I got a job!!

I am now employed by Marion County. I am a Data Collector in the Appriaser's Office. I am surprised, but I really like it! LOL! My day consists of collecting data (hardy har) out in the "field" which means, I leave the office, drive to a farm or home, check the measurements from 6 years ago to confirm they are right or make changes, and check to see if all buildings are still there, if new ones have gone up, or old ones have blown away or fallen down. Each township is rotated, so each year, there are new areas to check and re-evaluate so there is always something to do. Right now we are doing 11 townships. City of Lehigh, Marion Commercial Buildings, Lost Springs, Colfax, Moore, Durham Park, Lehigh, Centre, Grant, Fairplay, and Catlin. We have 3 townships done (YAHOO) and working Durham Park right now. There are 157 agricultural farms, 11 residences, 48 farms, 2 churches, and 15 exempt buildings. I leave the office 9-ish, work till lunch time, take 30 minutes to eat, do 1 or 2 more places depending on how big they are and call it a day. I am fried. Literally. I head back to the office and input all my findings into my computer and sit and soak up the A/C! All together there are 2809 buildings to measure by the end of the year by the 4 of us. Its not easy work, but I work with great people. I think I will be given a car and sent on my own this week... I can do this, I can do this, I CAN do this!!  Its not so bad really. I've learned tricks to help me get thru it. I freeze 2 water bottles and those go in the bottom of my lunch bag to keep my lunch cold, plus they slowly melt, always giving me something cold to drink. I carry pretty hankerchefs to wipe my forehead, neck, and especially, my "girls". LOL! By the time I am feeling the heat, I am finishing up the house I am working on and its time to head to the car to cool down, write my notes and drive to the next place. but come about 1:30 or 2:00, I just cant cool myself down again so I call it good. My boss, totally understands and doesnt give any of us grief. She knows how hot it is and we are trudging thru doing what we can. Once this heat is over, I can be out there all afternoon, no problems. I cant tell you how ready I am for Fall and Winter! I sweat so much I should be stick thin, but I'm NOT! Something is wrong there! I am, however, a gorgeous shade of copper, however I do look like I'm wearing a white bikini when my clothes are off! hahahaha!!
You CAN find me in the dark!

My first desk. EVER. =D

Pedal Power

 Tyson's newest obsession. We've been to 3 fairs that have them and he has won all 3. He is determined to go to the Kansas State fair and win it there. I've been trying to talk him out of it because there will be over 1000 kids there and it will be an all day affair. Kids can only pull until they are 12 so, I imagine, on September11, I will be sitting with 1000 other sets of parents, waiting our turn ;) (They're only young once right?)

Their entry in the Hay Bale Decorating competition =)

Puppies

Sasquatch and Einstein

After much deliberation, we got another little boy. A snow white, 4 week old, Great Pyrenees, we've named Einstein. True LOVE. After 2 days, while I was at work, another puppy appeared- Einstein's brother. We've named him Sasquatch, one of those funny ha-ha's because he was the runt. Einstein was the biggest & fluffiest and Sassy, the smallest with the shortest hair. They are as different as night and day. It  has been SO hot outside that I sneak them inside. I dont get much grief ,they are just so darn cute! I look forward to watching them grow up.

Clearing my head.

Life is essentially sad.  Happiness is sporadic.  It comes in moments, in flashes and glimpses.  Extract every bit of blood from every single moment.

Living in the moment, thinking about the future, and staying connected to the past: that's what makes me feel whole.

Sex is emotional.  It's connection; it's intimate.  It's looking into somebody's soul.  It's naked in every sense of the word.  It's the hardest thing in the world if you do it right.

Tuesday is the worst day of the week.  You don't know whether to look forward or back.

After four hours on the road in a car, I'm having conversations with dead relatives and reliving arguments with old boyfriends and thinking of my first-grade teacher and pondering the universe.  Its a phenomenon that blows my mind every single time I realize I am doing this.

Do what makes you feel good, whether it's feeding your ego, feeding your face, or feeding the hungry.

Mediocracy is underrated.

The sun is always shining somewhere.

Wisdom and love have nothing to do with each other.  Wisdom is staying alive, survival.  You're wise if you don't stick your finger in the light plug.  Love -- you'll stick your finger in anything.

If you're looking outside yourself for substantiation of your own happiness, you're going to fail.

It's impossible to interact with an eighteen-month-old child and not come away with the impression that all people are fundamentally good.

I'm just struggling to get through the damn day.

I am dysfunctional by choice. 

Humor.  Wit.  Sex appeal.  That order.

Do something that you really like, and hopefully it pays the rent.  As far as I'm concerned, that's success.

When it's over for a woman, it's over.  You don't get an appeal.  Ever.

I believe that all roads lead to the same place -- and that is wherever all roads lead to.

Some failures are right.  

Those who say don't know.  Those who know don't say.  That holds up over time.

At a certain point you know the last chapter, but you don’t want to write it.

At the end of the day, when you're eighty years old and looking back at your life, you want to have minimized the number of regrets you have.  That's what should drive people -- not how much money they have.  It's regrets that I think haunt people at the end of their life. I don't regret the chances I took. I regret those that I didn't take. You can only hope that when it’s time, you feel like you said what you wanted to say.  Nobody wants to go out mid-sentence. So don't.

Girls Night

My first since I've been back in Kansas. There were only 12 of us in the bar, but the band was excellent and we had fun! We were celebrating with my friend, Brenda, for her birthday. We don't need a roomful of people to make a good time =)

ouch!

Never in my life had I had a broken bone. Even after 4 babies, never even a stitch. That changed last night. A Chicken crate and I had a "fight" and the crate won. Oh the irony! I never thought I would see what the inside of me looked like. Last night I saw fat and muscle. It wasn't pretty. The kids freaked. I don't. I shut down. I don't say a word. I don't cry. I may forget to breathe, but I am in complete control. The EMT looked at it and said: "wow. that's bad." not very reassuring. The doctor looked at it and said: "Wow. that's bad. Again, really?  thanks? He stitched for 2 hours. 22 in all. He doesn't know if its going to work. He stretched the skin back over the gap and its tight and very thin in spots. I go back in 10 days and he will take every other stitch out and go back in 10 more days to take out the rest. We'll see. If not, I'll have to go to to a plastic surgeon for skin grafting to cover it up. I will baby this leg for the next 3 weeks. Someone refill my drink please?

Note to self: never wear this shirt again...it makes you look fat laying on the ER bed.

Cutie patoootie Dr. Brown working his magic and stitching me up.

               

I am SO thankful my best friend, Karen, came and drove me. She literally held my hand, kept me talking and joking and NOT freaking!

busy- busy bee

I've been helping a friend, Tish, during the week unpack boxes, clean things up and set up auctions. Its Fun but I also find TOO much that I think I MUST have! LOL!! She pays me, which is nice, but, I enjoy getting away so much and have such a good time with her, I'd do it for free... (shhhhhh)

I have 3 real good job leads. 2 at the Marion County Courthouse- 1 is in the treasures office and the other is in the appraisers office. I would rather have the treasurer job, but I wont be picky. I also have an application in at our school. Its a K-12 school all in 1 building. It would be PERFECT for me! I could be "with" the kids all day, and have holidays and summers off! THIS is the one I WANT!! Probably wont hear about any of them for another week. I REALLY sold myself on paper and I hope that makes them want to interview me. If I can get that interview one on one, I WILL get a job!

I'm starting to really enjoy being here on this "farm" I have that garden that takes up my evenings. The goats, chickens, and 6 baby kittens. The roosters are learning to crow which is too freakin adorable and the turkeys are quite ugly, though very sweet and learning how to gobble! We "lost" 2 guineas but they've been spotted down the street, so the kids and I will take a walk and try to locate them before they become coyote food.

I'm starting to get the decorating itch and have been slowly going through boxes and at least found all my pictures. They're not actually ON the walls yet, but I'm a step closer at least and now we can actually close the garage door! LOL! We had a window taken out of the dining room and a door put in. Its nice to walk out it and be in the backyard. Next project is a deck off that door. Have all the wood for it but its still lying on the trailer because a new chicken coop took precedence. I hope they start laying soon!!

I am enjoying my first summer not working in over 6 years, but I am also SO ready to go back to work! Its a catch-22! I'm smoking way too many cigarettes and spending too much damn time playing Angry Birds on my phone! They weren't lying when they said it was addictive! LOLOLOL!!

Later taters, birdies are calling my name! I'm to level 3-16 and its frustrating me! I refuse to have a phone game smarter than me!