Down the Road

Wow. Time has flown and boy have I been so busy. It's been 8 weeks since I left home which blows me away. Doesn't seem like it's been that long! And how I miss everyone back home.

The weeks are blurring by. There have been hard days and good days, and there have been times I have longed so much for my family and friends back home (especially my Church family) that I just didn't think I could go on another week without them.
I've been able to attend a church here in town (I was connected to a girl who attends there and have gotten to know some other girls) twice, and am hoping to see if I can have my schedule arranged where I can attend more often, and I've been plugged into a Bible study on Tuesday nights through that Church. I didn't realize just how vital the body of Christ is, and just how important and encouraging it is to be in fellowship with other believers, until I came out here and couldn't have that daily and weekly fellowship with my brothers and sisters.
It's been very lonely and hard at times, but what a blessing it has been to be able to attend Bible study from time to time. I've met some really sweet people and am looking forward to developing those friendships.

I have met SO many people in the past 8 weeks I've been here! It was hard to come out here not knowing a single person, and having to meet so many people, but its' been wonderful and I'm grateful for the friendships I've been able to develop.

Also, I started off having a room of my own, but another girl was hired for the wait staff/house keeping team so now I have a roommate! We've gotten along really well and it's been so good to have someone else in the room. Makes it not seem as lonely, and having another person waking up early with me makes it so much easier to get up even when I just don't think I can move, because I am not a morning person at all.

I've been able to do some exploring around as well lately, especially down the road the ranch is on. It takes you further into a national forest and deeper into the hills the ranch is nestled in. It's so lonely back that way, hardly any cars, and rewards you with some neat views of the red hills, Crystal creek, the Gros Ventre River, and other cool views.

So here are a few pictures...

This is Slide Lake. It's about a 5-10 minute drive from the ranch.

Hoping to paddle board it one day :D

The red hills are quite beautiful.

The lovely Crystal Creek that flows on the left side of the road.

The lonely and vast ruggedness you see while driving down that dirt road is something else.

There are charming groves of Aspen Trees everywhere, but I especially

loved this little grove, and had to get some pictures with the trees :)

The road home. As you're heading back to the ranch you top and hill and this is your view <3

Gets me every time. The ranch gate is just down the hill and to the left.

And the sunsets.. Man, they are enough to take your breath away and steal the words right out of your mouth.
There have been several sunsets where it sets right behind the grand Teton and the sunrays shoot out. Just a small, incredible glimpse of God's glory.

And this was the view of the mountains at 6:00 the morning of the 4th.

Made having to wake up so early after a draining Sunday oh so worth it.

The line, "For purple mountain majesties" came to mind as I drank the beauty in.

It was like looking at a painting, too beautiful to be real.

Every year the ranch has a HUGE 4th of July party for 200+ guests which went very well this year.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures as I stayed put in one station the whole time, but the decorations were amazing and the man that owned the ranch (he passed away a few months back) collected old cars so they had those all over.

Then a few of us piled in a car and went to a pull off to see the fireworks over Jackson and Teton Village.

On another note, did I mention the wildflowers around here are to die for?!?!
The Lupines are my favorite though

Of course I had to gather a bunch of them to put in my room :)

The weather has been quite nice lately. It's been a bit  cooler in the mornings, but not too terribly hot and hardly any humidity or muggy heat at all!

But boy have we had some blustery days.

That's it for now! Plan to post some pictures of my excursions to Teton National Park (and hopefully Yellowstone when I make it there) next.
Also, I've been posting pictures on Instagram as I can. My username is lraglandphotography

Much love to you all back home! Your continued prayers and support have meant the world and have encouraged me more than you know.