I started my job at the outdoorsy daycare I was hired at about a month ago called Rain or Shine. It’s been…interesting. And unexpected. I’m working out of a shed with no running water, a/c, or adult sized toilet. There is a wood stove though so we’re able to stay warm on the chilly days. It’s pretty cool because we spend about 4 hours a day outside, which the kids (and I) love. Even on colder days it’s nice to be outside instead of stuffed up in a building. I believe that kids are better behaved when they get the opportunity to be in fresh air and be creative and imaginative so I love being somewhere that teaches and values those same things. There are also animals my boss owns that the kids get to interact with. There are mini goats, chickens, a puppy, and a mini cow that will be here next week. It’s a really fun little place to be, even though I’m working out of a shed and have to pee on a child-sized port-a-potty.

There’s a joke that when Millennials are choosing their new hobbies they choose “old people” hobbies. Things like baking, knitting, gardening, etc. Although I’m still unsure of what hobbies I want to try, Hannah has fully embraced this millennial stereotype. This was her and my mom the other day in the beginning stages of her bird watching hobby. They even broke out the bird feeder and spread bird seed all over the grass, hoping to attract more little birds to watch. So far it’s been mostly robins, turkeys, and woodpeckers but she’s hoping to see a lot more variety over the summer.

It’s been super gorgeous outside every day since I’ve gotten here and I am loving it! Unfortunately that’s supposed to change later this week so my mom and I decided to go on a hike through the woods behind the house. We found a service trail and followed that, since it’s so much easier than trying to walk through all the underbrush. Since the house is on a hill, going back behind the house means going up so my mom and I got some pretty views of the lake through the trees.

Everyone who has grown up in Montana or anywhere similar knows that spring season is also tick season so my mom and I made sure to appropriately protect ourselves. And you never want to forget your bear spray!

Much to our dismay, the geeky socks tucked over our pants didn’t stop us from picking up some very unwelcome hitchhikers. We stripped down on the porch for a tick check and found 8 in total. I have never seen a tick in real life until yesterday and I can say with 100% confidence that I never want to see one again. They’re really ugly and really hard to get off clothes. I don’t know what’s on their legs, but if we could sell it super glue would be out of business. Even after we got all the ticks off we were nervous there were some hiding on us still so we both took showers and washed our hair. We didn’t find any more after that so I think we got them all. Their sad little carcases are still on the front porch table where we squished them as a warning to all other ticks. I feel like I’ve passed some Montana initiation now that I’ve survived a tick infestation!