from my family. I love my family...I'm just saying that this is a nice alternative. Anyway, yesterday we had found a free Thanksgiving buffet at one of the casinos. It was delicious. I ate way too much. After stuffing my face for a good 45 mins , we tromp back to the hotel room and take the required Thanksgiving afternoon nap. We had planned on going to Mt. Roosevelt earlier in the day. Still stuffed from the meal, we make our way over. Kyle had been there previously and knew the way. It was up this winding, completely snow covered road. I did think I was going to die a couple times when he was driving on it. Not because of his driving skills (which are very good), but because I am morbid and think o...

I went sledding last night with Carrie and Jesse. To a place called Linden Hill. HOLY MOTHER. That is the BEST sledding hill ever. If you like thinking you are going to die. This picture was taken at the end of the night. I think I may have hit my head a little hard. This was before we went down the hill. Jumping pictures. Because we are still 13 yr olds at heart. I accidentally punched Carrie in the face. And Jesse. I really punched Jesse. I felt bad. This picture makes me laugh til I cry. I had slid down the entire hill just like that. Dragging Jesse along with me. I was in pain...and bruised my hip. These pictures make me laugh super har d too. I am facing down the hill. Carrie and I had promptly fallen off the sled, twisted around, and proceeded down the entire hill in this form. We barely survived. And that damn red sled. It was SO fast. I had somehow managed to go down the entire hill on that thing. And only cried on the inside. So overall, Winter 2010/2011 sledding has been ...

I am one of those really annoying snow drivers. I'm sorry. I grew up with snow, so naturally I am completely freaked out by what it can do. All the car accidents I have been in, have been with snow. So this morning was the first morning with REAL snow cover...not a light dusting. I, stupidly, live on one of the ONLY hills in town. I had to drive down it this morning. Ten and two. 5-10mph...TOPS. It normally takes me roughly 5 mins to get to work... I rolled in in about 10 mins. NO ACCIDENTS FOR ANDREA!!!!!! Stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it SNOW! You didn't get me today! Ok, well that's as about as exciting as my Monday is going to get.

You know what? I could NEVER be Martha Stewart. Or Pioneer Woman. Or Julia Child Or any other crafty/cooking type person. I can't. I am generally a calm, collected, and content individual. But there are times in my life when a rage monster comes out of me. It is when I cannot do something. Last time this monster showed up, I was trying to play Super Mario Bros. This time, it was during paper macheing. Most time consuming craft ever! Good thing there was wine, or else I may have quit after the first layer. I cannot tell you what I am paper maching.... But it will be worth it in the end. Or so I am told.

I love my friends that I have made in Sheridan. I love all my friends, but the ones here are just a breath of fresh air. It is so easy to have fun with them. Stuff just miraculously happens with no prior planning. It doesn't matter what I do with them, everything just has a way of working out. Take Saturday for example. I woke up that morning and thought to myself "I think Carrie mentioned something about Christmas party decorations". So I bop over to her house, mid-afternoon to see what's up. We go shopping all afternoon for her Christmas party. And have the absolute LUCKIEST day ever. Shopping-wise. We found SO many hidden treasures. Then that night, we were trying to put a game night together..but it fell through. No worries. We just called up Preston and found out that he, Ryan and Wes were just down the street watching the Wyoming Football game. That sounded like fun, so Caredawg and I headed down there. I love those guys. The game sucked, but it didn't matt...

A bad thing happened when I went away to London. I didn't write in my blog. I had gotten out of the habit of writing in it. Now I am not excited about it anymore. It's like a chore. I have gotten into this "my life is not exactly interesting" rut. Which, lets face it, may be true. But I usually find something comical to talk about on this thing. I have to keep reminding myself that I am the only person that has these experiences, and views the world through my eyes. Pretty deep, huh? But man! I am really in a weird writing funk. I think I'm just fried. I've kinda done a ton in the last 2-3 weeks. It's all a blur. Then this is the last month at my current job. So I either need to find a new job, or move home to Michigan. And that is stressing me out a bit. SHEESH. Sorry for the lame blog post. Here's a picture from when Abby visited. Probably the only interesting part of this post. We were walking down Main St.

It's my good friend Abby's Birthday today. She was visiting me in Wyoming this past weekend. Well it was from Friday to Wednesday...so I don't know if you can consider that a weekend. I made her do all of the following: go to a bonfire right after landing in town go dancing at the Legion (yes, that's the American Legion (Happy Veteran's Day!)) go to the Mint Bar Shop on main street...twice. One of those times was in frigid snow...sorry about that. Travel 2 hours to Billings to buy her cowboy boots just so she wouldn't have to pay sales tax drive up in the mountains hike in Tongue River Canyon and listen to me freak about bears. (I told her that the caves were full of dirty needles and meth addicts to deter her from entering them...I wish I was joking about this one) have an impromptu birthday party on Monday game night with my friends made her meet just about ever person I have met in town since I have been here. cook every meal....I was learning. What she wante...

Before I went to London, I put up a photo album on my facebook page of old family photos. It was to prepare for the family vacation. Plus I love looking at old pictures. So I was born into a ready-made family. Mom, Dad and Joe were enjoying life, then I came along. And made it better...naturally. I was completely addicted to my fingers when I was born. I sucked them FOREVER. I won't tell you the actual age when I quit, because it was pretty old. (and no, I don't still suck them...) (trust me I don't) Anyway, 3 years later, Alli came along. Which was cool. But she made me a middle child, which was not cool. I made her my shadow. It was awesome. So being the middle wasn't so bad. This picture below is how I will always think of Alli. She was such a little princess when she was little. It was adorable. And annoying all at once. One thing I love about living somewhere that I wasn't raised is being considered apart from my family. That sentence didn't make sense. W...

So the London trip was fun. I liked it. One of the major things that happened on it was the whole family met Joe's new girlfriend. Our family is super close, so meeting boyfriends/girlfriends is a bit weird. I have never once introduced anyone I have dated to my family. Because I'm weird. I think my family will meet whoever I end up with after I've been married to them for about 5 years. My family's opinion matters too much to me. Don't get me wrong, they would accept anyone I would want to be with (bar the murderers/rapists/thieves/etc). So having this set-up for you, I was very nervous to meet Joe's new girlfriend. I really wanted to like her. I wanted her to be a friend. So we all went to dinner. AND It was a blast! She is so much fun! Alli (sister) didn't really care too much either way. But she liked her too. It's not like any of this matters. But it's really nice to see Joe with an awesome person. I hope he doesn't mess this up. Ha, sorry. ...

I got back from London yesterday. And my mind is blank. I'm sorry. I just can't think anymore. I have mushymind. It's a medical condition. So I'll write about London when I can think.