CLOSED!!

I went to church this morning with a really sweet lady named Tracy. We really enjoyed the trip in the car to and from town. The foliage is absolutely gorgeous here. The leaves have been yellow for a while, but now there is more orange and red and it's just gorgeous. The mountains were totally masked by clouds because it has been raining here for the last day, but they have cleared now, revealing a new layer of snow that went down to probably 9,000 feet or so (that's my very rough estimate). We also had great conversations both ways too. With all the transitions that I am facing I have a lot to process and it was really good to talk with her. Church was really nice too. :-)

It was so weird when we got back to the lodge though; there was a sign in the road that said "Closed to Public Entry." CRAZY! Today was closing day and everything shut down for the season at 11am. No more restaurants, no more shops, no more people in the hotel rooms, no more people to send on hikes, no more weddings, conferences, nada. It's over. I've worked seasonal positions before, but I've never actually made it to the bitter end. It was a little eerie to sit in the lobby earlier and actually be on a couch closer to the huge picture windows. (Employees are asked to sit further back to give preference to guests.) I also took advantage of the baby grand piano. It is normally kept locked, but it was open for some reason and I had my hymnal with me, so I got to tinker around with my minimal piano skills and have a little hymn sing. It was wonderful! And the acoustics in the lobby and really nice.

It is kind of strange to see people working in their normal clothes since uniforms are no longer required. This last week is going to be really interesting. It will be full of good byes, and the lodge will seem more and more empty as the servers, bussers, front desk and activities agents check out in the next couple days. Then the housekeepers will go, then the kitchen staff.

It's all pretty surreal. None of the good-byes I've said thus far have really hit me. All my Turkish friends are gone. Last night my tico (Costa Rican) friend Daniel left. My good friend Laura is leaving tomorrow along with both of the Honduran Alexes. I fear it won't all hit me until I leave town next Monday. Luckily the amazing head housekeeper Miriam will be on the bus to Salt Lake City with me. That should help ease things a little bit. But, it is still going to be so weird! I guess that's life though. Time just keeps passing and it's time to keep moving on. I am so grateful God is with me through it all!