Lazy Sunday (sort of, not really!)

This morning Stephen and i decided to venture in for the early service, as well as get breakfast BEFORE the 9am service at this fantaaaaaaaaaaaaastic restaurant in Bozeangeles called Overeasy. Quite possibly the best Eggs Benedict i've ever had in my life (this was the 2nd week in a row i had them, although this time they were actually for breakfast instead of lunch :) ). In order to actually eat breakfast beforehand, we had to leave no later than 6:45am. YIKES. i have gotten used to not getting up before 7am since i've been out here, so to actually be ready at 6:45 was a bit of a shock! It turned out to be well worth it, though, as breakfast held me well into the afternoon.

The church service was ok; i'm still a bit of a picky church-goer after being at Coquina for 2+ years. They have a college + age group (CrossLife) that meets during the 2nd service, so we stayed for that today, and it was much closer to being at home - they meet in the gym, which has a cafeteria-esque feel, hence feeling right at home! the music was much more my style (church service is more traditional) and it was a great time of worship!

We made a quick stop at the grocery store so i could get some lunch food for the week, then Stephen was kind enough to let me hop into Joann Fabrics real quick to pick up some new yarn (i promised him i wouldn't take more than 15 minutes). So tonight while it's really slow, i'm catching up on blog/email/etc, as well as crocheting my new BRIGHT RED cowl scarf!

Unfortunately, i'm still waiting on my computer cord to arrive, so i will have LOTS and LOTS of pictures to post when it fiiiiiiinally gets here!

I'm hoping to get out on the slopes for the first time this week, although i'm really enjoying having downtime to get into the Word, crochet, wander around and take pictures, and just REST. I'm certainly beginning to feel refreshed/renewed and i'm looking forward to what's in store for the rest of my time here, as well as what's to come once i get back to FL!

to my GoCo, i miss you guys so much! family dinners are such a blessing and i look forward to rejoining you all in a few months. (where did you hear that in The Story?!?!)

to the worship team, i also miss you guys so much! today was the first familiar taste i've had of worshiping like i do with you all since i've been gone...

to the rest of my church family, i miss Sunday mornings, but i'm so glad to be able to keep up with you here, FB and Skype and look forward to hearing from you for the rest of my time here

to my genetic family, most of you i don't see anyway, so i always miss you!

more photos coming soon! much love ~ the one and only lauren e. sykes :)

Wednesdays...

so today marked the 7th day in Montana! one week down, 10ish to go! today was the first morning that i've truly slept in, which was a real good thing. after a late (but much needed) start, i enjoyed a leisurely quiet time, followed by catching up on news/sermons from back home. the gym in-house is fairly small, but i think it will serve it's purpose for getting my cardio going again. and that brings us to now, working the front desk from 5p-12a. MST, i have about 30 minutes left to go and realized i hadn't updated the blog.

tomorrow is a split shift, meaning i work 8s-11s, then again from 3p-8p. i'm hoping to do a little more exploring/picture taking during the middle of the day, as well as getting into the gym again. the way i see it, i have the 20 days to create a habit, and not a whole lot of excuses to NOT create the habit... i still have yet to get out on the slopes, but the peer pressure is mounting every day that i don't, so sometime soon it will have to happen!

i think that's all the update for now... my laptop cord is just about fried, so i ordered a new one today. if pictures don't get posted for a few days, it's because i don't have access to upload them onto my computer!

a very special belated birthday to Allison! i think i've been to everyone's birthday dinner but yours!!! i know you had a wonderful time with family and friends, and we'll have a belated celebration when i return :)

the sixth day...

hello all! i took pictures on my little panasonic, forgetting that i didn't bring my cord to plug it into the computer, so you will have to wait until April for those photos.... we'll just say next time i venture into Bozeman (otherwise known as Bozangeles), i will have my real camera with me! the landscape is positively breathtaking...

Sunday Stephen & i drove into Bozangeles for church - it's no Coquina, but it's fellowship & worship & preaching from the Word, and i think i'll survive until mid April! the time away from the Lodge & all the vacationers for a time of fellowship with people living every day life is much more welcome than i can express, plus it's a great time for all sorts conversation on the drive there and back. Today was an almost solo day (Stephen worked a half shift this morning), and at one point, i was the only person up front with everyone else gone to lunch. i didn't burn the place down, or give away any free rooms, so i consider it a success!!! learning the nuances of the software is the toughest part, but i think i'm getting the hang of it. tomorrow i'm actually moving rooms (one door down :-p), but then i'll be settled for the rest of the season. tomorrow is actually my day off, and *hopefully* D-Day (aka attempting to learn how to snowboard!!! time to be bold...)

so that's all for now, hopefully will have more pictures to show later this week!

<3 les

the day off

hello all! had the day off today, which meant sleeping in (woohoo!) and a tiny bit of exploring. seeing as how it was 17 degrees outside, i could only handle so much photo taking (so my fingers didn't fall off)! here are a few of the finalists for today's selection:








tomorrow Stephen and i will venture into Bozeman for church, followed by me having ANOTHER afternoon off (not sure what i'm going to do with all my extra time - perhaps my website will finally get updated!). tonight i'm venturing up to Baseline (about 200-250 yards away) with my coworker Jenny to hang out with some of her friends and listen to the band that's staying at the hotel... hope you all are well!

snoooooooow

a few of the things around today and yesterday, but mostly today!

Montana, day 2

supposedly there's a big storm coming in today - more on that later! day two of work, and i actually have a photo project to work on for the lodge, which should be fun! now i've got to hurry off and get ready...

day 1 begins with a view...

as i'm starting to rally and preparing to face the day ahead, when i roll over and look out the window, this is what i see...



it's ok, i wouldn't like me very much either if i were reading my blog :-D

incorrect link...

Stephen's blog is actually http://greatwhiteyonder.blogspot.com

the adventure begins!

for those of you unaware, i have accepted a position at the Lodge at Big Sky in Montana to work the front desk, help with events for visitors and i'm sure a bunch of other random events. this all happened within a 24 time period, and it was evident the Lord's hand was in this opportunity!

i'm ridiculously excited for the adventure and look forward to keeping everyone posted on the cold, hopefully successful snowboarding ventures, photos and refreshing time that i am having! i fly out Wednesday morning, which means i have to get back to packing/cleaning, but will be updating once i arrive Wednesday evening!

in the words of Michael W. Smith, "go west, young (wo)man..."

lauren e. sykes