Read this and thought it was cute

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem
Almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day in not enough
Remember the mayonnaise jar
And 2 cups of coffee.

A Professor Stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students
If the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in the jar.
He shook the jar lightly
the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full...
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
And poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full...
The students responded
With an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced
Two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents
Into the Jar, effectively
Filling the Empty space between the sand
The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor,
As the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that
This jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things God, Family, Children, Health, Friends, and Favorite passions.--Things that if everything else was lost. And only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like you job, house, and car.

The Sand is everything else- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," He continued
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all you time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are Important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness
Play with you children.
Take time to get medical checkups
Take your partner out to dinner
Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house
And fix the disposal...

Take care of the golf balls first--
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest if just sand.

One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented

The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked"

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend"

Yellowstone to Illinois

Wow, this last week has been a little crazy around Southern Illinois. First of all, Friday morning at 4:37 am we had a 5.2 earthquake. Then at 10 something we had a 4.5 earthquake. From the first one to the last one I felt 10 after shocks. It was crazy. And I was thinking, wow I come from Yellowstone where they have hundreds of earthquakes a day to here when we hadn't had any for several years. I never felt any bad earthquakes in Yellowstone but these in IL have been the worst that I have felt. This morning around 12:30 we had another one that was a 4.5 earthquake. I guess there was one around 3 am but I didn't feel that one. Something weird is going on but I think I would rather be here feeling them than in Yellowstone where we would have been over a volcano. Well hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying life.

I'm Home

Well I'm home and have been for almost a week now. It has been wonderful coming home. Last Friday and Saturday I just drove. Friday was a 14 hour day and Saturday was a 8 hour day. So not that bad. I had great weather the whole way. It was beautiful. On Sunday and Monday I was up at Matt and Anne's. That was nice to get to spend some time with them. I got home Tuesday and unpacked my jeep and still have not gotten everything unpacked. It's just sitting in my room. I have a job interview tomorrow. I'm excited about it. Other than that everything is wonderful. I miss Yellowstone because who wouldn't. But I am LOVING this weather. No snow. It's awesome. I could go another year without snow. I hope that everyone is doing well. Later.

Coming Home!!

I'm coming home tomorrow. I know that it is a surprise to some people and out of nowhere for others, but I feel like my time in Yellowstone has come to an end. It has been the most memorable and exciting year of my life. I wouldn't trade a single second of it. It was the best thing for me to come out here. I will miss it more than most, but in my heart I know that it's time to go home. I will remember the times in Yellowstone for the rest of my life, and also all the things I have learned. This experience has taught me a lot. Not only to enjoy the outdoors and wildlife but taking care of what is important in the US. I hope that everyone gets the chance to enjoy Yellowstone, if only for a couple of days or even a couple of years. Everyone should make it a point to come and enjoy this park. Just keep taking care of it so many generations can come and enjoy it also. I want to thank everyone that has been there for me throughout this whole experience. A lot of people have made it memorable and have made it easier for me to enjoy my time here. I want to say thanks to everyone who supported me being out here. (Even though I know that none of you thought I would actually come out here and stay. I know that I didn't think I would) But overall, I'm so happy to have had this opportunity to enjoy the park and meet some wonderful people along the way. Thanks and I will miss you.

Back in Yellowstone

Hey everyone, I'm back in Yellowstone. I got in last night. It is the same as I left it minus some snow. There are bison every where in Mammoth. Which is good to see them in the park rather than outside the park. My 2 weeks at home were awesome. I had such a good time with everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again soon. That's all for now. Later.

3 Days!!!

I have 3 more days until I come home for my visit. I'll be back out here in 2 weeks but I'm really excited about it. I think everyone here is ready for me to come home also. I have a countdown on the board at work and keep telling people that I only have so many days left. Well that's all for now. Just wanted to let everyone know only 3 Days!!!

Lamar Valley

So yesterday we went out to Lamar Valley. It was the last day I have off before I come home, so we went to Lamar. We saw lots and lots of bison. We also saw elk and 5 coyotes. Not any wolves. Some of the people made me mad. I was driving along the road and came upon some bison. There were 4 bison walking across the road, so I wasn't able to get pass them. So I was pushing them but not making them run. They were walking up a hill so I wanted them to be able to get up it without running. They need all the energy they can keep. So making them run is not a good thing. They don't get to eat as much as they should because of the snow. Anyways where I'm getting to is one of the snowmobile guys(they were pulling their snowmobiles behind there trucks) pulled around me. There were around 8 people behind me. But he just came around really fast I saw him coming and slowed down. He had to slam his breaks on so he didn't hit the bison. They starting running and got scared and got out of his way of course. But one fell over a snowbank to get out of the way. It made us really mad. They need to respect the animals here. It's their park we are just visitors. So remember if and when you come to Yellowstone to respect the animals. Please.