June 8th, 2012 - Friday
Today was a busy day. Lots of last minute things to do before starting my first day at work. We are still getting our room set up (pictures to follow). We have been amazed at how quiet it is here in our dorm. We have met some really nice folks, especially those who are new like us. The ones who return year after year are nice too but are in a clique. Guess by the end of summer we'll have our own little "new people" clique. They all eat together and plan their days off together. That's OK - we just go and sit by them and try to be friendly with them.
I went to work at the Inn at 2:30PM. Everyone was great and helpful. My Manager is about 30 years old and very upbeat and positive. He gave me the "Shpill" on customer service and then took off for a three day week-end of camping, hiking and fishing. One of the Assistant Managers got me started with my cash till and then turned me over to a young man from Augusta, GA. I did pretty good I think - everyone was helpful and great to answer my 1001 questions. I logged out of my register at 9:45PM and balanced my funds then returned to the floor to help clean the shop while the others balanced their registers.
Bud was there to meet me and drive me back to our room. He spent the afternoon reading and trying to watch a movie on the computer. He thought I got off at 9 (that's what I had told him) and when I looked up he was standing outside the window to the gift shop. I was so happy to see him.
He had spent time with an elderly couple from California who were having difficulty breathing after making a climb into the hotel in the cold rain. Bud saw the man's distress - short of breath and pale. He got up to help him to a chair. He then summoned another man to get some water and after a few minutes the older gentleman was feeling and looking better. Bud stayed with them for a while and during that time had a great conversation with them. He told them about our summer here and they wanted to meet me. So he brought them in the shop and we had such a nice visit with them. When they started to leave I said "I hope you have a blessed evening" and the gentleman looked at Bud and asked "You're a believer aren't you?" and that opened up another, better door. This 80 year old man, who is a Gideon, stood and gave Bud the biggest hug you've ever seen and said "I just knew you know the Lord". It was so sweet and affirmative of part of our purpose here.
June 9, 2012 - Saturday
Today we got up early, made a pot of French Vanilla coffee and started planning our day. We both work tomorrow from 9AM - 5PM, so we have a trip to make to K-Mart in Jackson for some things we didn't pack (if you can believe that). No really, we needed some bathroom rugs and a nightstand lamp among a few essentials. I decided to get my hair cut while there and we found a nice little shop. After a few minutes in the shop I asked if anyone knew the Oral Surgeon that we had chosen to follow up on Bud's dental problem. Everyone (5 people) gave him a thumbs-up and great comments. We were so glad that we had stopped at that place and that everyone was so helpful with their remarks. It snowed on us right after we started heading north out of Jackson and continued to snow all evening. We kept snug as a bug in our little warm room. We are still adjusting to a new room - and even though it is quiet - it's still a different room with it's unique sounds. We are adjusting yet to the change in altitude and get a little tired quickly and considering we have to work tomorrow, we called it a night early.
June 10, 2012, Sunday
It is a bitter cold (28 degrees), snowy and windy day. It took our breath away to just walk the short distance to the Dining room.
Well, today is the day we have planned for so long - the both of us going to work in Yellowstone. I have a little more confidence than I did Friday, but Bud has the "first day" jitters - just like I did and everyone else who comes to work here. The fear of the unknown has it's effects, even when you're past 65 years old. I guess we never outgrow that.
After getting checked with Management at the Lodge, Bud got his cash till and went to set up his register just to find that they did not have a number assigned to him yet. So he did a lot of observing and stocking. They let him off a little early. Hopefully, tomorrow he will have a number so he can get to doing the full job.
I was very busy at the Inn gift shop. I don't think I left my register except to go to lunch and maybe 3 other times to help a customer. The snow didn't have a negative effect on the tourist at all. My register was at the opening to the shop and I got a lot of traffic from that. I took care of several families from Tennessee - Soddy-Daisy, Chattanooga, Tri-City and Dyersburg. Small world. I handled some unique transactions and luckily the people I needed to help me for each transaction were always close by. It was a good, but tiring day. Again, I looked up and saw Bud waiting for me with sweatshirt in hand and a big smile. It was still cold and spitting snow when he came to pick me up so he pulled the car around as close as he could so we wouldn't have to walk so far in the cold, wet wind.
After dinner, we watched a DVD on the lap top. We haven't been up to the recreation room here in the dorm. We are so tired at night, it's just nice to enjoy the quietness of our room and the company of just each other.
NEWS from the park: We were saddened to hear of the death of the Xanterra employee who fell to her death at Inspiration Point at Canyon on Friday. She was an 18 year old young lady from Russia, and--- according to reports -- she committed the deadly sin of not obeying the signs and walked where no one is suppose to walk. She fell to her death into the Gran Canyon of the Yellowstone. Three years ago when Bud and I were here, the same thing happened to an elderly lady from Idaho. She walked too close to the edge and fell to her death, too. Just as with her, the young lady who fell Friday, had to lay there all night because the winds were so strong and it was getting dark,,,,, so the helicopter could not get to her until Saturday morning.
I'm posting some pictures from the past few days. Hope you enjoy.
We love the ride to Jackson and never get tired of the beauty of the Tetons. It was a gorgeous day Saturday on our way down. We're so glad we took the pictures then and not on the way back. The Tetons were cloud covered and we couldn't see a thing. Did you notice the snow on the mountain tops?
This is some of the snowfall left from the winter and the past 4 weeks. In areas there are 2-4 feet of snow lying by the side of the road. There has been 4 snowfalls in Yellowstone since the 1st of June. 
We woke up Sunday morning to another heavy dusting of snow and it snowed all morning, finally ended in rain. The wind was cutting. It was National Parks Day and everyone could enter the park free so there were a lot of folks from Wyoming, Colorado and Utah that visited the park. I asked if they were tired of the snow and everyone said no. They felt the snow gave a different dimension to the park. We agree.
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