I can see the light..

Hi friends,

I know I last said that I would update this blog more, but as you can see, I lied. Part of the reason is that I am usually awake at 7:00am, and then do not get off work until 7:00pm. The days are long here in Boise.

I cannot lie and say that I have enjoyed this project. Taxes are not glamorous. My day usually starts early to go work out (which is always the highlight of my days), or because we need to be at one of the tax sites early for some reason. Once we get to the tax site, it is slow moving. We are not that busy and are always trying to find busy work. I know that what we are doing here is helping people who would otherwise have to spend money for tax preparation if it were not for our services, but this is not the work I imagined doing prior to AmeriCorps. I want to be doing more, I want to be helping more. I also just flat out hate office work I have come to realize. I need to be outside using my chainsaw! My dream will soon be a reality though because...

I AM WORKING AT ANOTHER CAMP FOR MY NEXT ROUND!!!!!

We found out about a week ago that we will be working at a YMCA camp in Julian, California. Julian is only one hour from San Diego. Gold 1 will be doing trail work, gardening, and various other construction/maintenance projects around the camp. This is where I see the light. I can now stop stressing that our next project will be as boring as taxes, because it won't be! I am really looking forward to Round 3.

During our scavenger hunt to find out our next project. One of the clues was at Jimmy Johns.

Aside from tax work, Boise really is not that bad. When we first arrived, I was incredibly disgusted by all the smog. The smog has cleared up a lot, thankfully. We have had some fun times while in Boise. There is a ski and snowboarding area right outside of Boise called Bogus Basin. Most of us have not been before, so it was a fun experience. I always heard that skiing was easier, but decided to snowboard because I have always thought it looked B.A. Well, lets just say I did not look too cool doing it. I fell really hard and hurt my neck and tailbone pretty good. I could hardly move for a week. Was it worth it? Totally.

Bogus Basin!!

There have been a couple bands that we have checked out in Boise. One place where


we saw a few local musicians was at the Crux. It was an interesting, little hipster bar/coffee shop (takes me back to my days in Austin, TX). Alex, Jessi, Elena, and I had a lot of fun. We busted out our pretty bad dance moves and had good laughs.

One of the most interesting things I have seen in Boise so far was a straw built house. A whaaaat you ask?! Our sponsor, Cristina, told us about a man named Dr. Long who lives in Boise with his wife and they have a house made of straw and mud. It sounds unreal, but it really makes sense. Dr. Long says when people ask why have a straw house, he usually responds with "why not have straw house?" He went on to talk about the benefits of it for the local economy, the environment, and the living costs. Him and his wife only spend $200 a year heating and cooling the house. Isn't that crazy?! The craziest part is that his house looks completely normal. When we first pulled up, we thought we had the wrong house because it looked just like any other house. I recommend all of you looking up how it would be so beneficial if we started building houses this way. So so so so so so cool.

The "truth window" that showed the straw. Again, SOOO COOL!!

I will end this post on a positive note to be doing this project, and that is what it has taught me. It has taught me that I will never work a traditional office job, because it would only kill me slowly! I appreciate the people who enjoy doing taxes for people and sitting in an office all day, because I surely cannot do it...

Gold 1 on Valentine's Day