Wow! We made it through another holiday season. The snow finally came, and Mt Hood SkiBowl opened up! That means after a long stint Hunter and I are officially employed! It’s been a whirlwind since opening just after Christmas. We’ve both been working a lot to get the resort through the holiday season, and to catch up on some of the patiently waited for hours. Hunter is working in the rental shop and instructing, and I have been patrolling.

Although the wait was long, I love my job. We do so much more than I even realized patrol did to get the mountain ready to operate every day. It is rewarding knowing that the resort is functioning because of the crew I get to work with. A big part of our job is just skiing or snowboarding, and I can’t complain about getting paid to snowboard. All of my coworkers are so fun to work with, and there is so much I can learn from them. I’m excited to be with a crew I can trust to help me in so many ways.

While working so much hasn’t been something to complain about, it’s definitely just starting to wear me down. As ski patrol our schedules work as 9 on and 5 off, but with opening a lot of us started 9 on after a full week of work. Sunday is the end of my 9 on, and I don’t think I’ll be complaining about it when it comes.

On top of all of the scheduled work hours at the resort, we have work to do for our work-stay. We are still working for Arehn and Jim, and while the work can be fun, it is hard to balance with both of our schedules. It can also be pretty physically demanding at times. During the holidays SkiBowl was open more hours than usual, which has caused us to be at the mountain more hours than usual due to opposite schedules. With that ending this week it is making it easier to balance our work for Arehn and Jim!

To add to that, I have found a part time remote job. I am working for a friend, Stella, who is a thru-hiker and YouTuber. I am editing her YouTube videos as she is attempting to do a Calendar Year Triple Crown, which is hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail, all in a year. I am very excited to have gotten this opportunity from her. This is a job I really enjoy, allows me to be in the camper with Sunny more, and I can take it anywhere!

With that being said, while I really enjoy everything I’m doing and have found jobs I don’t feel extreme burnout from anymore, life has been a balancing act the last couple of weeks. I maybe haven’t been getting enough sleep, and getting out the door has been tough some days. I haven’t been as active on here, but I am still looking forward to every new post. I am still baking (even learning to make sourdough), and cooking every meal. I’m looking forward to posting new recipes still, and updating everyone on life.

While living in the camper is a dream, it’s not how everyone thinks it is all the time. If people don’t have a full time content creation job, there will be phases of living in the camper that feel like this. Where working a lot is what helps you keep going, and the promise of knowing soon enough you’ll be onto the next exciting thing. Unfortunately, living in a van or camper isn’t what it looks like on Instagram for everyone.

I’m happy to be in a place I love, with people I love, and doing something I love. Without that it suddenly becomes a lot harder to make living in 60 square feet enjoyable. So, while it’s been really busy these last couple of weeks, there’s still so much to be happy about, and that makes it hard to complain. Life is good.

SkiBowl’s Open!

Merry Christmas!