Have you ever been to Red Lodge Montana or know anything about it?

To put things in perspective...

I graduated college, and took a job coaching a swim team in eastern Montana. I had that job for 3 months (it was just a summer job).

Then I took a job in Billings, and had that job for almost a year. I got bored.

Then I moved in with my grandmother to help her recover from surgery and worked in a bank. For...almost a year. I got bored (of the job, not my grandmother).

Then I moved to Minnesota and had a pretty decent job at a hospital. I left there after...almost a year. Minnesota was not the place for me; that's when I suffered my first real depressive episode.

Then I lived near my parents in Texas and worked retail for three years.

Then I moved to Florida and since being here, have:
worked retail for...almost a year
worked insurance for just over a year
worked for the family business for two years
worked my job now for just over two years

My mom has worked for the same company since she was 18. My dad has changed jobs three times in the 34 years I've been alive. My brother was in the military, and has worked for the same company since he got out several years ago.

I know to someone who isn't me, it looks like I jumped around from job to job. But you know what? I really enjoyed it. I learned SO much living on my own and living in different places. I didn't have children, pets, or any reason to stay someplace, and there aren't many times in a woman's life she can say that.

A HUGE part of my growth over the past few years has been learning what I'm able to do, and what I love to do. I worked so hard at pleasing everyone else for so long (or proving something to everyone else) that I never really paid attention to what I liked and what I wanted to do.

Truth be told, if you asked me NOW, "What do you want to do?", my answer would be a little lame, because I don't know. I think there are a few of us in the world who are seen as flighty, or irresponsible, or "free spirits." I've been called all those things and I'm really not any of them. I just don't think everyone is cut out to immediately settle down, have children, and be happy.

Something I wish had been suggested to me earlier: a career counselor. Of the 83 gazillion jobs out there...I was supposed to pick ONE?

At 22/23/24, I *thought* I knew what I was good at and what I needed/wanted in a job, but I was wrong. If I'd been able to have someone who specializes in that kind of thing point out THEN that I needed certain things (challenging environment, ability to innovate, time to research & think), I probably would have settled into a job much, much sooner.

Dena found the ski lodge listed on some job board and started researching the town. The town has a website and a webcam on the main street.
http://www.redlodge.com/

She plans to apply for a job there for the winter season. She has fallen in love with the idea of living in a small town where she can walk to everything.

She did not like living 1 hour away when she was a in college or when she was a live in nanny so I don't see her moving that far away and being happy. I kinda hope she does. She needs to find something she likes to do and stick with it. Her bouncing from job to job is sooooo like her daddy it is scary. It has to be genetic. Since he died before she was born and I never talked about his problem with keeping a job, she did not learn it by example.

I've never been to Montana.

But I like skiing at resorts "nobody has ever heard of".

Big giant well known resorts are also well known for their big giant crowds.

I used to go there on weekends when I lived in Billings! 10(ish) years ago, it was an ADORABLE little town. I skiied once, and I sucked. But friends skiied there all the time during season.

It's really, really, really a great town, and the area it's in is filled with little towns like it (but smaller). Some local hotels/bed & breakfasts and a few national chains are there, as well as some beautiful historic buildings and homes.

In not-winter, I loved driving in that area. The views are amazing; you're only a few hours (in not-winter) from Yellowstone. In winter, I'm not sure if the pass to Yellowstone is navigable all the time.

Edited to add links:
My favorite place to stay was The Pollard; it doesn't seem to have a link, but Bull & Bear was our place to drink; the galleries have changed, but they were always very interesting.

It's SUCH a quaint, adorable town, especially for someone who grew up in the flat lands and wide boulevards of Texas.

One more edit for a random tidbit: there's a small town in the area named Belfry. Their school mascot? Yep. The Bats. The Belfry Bats.