Where have I been?

So sorry for the extended absence. We moved in late May. What a nightmare. It took me two full months to pack, what with a toddler following me around unpacking everything, and we still aren't all settled in the new, bigger and with a yard, house. We've had two family weddings, visits from out of state friends, adopted a dog and been through two major shift changes at work. It's been a crazy summer. But I'll be updating soon with pics and more details.....hopefully.

Found: Handy Website

I can't sing. But I'm a Mom now so I find myself constantly doing it anyway. Only, I can't remember any more than the first verse (or one line) from classics such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly." I get tired of singing the same verse over and over.......enter bussongs.com. A life saver.

The last 4 months....in pictures

Jealous?

Of my birthday present?




You should be.

I just turned 29....you needn't be jealous of that.

Life's like that

So I haven't blogged in a while. I haven't done anything in a while. Life's pretty routine right now. We wake up a 4am, we get ready for work, we go to work, we come home, we feed the animals, we go to bed around 9pm. I'm always thankful for the quite times because I know they won't last forever and I'll be longing for them again soon.



I did go to the library yesterday and got my SD county public library card! Woot! I know that it might seem a little weird that I'm completely stoked about a library card... but I love libraries, and I've decided that I don't need to buy anymore books. I rarely reread, and I don't have the room for them anyway. So here it is!

Update

Mike is now at the Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico. He left yesterday at like 4:30 in the AM. Sorry, I was so distracted by the thought of him being gone, that I never got pictures of him as he left or anything. Plus he got a cold (of course) a couple days ago and was in no mood for pictures. I'm on my own now for about 10 weeks. Mike's first couple of days have gone good. He's very nervous about all the studying and drill Sergent type screaming but I think he'll be fine.

I, on the other hand, am no good on my own. The last time Mike was out of town (for only 3 days, mind you) I thought that someone was trying to break into our apartment. I noticed a lot of rustling in the tree right outside our balcony and I thought someone was climbing it to get on the patio. My heart was racing, I could barely breath, I was scared out of my mind. I was literally screaming "I can see you, I know you're out there, I'm calling the cops right now..." I had dialed 911 and everything. After a couple of seconds and no response from the would be intruder, I got up the courage to walk over and turn on the patio light. I noticed two flashes of white and what sounded like whispering. Then all of a sudden two white, pointed faces looked through the leaves at me. My attackers? Nothing more that two Opossums fighting in the tree...they looked at me like I was an idiot and scampered away. See, told ya, I'm no good on my own.

I plan to work, finish my last math class, find a new home in SD, pack up the apartment, loose more weight and find a new job while Mike is away. Gotta keep busy lest my imagination gets the best of me!

Great News

Read Mike's post below...

So Mike's post was a little short and to the point so I'll elaborate a little. He (or should I say We) started the application process for the Border Patrol back in March. It was the most arduous task I've ever had to go through. I mean the amount of paper work was astounding. Mike passed the physical, written and psychological tests with flying colors and they finally called him on Friday. I'm so proud of him. He reports the the academy on the 3rd and it's all the way in New Mexico. He has to take a Spanish test when he gets there...that we are confident he will pass. Then training begins...then hopefully ends on the 20th of Nov. I'm not gonna lie...I'm terrified at the thought of being separated for that long. We haven't been apart for more than a week since we started dating back in '04. Plus he's going to come back all battle hardened or whatever...with the "Sorry honey, I can't tell you what I did today or I'd have to kill you" routine.

Mike also didn't mention how excited he is to be doing a job that really means something and makes a difference. He'll also get to use his Spanish and immerse himself in the Latin culture that he grew to love so much on his mission in Chile. It's a really great opportunity and that makes it all worth the trouble and scarryness.

He will be stationed in Imperial Beach. Yes...that means we will be moving further South eventually. I'm excited for the new adventure but a little overwhelmed by the suddenness of this. It will be fun and scary to move to a new place. I've lived here since I was 13 and there ain't much to figure out in Temecula, lemme tell ya. But I have been dreaming of living in San Diego since high school. (Mike's also proud that he could help make this dream come true).

I'll post more as we find out more and I'll try to get some pics of his newly shorn head!

im out

finally no more ultra steam. dont get me wrong, it was a job and niki and i have been ok but man it was crappy. i got the call from border patrol and am due to report to new mexico on september 3rd. im confident that i will pass the spanish test so i should be back on november 20th. asi que portense bien, cuidense y chaoito

Baby steps to a dream...

I graduated from Cal Poly, Pomona this summer with a Bachelors Degree in Zoology. It took eight, yes 8, years to accomplish this. I know that may seem like a long time to most, in fact I am often asked if I have a Masters or PHD... I don't. As of right now I don't plan on getting one. Maybe someday when I'm old and my kids are grown and I'm bored I'll go back to school. But for now the job hunt has officially begun.

So my big dream has always been to work with animals. Yes, I was the kid that always brought home stray animals and was constantly begging for crazy things like snakes, spiders, horses, and rodents. My Aunt Loly always humored me and taught me a lot about caring for all things great and small, (she has the same problem). I've bottle fed kittens, nursed baby birds back to health, worked for a Vet, found strays good homes, and have generally tried to do my part for the animal kingdom by living as green as I can.

I applied for every known position at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Denied. Why? Apparently they want experience and so the story goes...how do you get experience when you can't get a job? Volunteer work!

Brilliant. I like to work with animals and I can make a difference. (People, don't even get me started on the importance of getting out there and causing change) So, I e-mailed half the state and finally... I'm gonna start Volunteering at Cabrillo National Monument. Taking surveys of reptile populations, field work, being outdoors...what a dream come true. Seriously.