I am sooo frustrated right now!
I have determined that my dog does not feel safe in her own backyard and I think that sucks.
For the past month or so (if not longer) our next door neighbor's German Shepherd mix has been jumping our 5 foot cinder block wall into our yard. At first I wasn't that upset about this because Bailey, who is such a social butterfly, seemed to really enjoy the other dog's company. Then, I started noticing an extra amount of dog poop in the yard and I noticed it was not Bailey's poop. (Come on... anyone that owns a dog, knows what their dog's poop looks like, or at least what it doesn't look like. lol) Then one day I saw the dog from next door dropping her big ole number 2's in my yard and then the next day I saw her jump the fence, pee and then jump back. It was like she was just using our back yard as a toilet. Then Ryan and I started noticing these big holes in our yard. I had a hard time believing Bailey was digging them, since she's never been a digger, and then I caught the dog next door digging the holes. (Not to mention the next door neighbor's yard is PERFECT and ours has poop and holes in it... grrr...)
Now, this should have been enough to make us go talk to our neighbors... but I wasn't looking forward to talking to them. Especially since they are the neighbors that have yet to even wave to us, more or less introduce themselves.
This morning was the last straw for me. I was sitting on my couch, watching TLC and playing on the Internet... my usual activities.... when I hear Bailey cry. I heard growling and crying from my backyard. I immediately freaked out. I jumped up, banged on the window (the dog usually bails at the first sight or sound of us), and went outside screaming and yelling at the dog. She of course bailed, but Bailey was VERY freaked out. Her hair on her back was standing up and the other dog had bitten her face. She wasn't bleeding, but she has a couple lumps on her face. (I took pictures.)
I was soo upset I put Bailey in the house (for most of the day) and went next door to go formally meet my neighbors. They didn't seem to care much, but I made it very clear that I did not appreciate their dog in my yard and did not expect my dog to be attacked again.
THEN, at like 8:30ish this evening, I was talking on the phone to my mom, actually telling her the story of the dog and neighbors, when ANOTHER dog, that I've never seen before, jumps our back fence into our yard! Bailey was outside and was Freaking out. She started barking, which made me look outside and sure enough I saw the strange dog jump our fence.
I am completely baffled why dogs are jumping into our yard. I mean, the neighbors dog I guess i can see... but this strange dog? What the heck? I have no food out, even Bailey's water is inside the garage (she has a doggy door that goes in there) and Bailey is spayed.
The strange dog looked like a collie mix and it struggled clearing the fence. Bailey was NOT happy that the dog was there... in fact her hair was standing up and she was standing right by the door, but was growling and barking.
Earlier in the evening I barbecued steaks outside (I know it was really cold) for dinner. I wanted to play with her while I was grilling, but she kept looking over at our fence and I think she kept worrying that the dog was going to come over. I feel bad for her because I don't want her to not feel safe in her own yard, plus I don't want strange dogs to just jump in our yard whenever they want.
I talked to Ryan about getting an electric fence to run on the top of our fence, but he didn't really seem into the idea. Plus it sucks we have to buy things to keep other people's dogs out of our yard... and he just wants to shoot them.
Any advice?? And sorry this is long, but thanks if your read it all.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I've got a Contract!
Today I met with the president from the NMSU branch, here in Grants. We have been emailing for awhile about how they need help working on their internal newsletter.
She actually took quite a bit more convincing than I expected, but in the end I convinced her to let me try working on the newsletter. She agreed and is drafting a 4 month contract for 4 newsletters.
I am pretty excited to have finally found some work! But I am also a little nervous because I know she wants it to be perfect and she wants it to be her way, only.Plus, blogging is really the only writing I have done in MONTHS. I won't start working on anything until next week or the week after. So I will officially be enjoying my remaining free time, until I start working! :)
She actually took quite a bit more convincing than I expected, but in the end I convinced her to let me try working on the newsletter. She agreed and is drafting a 4 month contract for 4 newsletters.
I am pretty excited to have finally found some work! But I am also a little nervous because I know she wants it to be perfect and she wants it to be her way, only.Plus, blogging is really the only writing I have done in MONTHS. I won't start working on anything until next week or the week after. So I will officially be enjoying my remaining free time, until I start working! :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
My Lunch / job hunting
Today Ryan's grandpa set up a lunch for Ryan and I. It was pretty much a meet and greet with some people from Grants that he knows and people who might be able to help me find a job.
I was incredibly nervous about this, mostly because I didn't know what to expect and the list of people attending kept changing on a daily basis.
This morning I found out that a couple of the people invited couldn't make it. It ended up just being 5 of us. Ryan and I, Ryan's grandpa Denny, Joe Fidel and Justine Fox-Young.
I am sure you all know who Joe Fidel is... but if you don't... Joe Fidel, who is 84 years old, is very big in NM politics. He was a Senator and spent 34 years in the NM legislature. I am soo glad he came to lunch! I learned all about the history of Grants, politics and Joe Fidel. He is such a nice man.
Justine Fox-Young is the youngest person to hold a seat in the NM legislature. She was elected in at the age of 24! She is only 5 years older than me and soo accomplished! She has known Ryan's grandpa and Joe for years and I believe her dad was also very involved with politics.
The lunch went well and I got along well with both of them. Joe Fidel asked for my resume, he is retired, but has a lot of connections... so we will see what happens.
Even better news was Ryan's grandpa called us after the lunch and said that Justine was very impressed with me. (I was super excited!) I am not sure where this will go, but at least I am getting my name out there and I have a couple of people on my side.
Meanwhile, tomorrow I will be meeting with the President of the NMSU branch here. She wants to talk with me and hopefully we will be working on a contract so I can do some PR work for them. :) It will most likely just be working on their internal newsletter and it will be part time, so I will still be looking for a full time job.
So that is my job hunting update.... and more will follow.
I was incredibly nervous about this, mostly because I didn't know what to expect and the list of people attending kept changing on a daily basis.
This morning I found out that a couple of the people invited couldn't make it. It ended up just being 5 of us. Ryan and I, Ryan's grandpa Denny, Joe Fidel and Justine Fox-Young.
I am sure you all know who Joe Fidel is... but if you don't... Joe Fidel, who is 84 years old, is very big in NM politics. He was a Senator and spent 34 years in the NM legislature. I am soo glad he came to lunch! I learned all about the history of Grants, politics and Joe Fidel. He is such a nice man.
Justine Fox-Young is the youngest person to hold a seat in the NM legislature. She was elected in at the age of 24! She is only 5 years older than me and soo accomplished! She has known Ryan's grandpa and Joe for years and I believe her dad was also very involved with politics.
The lunch went well and I got along well with both of them. Joe Fidel asked for my resume, he is retired, but has a lot of connections... so we will see what happens.
Even better news was Ryan's grandpa called us after the lunch and said that Justine was very impressed with me. (I was super excited!) I am not sure where this will go, but at least I am getting my name out there and I have a couple of people on my side.
Meanwhile, tomorrow I will be meeting with the President of the NMSU branch here. She wants to talk with me and hopefully we will be working on a contract so I can do some PR work for them. :) It will most likely just be working on their internal newsletter and it will be part time, so I will still be looking for a full time job.
So that is my job hunting update.... and more will follow.
BTW
By The Way.... I totally called the winner of the Miss America Pageant.
Miss Indiana, Katie Stam is 2009's Miss America.
I know I didn't post it, but I also thought that the first runner up would be Miss Georgia. The rest of the top 5 caught me off guard except for Miss California, who's name is Jackie. :)
Anyway just thought I'd post to update, in case nobody watched the show.
Miss Indiana, Katie Stam is 2009's Miss America.
I know I didn't post it, but I also thought that the first runner up would be Miss Georgia. The rest of the top 5 caught me off guard except for Miss California, who's name is Jackie. :)
Anyway just thought I'd post to update, in case nobody watched the show.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Our weekend of Parenting
Last Thursday we headed to Socorro to take care of Ryan's sisters, while his mom was in the hospital after getting surgery done on her foot.
My parents picked up the girls from school on Thursday, took them to dinner and then hung out with them until we got there. We got there late, so we picked up the girls and then left to their house to get them ready for bed.
The next morning I got up early and got ready before everyone else. I went to wake up Katie (Who apparently isn't a morning person) and I got yelled at. My confidence level went from like a ten to a negative ten on the parenting level. I went into her room, turned on the light and sat on her bed, I rubbed her back and said Katie, it's time to get up. She pulled her covers down and yelled, Leave Me Alone!!! Me being an only child, I've never really had to wake up anyone before. I was kind of emotional, so I went to wake up Ryan and asked him to wake her up. He walked into her room, pulled the covers off of her, picked her up, set her on the floor and told her it was time to get ready.
After we dropped the girls off at school, we went to hang out with Ryan's grandparents. His grandparents are really neat people and an adorable couple, we really enjoy spending time with them! After spending a couple hours with them we then went to the girl's school to eat lunch with them. The girls were happy to show us off to their friends, plus we brought them lunch so they wouldn't have to eat cafeteria food. After lunch my mom showed me around the school (It is brand new) and showed us her art class, where Ryan and I had fun drawing pictures on the chalk board! lol That night after school we took the girls out to dinner with my parents and came back home and we watched Kindergarten cop with the girls! I haven't seen that movie in a very long time and the girls really enjoyed it!
Saturday we took the girls fishing... well.... My dad took the girls fishing and we came along. We couldn't fish because we didn't have licenses, but the girls and my dad could. Rebecca really wanted to fish and Katie didn't really care to, but my dad casted two poles out and handed each one a fishing pole. Not even 15 minutes into Katie's pole was bending like crazy and she had one massive trout on the other end of it! She caught a trout that was a pound and a half and over a foot long! (Bigger than any fish my dad had caught in awhile!) Rebecca was jealous and really wanted to catch one, but after an hour or so it was getting cold and we called it quits. Luckily my dad 3 more fish that he had caught previously in the week, so we all got to eat a fish dinner at my parent's house!
I took tons of pictures of the girls fishing, but I will have to post them later because I had to use Ryan's mom's memory card because I left mine at home... so I am waiting for her to post them and then I will share.
Sunday we took the girls to Church, lunch and then shooting at the shooting range. Rebecca really enjoyed shooting, but Katie... not so much. (Don't worry they only shot 22s and we held the gun for them... it was very supervised.) After that we took them home and headed back to Grants. It was very sad and hard to leave them, especially since they were crying when we left. But their grandma was there and their mom came home yesterday, so I bet they are over joyed to have life be normal!
I think Ryan and I learned a lot about ourselves this weekend. I think we make a good team and could be very good parents. We did and said everything from, eat all your food, clean your room, go to bed, brush your teeth, wake up, you will go to school tomorrow, no ifs ands or buts, don't fight with your sister, make sure your dog is fed and watered, be nice to your grandparents to pay attention in church. It is amazing how your priorities change when you are taking care of a child or children that you truly care about.
Before this weekend I had been contemplating wanting to have a family. I always knew that I wanted a family, but recently had been thinking otherwise. I had been worrying about what would happen if we had a baby that wasn't perfect. I watch all the shows on TLC all day about babies born like mermaids, how 1 in however many babies are born with autism, born midgets or any other things that they make shows about. But I realized this weekend that it doesn't matter what your child is like, BECAUSE it is your child and you will love it unconditionally, no matter what. :) This doesn't mean we will be having a child anytime soon, so don't get excited. We plan on enjoying married life for awhile and just go with the flow. But at least I know we can be parents and will make a great team, all while loving our children unconditionally. :)
My parents picked up the girls from school on Thursday, took them to dinner and then hung out with them until we got there. We got there late, so we picked up the girls and then left to their house to get them ready for bed.
The next morning I got up early and got ready before everyone else. I went to wake up Katie (Who apparently isn't a morning person) and I got yelled at. My confidence level went from like a ten to a negative ten on the parenting level. I went into her room, turned on the light and sat on her bed, I rubbed her back and said Katie, it's time to get up. She pulled her covers down and yelled, Leave Me Alone!!! Me being an only child, I've never really had to wake up anyone before. I was kind of emotional, so I went to wake up Ryan and asked him to wake her up. He walked into her room, pulled the covers off of her, picked her up, set her on the floor and told her it was time to get ready.
After we dropped the girls off at school, we went to hang out with Ryan's grandparents. His grandparents are really neat people and an adorable couple, we really enjoy spending time with them! After spending a couple hours with them we then went to the girl's school to eat lunch with them. The girls were happy to show us off to their friends, plus we brought them lunch so they wouldn't have to eat cafeteria food. After lunch my mom showed me around the school (It is brand new) and showed us her art class, where Ryan and I had fun drawing pictures on the chalk board! lol That night after school we took the girls out to dinner with my parents and came back home and we watched Kindergarten cop with the girls! I haven't seen that movie in a very long time and the girls really enjoyed it!
Saturday we took the girls fishing... well.... My dad took the girls fishing and we came along. We couldn't fish because we didn't have licenses, but the girls and my dad could. Rebecca really wanted to fish and Katie didn't really care to, but my dad casted two poles out and handed each one a fishing pole. Not even 15 minutes into Katie's pole was bending like crazy and she had one massive trout on the other end of it! She caught a trout that was a pound and a half and over a foot long! (Bigger than any fish my dad had caught in awhile!) Rebecca was jealous and really wanted to catch one, but after an hour or so it was getting cold and we called it quits. Luckily my dad 3 more fish that he had caught previously in the week, so we all got to eat a fish dinner at my parent's house!
I took tons of pictures of the girls fishing, but I will have to post them later because I had to use Ryan's mom's memory card because I left mine at home... so I am waiting for her to post them and then I will share.
Sunday we took the girls to Church, lunch and then shooting at the shooting range. Rebecca really enjoyed shooting, but Katie... not so much. (Don't worry they only shot 22s and we held the gun for them... it was very supervised.) After that we took them home and headed back to Grants. It was very sad and hard to leave them, especially since they were crying when we left. But their grandma was there and their mom came home yesterday, so I bet they are over joyed to have life be normal!
I think Ryan and I learned a lot about ourselves this weekend. I think we make a good team and could be very good parents. We did and said everything from, eat all your food, clean your room, go to bed, brush your teeth, wake up, you will go to school tomorrow, no ifs ands or buts, don't fight with your sister, make sure your dog is fed and watered, be nice to your grandparents to pay attention in church. It is amazing how your priorities change when you are taking care of a child or children that you truly care about.
Before this weekend I had been contemplating wanting to have a family. I always knew that I wanted a family, but recently had been thinking otherwise. I had been worrying about what would happen if we had a baby that wasn't perfect. I watch all the shows on TLC all day about babies born like mermaids, how 1 in however many babies are born with autism, born midgets or any other things that they make shows about. But I realized this weekend that it doesn't matter what your child is like, BECAUSE it is your child and you will love it unconditionally, no matter what. :) This doesn't mean we will be having a child anytime soon, so don't get excited. We plan on enjoying married life for awhile and just go with the flow. But at least I know we can be parents and will make a great team, all while loving our children unconditionally. :)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Weekend
What a weekend!
We had such a good time this weekend, just like expected. I am still recuperating because I think I came down with a little bug hanging out with children. I will write a more in depth blog tomorrow... until then I would like to share my favorite moment of the weekend spent with Ryan's sisters.
Setting the scene:
It is Friday Morning and the girls are getting ready for school.
Katie gets up an hour before she has to leave... she picks out her sparkly jeans, pink shirt and matching pink sweatshirt and spends the rest of her time straightening her hair, so she looks perfect.
Rebecca gets up 30 minutes before she has to leave... she grabs her most comfortable pair of black sweatpants, pulls on white socks, brown shoes and a grey sweatshirt. I am not sure if she usually does her hair, but on this day I was doing her hair for her.
Katie walks in the room and says, "Becca, you are NOT wearing this to school today. Not only does it not match you have high waters"
Becca responds, "Yes I am and I don't care"
Katie, while grunting and groaning, "Becca you cannot wear that!"
Becca responds, "I am."
Katie then says (my favorite moment of the weekend), UGH, Becca! You are going to make us look bad!"
Lol
I was trying not to laugh the whole time and Rebecca could care less. Ahhh.. 10 year
olds!
We had such a good time this weekend, just like expected. I am still recuperating because I think I came down with a little bug hanging out with children. I will write a more in depth blog tomorrow... until then I would like to share my favorite moment of the weekend spent with Ryan's sisters.
Setting the scene:
It is Friday Morning and the girls are getting ready for school.
Katie gets up an hour before she has to leave... she picks out her sparkly jeans, pink shirt and matching pink sweatshirt and spends the rest of her time straightening her hair, so she looks perfect.
Rebecca gets up 30 minutes before she has to leave... she grabs her most comfortable pair of black sweatpants, pulls on white socks, brown shoes and a grey sweatshirt. I am not sure if she usually does her hair, but on this day I was doing her hair for her.
Katie walks in the room and says, "Becca, you are NOT wearing this to school today. Not only does it not match you have high waters"
Becca responds, "Yes I am and I don't care"
Katie, while grunting and groaning, "Becca you cannot wear that!"
Becca responds, "I am."
Katie then says (my favorite moment of the weekend), UGH, Becca! You are going to make us look bad!"
Lol
I was trying not to laugh the whole time and Rebecca could care less. Ahhh.. 10 year
olds!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I may have a break...
I think I just had a break in my job hunting...
All I have to say is:
You have to know people, that know people. :)
All I have to say is:
You have to know people, that know people. :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Unlucky
A bad time to be without a job.
Last year when I started my new job in Grants, I was very unhappy with it. I found this career finder place in Grants, I met with one of the people there and they put my name in their system. What they do is pretty much find jobs for you that match your strengths, weaknesses and previous job experiences. They have employers come to them with the type of job they need to fill and then they contact the people in their system that they think is a match. (A real life monster.com)
They called me in September or so and said there was a job at the local hospital, a temporary administrator job that they needed to fill immediately. I told them thanks, but no thanks because I wanted to stick it out with my BLM job. Things were getting a little better and I thought everything would work out. I asked them to take my name off of their list, for now.
Well... Last week I called them back to put my name back on their list for work. The lady that I met with last year called me back this morning. She told me that their business is extremely slow. They have 60% less jobs coming out.. and a lot of the companies that they work with aren't hiring because of the economy. She pretty much said it is an awful time to be unemployed, but she told me that they'd reactivate me and told me to keep my fingers crossed, but not to hold my breath.
Sigh...
Last year when I started my new job in Grants, I was very unhappy with it. I found this career finder place in Grants, I met with one of the people there and they put my name in their system. What they do is pretty much find jobs for you that match your strengths, weaknesses and previous job experiences. They have employers come to them with the type of job they need to fill and then they contact the people in their system that they think is a match. (A real life monster.com)
They called me in September or so and said there was a job at the local hospital, a temporary administrator job that they needed to fill immediately. I told them thanks, but no thanks because I wanted to stick it out with my BLM job. Things were getting a little better and I thought everything would work out. I asked them to take my name off of their list, for now.
Well... Last week I called them back to put my name back on their list for work. The lady that I met with last year called me back this morning. She told me that their business is extremely slow. They have 60% less jobs coming out.. and a lot of the companies that they work with aren't hiring because of the economy. She pretty much said it is an awful time to be unemployed, but she told me that they'd reactivate me and told me to keep my fingers crossed, but not to hold my breath.
Sigh...
Prediction
My Miss America Prediction
Miss Indiana will either win or be at least in the top 3.
The Miss America competition is this coming Saturday, January 24 on TLC (8/7 central) and this year they have had this show on TLC called Countdown to the Crown. I have watched every episode... they do little competitions in every episode and Miss Indiana is totally kicking butt so far. I really think she will be up there on the top 3, At Least! Miss New Mexico... unfortunately is drowning in the crowd of contestants so I don't see her doing that great, but you never know what the judges might think.
So that is my prediction... lets see if I am right. :)
http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/miss-america/contestants/contestants.html
Miss Indiana will either win or be at least in the top 3.
The Miss America competition is this coming Saturday, January 24 on TLC (8/7 central) and this year they have had this show on TLC called Countdown to the Crown. I have watched every episode... they do little competitions in every episode and Miss Indiana is totally kicking butt so far. I really think she will be up there on the top 3, At Least! Miss New Mexico... unfortunately is drowning in the crowd of contestants so I don't see her doing that great, but you never know what the judges might think.
So that is my prediction... lets see if I am right. :)
http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/miss-america/contestants/contestants.html
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Socorro
This coming weekend we are going back home to Socorro... and I am really looking forward to it!
Ryan's mom is getting surgery done on her ankle in Albuquerque so we are going to take care of my sister in laws while she is in the hospital. Ryan is taking Friday off of work and we are leaving for Socorro when he gets home on Thursday.
We haven't been back and I haven't seen my parents since Christmas, so I am pretty excited! Usually I am not that excited to hang out in Socorro, but for some reason I am really excited for this trip!
I think it is because we get to spend some quality time with Ryan's sisters... gosh I love those little girls! We are dropping them off at school on Friday, spending the morning with Ryan's grandparents and then eating lunch with his sisters in school... my mom will be on lunch duty (she is a teacher at their school) so that will make the lunch even more entertaining! lol
My mom is also really looking forward to our visit. I am not sure why, but she keeps saying how exciting she is to see us. :)
To make things even better, Ryan's brother might come hang out with all of us too! It should be a really fun weekend.
Too bad we have to leave our furry children home... That will be the only thing that will worry me while we are gone. I always hate leaving them when we go anywhere. :(
Maybe I will bring my camera and we will take some pictures over the weekend, just for fun and I can post them next week. :) I'm sure I will write a blog about how it all went!
Ryan's mom is getting surgery done on her ankle in Albuquerque so we are going to take care of my sister in laws while she is in the hospital. Ryan is taking Friday off of work and we are leaving for Socorro when he gets home on Thursday.
We haven't been back and I haven't seen my parents since Christmas, so I am pretty excited! Usually I am not that excited to hang out in Socorro, but for some reason I am really excited for this trip!
I think it is because we get to spend some quality time with Ryan's sisters... gosh I love those little girls! We are dropping them off at school on Friday, spending the morning with Ryan's grandparents and then eating lunch with his sisters in school... my mom will be on lunch duty (she is a teacher at their school) so that will make the lunch even more entertaining! lol
My mom is also really looking forward to our visit. I am not sure why, but she keeps saying how exciting she is to see us. :)
To make things even better, Ryan's brother might come hang out with all of us too! It should be a really fun weekend.
Too bad we have to leave our furry children home... That will be the only thing that will worry me while we are gone. I always hate leaving them when we go anywhere. :(
Maybe I will bring my camera and we will take some pictures over the weekend, just for fun and I can post them next week. :) I'm sure I will write a blog about how it all went!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Subbing
So I am completely nervous about this, but I am going to go fill out paperwork to become a substitute teacher.
My mom (a teacher) has been telling me to do this since day one. I have been putting it off because I thought, no sweat I will just find another job. Well, that is proving to be more difficult than expected. There just aren't that many jobs that I qualify for (correction officers, nurses, physical therapists, and pharmacists... none of which I am).
I've sent my resume to people, called people and applied for jobs, so I know my name is out there. I guess I am just playing the waiting game to see if anyone wants to hire me. But the waiting game sucks... so I may become a substitute teacher.
I am very nervous about this...
The Pros:
If you have a bachelors degree you get paid 70 bucks a day. Which isn't half bad.
It isn't a permanent position, so I could leave whenever I want if another job comes along.
There is an elementary school like 5 houses down from me.
And I like kids
The Cons:
The thought of being with 20 kids for 7 hours scares the crap out of me!
And I can't help but think about how mean kids were to subs when I was a kid... they hated subs AND once they even locked one of my subs in a closet!! How horrible.
I guess I have more pros than cons.... I am just nervous about it. The other good thing about subbing is I might have a possible opportunity to do PR with the community college here, but I know it would only be a part time job. So maybe I could do both and the money would be like full time?!
Thoughts? Advice?
My mom (a teacher) has been telling me to do this since day one. I have been putting it off because I thought, no sweat I will just find another job. Well, that is proving to be more difficult than expected. There just aren't that many jobs that I qualify for (correction officers, nurses, physical therapists, and pharmacists... none of which I am).
I've sent my resume to people, called people and applied for jobs, so I know my name is out there. I guess I am just playing the waiting game to see if anyone wants to hire me. But the waiting game sucks... so I may become a substitute teacher.
I am very nervous about this...
The Pros:
If you have a bachelors degree you get paid 70 bucks a day. Which isn't half bad.
It isn't a permanent position, so I could leave whenever I want if another job comes along.
There is an elementary school like 5 houses down from me.
And I like kids
The Cons:
The thought of being with 20 kids for 7 hours scares the crap out of me!
And I can't help but think about how mean kids were to subs when I was a kid... they hated subs AND once they even locked one of my subs in a closet!! How horrible.
I guess I have more pros than cons.... I am just nervous about it. The other good thing about subbing is I might have a possible opportunity to do PR with the community college here, but I know it would only be a part time job. So maybe I could do both and the money would be like full time?!
Thoughts? Advice?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
You Tube
Ryan's brother, his girlfriend, Katheryn and his friend Alex went to the El Paso Zoo the other day and Katheryn caught this amazing video of the boys at a Prairie Dog exhibit.
It is highly entertaining! I watched Alex smack his head like 20 times, but whole video is pretty good. So, I thought I would share! ENJOY!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I mentioned in an earlier blog (http://jaclynwaggoner.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-news.html) about how my Aunt and Uncle are expecting. Well, earlier this week they found out that they were having a little girl!
They are so very excited because they had all hoped and prayed that it would be a little girl, since my Aunt already has 2 boys. When she called to tell us the news she said that my Uncle was making all of her dreams come true! (Soo cute! lol)
I can't wait to start buying little pink things for her! But most importantly I can't wait to meet baby Isabella (Grace, or Sophia) Conticelli in June! :)
They are so very excited because they had all hoped and prayed that it would be a little girl, since my Aunt already has 2 boys. When she called to tell us the news she said that my Uncle was making all of her dreams come true! (Soo cute! lol)
I can't wait to start buying little pink things for her! But most importantly I can't wait to meet baby Isabella (Grace, or Sophia) Conticelli in June! :)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Noon? Really... it is already noon!
Today is day one of my job hunting.
I got up at 8:30 and I have been on my laptop ever since. I have emailed people, sent in applications and messaged people on facebook, all about possible jobs.
I can't believe that it is already noon. Minus a little Facebook Mafia Wars (My newest obsession) that is all I've done!
Holy cow... I need to take a break and get some of the other things done today!
I got up at 8:30 and I have been on my laptop ever since. I have emailed people, sent in applications and messaged people on facebook, all about possible jobs.
I can't believe that it is already noon. Minus a little Facebook Mafia Wars (My newest obsession) that is all I've done!
Holy cow... I need to take a break and get some of the other things done today!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Hunting
Well, I am officially on the hunt... the job hunt.
Last week I went to talk to the BLM boss in Alb. They said that there definitely might be possibilities for me with the BLM in the future, BUT nothing relatively soon. The boss, who is real nice and has known me for years, was pretty honest with me and told me to start looking around Grants to see if there might be anything here, because it would be easier than commuting to Alb. He also told me to continue with my work on the blood drive. He said not to sever the ties with both the BLM and the other federal agencies, because I never know what my future will hold.
So Monday I am going to start talking to some of my contacts in Grants. I will be sending my resume to a couple of people and making some phone calls. I will also be calling the Park Service and the Forest Service to let them know about the blood drive... and to ask if they have any openings... lol. So hopefully I will have a successful week of job hunting.
Wish me luck!
Last week I went to talk to the BLM boss in Alb. They said that there definitely might be possibilities for me with the BLM in the future, BUT nothing relatively soon. The boss, who is real nice and has known me for years, was pretty honest with me and told me to start looking around Grants to see if there might be anything here, because it would be easier than commuting to Alb. He also told me to continue with my work on the blood drive. He said not to sever the ties with both the BLM and the other federal agencies, because I never know what my future will hold.
So Monday I am going to start talking to some of my contacts in Grants. I will be sending my resume to a couple of people and making some phone calls. I will also be calling the Park Service and the Forest Service to let them know about the blood drive... and to ask if they have any openings... lol. So hopefully I will have a successful week of job hunting.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Better
So yesterday I was a little down and my post wasn't all that positive. However, today I woke up in a good mood! I got a lot of encouragement yesterday that there is life beyond the federal government and unemployment.
The best thing I heard yesterday was probably from my mom. She told me the BLM has spoiled me for 6 years (which is very true), but I have always worked and I have always worked hard and that I deserve to find a job that I will like. Good 'ole moms!
I have been very spoiled by the BLM, in fact I've never even had an official job interview, the BLM just hands me jobs and I accept them. What a life! The BLM pays very well and has great benefits. I am certain that I will be taking a pay cut working anywhere else, but as long as I am happier then it is worth it. The BLM has also been my like a family to me. I started working for them right after I graduated high school, so they have kind of seen me grow up. They saw me go through college, graduate and now get married. I will miss all the people there and I have made some very lasting friends, but I can always stop by and say hello.
I am meeting with one of the big BLM bosses tomorrow morning at 9, his name is Tom and I worked for him for 3 years. I am quite a bit nervous about this, just because I am not sure what he is going to say... and I am not sure what I am going to say. My hope in the back of my mind is that maybe he will offer me a job and I can commute to Alb a couple of days a week and still stick with the BLM. But knowing the economy and knowing the office, I am not sure that is even an option and I have no idea what type of job it would even be. Plus, I don't want to get my hopes up and cry or something... lol, so I am going in there thinking this will be a goodbye to the BLM. I guess I will just have to keep you posted on how that meeting turns out.... eek.
Anyway, depending upon what Tom says tomorrow I am going to start emailing people, talking to people and meeting with people about possible jobs in Grants. In fact, I may start to today, just because I am anxious to see if there might be any possibilities.
That is all for today... stay tuned for the continuing saga of an Unemployed Newlywed! Ha!
The best thing I heard yesterday was probably from my mom. She told me the BLM has spoiled me for 6 years (which is very true), but I have always worked and I have always worked hard and that I deserve to find a job that I will like. Good 'ole moms!
I have been very spoiled by the BLM, in fact I've never even had an official job interview, the BLM just hands me jobs and I accept them. What a life! The BLM pays very well and has great benefits. I am certain that I will be taking a pay cut working anywhere else, but as long as I am happier then it is worth it. The BLM has also been my like a family to me. I started working for them right after I graduated high school, so they have kind of seen me grow up. They saw me go through college, graduate and now get married. I will miss all the people there and I have made some very lasting friends, but I can always stop by and say hello.
I am meeting with one of the big BLM bosses tomorrow morning at 9, his name is Tom and I worked for him for 3 years. I am quite a bit nervous about this, just because I am not sure what he is going to say... and I am not sure what I am going to say. My hope in the back of my mind is that maybe he will offer me a job and I can commute to Alb a couple of days a week and still stick with the BLM. But knowing the economy and knowing the office, I am not sure that is even an option and I have no idea what type of job it would even be. Plus, I don't want to get my hopes up and cry or something... lol, so I am going in there thinking this will be a goodbye to the BLM. I guess I will just have to keep you posted on how that meeting turns out.... eek.
Anyway, depending upon what Tom says tomorrow I am going to start emailing people, talking to people and meeting with people about possible jobs in Grants. In fact, I may start to today, just because I am anxious to see if there might be any possibilities.
That is all for today... stay tuned for the continuing saga of an Unemployed Newlywed! Ha!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Bad News
So my ex boss just called me and told me some bad news.
I did not get the job, the park ranger job out here. He said I didn't even make the list. This is all pretty upsetting to me. I secretly thought that I was just going to be a shoe-in... I worked out here for 6 months and new almost everything about the area.. I tried... I thought I really put in the effort.
He said I didn't make the list because I didn't have enough interpretive experience... which sucks. I was supposed to be shadowing and getting mentored by the interpretive lady out here, but she wasn't putting the effort forward to really show me anything. Our boss new about it and didn't do anything to fix it soo... because of bad manager skills... Jackie is out of a job.
I am a little frustrated and a lot disappointed, but maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I wasn't all that happy here, both with work and with my boss and I didn't feel like I was really making a difference with my job... I was just kinda there and my heart wasn't in it.
I am just nervous because I am not sure where this leads me. I was kinda relying on the job... so I guess I'm on the job hunt again?
I am going to meet with the bosses in the Alb. BLM and see what, if anything, they can do for me. I am guessing if they can do anything it would be to work in Alb. and if there isn't anything then, I am back to square one... like I was 7 months ago... and on the job hunt officially...sigh...
I did not get the job, the park ranger job out here. He said I didn't even make the list. This is all pretty upsetting to me. I secretly thought that I was just going to be a shoe-in... I worked out here for 6 months and new almost everything about the area.. I tried... I thought I really put in the effort.
He said I didn't make the list because I didn't have enough interpretive experience... which sucks. I was supposed to be shadowing and getting mentored by the interpretive lady out here, but she wasn't putting the effort forward to really show me anything. Our boss new about it and didn't do anything to fix it soo... because of bad manager skills... Jackie is out of a job.
I am a little frustrated and a lot disappointed, but maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I wasn't all that happy here, both with work and with my boss and I didn't feel like I was really making a difference with my job... I was just kinda there and my heart wasn't in it.
I am just nervous because I am not sure where this leads me. I was kinda relying on the job... so I guess I'm on the job hunt again?
I am going to meet with the bosses in the Alb. BLM and see what, if anything, they can do for me. I am guessing if they can do anything it would be to work in Alb. and if there isn't anything then, I am back to square one... like I was 7 months ago... and on the job hunt officially...sigh...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Blood Drive
I started donating blood about 4 or 5 years ago through my work and I am now a gallon donor. I originally did it because someone told me that if I donated through my work drive not only would I get paid for the time that I was donating, but I would get 2 hours of annual leave and get my name put into a drawing for an additional 8 hours of leave. Well, I have yet to win the 8 hours of leave and since then they stopped giving us the 2 hours of annual and I still donated.
When I moved to Socorro to work for the BLM there, they did not do blood drives. So I decided to become the office blood drive coordinator. We had 3 blood drives in the year I was there and they were all fairly successful. Donating blood is such a great thing to do, if you can donate, because they break your blood up into 3 parts and each part has the potential to save a life. So technically every time you donate you have the potential to save 3 lives.
When I moved to Grants I thought that I could never do a blood drive out here because we only had a staff of 5 people. Then I found out about the multi agency center that they have out here that combines all the federal agencies (BLM, Park Service and Forest Service). I thought, what a great way to combine all of the federal agencies in giving back to the community, by doing a blood drive.
Once I got a hold of all of the bosses and they approved of the idea then it was on to the United Blood Service (UBS) to get a date set. Well, that was the hard part. I wanted to do a drive in January because I thought I would still be working, but the UBS couldn't do anything out here until March... the very end of March.
So now I am put in a pickle. I no longer work for the gov't, yet I still really want to do this drive. As of right now I am going forward with it, with optimism that I will get rehired with the BLM before the drive happens.
I am meeting with the UBS lady this Friday. I am not sure if I should tell her that I no longer work for the gov't or if I should just kinda pretend like I still do. I called her this morning and left a message... I referred to myself as Jackie with the Bureau of Land Management, so she knew who I was and also because I still kinda see myself as a BLM employee, just because I've worked for them for soo damn long.
If I don't get the job, I will still do the blood drive, but I think it will just be a little bit awkward.
I guess I will just keep you updated.
When I moved to Socorro to work for the BLM there, they did not do blood drives. So I decided to become the office blood drive coordinator. We had 3 blood drives in the year I was there and they were all fairly successful. Donating blood is such a great thing to do, if you can donate, because they break your blood up into 3 parts and each part has the potential to save a life. So technically every time you donate you have the potential to save 3 lives.
When I moved to Grants I thought that I could never do a blood drive out here because we only had a staff of 5 people. Then I found out about the multi agency center that they have out here that combines all the federal agencies (BLM, Park Service and Forest Service). I thought, what a great way to combine all of the federal agencies in giving back to the community, by doing a blood drive.
Once I got a hold of all of the bosses and they approved of the idea then it was on to the United Blood Service (UBS) to get a date set. Well, that was the hard part. I wanted to do a drive in January because I thought I would still be working, but the UBS couldn't do anything out here until March... the very end of March.
So now I am put in a pickle. I no longer work for the gov't, yet I still really want to do this drive. As of right now I am going forward with it, with optimism that I will get rehired with the BLM before the drive happens.
I am meeting with the UBS lady this Friday. I am not sure if I should tell her that I no longer work for the gov't or if I should just kinda pretend like I still do. I called her this morning and left a message... I referred to myself as Jackie with the Bureau of Land Management, so she knew who I was and also because I still kinda see myself as a BLM employee, just because I've worked for them for soo damn long.
If I don't get the job, I will still do the blood drive, but I think it will just be a little bit awkward.
I guess I will just keep you updated.
Snow
I have a new found love for snow.
There is just nothing like snuggling with your husband in your den, with a fire going and snow flakes falling outside.
Before I moved to Grants, I didn't really see snow that often. And when I did, I was mostly concerned about whether the snow would give me time off of work or school for a snow delay. I am not sure that I really appreciated snow.
Since I moved here, I just stare at the snow in awe. It is soo beautiful and peaceful as it falls. There is just something very serene about snow.
Especially since I know that I don't have to work in it because of my time off... I really enjoy it because I know I don't have to venture outside if I don't want to and I can just sit and stare at it. :)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Unemployment
Well, it is January 2, 2009 and I am starting off the new year.... UNEMPLOYED!
Scary stuff right? Considering the unemployment rates are high and the economy is sucky... it might be a hard time to find a job.
The job I took when we moved out here, was a 6 month seasonal position. I took it because they promised to open up 2 full time positions before my 6 months were up. Well, they were supposed to open them in October, but park ranger positions aren't a high priority to the BLM so.... they opened them up the week of my wedding. I did apply for them, but I feel like I was soo preoccupied with the wedding that I may not have filled out my application to the best of my abilities. So we will see what happens. I was hoping to have already found out if I got the job or not, BUT my boss got snowed in on his mountain that he lives on almost 2 weeks ago and has yet to be able to come down. Plus, the other boss is on vacation because of the holiday seasons, so hopefully next week the bosses will all get together and figure out who they want to hire.
At first I was a little freaked out about not having a job and what would happen if I didn't get the position. But, now I have a change of heart. I still get paid for another 4 weeks, so I have 4 weeks to figure out what I am going to do. Hopefully the BLM won't take 4 weeks to tell me whether or not I got hired. If I do get the job, awesome! I will get a pay raise and can finally get federal status from working full time at a job that I don't really have to work that hard for. If I don't get the job, not a big deal. I am not 100% happy with it anyway. I have made a couple of contacts with other federal agencies out here and I may look into any openings that they might have. And if all else fails, I will substitute teach until the summer.
Anyway, I am trying not to stress about this and I am going to enjoy having some days off. I already have lots of plans, including trips to Alb for Dr.'s appointments (Ryan put me on his insurance), some shopping I have been putting off and I need to drop by the Social security office for that name change! Plus, my house could use some TLC as well.
Having time off also means, more blogs! So I will be sure to keep everyone posted on my unemployment status!
Scary stuff right? Considering the unemployment rates are high and the economy is sucky... it might be a hard time to find a job.
The job I took when we moved out here, was a 6 month seasonal position. I took it because they promised to open up 2 full time positions before my 6 months were up. Well, they were supposed to open them in October, but park ranger positions aren't a high priority to the BLM so.... they opened them up the week of my wedding. I did apply for them, but I feel like I was soo preoccupied with the wedding that I may not have filled out my application to the best of my abilities. So we will see what happens. I was hoping to have already found out if I got the job or not, BUT my boss got snowed in on his mountain that he lives on almost 2 weeks ago and has yet to be able to come down. Plus, the other boss is on vacation because of the holiday seasons, so hopefully next week the bosses will all get together and figure out who they want to hire.
At first I was a little freaked out about not having a job and what would happen if I didn't get the position. But, now I have a change of heart. I still get paid for another 4 weeks, so I have 4 weeks to figure out what I am going to do. Hopefully the BLM won't take 4 weeks to tell me whether or not I got hired. If I do get the job, awesome! I will get a pay raise and can finally get federal status from working full time at a job that I don't really have to work that hard for. If I don't get the job, not a big deal. I am not 100% happy with it anyway. I have made a couple of contacts with other federal agencies out here and I may look into any openings that they might have. And if all else fails, I will substitute teach until the summer.
Anyway, I am trying not to stress about this and I am going to enjoy having some days off. I already have lots of plans, including trips to Alb for Dr.'s appointments (Ryan put me on his insurance), some shopping I have been putting off and I need to drop by the Social security office for that name change! Plus, my house could use some TLC as well.
Having time off also means, more blogs! So I will be sure to keep everyone posted on my unemployment status!
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