I'm looking and applying for other jobs here and there, not many, and not frequent, and I'm not going after them full-force. But I'm trying, sadly trying, but trying. Ideally I'd find something nearby so I could continue my on-the-hill ski patrol training at Canaan.
Time will tell.
Had a brief moment of ohgodI'mgonnadie last night. Town was a shiny slick of black ice and I sorely underestimated the whole "bridge ices before road" concept. I was beyond fortunate that no one was near me at. all. Crossed a bridge, car took out from under me (Toyota 4Runner, mind you), 180 in one direction, 180 in the other direction, 180 turned 360 in the first direction again, stall out facing oncoming traffic in. the. middle. of. an. intersection. Oh boy, oh boy, can you say adrenaline rush? Couldn't feel my legs for a moment due to it! Thank goodness for distance between me and others and the ability of others to come to a halt where I failed to do so!! Note to self: 4Runner does not ice skate well.
I was beginning to get a little down, first the thought of my job ending, and then a near wreck....
But then I went to the riding club meeting last night I run into the Backcountry Horsemen rep. for our state. Her first words to me were words I'd spoken to her back in October, "Take me, mold me". She has set up an opportunity for me to go to NC/TN in Great Smoky Mountain National Park (a place I [surprisingly] have not been to) for a Leave No Trace Master Educator Course, a combination Leave No Trace Trainer & Pack horse course, and a LNT Pack course practicum - on the AT! For those who may be unaware, horses aren't allowed on the AT (Appalachian Trail in case you have forgotten from my previous posts). But we are helping to maintain the trail so horses WILL be allowed for this special occasion.
Big flippin' deal, y'all.
It will encompass about 3 weeks of my June 2012. I will emerge with a huge new set of skills I'm pretty psyched about, too. Learning how to pack horses and travel in the backcountry with them is something I've dreamed about being able to do since I was really little. I never realized how much work it entailed until I started putting a potential 3-day trip together in my head and on paper for this summer. Obviously it never happened. There were just too many details and it drove me mad that I wasn't comfortable with all of them. So I ix-nayed the idea. Now I will learn, and I will be prepared in the future. It will allow me a little more freedom to do some things in the future.
Life's back on the positive side now.
The real-positive side actually. I was contacted by a rep. from Mountain Khakis this morning, a company whose products have gotten me through nearly all of my outdoors pursuits for the last 2½ years with flying colors, I stand by them all the way [seriously, CHECK THEM OUT], and she asked me if I would be interested in being the female Ambassador feature in their 2012 magazine. Seriously?! Wow. Flattered, psyched, and more than happy to do it! I'm working on gathering photos and a write-up currently. I suppose I shall have to update y'all later when it comes out!
So my downs have been countered with two ups. Karma? Who knows, but I'm going to roll with it and keep hoping for some more good news about life and what it entails in the next few months.
Oh. My. Gosh. Both of those ups are amazing! And I'm glad you didn't get hurt on the ice. I was in Elkins for the Breaking Dawn premiere on Thursday night, and black ice was wicked bad on the way there. We saw cars in ditches on 250 and a couple of little slides on 33. I think my mom was close to having a heart attack thinking about what it was going to be like when Claire and I were on our way back to campus at 2 a.m.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I hope you get your extension so you can stay with a job you like, but if not...well, maybe it will be a chance to find something even better! Bright side, think bright side. :)