17 miles...

This week, my first week of work, has been interesting. I already mentioned that we had no boss and our office is under construction. Luckily some of the ladies were nice enough to show me around, so I would get to know our wilderness areas. They also told me that I needed to hike all of the trails that way I would know what kind of people to send out on each trail. Because as you can imagine, some trails are a little more demanding than others.

Well as of Thursday I had hiked 9 miles. However, today that total changed to 17 miles. That is right, I hiked 8 miles today. Isn’t that insane…. This, from the girly girl who sat on her butt and watched TLC for 2 weeks while she was off of work on vacation.

I guess I never envisioned park rangers hiking so damn much… boy was I wrong! I hope I am cut out for this… I thought I was going to die during the 8 miles today, but I didn’t and I made it without complaint. However, I’m not too positive that is something I can do daily. The ladies told me it gets easier the more you do it, but I just kept thinking do I have to do it more?!

My only future with the BLM here is a park ranger, to use my PR degree I could be an interpretive park ranger and give tours and such… Can you imagine hiking 8 miles while giving a tour and talking about things to a group of kids?

I guess I will see how things pan out, I mean after all I have only worked one week here.

My Grandpa

I have been thinking a lot about my deceased grandfather lately and I am not sure why.

My grandfather, or Poppy as I called him was one of my best friends growing up. My mom, a teacher, had me in July and went back to work in August. I never went to daycare or a babysitter during the day, my grandparents watched me until I went to kindergarten.

I would follow my grandpa around, would race to see who would eat our food first, we’d watch Mr. Ed and Lassie together on tv, listen to his police scanner to see what was going on around town, we would drive around to his farm and look at the cows and we would talk to everyone and anyone around the town. He loved showing me off. I was his Doll and I was the only grandkid with blonde hair, just like him.
Growing up he used to ask me where I got so beautiful, I would always respond that I got my good looks from him.

To me he was a superman, a retired NYPD cop, he never did any wrong in my eyes.
One night, around midnight, when I was a freshman in high school we got a phone call from the local police department saying that there was an emergency and we needed to come to my grandparent’s house.

I remember that night like it was just yesterday, yet it was 8 years ago.
My dad was working out of town, I had a basketball game the following day. I heard the phone ring and heard my mom answer. She came into my room, told me to put some clothes on and we took off to my grandparents’ house. I remember it being a full moon.

We got to their house and a cop was waiting outside, he told us he was sorry and that we needed to go to the hospital. On the way to the hospital my mom said she knew something was really wrong. I kept telling her it wasn’t and that nothing could happen to him he was a superman.

We got to the hospital and more cops were waiting outside, again they told us that they were sorry… and then I knew.

I remember so many things from that night and the day that followed. How we said good bye. How we took my grandma back to her house and we all just sat there in awe. How we went home and I couldn’t sleep and just laid on the couch staring at the tv. I remember the first people to come over and bring us food… and then the rest is a blur.

My grandfather died in his sleep from unknown causes. He was 71 years old.

Every time I do something… I wonder if he would be proud. I know he is watching me from above and I know he is looking out for me. He never got the chance to meet Ryan, but I think they would have gotten along really well.

I know things happen for a reason, but I’m still not quite sure why got took him when he did.

I love and Miss you Poppy!

5 pounds

Last week I got fitted for my wedding dress. While measuring me the lady asked me if I could lose 5 pounds by September when the dress comes in. Of course I said yes. We have actually been planning on going to the gym, but we had so much yardwork to get finished that we put the gym on hold.

Now that our grass seed is planted and all we have to do is water... we have no more excuses. So today we went to the gym. :)

I cannot remember the last time I went to the gym, but let me tell you I had a blast! I really enjoy working out and exercising.... I just have to get to the gym. Once I get motivated enough to go there I am fine.

It actually was kind of nice to have a goal at the gym. I am lifting weights, running, biking and doing crunches... the whole time saying to myself, "This is for your wedding and bikini body!" (Hopefully we will be going on a honeymoon, but that is another story.)

So I just thought I would share my progress. We are going to try and go as many times during the week that we can. We are also taking Bailey on long walks everyday after the gym. We have a dog park about a half mile away that we are walking to.

5 pounds... Bring it on!!

(Now I just need to cut back on eating sweets!) :D

First Day of Work....

So today was my first day of work... Talk about different. I am used to having an office, a computer to screw around on, different people to talk to and I'm used to having a boss. WELL... I don't have ANY of that. Wierd right?

I get to the building I was told to go and the other lady starting today was waiting for me. I asked where our boss was and she shrugged her shoulders and said that we wouldn't be seeing him until at least next week because he is having some personal issues.

A guy from Alb. meets us and drives us to Alb. to work on paperwork. When we finish we drove back to Grants. It is 3:00. The lady tells me to call it a day. She says, we have no office, no boss and no guidance you may as well go home. Since we don't know what we are supposed to be doing she is going to be giving me tours of the area for the rest of the week. Driving around... that is it! Looking at rocks and mountains!

I am going to get paid for driving, hiking and doing nothing. INSANE. It is pretty cool I guess... but a part of me kinda misses having a desk and a computer....

Finally, Here Are Some House Pictures!

This is just a sample... of what the house looks like. :D Enjoy!

The seed has been planted...

Yay! After Days and Nights of work on our backyard, tilling and raking. We were finally ready to fertilize and PLANT the SEED! Whoo Hoo. We planted the seed this morning and now all that is left is to water. Now that I can handle. :)

I have already bought an oscillating sprinkler that pretty much gets the entire yard. Grass... I am waiting! :D

Back to work…

I’m not ready… or am I? I have been working since High school, I haven’t had more than 2 weeks off since I graduated High School (5 years ago). I go back to work on Monday, after having 2 weeks off. I am totally not ready to go back. I love sleeping in, even if it is just until 8 or 9, I love being able to hang out with my furry children more, I enjoy watching hours of TLC, while cleaning up around the house, I also enjoy being able to wear whatever the hell I want, and I love that I can bake and pick out dinner ahead of time.

I also think I’m ready to go back. I often feel like I am being a lazy Mexican. Watching hours of TLC doesn’t do anything for me except for make we want to have children (which isn’t happening anytime soon). I have also been spending waaay too much money. Since I last left work, we’ve bought a house, a new leather couch and a 40” flat screen TV, not including all the other little things : grass seed, fertilizer, hoses, sprinklers, doggy gate, dog beds, shower curtain and rods, etc. All of which definitely adds up and does not include the bills.

I guess I’m ready, but I’m also not ready at all. I think most if it is that I’m a little nervous. This is a new job, with a new boss, new colleagues and new tasks. I still am not even sure exactly what I will be doing or even what hours or what days I will be working. Yuck.

I guess this is a stay tuned… I will find out Monday whether I was ready or not. I think I am ready, just a little anxious.

Why are we soo young?

Yesterday we went over to our neighbors house to actually sit down and talk to them. (You know, the neighbors that brought over the cake the other day…) Well we returned their container with brownies in it and a thank you card. I wasn’t sure how we would get along and if it was going to be awkward or not, but it wasn’t at all! We got along great and spent over an hour talking to them.

However, I am guessing we are about HALF their age or close to it. We left and Ryan said he felt old… I said I felt young. We are by far the youngest people on the block. In fact in a conversation with the couple next door, they said something like some young 21 year old kid did something… and I couldn’t help but chuckle because… we are only 22. I wonder how old they think we are.

So are we old or young… I’m saying young, the youngest couple on the block. Ryan is saying old, we are going to be hanging out with old people. Having neighborhood barbeques and watching football games (the guys is a huge cowboys fan just like Ryan).

Maybe we are just young people acting old?

I Need A Scarecrow

So yesterday I was supposed to get up at 6 am to meet my mom in Albuquerque. Ryan left at 5:30 am, between 5:30 and 6:00 the electricity went off. I ended up waking up at 7:30. I thought it was weird, but went on with my day not thinking anymore about it.

This morning it was a take two. Ryan left 5:30, I was wide awake because I am a light sleeper, plus Bailey was barking at 5 and I had to let her out. I attempted to go back to sleep…and I think I was, when at 5:45 I hear a large boom and then a crazy squeal/scream. The electricity had gone off AGAIN. This time I had heard whatever had caused it and I was REALLY freaked out. I couldn’t tell whether the noise had come from my house or somewhere else… it was soo loud it was hard to tell.

I called Ryan, told him about what happened and he convinced me to get out of bed to investigate. While talking on the phone to him our alarm system started beeping, but I noticed that I had electricity and so did my next door neighbors. I didn’t see anything wrong… I was baffled. I knew I wasn’t going crazy because as soon as I heard the noise, Bailey started barking and Eric was all freaked out too.

Ryan said he would call the electric company when he got to work… so I attempted to go back to sleep… After all I only have 4 days before I start working again.

At 9am I woke up again. This time, Bailey was barking nonstop. I get up to check it out and there is some dudes from the electric company in my backyard. They were definitely working on something. The electricity flickered a couple of times.

Soon my doorbell rang and it was one of the electricity guys. He asked me if my electricity was on. I said yes and then asked him what was going on.

His Answer: A couple of crows had gotten stuck in the transformer right outside our backyard.

CROWS, Freaking Crows!
I actually heard a crow die this morning…. Boom, squeal. It was a stupid crow. Hopefully they won’t commit suicide again tomorrow… stupid crows.

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

So I've been joking around that nobody in our neighborhood had brought us a welcome to the neighborhood gift/baked item. I have lived in 5 different places between apartments and rent houses and NEVER has anyone welcomed me to the neighborhood in that sense.

Yesterday evening Ryan was tilling the backyard and I was watering the front yard and just walked in the door and took my dirty shoes off when the door bell rang and our next door neighbors were standing there with a fresh baked cake.

I was baffled and didn't know the proper way to handle such a thing. Do I invite them in, do I say thank you and then continue on with our yard work, do I let them in to see our house, do I bring them back to meet Ryan in the back... No clue.

So I stood at the door thanked them had a little awkward conversation and then they left. I called my mom later and she asked if I invited them in to share the cake. That didn't even cross my mind, but mostly because we were in the middle of yard work... mostly. I definitely should have though because there is NO way the two of us can eat it all.

What should I have done??

Anyway I am going to figure out how to eat/dispose of the cake and return it with one of my delicious cakes in it. Maybe when I return it I will see what they do and possibly what I should have done.

This would be fun...

Do You think I could EVER get Ryan to do this??






I don't. It would be SOO much fun and so different! Ryan hates dancing and I love it. He isn't even excited about the normal first dance more or less something like this. Sigh... oh well at least I had fun looking up the youtube videos for the past hour! :)

Yard work Sucks!

Our new backyard was NOT very pretty. It had about 2 patches of grass and the rest was weeds and stickers. Poor Bailey had to learn fast how to take them all out of her feet!

I LOVE grass and so does Bailey so we decided to grass the yard. Being low on funds because we just bought the house we decided to seed the lawn (Kentucky Bluegrass to be exact). I know it is kinda late in the season to seed, BUT they say the best time to seed is when it is in the 80’s and Grants will be in the mid 80’s for the next 2 weeks.

Being that I am off this week we decided to start the yard process. Ryan tilled half the yard last night and my job was to rake up all the dead weeds this morning. Which I did... I’m also supposed to dispose of them… but I was too hot and decided to give up until Ryan comes home… Ugh… I’m hot! What a ton of work and that was only half the yard! At least we are half way done, the next step is to fertilize, then seed and then WAIT for the grass to come!

My only other issue is that Bailey can’t mess with the grass as it is growing… so she has to be stuck in the stupid dog run for like 2 weeks. Poor baby. :(

Happy Daddy's Day!

Happy Daddy's Day to all the Dads out there!


My Daddy is very special. He was born, Ryan Chavez on Christmas Day, quite a few years ago. He has had quite a hard life. His parents had a messy divorce when he was little and he was kidnapped from his mom, by his Dad and then kidnapped back by his mom. His mom remarried a Hall (hence the last name) and the Hall guy adopted him. I'm not real sure why my dad never changed his name back to Chavez because supposedly the Hall guy beat up my dad and his mom for years until my grandma caught him cheating and divorced him.

When my dad was 18 he got drafted into Vietnam. He was engaged when he left for the war. He spent about 3 1/2 years in Vietnam and when he returned home the girl he was engaged to was already married to someone else!

He tried to go college and I think he got about 2 or 3 years into it, but he said that the riots were soo bad on campus that he ended up quitting. He then became a Hippie. He lived on a house boat for awhile and hitch hiked across the country a couple of times. He finally settled down in New Mexico, where his real dad was originally from and where he was born. He became a Professional House Painter and has made quite a name for himself in our hometown, Socorro.

My dad is quite the comedian as well. There is NEVER a dull moment with him. There are always tricks, jokes and sarcastic remarks. He will do almost anything to get a good laugh.

He met my mom when she was visiting her parents from NY and he asked her to dance at a bar. The rest is history...

Happy Daddy's Day!

RIP Tim Russert

Miscommunication + Rudeness = Thank Goodness

While in the process of moving to Grants I was also out on the job market. (Before the BLM pulled through.. I really didn’t want to be jobless and I wasn’t taking any chances.) I sent emails and resumes to about a dozen people. I got 2 good leads: one being a part time job doing contractual work for the university and the second working at the local chamber of commerce. I interviewed with both and left with a pretty good feeling that both places liked me. The only negative about the Chamber was the fact that I would be doing a lot more work than I did with the BLM for only 7.50 an hour. I was also bugged that I would be making as much as someone with a HS degree.

After interviewing with the chamber I sent the lady in charge an email thanking her for her time, it read:

Hi Betty! I just wanted to thank you again for taking the time to meet with me on Friday. I know it was last minute and I appreciate you squeezing me into your busy schedule. I wanted to let you know that I am still very interested in the Chamber and the possibility of working with you and your staff. The only negative that I can see is that I will be taking quite a pay cut, but I understand that is beyond your control and I am willing to jump in regardless. Once again, thank you for your time and I look forward to speaking with you soon. Jaclyn Hall

She responded:

Jaclyn, thanks for the note, we are definately interested in adding you to our team. what would be a start date for you if we are able to come to an offer? thank you for your continued interest. hope all is well with you.

So I replied back :

Betty, Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. My ideal start date is anytime on or after June 16. I look forward to hearing from you. Jaclyn


The last email I received was the end of April. I never heard a word back from her until Tuesday, June 10. To me, the above email does NOT sound like a job offer. It definitely sounds like she is interested, but it does not say that I have gotten the job. What do you think?

She calls me Tuesday and asks how I am doing, what was new with me and what else I’ve been up to. I proceed to cut straight to the point and say that I’ve accepted a job with the BLM. She then gets pissed.

She says “I thought you were working for us and starting on the 14th, did you change your mind and not tell us??” I responded that I wasn’t aware I had been given the job. We go back and forth for awhile arguing about what our last emails said. Then she asks me if I would have taken the job over the BLM.

I say that I would have had to way my options, she then says “I would have given you 10.00 an hour” and then says “When you get bored making money come back and talk to me.”

She also repeated about 3 or 4 times that I “Had to go with the money,” but that they would find a way to move forward.

Before it got worse, I said I had to go because there were movers at my house and she told me to keep in touch and stop by the office when I get all moved it.

I really didn’t want to start off in a small town making enemies, but it seems I already have. I did, However, come away from the conversation very thankful that I didn’t end up working for her after all. I don’t get along with bad communicators!! :)

Note: Her name was changed in the emails, but nothing else!

Animal update

Also, in case you were wondering the animals are adjusting fairly well too! Bailey’s backyard isn’t quite as nice as the one we left, but we will be working on it w/ in the next couple days/weeks (we have grass seed in the garage all ready to go. ) There are lots of stickers in this yard, but she has learned to take them out all by herself! Our backyard leads out to a huge empty lot and we took Bailey on a walk out there tonight. There were tons of little trails and bunnies galore. Needless to say she had a great time! Her only downfall is she isn’t allowed to sleep inside yet because her doggy gate is (hopefully) being shipped. Her last house had a special animal room just for her to sleep in… this one doesn’t, so she will be gated in the laundry room to sleep.

Eric is VERY happy about his new house.. He is sleeping on a leather recliner right now, after sleeping in an empty box all afternoon and staring out the window all morning. He is happy to have human interaction because in his old house he was confined to a room and didn’t get the luxury of leather couches and people. So pretty much he is in heaven now. However, he never does well with change and is one of those bad cats that pees on things when there are changes in his life. So far, I’ve only found one accident from Eric. Which is VERY good for him. I do keep reminding him to use his litter box and that seems to be working… for now. We will see.

I will take pictures of them in their news surroundings as well, Stay Tuned!

Finally Home!

Soo much has happened since I last blogged!

We are officially moved into our new house… and surprisingly almost done unpacking! An amazing feat considering our stuff was delivered this morning!!

Last week we came to look at our house before we moved in and found that the previous owners did not clean A THING after they moved out! Ryan and I spent 3 hours Friday night and about another 5 hours on Saturday before we had everything cleaned. It was disgusting… they didn’t sweep, vacuum, dust or anything. Filth. But at least we knew we would be moving into a nice clean house when we got there.

The movers came on Monday and packed everything. Tuesday they loaded it all and then they dropped it off today, Wednesday. All I have to say is…. Unpacking SUCKS, but I am really thankful Ryan’s company paid for the move because it would have been a lot more of a hassle if we had to move ourselves. FYI, the movers said we had a little over 6,000 pounds of stuff, but that is very light and the average is about 35, 000. Crazy!

So we are all settled, for the most part. I think tomorrow’s plan is to finish off the spare bedrooms, maybe see where our pictures are going to go… and then we are set! Yay, Home Sweet Home!

I promise I will take pictures soon!

Job

By the Way, I got a job in Grants finally! It is only a seasonal job with the BLM, but I'm still pretty stoked about it! I will be a seasonal Park Ranger for 6 mos. until the permanent position opens up. If I like what I'm doing I will apply for the permanent position.

Just to clarify I will not be the type of ranger that has a gun... although I wouldn't totally mind that. I will be more of a public outreach ranger. I will be going into schools, giving tours and probably for the most part manning the ranger station. I was also told I could take my dog out with me when I go into the field. :) That will be fun!

I also have to wear a uniform and work some weekends. (LAME) But I'm trying to think positively about it all! Also, I will be working for a small office (about 5 people) and I've already been warned that there is a lot of head butting. Hopefully it won't be too stressful. But I will give details as I get them.

I am scheduled to start June, 23.

Bittersweet

Yesterday was my going away party at my work, which was a little bit Bittersweet. I am soo excited to move and start that next chapter in my life with Ryan. We have a new house, new jobs, all in a new town and more importantly all of it we are doing Together! But there is something really sad about leaving this wonderful job, where I get to work with probably the most fun, caring, kind-hearted and loving group of people I’ve ever worked for.

Let me give you an example:

At my going away party, there were 25 people that attended at an expensive restaurant in our town. 25… all for me, we only have 28 people that work in our office total and some were at meetings in other towns. Also, some people came up from Alb., my prior office with the BLM. And if the people didn’t come, they called, sent gifts or even personally told me why they couldn’t make it and that they were sorry.

At my party, I was showered with gifts. I receive money collected from people in the office, a Star award, which is a monetary award for working hard from my boss, more money from the Alb. office, more presents, free lunch AND dessert, and finally they gave me a huge box full of gag gifts on becoming a house wife! Lol (You know, aprons, dusters, house coats, curlers, cook books, ect.)

Why would anyone ever want to leave such a wonderful place with such wonderful people?
I’m not sure, but I’m doing it. I will definitely miss working with all of them!

Here are some photos of some fun times :

INVASION!!

Friday I got invaded by my in laws.

Now this normally wouldn't be a big deal, EXCEPT: they are staying for a week, Ryan won't be here most of the time they are staying with me, they have 3 animals and we are in the process of moving (a week from Monday).

Chaotic, Right?

I thought the biggest stressor for me would be the animals. They have 2 baby kittens that are only about 4 weeks old and they have a brand new puppy. But I'm not gonna lie, I have a baby kitten asleep on me as I'm writing this :) and my dog just loves their puppy.

The worst part is trying to clean up and pack stuff around them. Ugh, it is so frustrating. We are having movers pack and move us, but I have to pack some personal stuff and I have to pack stuff up for my Grandma as well. ( For those that didn't know we are staying in and taking care of her house for her, but as soon as we move out she is selling it.)

I actually kind of like a houseful, but I didn't realize how much I missed my peace and quiet time! If someone isn't talking or arguing there is a dog barking or a kitten crying. (And boy can their dog bark!)

Anyway... that is my rant and the reason for my lack of blogging.. I don't have time to use my computer! But my house is quiet now, so I'm going to take a nap. :) sweet.