It has been one year and 2 months since we have moved to Cody, Wyoming. I thought it would be good to make a list of the things I love about this area, and perhaps a few of the things I have had to get used to. We will start with the things I love about Cody.
1. NO traffic. Even in the busy tourist months, you just can't get frustrated with the
RV's and motorcycles.
2. The energetic atmosphere. People of Cody LOVE to live here. They are excited. There is always something happening, any time of
the year, to celebrate being here.
3. The sky. So many stars at night, the Milky Way arching over us. I have never seen so many varying kinds of clouds, sunsets, storms. And most of winter, when it is c-c-c-cold, it is still brilliant blue, with sun bouncing off the white snow in the mountains, on the ground, and on the trees.
4. So much natural, rugged beauty to take in. Whether going for a walk around the block, or a day trip down the
Southfork, I can just look and look. And then there is Yellowstone next door.
5. The schools. The kids love their schools! They have never been so involved, never had so many opportunities to discover their talents for learning. And gang activity is not an issue, as it has been in every other place we have lived.
6. It is a small town (pop. 8000), but doesn't feel
so small. I would never have thought a town this small would have 3 Mexican restaurants, Italian, Chinese, and Japanese sushi, a BBQ place, 3 steak houses, 4 deli-type places, not to mention Pizza Hut,
Dominos, and a local pizza place,
Quiznos, Subway,
McD's, BK,
DQ, Wendy's, Taco Bell,
KFC, Taco Johns, Granny's, coffee shops, etc. We have a Super
Walmart and
Albertson's, and an historical Main Street full of fun shops with everything from clothing to candy, to art (there are like 6 galleries), to home decor, to books and toys, to souvenirs, to western shootouts in the Summer. A world class museum, auditorium and theater, 2 dance studios, 2 movie theaters (although one is historic, but updated, with only one screen), and lots of touristy things to do and see. River rafting guides, fly fishing guides, rock climbing guides, hunting guides...
7. The slower pace. Not much "keeping up with the
Jones's" here. You are respected for doing your best with what you have, and a lot of people do.
8. The summer temperatures of 85 degrees, average.
Aaaahhhhh.
9. The history. Pretty fun living in THE Wild West.
10. The topography. The mountains that surround us are gorgeous and every one unique. My favorites: The Carters to the south, especially with snow and sun, Sunlight Basin to the
Beartooths, NW, especially in early Summer, and Heart
Mtn., directly to the North, just across the Shoshone river, in plain view from our street. We may not have fruited plains, but we have mountains' majesty.
Now some things we are getting used to:
1. Deer in town. This is not a bad thing, we just have to keep and eye out. It is pretty cool to have a 5 point buck cross the street in front of you. Or pull in to your friend's driveway and notice from your tail lights that there are 20 deer on her neighbor's lawn. Or know that as you leave the rec. center
the road crosses a deer highway, so you figure you will see some. Or when you come out of the movie theater you must be careful backing out of your parking spot, you never know.
2. People complaining about Summer traffic.
Haha. Guy, go to Seattle. Or Utah.
3. Keeping kids' faces and hands warm in teen degree weather. This is a job.
4. Halloween. No pumpkins on the porch... they turn to mush. No trick-or-treating in neighborhoods. Everyone starts at 5 p.m. on Main Street, to all the businesses, so you see everyone, get done before your nose falls off (whether it is real or fake) from the freezing temperatures, and go home to hot cocoa or cider, soup, and pumpkin donuts.
Mmmmm.
5. Gardening. It is a trick. I learned a lot this year. I will miss growing lavender and dogwood trees. But Russian sage and
crabapple trees do well, so I have switched. Which leads me to...
6. Paying 1.29/lb. for apples. How I miss the .39/lb.
fujis in Walla Walla, WA, right from the orchard!
7. The smoking. A lot of cigarette smoke. People,
c'mon. We are living in the "Wild West", not the "Old West". We know things now, like how that can kill you in some of the the worst ways possible. And it smells.
8. It is far away from my family. But we have made the trip a few times, and it is not so bad. The drive through Montana and northern Idaho is beautiful. And, if we leave at 8 am, we get there at 6 pm, which is not too shabby.
O.K., I don't have 10 of those. We do love it here and encourage visitors! We can't wait for my parents to come here this week. Fall is a great time to come, and I am hoping my Mom will get to see a Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone.
Hooray for Cody!
pictures: (top to bottom) "Sky after PowWow", "Waiting for city fireworks at church", "Rainbow on Cedar Mtn.", "Snow Halloween morning", "High wind clouds at dusk", "Sunset over Yellowstone Gateway", "Heart Mtn. in June"
-R: Doug, Chris, Brandon) All 3 are certified (as you can see by their very stylish ensembles). Chris and Doug were officiating a football game in Greybull, and invited Brandon to join them. They had a great time dressing up, running around, making a bunch of noise, pointing fingers, and throwing stuff. Boys will be boys.
expressing their importance to you, a seashell or pressed flower as a reminder of a special day. Another example is a child who talks to you, sharing his day, follows you around the house, wants you to stay a bit longer by his bed at night, lingers at the door as you leave, asks you to stay to help with homework, although not much help is needed. The optimum response to this child is your time, conversation, listening, taking walks, singing a song or working on a project together, taking the long way home. Then there is the child who gives big bear hugs, tackles, pats your hand as he walks by, hangs on your arm, gets SO close to your face with a big grin, smells your arm and sighs. His appreciation for a 
physical show of affection is apparent, so tousle his hair, squeeze him back, race him, hold his face in your hands and look him in the eye and tell him he is awesome, hold him when he is sad. A child that expresses her feelings verbally and often, asking for your opinion and summing up observations, drawing conclusions and sharing ideas, leaves herself open to praise or criticism, but expects and needs feedback. Listening and responding, verbally, is a show of love this child understands best, and needs most often, "You look so pretty!", "You did a wonderful job helping your sister.", "Let's talk about it and work it out.", "I love you, more each day." There are more examples; a child who does acts of service, little shows of effort, time, or energy. One who creates for others, in art, writing, or music. One who takes on the interests of others to learn and enjoy and share back again. Think of the children you know, or even the adults, and I bet you can put them near, if not completely into, these categories. In raising 4 children, 4 individual children, I have found this study to be really helpful, when I remember it, in reaching my children and responding to their needs, in letting them know I love them. Of course their shows of love and affection are not confined to one category, and my responses are not only in that one corresponding way, but there is a definite area, verbal, time spent, physical, tactile representation, where they can be reached more readily, when I remember who they are, and how they express themselves. Of course, I fail many times, but sometimes, my friend's ideas come back to me and I can go and try again, applying this knowledge about these unique spirits under my care, and it works. It does. Keep in mind, I also fall into one of these categories, as does my husband, and so, we have to step outside of ourselves to reach each other. Being a family is not about "me". It is about "what I can do to help you feel loved and safe". If everyone is doing that, then we don't have to worry about "me". Not at home.
It has been one year and 2 months since we have moved to Cody, Wyoming. I thought it would be good to make a list of the things I love about this area, and perhaps a few of the things I have had to get used to. We will start with the things I love about Cody.
the year, to celebrate being here.
Quiznos, Subway, McD's, BK, DQ, Wendy's, Taco Bell, KFC, Taco Johns, Granny's, coffee shops, etc. We have a Super Walmart and Albertson's, and an historical Main Street full of fun shops with everything from clothing to candy, to art (there are like 6 galleries), to home decor, to books and toys, to souvenirs, to western shootouts in the Summer. A world class museum, auditorium and theater, 2 dance studios, 2 movie theaters (although one is historic, but updated, with only one screen), and lots of touristy things to do and see. River rafting guides, fly fishing guides, rock climbing guides, hunting guides...
the road crosses a deer highway, so you figure you will see some. Or when you come out of the movie theater you must be careful backing out of your parking spot, you never know.
winding under green canopy
Someone asked me to picture the person I think of when I hear the word "integrity". I pictured my Dad. No hesitation. And he would probably try to push that adjective away, because he is also the first person I would picture if I heard the word "humble". My Dad was my first best friend. I am told it was that way from the start. He was the first one I wanted to share exciting events with ("I am the fastest girl in the whole 5th grade!"), the one I upheld the family name for with my feats of dexterity and skill (getting up on those darn water skis),
the one I was devastated by if I let him down in any way, and usually all that took was a look, and "Ah, Kris." My Dad is described as quiet, kind, and shy. I once wrote about him, "In the quiet that is my Father, I hear mountains being moved." So, he isn't a loud personality, but he taught me to appreciate silence, looking up at the stars or sitting on the beach, walking in the woods. He taught me patience with others and how to listen. He taught me how to study directions and sit long at a project, to do it right, to sigh, smile, and shake my head if I made a mistake, to swear in jibberish, "Oh, gotcha-ma-hooey" or just, "Dog-gonnit". My Dad has great faith and always seemed to reassure that it will be alright... in a way that you have no trouble believing it... my first lessons in positive thinking. I always knew he would do the right thing. I trusted him. 
My Dad was the one that had us up and running races to the fence and back, he taught us each how to throw a frisbee, a baseball (like a boy), horseshoes, to fly a kite in the wind. He didn't push hard, but we wanted to please him. Hearing, "There, you got it!", was enough to make me smile and try even harder. My Dad isn't always quiet, of course. He has the loudest sneezes I have ever heard in my lifetime. Every once in awhile I throw out a whopper as a tribute. One of my favorite sounds, to this day, is a man whistling. My Dad would whistle and trill and whether it was a particular tune or just happy notes, I would be drawn to wherever he was and whatever he was doing, working in the garage, fixing the television, or putting up a fence. I would just be by him, roller skating or doing cartwheels, handing him what he needed.
He has a particular whistle, as a lot of Dad's do, that brought us kids running from all corners. Just that sharp, short up-note, that meant, "Here. Now." Then there were the times, usually family trips, where we were getting a bit obnoxious (O.k., maybe a lot obnoxious), and Dad would just deftly pull the car off the road and reach one arm over his seat to look right back at us and threaten to "turn this car around!". He wasn't loud very often, but when he was, we listened. My Dad is the reason I love camping. He is the reason I try to be honest. He is the reason I have a stunt kite for the beach. He is the reason I felt respected as a girl.
