Blake and I had a tight schedule, so we were up early the next morning. First stop, Mount Rushmore. The faces are HUGE! The noses alone are something like 20 feet long. To sculpt something of that magnitude would take such precision and patience. One wrong move and you'd be starting over from scratch. I applaud the men that gave so much of their time and energy to this project. What an amazing experience!
Next, Custer State Park. Each bend in the road provided new and exciting sites of lakes, granite spires, one way tunnels, wildlife, and bikers. Bikers?
Last stop, Crazy Horse. One family is devoted to completing this monument. It's not yet complete and work appears to be slow. But, it is much larger than Mount Rushmore.
With the day's festivities at an end, Blake and I headed to Cooke City, Montana, a city located just east of Yellowstone. We twisted and turned through the mountains with our ears continuously popping with the change in altitude. The highest point was over 9,000 feet. Iowa's average elevation? About 1,000.
The next three days were spent exploring Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
The highlight: That we were traveling on top of a giant "sleeping" volcano.
Oh, and the Bison, Elk, Waterfalls, Yellowstone River and Lake, Old Faithful, The Continental Divide, Mammoth Springs, Old Faithful Inn, Roosevelt Arch, Dinner, Mountains, and Geysers and Pools.
Lots of hot, stinky, smelly Geysers and Pools.
While in Yellowstone, Blake noticed a couple cracks in the driver's side front tire. Now, I'm sure I'll receive some sort of "lecture" based upon what I'm going to say next but we decided to "keep an eye on it" and replace the two front tires upon arrive in Helena. So, we continued (stopping occasionally to add some air to a slowly leaking tire) hoping the multiple tire signs posted along the road weren't signs from God that we needed to replace our tire before reaching Helena.
Upon reaching Helena, I immediately reveled in the fact that we'd rejoined civilization. Not that Yellowstone was bad. There was running water and electricity. But phone reception was horrible and we had no television in our rooms. Not that we would have had time for TV or that my phone is attached to my hip but I like having the option to unwind at the end of the day with the TV on and check the next day's forecast. And cell phone reception in case of emergency (like a flat tire) provides a certain level of comfort. I'm fully aware how horrible the above sounds and I'm embarrassed to even admit it. The modern conveniences we take for granted.
We did make it to Helena, tire and all, so Blake found a mechanic while I caught up on some work related issues. Then, it was three fun filled days of wedding festivities. Callie and Brent are absolutely adorable and perfect for one another. The ceremony was BEAUTIFUL. I'm so glad we were able to celebrate with them and be a part of their big day. I can tell how much they love one another and know they have a wonderful future together to look forward to.
It's hard to say what my favorite part of the trip has been. I'm drawn to the mountains. And yet, while I find them to be beautifully majestic (especially the snow capped ones), I find that I'm ready to get back home to the plains where my view isn't obstructed and I can see for miles. Maybe it's because I'm a planner. I like to see what coming and adjust accordingly.
So, when I found out mid-way through my trip that (for simplicity sake we'll call him my boss) my boss was "resigning" and his last day would be the 15th of July, it was like being surrounded by a huge mountain range. I had no way of anticipating this. No way of seeing it coming. It hit me with such surprise that I was certain it was a horrible joke. Most people (me included) would probably be thinking, "Big deal. Send in the next best guy/gal and move on." Under normal circumstances I'd agree. But, remember that shiny, new, state of the art financial system I'm helping implement? It hasn't been implemented yet. It was pushed back from a July 1 go-live date and we adjusted accordingly for an August 1 go-live date per my boss's schedule.
Now this is where I pause to say I don't consider myself overly dramatic. I look at a situation logically and break it down into manageable pieces. I don't complain. I make the most of a situation. I look at the bright side. I ask, what am I gaining from this experience? What life lesson am I learning. How is this making me a "better, stronger person? How will this be viewed in retrospect? But seriously?!?! What am I going to do? What's the next step? Who's taking over reporting? Who's taking over month-end? Who's enforcing the overall, bigger concept? And how on Earth is this new "who" going to get up to speed in the next two weeks? This can't all fall on me. I had enough on my plate with my boss's assistance. I was already putting in up to 14 hours a day. And cannot do more. A girl's got to sleep. A girl's got other obligations, commitments, and desires in life.
Through it all Blake has been amazing. He's picked up my slack around the house. Listened to me cry. Sat back and "taken it" as I've miss-directed my anger and frustrations towards him. Loved me unconditionally. I thank God for his unwavering love, commitment, logic and sturdiness everyday.
I want to quit but I'm not a quitter. I'm resilient and I will get through this. I've been knocked down and gotten back up before. I'm tough. But, I've been operating under the assumption that this will one day end. That my life will go back to "normal" and my work weeks will look more like the 40 hour work weeks I once had.
So, three states, two new tires, and one wedding later, I'm on my way home. To a job that's in flux.
How does the Project Team deal with obscurity? In one word, humor.
