Wow

So i'm sitting here this morning at my computer, drinking my cup of coffee, flipping through the channels to find something "decent" on tv on a saturday morning, trying to neglect the fact that today is Valentines Day and all the evil that comes along with it LOL.... and I had a "wow" moment.

I've spent the better part of the last 2-3 weeks chatting with many fellow coolworkers, in the MyCoolWorks chat room... we've been talking about where we are going to be working this summer, how many days left until we leave, who is having their first "seasonal" season, getting excited, talking about what to bring, what to leave how, how to get there, etc... Yall get the point.

I'm going to be spending the summer working for the Montana Conservation Corps ( www.mtcorps.org ) throughout Montana, Idaho, Wyoming (yellowstone, grand teton areas). Its going to be hard work... working 2 weeks in a row sometimes, camping with my group the whole time we are out there.. no showers, heavy duty body aches and muscle aches, sometimes back-breaking work all day. And i'm absolutely thrilled about it.

First and foremost, I wanted this job for what it will teach me: Conservation issues and how to solve them... working with a group of people all dedicated to one purpose... learning to live simply and without all the luxuries that we live with every day. Its only for 6 months, I can always go back to my TV, Internet, Queen size bed, and 30 minute showers. Secondly, I wanted this job for the scenery. People pay THOUSANDS of dollars to visit the area for a week... For those going to the Yellowstone area, we are getting PAID to live and work here. Not a bad deal in my opinion.

The other aspect to this job is the friendships and fun that have already formed in the coolworks chat room. While I will be working hard for days, weeks on end... I will also be playing hard too. I encourage all of you to do the same. Go hiking with a group of friends on your day off, drive and see the sights, the bears, the buffalo.. take pictures, for this is the ONLY way that others can even get a SLIGHT IDEA of why we do this. We are not crazy, we just see a different list of life's "importants".

I plan to live frugally, lose this "computer gut" that i've gotten over the last 2.5 years, work hard, play hard, live free. I plan to see everything, experience everything and live it all. Whether your 18, or 58... this summer will be the time of your life. And maybe next summer. And maybe the next summer after that or even a winter. Enjoy it. Go to bed when the sun goes down, and wake up with the sun rising.

I hope all of you get everything you want out of your jobs this summer. I look forward to meeting many of you, hiking a few trails on our days off... and maybe grabbing something to eat or a drink at night.

And remember - take pictures. Lets try to "wow" the people we know back home.

No need to reply, just wanted to blog for a minute :-)