Everyone asks for your backstory if you are a transplant to Wyoming. It seems that we all feel very lucky, and usually so grateful, that we love to share the
story. I had had enough of the big city of Atlanta, Georgia and wanted an entirely
different landscape and culture. I found a craigslist ad featuring a beautiful picture of an historic ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. Brooks Lake Lodge needed a live-in massage therapist and I needed Brooks Lake Lodge. The lodge and the people living there changed me and gave me a new idea of what my life could be like. I could finally breathe in Wyoming, which is a contradiction because Brooks
Lake is 9200 ft above sea level! Even though I huffed and puffed on every step, I
felt the atmosphere allowing me the freedom to take it slow.
The state of Wyoming showed me unparalleled natural beauty and an immense
silence that made room in my head for simple thoughts. The town of Dubois (pronounced 'Dew boyz') graciously welcomed me into their lives, entrusting me to massage their tired muscles and helping me to find my newly adopted dog when he swam across the
Wind River to run after a bird in flight.
Brooks Lake Lodge and their family of employees taught me a new kind of accountability and teamwork, emphasizing grace in our everyday activities.
After five years in Wyoming, I enjoyed a year of communing with my family and falling in love with the Pisgah National Forest while living in Asheville, North Carolina. My boss in Asheville taught me that it was time to execute my own vision of a massage business. And I knew then that the only place I wanted to begin this venture was in Wyoming. So I rented a U-Haul van and drove west again.
Jackson or Jackson Hole (as tourists call it) is a completely new arena! It’s a small
town, unlike Atlanta, but somehow still boasts the amazing multicultural scene
that Atlanta also enjoys. Jackson rocks more different kinds of restaurants than any town of 10,000 in the US, I wager. Jackson has the tax money to build and maintain one of the best trail systems in any city in the US. This is in part because Jackson just happened to be gifted with a spectacular mix of mountains, rivers, and flat land, all within walking distance of the town square. These natural gifts beckon nature-loving, peace-seeking folks of all ages. Just try to stress about politics while hiking up Josie’s Ridge, or obsess about your boyfriend while rafting
down white water on the Snake river.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that little old national park that is just one of our
suburbs? Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park are the places where we rejoice
over cool sightings of a mamma grizzly and her four cubs, or the pack of wolves
just released in the park to begin their lives anew. For so many reasons, I am lucky to have found my perfect nook in this tiny town full of beauty and fun. I am proud to be offering my mobile massage therapy services to this town's amazing citizens and also to the tourists we happily receive every year. If you are interested in another one of Jackson Hole's amazing experiences, look into getting a massage from me. I'm excited to meet you!