Stories from a God-Fearing Character Magnet

Spring has ended...

2011-05-18T19:15:00.002-06:00

So...true to form, i have been on hiatus for much longer than planned. Mostly due to my typicaly insane spring schedule. But i realized there was a HUGE story thst i neglected to record...so here goes.

On the first day of my Christmas break I ended up in the hospital with what turned out to be a bum gall bladder. After a few days recuperating at home, my mom came to take me and my three dogs to my hometown of Los Alamos, NM for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, while I continued to sloth around recovering from surgery, my mom and a friend took the dogs out walking. Understand, this is not what a typical urban dog owner (and certainly not a non-dog owner) would consider an afternoon walk. My mom, her friend and a pack of 7 dogs loaded into the car and took a ride into the mountains to hike the ski hill.

About 4 months earlier I had adopted my third dog. "Griffin" came from a neglective and abusive household, and trusted no one but me. Soon after I got him he had gone hiking with my mom and decided he was more comfortable returning to the car. He circled the car, keeping his distance from everyone until I came to pick him up so the rest of the crew could proceed with the hike. Because of this experience we had decided that it would be best to walk him on the leash this time, just in case he still wasn't comfortable enough to walk without me.

They arrived at the ski hill and before my mom had a chance to put the leash on, Griffin had joined the pack and started walking. Assuming that he had decided the group was trustworthy, the hike continued as planned, sans leash. About 15 minutes into the walk, Griffin decided the pack was to be trusted no more, and he took off. Because of Griffin's history, they decided the hike was officially over and project "catch dog" was on. Griffin started by playing hard to get and ran around in near proximity of the search for awhile. At some point, he decided he was no longer interested in playing...now he just wanted to get away.

After a while longer of calling, whistling and looking, they decided it was time to call in the familiar voice. Little did we know, that would do no good. My dad and I drove the 20 minutes up to the ski hill, never once anticipating what the next minutes, hours and days would hold. We came together as a family at the base of the ski hill and began the search. We called, we listened, we looked, and we called some more. About 4 hours into our search, Griffin was spotted in the parking lot of the ski hill. I headed that direction only to see him dash away again.

At this point I was trying to determine what could possibly be going through his head. Had I not given him more affection, love and even food over the past months than he had ever received? Had we not built a bond that could only be understood by other dog lovers? Had he not found himself a comfortable home with me? I could not understand why he was running away from the familiar.

Another 3 hours passed and our search party had evolved into a 3 point attack. My mom was 1/4 mile up the road in her car, my dad was a 1/4 mile down the road in his, and I was on foot in the middle. The sun had set about an hour earlier, and there had been no further sign of Griffin. About this time, what I consider to be a fairly keen sense of my surroundings led me to believe that I was being watched, if not stalked, by a mountain cat. I would be skeptical of that possibility if I were you too...but when it's happening, you KNOW it. Let's just say that it sounded like Lucy, my house cat, had been hooked up to surround sound and was picking a fight.

I decided it was time to get out of the middle of the dark road and into a vehicle or some other enclosed vessel! I called my mom and asked her to come get me, but then couldn't decide what was next. I realized that I was now in the middle of a dilemma that I would wish on no one. I had to decide, and worse act on the fact, that it was time to leave my dog, who was my responsibility, to fend for himself against the bitter cold and wild life of the mountains. I was going home to a meal and a warm bed, all the while knowing that I had made the decision to call off the search for the night. That is a feeling I will not soon forget.

I spent the 20 minute ride back down the mountain sobbing like a toddler. I skipped the meal and went straight to bed to cry some more. It was the first of what would be a string of restless nights.

On Christmas morning we all loaded back into the vehicle and returned to the ski hill. It was a cold foggy morning and visibility was minimal. We led out on foot and began the calling, whistling and searching again. I don't remember how long we stayed out that day, but I do remember the feeling of despair and hopelessness. If he had been lucky enough to make it through the night, surely he would be looking for someone to return to. With no sightings or any evidence of his presence, we left the mountain empty handed again.

The next few days would prove to be the proverbial emotional rollercoaster. Just when I would start to resolve that I would probably never see Griffin again, an internal berating would begin and I would be guilt ridden for "giving up" on him. At one point we received a call about a dog barking at the ski hill. The caller was sure that there were no other dogs up there and that it must be him. We dropped everything to return to the mountains only to come home without him again. We returned to the hill almost every day that week. Increasing the level of concern and decreasing the level of hope were the "big" cat tracks we saw every time we went looking.

Exhausted and heart-broken, I began wishing for news...even bad news. The not knowing was unbearable. Eventually it was time to return to Albuquerque, and I would have to move on. Before doing so, we sent out a bulletin to the shelter, vets and animal lovers throughout the town. I made a poster and put a lost dog ad in the paper. I left a sweatshirt with my scent on it to be taken back to the spot where we had last seen him. I was determined to do everything in my power so that I could never look back and say, "if only I had...".

...................................................................................................................................................................

On New Year's Eve, as I was getting ready to go out for the evening, I got a call from my mom. "I saw Griffin today, but he won't come to me. You have to come up if we're going to get him." Unbeknownst to me, my parents had responded to multiple sightings and returned to the mountains on multiple occasions since I had left. My dad will soon be undergoing shoulder surgery as a result of a tumble he took while trying to get his truck out of a ditch during one of these trips. The weather was treacherous and the chances were slim, but they continued to drop everything to try to bring Griffin home.

Needless to say, I made the drive back to Los Alamos that night and we planned to go out first thing in the morning. You would have thought we were preparing for a week long camping trip on Mount Everest...we had food, water, blankets, and enough winter clothing to keep a small army warm. We awoke early on New Year's Day, ate breakfast and drove back up the mountain again. I couldn't help spending the entire drive trying to dash my own hopes to avoid the pending disappointment of Griffin not coming home AGAIN.

We decided it was time for a different method of attack. Rather than driving around or walking around, I "hugged a tree". I went to the location where we had left my sweatshirt and a pack of lil' smokies...and where my mom had seen him the day before. Encouraged by the missing smokies, I took a couple blankets and donned my dad's hunting gear. I then sat in the snow, literally, for 30 minutes calling him over and over again. I don't know if it was intuition, or pure despair that made me decide to stop calling for him. Instead, I began to fervently pray that Griffin would realize that I was here and ready to take him home safe and sound.

After about 10 minutes of silence, I looked up to see Griffin's head look out over the ridge of the ravine; tentatively, but curious. My first thought was, he hasn't come to me when I called, why would he come to me now. (I still wish i knew why the calling did more damage than good) As soon as we made eye contact it was apparent that he DID know who I was, and he DID love and trust me. He came bounding through the three foot deep snow, climbed into my lap, and cried like I have never heard a dog cry before. He was kissing me and cuddling me and the look of relief in his eyes was unmistakable. I will be able to replay that scene in my mind until the day i die. It was truly cinematic.

We spent a couple weeks dealing with some minor complications from his escapades, but he is back to normal and happier than ever now. I still can't believe that he survived for 8 days and 7 nights in the freezing temperatures, surrounded by hungry mountain lions. I wish I knew what cave, den, tree trunk, etc., he found to keep warm. I have had day dreams about him making friends with the mountain cats, but I'm pretty sure that's due to watching too many Disney movies :-)

Although he ultimately came to me, I am eternally thafnkful to all of the individuals, families and organizations who didn't give up on finding him. It is true that animal lovers are kindred spirits, but the sense of community that I saw during and after my saga is one that rivals those I've witnessed during true disasters. Knwing that there was an entire support system who understood that in those moments, this WAS my true distaster, was a comfort that I can not possibly put into words.

So...fast forward 5 months...life is awesome! I think Griffin's little escapade made him realize that we humans aren't a bad thing to have around!

Chapter 4 (My Trip to the Alamo)

2010-12-03T15:12:00.003-07:00

Every year our staff attends our sectional meeting, which is a networking meeting among 6 different State Associations. Each year a different association hosts, and this year it was Texas. They brought us to San Antonio and we had such a great time! Just a quick overview...we stayed in the Emily Morgan hotel. Emily Morgan was the Yellow Rose of Texas. My very limited knowledge of the history is that she was the prostitute who distracted the general so that we could win the battle of San Jacinto. Here's a brief version of the story posted on the hotel's website...

The Battle of the Alamo (February 23-March 6, 1836) is considered by many historians to be the turning point in Texas’s fight for independence from Mexico. Six weeks after the battle at the Alamo in April of 1836, the Texan and Mexican armies moved their confrontation to a small prairie called San Jacinto. During siesta time on April 21, 1836, the Texas army led a charge against the Mexican camp. General Santa Anna, leader of the Mexican forces, had posted no guards, and the Texans won the decisive battle in less than an hour.

Folklore states that the Mexicans’ slow response to the Texans’ charge was due to General Santa Anna being otherwise occupied and entertained during his siesta by Emily D. West, a twenty-year old black indentured servant who had been captured along with other members of her household by the Mexican forces on April 16, 1836. Emily was indentured to Colonel James Morgan, and custom at the time dictated that indentured servants take the surname of their master, hence the reason she is more widely known as “Emily Morgan.” Though there is no official account of a woman in Santa Anna’s tent at the time, a journal entry written in 1842 by British traveler William Bollaert planted the seeds of Emily’s legend: “The Battle of San Jacinto was probably lost to the Mexicans, owing to the influence of a mulatto girl belonging to Colonel Morgan, who was closeted in the tent with General Santana (sic), at the time cry was made, ‘The enemy! They come! They Come!’ She delayed Santana so long that order could not be restored readily again.” While the loss of the battle is officially attributed to the overall carelessness of General Santa Anna, the folk legend of Emily Morgan’s role in the battle began to grow, with portrayals of Emily ranging from a sweet young girl who distracted the general with a simple dance to a cunning and clever vixen who drugged the Mexican army’s leader as he slept.

Not much is known about Emily Morgan’s life after the end of the Texas Revolution; after several disputes over her status as a “free black”—her papers confirming this were lost when she was captured by the Mexicans—it is believed she returned to her home state of New York. Her legend, however, continued to grow, and it is widely held that she was the inspiration for the much-loved song, “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” written shortly after the war.

A popular version of the song with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, from the 1944 film The Yellow Rose of Texas:

Found on the world wide web, December 3, 2010, http://www.emilymorganhotel.com/emily-morgan

Well, the hotel was initially built as a Medical Arts building, and housed patients at times. Certain floors are said to be haunted.

This was the view from my hotel window...

Yep...that's the Alamo!

The weekend was a great time. I participated in my first 18 hole golf tournament and played on the same team as our National Association Director. Fun times! We actually got to have dinner in the Alamo, which is a VERY rare occasion, so something I will definitely treasure. And, no trip is complete without a little bit of drama. One my co-workers managed to break her foot stepping off of a step (no criticism here, that's how I injured my ankle every time!), but didn't think it was that bad. By the end of the weekend she could barely walk, and was too stubborn to accept any help. When we got back into town, her first stop was the ER where they told her she had broken her foot in 2 places and that she was lucky she hadn't harmed it while walking on it! She's all recovered now :)

It was a fun time, and I am continually thankful that I have the job that I do. Not only do I get great opportunities such as this, but I LOVE my job! I love what I do, I love the people I work with, and I get paid well. Last week it really hit me that, even with such a great job there are days that I get home, crash on the couch and wonder if I can do it anymore. How in the world do people get up every morning to go to do work that they don't like, surrounded with people they don't like, at a job that they don't get paid dirt to do? Let me repeat...I AM SO BLESSED!!!!

Chapter 3 (The Newbie)

2010-12-03T13:49:00.009-07:00

As you all know (or most of you anyway...I love that I'm assuming there are enough people reading this that I can refer to you as "all") Sprite is getting old. He was my first pet that I got after leaving home and he was all my own. I got him my sophomore year of college and we've been through a lot together. Well...he'll be 13 in April. I decided that since he's getting up in age, and since I would DEFINITELY rather him be the mentor for a new addition as opposed to Caspian (LOVE him...but he can be a brat!), it was time to start looking for another dog.

I have really liked the American Eskimo breed. Yes, Sprite has some behavioral issues that I could live without, but I'm convinced those developed due to his being abused before I got him and that they are not a characteristic of the breed. So I started looking for an American Eskimo to adopt. I found a few here and there, but none of them were going to be a good fit for my household. Then I found an advertisement for an American Eskimo/Cocker Spaniel mix on Craigslist. More due to curiosity than interest, I asked for a picture and a back ground story. Well, the story goes that this young couple inherited this dog from the woman's aunt and that he was great but full of energy. She was ready to have a baby (and I mean REALLY ready...I was afraid I was going to have a whole new kind of adventure during our meeting!) and she said the dog was eating their chickens. She and her husband had decided, begrudgingly, that once she had the baby she wouldn't be able to keep up with the dog as well. It sounded legit enough for me, so I decided to go check out the dog.

Myself, Erika (a co-workers daughter who I affectionately refer to as mini-me), Sprite and Caspian loaded into my car and drove out to Moriarty to meet the couple and the dog. They opened the door of their truck and the poor thing was cowering near the stick shift and would not move. The husband lifted him out onto the ground and he seemed to loosen up a bit. I would soon determine that that's because he was no longer in an enclosed area with the man. Initially, I was pretty convinced that he wasn't going to work for me. But something kept me coming back. Sprite and Caspian seemed amiable enough, so eventually I decided to take "Reeses" home with me.

The car-o-phobia continued all the way back to Albuquerque. And he was so dirty that Erika was completely covered in red dirt by the time we got home. We decided that the first move should be a bath. Yet another phobia. Thank goodness she was there, because there is no WAY I would have been able to man handle him enough to stay in the tub for a bath. It definitely took all four hands, and we probably could have used a few more. Because he was so dirty, it took us a good 30 minutes to wash him well. Once we did we let him roam the house. Poor thing was so afraid for the first few days, I was starting to wonder if he was going to loosen up at all. Turns out, he had good reason to not trust humans.

I have a feeling he was abused, but even more so, neglected. We think he's about 3 years old, he had no records, had NEVER been brushed, had dew claws grown in circles, hadn't been fixed and was about 8 pounds under weight. When you consider that he should be about 30 pounds full grown, that's a sizeable ratio. He was definitely hit, and more than likely by the man. He STILL takes a while to warm up to my dad when he comes by (and he's a big teddy bear who is one of the dog's biggest fans!).

Ultimately, my luck in finding animals who need a good home continues. One of our first tasks was to rename him. Try saying "reeses" in an authoritative manner! Lucy and Caspian are named after characters in The Chronicles of Narnia. And Sprite, although many people tease him about his relationship to Dr. Pepper, was actually named for his sprite-like movements when I first got him. (A sprite is basically a mythical creature similar to a fairy.) So, to keep things balanced, we aimed for another mythical creature. The result...Griffin. And it fits him perfectly! He is a total mama's boy (I'm sure I had something to do with that) and has become a fast member of the family. He and Caspian are becoming great pals, and his interactions with Lucy are something you would have to see to believe. A glimpse...they give each other eskimo kisses! Sprite is still grumpy and I do my best to make sure he's not feeling nudged out. But he is just turning into a grumpy old man.

So...back to the issue of the breed. The dog is DEFINITELY not an American/Eskimo mix. I had settled into him being a mutt, but then he helped me solve the mystery. The first leash walk I took him on was quite enlightening. As we walked he kept bumping into my leg. Then I realized it was his TEETH bumping into my leg, which is a nice way of saying he was nipping my leg. I actually thought it was pretty cute, and didn't think too much of it at the time. When I was telling the story, a few different people piped in saying that he was "herding" me. (As a side note...the funniest thing about telling this story in person is that everyone thinks I'm saying "hurting," so instead of getting looks of understanding, I get looks of the "what a woos" variety. I've started saying "He was herding me, H-E-R-D-ing me.") Moving on...I decided to look up herding dogs. Oh my...I did NOT expect to see pictures of my dog pop up, but that's pretty much what happened. See below for comparison pictures. Turns out, I had found myself an English Shepherd...a breed that is rare to the United States, and for which you almost definitely have to be on a waiting list to get one. LOL...my unintentional breed snobbery continues! This means I now have a 1)Champion blood, AKC registered American Eskimo, 2)Pure bred Toy Poodle and 3)Rare, pure bred, highly desirable English Shepherd!

So with no further adieu, here is Griffin!

This is the best full body picture of him that I have.

This is a picture of an English Shepherd from the internet.

This picture, although VERY dark (sorry), is the best to capture how beautiful his face is.

Here's a glimpse, albeit a dark one, into his and Lucy's relationship. Incase it's too dark to pick out with out a description...they are both sleeping, and his arm is on top of her. I woke up to this one morning!

One big happy family!

So with the new addition, I may have officially turned into a zoo keeper! The picture above was taken when watching some late night television...Lucy is stretched out on my legs, Sprite is on the Left, Griffin on the right (don't tell them they were laying that close to each other), and Caspian's at the foot of the bed. They all have such character, and I really have been blessed with wonderful animals!

Chapter 2 (The Cruise)

2010-12-03T13:49:00.001-07:00

Shortly following graduation...ok, the next day...I set off on my graduation/30th birthday celebration cruise. Carrissa joined me, and although I had initially hoped for a large group of girlfriends, I think we had more fun being just the two of us! I have yet to find someone who I can travel with like I can with this girl. We always have a blast, we know when we're ready for some apart time, and neither of us takes it personally when it comes to that. I think it helped that her early to rise/early to bed ways combined with my sleeping in/night owl personality made for a built in alone time format! When we've traveled together before, we've had to initiate that apart time because we are waking together, spending the day together, and crashing together. This time, we had nowhere to go but elsewhere on the boat (for the most part) so there was no schedule that required set bed times and rising times. It was awesome! Here is us on our first night on the boat. Ready for some relaxation and entertainment!

Here is us on our formal night...we both had great tans and let's just say we were exploiting our assets!

Our first stop was Grand Turk, which was beautiful but more of a cruise island. We decided this would be a good time to do an excursion. Now, I have to give myself credit for truly conquering a fear with this one. We decided to to a Sting Ray/Snorkeling excursion. Quick side note...this would be a good time to know that I am terrified of water creatures. That's not entirely accurate, I am terrified of bodies of water through which I cannot see that happen to have creatures in them. So yes, this was different, but still a stretch. Let me see if I can paint you a picture...

We get on the little ship that's going to take us out to the island with all the sting rays. While we're going, the guides are going through the typical safety talk which I pretty much let go in one ear and out the other until I hear..."Don't worry, no one is going to get killed by a sting ray." Another pat on Kristin's back for not piping up with "Have you ever heard of Steve Irwin," the immediate thought the popped into my head. Well...seeing as this lessened my faith in our guide's ability to keep us safe, I decided it would be best to listen to the rest of the instructions so I could take responsibility for my own safety. He started talking about the Sting Ray Shuffle...assuming we weren't going to be coreographing a dance on our already time crunched trip, I listened even closer. The Sting Ray Shuffle refers to the concept of shuffling your feet through the sand when walking, rather than lifting up your foot to take a step. Why? Because sting rays really only attack when they are stepped on. Sounds easy enough, right? So we get on shore, we disrobe into our bathing suits, and about 20 of us enter the water en mass. Everything's going well, and I feel pretty darn confident in my shuffling abilities. We all get situated in a crude semi-circle around the guide while one of his minions fetches a sting ray. While they're doing this, another guide is telling us that there will be sting rays swimming in and out from around our feet and just to ignore them...wait, what???? Sure enough, about 2 minutes into the activities, a school of sting rays decided they would have a better chance at free food if they were doing acrobatics around the fleshy posts sticking out of the sand. At this point, I'm wondering why I decided to conquer this completely rational fear, and out of the water I go...

Briefly...then I decided that I would forever regret that move and that I needed to get myself back in the water, embrace the sting rays weaving in and out of my legs, and ready myself for whatever was next. So I shuffle myself back into the water, tolerate a few sting rays swimming around, and settle in to watch and listen to the guide. I hadn't thought about the tide, however, and was soon finding myself losing my footing as the waves were coming in. This may not sound like a big deal until you think of how you steady yourself when knocked off balance. Need help? You pick up your foot and place it down in a location more conducive to standing upright. Oh wait...I can't pick up my foot and put it back down because I am convinced that if I do so, I'll join Steve Irwin on the very small list of people who have been killed by a sting ray. So again, I ask you to imagine (and don't worry, I've come to grips with the fact that you'll be laughing) I am standing in the sand, the wave then comes in and knocks me off of my balance, I manage to keep one foot in the sand and I am flailing my arms around frantically in some sort of treading water attempt trying to stay upright while sliding my other foot down my leg and into the sand so that I don't step on a sting ray. Whew...just recounting it is exhausting!

Well, just when I got this down and was feeling quite comfortable, the guide calls me up. It's my turn to hold, kiss and be massaged by the sting ray. I almost ran out of the water again, but instead I mustered up the courage to shuffle my way to the front and come face to face with one of the cutest, yet ugliest creatures I have ever seen. Here are some pictures of the experience...

Holding the sting ray.

Sting Ray Massage

And Carrissa's turn. She's so tiny, she couldn't get her arms wide enough to hold him right.

Sufficiently convinced that I had conquered my fear to a satisfactory level, I decided it was time to get out. I waited on shore until the rest of the crew joined me (I would like to point out that there were a handful of people who NEVER got in the water) and it was time for snorkeling. Turns out, the snorkeling was really just an excuse to charge more for the trip...there wasn't really anything to see at that particular location, except for more sting ray. So instead I went back on shore and meandered around the beach. I walked onto some lava rock and suddenly see no less that 8 conch shells sitting out for the taking. (I did take one, endured the odor for the rest of the trip, made it all the way back home with it, only to realize that I had no way of polishing it.) I also found a beautiful piece of coral which I quickly claimed as my own.

At this point the guide calls us all to get back on the boat so we can head back. As I was getting onto the boat, a wave came in, and the coral was knocked out of my hand and back into the sea. I was bummed, but only temporarily cause I knew it was gone for good and there was nothing I could do about that. So I climb aboard and get myself settled for the short trip back to Grand Turk. Then one of the guides taps me on my shoulder and hands me my coral!!!! Our guide, Lucky, had seen me drop it, seen my frown and dove into the ocean to retrieve it for me! You would have thought I had been reunited with a long lost relative. I thought that definitely merited a picture with Lucky and the piece of coral, so here you go.

We returned to Grand Turk, relaxed on the beach for a bit, and then trekked back to the ship (not really much of a trek, but it sounded good). On our way out, I saw these beautiful flowers and wanted a picture in front of them. Wish I would have taken a close up of the flowers, but here's a picture of me and Riss as we were leaving Grand Turk Island.

That was the most exciting story from the trip, so the rest of the recap will be pretty brief! Our next stop was Half Moon Cay, by FAR the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. Due to the aforementioned fear of murky water, beaches and I don't typically mesh too well. But I was almost completely comfortable hanging out in this water. It was clear as clear can be, and so shallow. In the picture below, I am guessing we are about 30 feet into the water. The groups of people in the distance behind us are standing up! It was amazing, and I can now relate to the draw people feel to tropical locations.

Our last stop was Nassau which was really just a shopping stop. There wasn't too much to do without purchasing another excursion. We did some shopping through an outdoor market which may have been the craziest shopping experience I have ever had. Then we enjoyed some conch for lunch and made our way back to the ship. Not an overly exciting day, but fun nonetheless. Here's a picture of us as we are leaving Nassau...and yes, the water really was that blue.

So we got back to Miami, spent a day at South Beach (where I proceeded to get one of the worst sunburns in my entire life) and made our way to the airport to go home. It was an awesome time and a perfect way to celebrate!

Catching up...

2010-12-02T16:40:00.012-07:00

I really do enjoy writing on my blog, but for some reason I continuously forget about it. I am convinced that there are people out there who are upset by that and I ask that you let me continue to think that :-)

In all seriousness, I just wanted to put out one mass update on what has gone on in my life since I last wrote. First off, if you read my very last post, thank you for any thoughts and prayers that you sent out on my behalf. I continue to be humbled by God's faithfulness, and I rejoice in the fact that He will continue to mold me into the woman He wants me to be.

In May I graduated with my Masters in Educational Psychology. It felt like a long time coming, but when I think about it, it really didn't take me that long. I am just so glad to have it under my belt! I have made myself a promise to stay out of school (that sounds so vagrant!) until at least the age of 35. There are so many other things that I look forward to that require being part of the outside world. Remaining cooped up in 1) work, 2) a classroom, and finally 3) my home (doing school work) was counterproductive to accomplishing said goals! So, here is a picture of me walking the stage and receiving my diploma...and the last of it's kind for at least 5 years :-)

I was initially going to make this one large update, but after typing the next portion I realized it would make more sense, and be more reader friendly, to break it into chapters. So...end chapter one...

I CANNOT do it alone

2010-06-20T01:13:00.002-06:00

Most who know me would agree that I deal with issues of control, but I always tried to make myself believe that I was ultimately giving control to God. Laying here in bed, bawling like a baby, it's crystal clear that that is the last thing I have done. This post won't be long, but I am asking for your support. There are some things that I have always wanted to change and continue to be so frustrated with the lack of progress toward those changes. Tonight the conviction of my weaknesses and my refusal to admit to them and afford all control to God has led me to a fork in the road. The path that I would normally take, convinced that I can handle these issues without succumbing to them, hasn't worked for me and will entice me no longer. The other path, the True path, turning it all over to God and submitting myself to His will, is the only path that will lead to the future God has laid out for me. The problem is, that path terrifies me. I have chosen to take the first step on that path, and have no desire to turn back. But I've been here before...and somehow I always end up finding a trail which allows me more control.

I am asking for support through your prayers. And if you feel comfortable or led to ask of my progress, I would be thankful for that accountability. From here, I can do no more than give myself to God and follow His lead. This is a point where He will carry me through the sand, to borrow the imagery of Footsteps. I am deciding right now to be comfortable in His arms and not fight for my own footing until I can be confident that I will walk beside Him and not away from Him.

Thank you for your prayers, your understanding and your support.

I DID IT!!!!!!

2010-04-09T23:00:00.002-06:00

This will be brief, because it's 11 PM and I'm still at work. But, I wanted to make sure to get it on there that yesterday I was awarded my Masters in Educational Psychology! I wasn't sure how it was going to go (see last post) and after reading my answers back, I'm not sure I would have passed me...BUT...they did!

Party details to follow!

Call it a break...albeit a brief one

2010-03-21T16:05:00.003-06:00

This is a very brief post just to let everyone know that I alive, while at the same time allowing myself a break from comp preparation! I write my comps for my Masters tomorrow and Tuesday...12 hours of writing...woo hoo. To say that I am excited to get it over with would be an extreme understatement. Two weeks later I will follow up with an oral presentation, which wil basically be a time for my comps committee to ask my questions about what I wrote. I just broke down and emailed my advisor that I have been sick for 2 weeks. The last thing I wanted to do was send a message that came across as an excuse, but I simply felt it was only fair to myself to let her know that I don't expect to be at my best. So...here I am, feeling about 80% normal and stressing about writing what is the culmination of my Masters degree...

I am truly thankful for the prayers, encouragement, and confidence that others have in me. Another milestone...hopefully soon to be laid to rest!

Imagine how much time I will have to blog when I'm no longer in grad school...exciting I know :-)

Census Information and Warnings

2010-01-12T13:44:00.002-07:00

The following is information that I received from a member of Los Alamos National Labs regarding the upcoming census. It is great, dependable information, and tells you what you are expected to tell whoever comes to your door. It also tells you how to recognize whoever comes to your door! Considering all of the identity theft going on right now, the census is certainly a scary endeavor and something that could easily open the door for criminals if you don't know what to expect. Please read carefully and pass on to friends and family!

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With the upcoming CENSUS to begin shortly we can expect every conceivable type of scam possible to get your identity and your money.

The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way and US Census Bureau
(USCB) workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country.

Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

With that thought in mind here are some very basic but good bits of info to remember and pass along to everybody you know:

Be Cautious About Giving Info for the US Census. Think before you respond and use common sense.

Be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft.

So how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.

*** DO - Ask to see their identification and their badge before
answering any questions. However, you should never invite anyone you
don't know into your home. An invite inside your home could be used to
evaluate your home for valuables for a future burglary.

*** Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to "verify address information".

*** Do not - give your Social Security number. The Census Bureau will
not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor
will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is
NOT with the Census Bureau.

*** DO NOT - give credit card or banking information to anyone, such information is not needed by the USCB.

*** DO NOT - answer anything about your financial situation. The USCB should only ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range.

*** REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

*** DO NOT - respond to inquiries from anyone associated with ACORN. THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.

*** DO NOT - respond to emails from that claim to be from the USCB.
Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the USCB WILL NOT contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

*** DO NOT - open internet links that claim to be from the USCB. Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

*** DO NOT - allow and advise your children about never engaging a USCB canvasser in discussions. Children, even teenagers do not look at the same concerns or potential threats as adults and are easily manipulated. USCB personnel should not engage anyone but the adult in the home.

Remember, the information you provide will be available to the person collecting it but also to the general public for all intentional purposes.
With the downturn in the economy there will be those out there that are trying to make the fast buck whether it be by burglarizing your home an selling contents at a pawn shop or stealing your identity and stealing your life savings. So use caution and DO NOT hesitate to contact the local Police Department or the USCB before you cooperate with these people if you have concerns.

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Saga Ended...PERIOD

2010-01-12T13:42:00.001-07:00

OK...I finally managed to cash the check. I don't know, and frankly couldn't care less, whether they incurred a NSF fee, but I walked away with cash in hand and no connection to my account. So if the check wasn't covered, NOT MY PROBLEM!!!

Still, I will continue to tell everyone I come into contact with, and encourage you to do the same, to NEVER SHOP AT VALLEY FURNITURE WAREHOUSE!!!

I'm sure I will find some other fun story to keep you entertained with in the near future!

Just kidding...vindication pending...

2010-01-05T19:18:00.002-07:00

OK...as if this saga wasn't entertaining enough...

I can't really do anything but laugh at this, but here goes! I went to pick up the check at the AG's office and sure enough there it was. I was concerned it may be written wrong, or dated so long ago it couldn't be cashed. No visual problems!

When I was on the phone with the lady at the AG's office she said something that threw just a twinge of cautiousness my direction. I no longer had that feeling when I picked up the check. However, I thank it for what I did next. Rather than depositing the check, which is what I normally would have done, I decided to cash it at the counter. Something even made me ask if they could verify it was a good check...good thing!

I'm sure you guessed it by now...the account had insufficient funds to cover the check. Unbelievable...we're talking $150 here. Can you believe there are people still trying to collect refunds of thousands of dollars. Thank God I'm not one of them and that I'm not hurting for the small amount I am collecting.

So at this point, I'm going to contact the AG's office in the morning, and continue attempting to cash the check until I'm successful.

Also, a friend recommended that I inform the manufacturers of the chairs...which is brilliant! Thanks Kim! These chairs are from Ashley, who from what I can tell is their largest supplier by far. If I can convince Ashley to look into what kind of company they are allowing to sell their furniture, maybe their vendor contract would be in jeopardy. Seriously...don't get on my bad side people :-)

Vindication!!!!

2010-01-05T14:28:00.003-07:00

This will be brief, but it deserved a quick break from work!

I received a call from the Attorney General's office about an hour ago stating that they have a check with my name on it for the FULL REFUND amount of my chairs! Apparently the company included a letter which continues to call me a liar, but I don't care.

As stated in the previous post, all they were asked for was the paper work proving that the order had been placed. If they had had the paperwork, it would have been an easy task to send it in and disprove everything I've said. Funny...they weren't able to do that! But I'm the one who's lying. Whatever...

I don't have to be upset anymore, and I've got a perma-grin for the day! I will still continue to share my story with people and hopefully turn away more and more potential customers. But my case is CLOSED!

It did dawn on me not long ago that my taxes, and yours, are paying for the Attorney General's office to spend inordinate amounts of time dealing with this company. I wasn't very happy with that, and mentioned it to my case agent when she called today. Apparently, since 2008 only 3 or 4 complaints have been submitted to the Attorney General's office regarding Valley Furniture Warehouse. On the BBB website, 5 complaints have been posted since I first began this process. That's 6 weeks. So many of these people do not realize they have the right to take these issues further. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help spread the word that the Attorney General is in existence for that purpose (among many more!). If half the complaints on the BBB had been submitted to the Attorney General's office, I don't believe VFW would have much of a future.

Thanks for following my drama!!! He he he.

Update on the Furniture Debacle

2009-12-23T22:15:00.002-07:00

Well, I can't give you a resolution, but I can let you know where we're at for now. I'd refer you to the BBB website, but my report has still not been published there. I would still encourage you to check out the site though...the sheer number of complaints, let alone the magnitude of each, is absolutely appalling.

Briefly, the recap of that complaint is this...

I submitted an abbreviated version of the complaint that I sent to the Attorney General's office. Only abbreviated because of the character limit in the online form! The first response I got back was only regarding the fact that I had quoted the owner as saying,"You pissed of Mr. nice guy." Her response was that she's 62 and that she doesn't use that kind of language. She then proceeded to say that her exact words were "No more Mrs. nice gal." OK...first of all, talk about seriously avoiding the actual issue! Secondly, I felt like she had argued my case for me...regardless of the semantics of the issue, the customer was treated in an unacceptable manner. Lastly, can I tell you today that I remember what she initial said...no. However, I CAN say that Elizabeth and I both sat down within 30 minutes of the instance and wrote down our accounts separately. We proceeded to record the exact same quotation...you do the math, I think we know what she said (again...SO not the issue). The remainder of their initial response was that they had been "more than nice," and that I had insisted on harassing their warehouse manager. Aye aye aye.

So I responded stating that the actual issue had been completely avoided in their response and that I had not harassed their manager. I did say that I would not argue the fact that I had become defensive in my interactions with them, but only as a direct response to their attitudes toward me. I wrote that it would be clear to the Attorney General's office that the problem originated with their inability to file and maintain their paperwork.

Their final response skirted the issue AGAIN, stating simply that they had gone out of their way to accommodate me and that I would not receive a refund because I was not legally due one. They also claimed that my order had been placed as soon as I called to check on my order status, that it had been done so with a rush attached, and that I was aware of this. Two questions..1) if they had placed the order right then and told me about it, why would i have continued to call them all week to find out what the status of my order was? and 2) if they had placed the order earlier that week...why would the manager then have offered me a refund 3 days later? Seriously??? Bull shooey, I say.

Quick side bar...even if I weren't legally due a refund, which I definitely believe that I am, what kind of a business goes this far out of their way to throw their customers under the bus??? When this whole issue began, I was one complaint out of 38 in the past 36 months. Currently, there are 41 complaints posted on the BBB website within the past 36 months, and mine isn't even there yet. SERIOUSLY??? That's 3 more published complaints in a month's time.

So, the BBB wasn't able to reach a resolution, but that's not their job. At least I have added yet another nail to their coffin in cyber world. PLEASE...encourage your friends to check out the BBB website before shopping ANYWHERE.

Let's get to the Attorney General's office. I am not gonna lie...I don't feel incredibly confident in the level of support that I'm receiving here. However, I think that my case agent is just doing her job and being very careful to remain a neutral mediator between the company and the consumer. When she first called, she said that she was confident that I would receive a refund, but that it may be only 80% due to a restocking fee. I wasn't happy to hear that, and we had a pretty lengthy conversation regarding my expectations of her office and what I feel is their job as far as getting the facts and resolving the issue. That's when she explained to me that she is not there to represent me, but rather to represent the good of the state. And for that reason, she has to approach the situation as an unbiased investigator. She then proceeded to tell me that if I wasn't happy with whatever outcome we reach, I could pursue the issue further in court. Not wanting to burn my bridges at the AG's office I retracted and thanked her for her due diligence, and said that we would take each step in the process as it came.

So, she called again today and had some questions for me. Turns out, the company is now claiming that the order was a custom order, and according to the contract a custom order cannot be cancelled regardless of the circumstances. They should really be keeping track of these lies, because in my opinion, they've already dug themselves a hole.

So that's where we're at with the resolution. In regards to the legal possibility of pursuing this further, obviously for $150, that's not going to happen. I did, however, speak to a friend of mine who is a lawyer...off the record. First of all, before I even asked my question, he had some knowing statements to make about the company. Did I mention that he is a lawyer in family court??? Why would a lawyer in family court have knowledge of a company's legal woes. No reason unless they are so infamous that they are discussed in legal circles. Anyway, the reason I wanted to talk to him was to find out how far I could legally go in regards to telling people to stay away from the company. The last thing I need is for them to have grounds to charge me with defamation of character! He basically said that I could say whatever I wanted and print anything based on truth and I would be fine. He then proceeded to say that if anyone came after me, he'd defend me! Ha!

Well...stay tuned...I'll continue to post updates. Due to the holidays and the red tape of such a process, it could be a while before a resolution is reached. I feel fairly confident that I will receive the refund that I deserve though. And if I don't, I still get the chairs...it's not like I'm losing either way. I have made it pretty clear to people that I will not be the one picking up the chairs if it comes to that, so if it does, my hardest decision will be choosing who to send to pick them up. I've had a lot of volunteers, but none of them are very happy with the situation, and I don't think I'd like to see any of them spend time in jail because of a confrontation during the pick up. So we'll just have to see...

Hopefully, it won't come down to that and I'll have my money back sooner than later!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Shut 'em Down

2009-12-11T16:13:00.004-07:00

OK...we've all had bad experiences with retailers, but this one has taken "bad experience" to a whole new level for me. I have just copied and pasted the report that I sent to the Attorney General's office in regards to this situation since I already did the work. So here you go...pass the word.

DON'T SHOP AT VALLEY FURNITURE WAREHOUSE IN ALBUQUERQUE

So, here it is. Oh...and for more shock and appalling incidents, check out the Better Business Bureau's website. After this experience, I've learned to check that site before shopping at ANY new store. I am currently one complaint out of 40...F-O-R-T-Y...in 36 months. And those are only the people who thought to post on the website. Aye aye aye...

Monday, November 30, 2009

The following is a synopsis of my (Kristin Derr) dealings with Valley Furniture Warehouse.

Please contact me with any questions and with a resolution to this issue.

On October 26^th, 2009, I walked into Valley Furniture Warehouse (VFW) and placed an order for two chairs from the Ashley Antigo collection. The chairs were $69 a piece. I explained that I was ordering the chairs to assist with Thanksgiving seating and the salesman, Richard, said that the chairs would definitely arrive in time for Thanksgiving. I paid for the chairs with check #128 in the amount of $147.48 (attached). This check was processed through my bank on October 29^th.

Monday, November 23^rd

Having not heard anything from VFW, I called them to inquire about my order. Since purchasing the chairs, I had read the paperwork which stated that it may take up to 14 weeks for orders to arrive. Although I was disappointed to read this, as I was verbally told differently, I was prepared to hear that my order had not yet arrived. When I first called, I was told that without the invoice number on my paperwork, there was no way to locate my order information. I found this odd, but stated that I would get them that information. Later that evening, I called back with the requested number. I spoke with Mike, the General Manger of the store. After giving him the number and remaining on hold while he researched the matter, he came back on the line and said that he found my personal information, but could find no information regarding whether my order had been placed. He stated that paperwork was unorganized due to an employee leaving. At this time, I asked Mike to do some further research and to call me first thing in the morning.

Tuesday, November 24^th

As of 4pm, I had still not heard from Mike at VFW. I called him and he told me that “someone must have moved my paperwork,” because he could not locate it from the night before. He said that he had been unable to find any more information regarding my order. At this time, I began to inquire about my options in regards to obtaining some chairs. I asked if he could sell me the chairs from the floor, and what discount would be applied for purchasing the used display chairs. He said he would have to check. Not satisfied with the transaction to this point, and feeling as though no resolution was in sight, I asked to speak with one of his supervisors. He stated that, “We are very busy,” and I sympathized with that. However, I explained that I am a customer too and that I needed to speak with someone. I asked for one of them to call me within the hour.

At 6pm, still having heard nothing, I called VFW again. I asked Mike if I could speak with his supervisors and was told “they do not want to speak with you.” Mike said that they would sell me the display chairs but that they “looked brand new” and that there would be no discount. I explained that it is customary to issue a discount when selling display items and that there was no way to determine how much use they had gotten while sitting on the floor. Again, feeling as though I was backed into a corner, I asked if they would consider allowing me to use the display chairs and, assuming they were returned in the same shape in which they were now, allow me to exchange them with the new chairs when they arrived. He said he would have to ask.

At some point during this conversation I stated that I found it unbelievable that VFW would not admit to having made any mistake. Mike’s answer was that they had made no mistakes. I explained that either the order had not been placed or the paperwork was not filed correctly, and that either of these options would constitute a mistake. He then proceeded to blame his employees and their disorganization for these facts, but still refused to admit that VFW was at fault in anyway. He then told me that my 3 options were to 1) wait until the chairs arrived, 2) request a refund, or 3) take the display chairs at full price. He also told me that if I were to come into the store “with the attitude that you have now,” I would be escorted out of the store.

I told him that I would check with Ashley furniture and see if they would match the price that VFW had offered and if so, I would purchase the chairs from them and request a refund. Mike’s response was that Ashley would sell the chairs at a much higher cost, and that he knew the manager there (stated that he used to be the manager at VFW) and that he would not work with me at all. I stated that I would still check and asked if he would check regarding the display chairs. He said he would get back to me first thing in the morning.

Later that evening, I contacted Ashley furniture and found out that they sell the chairs for $64 a piece ($5 less than VFW). They did not have any in the warehouse, so I would have to order them. They also informed me that if I wanted to wait until Black Friday (11/27/2009) to purchase the chairs, I would receive a 20% discount.

Wednesday, November 25^th

At 11:30 AM I had still not heard from Mike at VFW, so I called him. His statement to me was, “I’ve been waiting to see you in here this morning.” I reminded him that he had promised to call me first thing and he had no response to this. I explained to him that I had spoken with Ashley Furniture and that they were offering the chairs at a lower price. I then stated that I would proceed with the option of a refund that he had offered to me. At this time he stated that the Attorney General (AG) mandates that refunds cannot be issued until 14 weeks after the date of purchase. Appalled, I told him that I would call the Attorney General’s office myself.

I contacted the AG’s office immediately and was told that the 14 week statute was not a memorable aspect of VFW’s case, but that I would receive a call back to confirm this. (Aside: I never received a call back from the gentleman I spoke with at the AG’s office, but when I thought the situation was resolved, I felt it was not necessary to pursue the issue any further). I then called the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to inquire about filing a complaint. They told me the process and then told me that they do not normally care whether situations are reported to the AG’s office, but that in this case, I should ensure that it was. The fact that both organizations (AG and BBB) immediately referred to an existing VFW case was unnerving.

Shortly after I made these calls, I received a voicemail from Mike at VFW stating that he had spoken with the owners and that they had decided to issue me a refund before the 14 week time period had elapsed. (To me, the fact that this decision could be made meant that the statement regarding the mandate from the AG’s office was not accurate.) He stated that in order to issue the refund, he would need my paperwork. He also stated that he would understand if I did not want to come into the store and that I could mail the paperwork if I wanted to.

Thursday, November 26^th

Thanksgiving; no further steps were made.

Friday, November 27^th

Being that it was Black Friday, I felt that the store would be very busy and that my coming in would only add to their work load. I decided to wait until Saturday to submit the paperwork.

Saturday, November 28^th

I made copies of the original paperwork and wrote a signature statement confirming that the refund would be processed on the original. I felt very strongly that the original paperwork was my only connection to the transaction and that for my protection it needed to remain in my possession. I asked a friend (Elizabeth Peters – EP) to deliver the paperwork as I felt that it was unnecessary for me to deliver it in person and I wanted to avoid any further confrontation. Soon after she entered the store, she called me and told me that they were refusing to take the copy of the paperwork or sign the statement and that they needed the original in order to process a refund. I stated that I would come into the store.

When I entered the store I was confronted by Mike, the GM. I explained to them that I felt that the original paperwork was my only proof that this transaction had taken place and that I would be happy to turn it over once the refund had been processed. Mike then stated that “there hasn’t been any transaction.” Obviously a falsehood as VFW has had my money in their possession since October 29^th. At this point, a gentleman at a computer (bald with bold, silver glasses), the owner (an older petite woman), and another gentleman (maroon shirt with no tie) all began to talk to me at the same time regarding the situation. Once these individuals joined in, all statements made by them were in a confrontational manner and in raised voices.

The gentleman at the computer stated, “I am the one who processes the refunds, and in order to do so I need the original paperwork. No paperwork, no refund, your choice.”

When I asked what kind of protection I would have if I turned over the original paperwork, Mike stated, “we’ve never stolen money from anyone.”

I explained that my confidence in the company had been damaged and that I had spoken with both the AG’s office and the BBB and that I simply wanted out of this transaction.

At this time, the owner stated, “We were trying to be nice, but you pissed off Mr. nice guy.” She stated that they had offered to allow me to use the chairs for Thanksgiving and then exchange them with the new ones when they arrived. I tried to explain to her that that option was one I had asked about, but I had never been told that it was a viable one. Rather, I was led to believe that this would not be an option.

She interrupted me and said, “You will now wait until the chairs come in and then you will come pick them up. That’s your only choice. Goodbye.”

Mike attempted to continue to speak with me, at which point the owner stated, “Mike, we’re done with her and she’s leaving now.”

I too tried to continue the conversation and the owner continued to repeat, “We’re done. You’re done. Goodbye.”

I left the store and attempted to call the AG’s office again. The office was closed and I was unable to leave a message on the machine.

Note: Although I did not leave the original paperwork, the copies that I had made were taken by VFW and left at the store. If an attempt to locate the store’s paperwork is made, I would ask that it be confirmed that they are working off of their original paperwork and not the copies that I left. They do not have the originals that I was given, but they should have the original that they kept for themselves when the sale was made. My paperwork is 2 pages of a form printed in triplicate.

The following is a verbatim account of the situation that took place in the VFW store on November 28^th. This is the account of Elizabeth Peters, the individual who accompanied me to the store this morning.

“I walked into the VFW and asked for Mike, the manager. I was directed to him. I let him know that I was in the store to assist my friend about a refund. I gave him her name and he became very rude. I explained that I was the messenger and he continued to be rude. He told me to come to the back. I went to the counter and asked him for a signature for Kristin (KD). He said no. I called KD and she came into the store. Upon her arrival the staff was VERY rude to her. Mike said they have never stolen money when KD simply asked for a refund of her goods. He wanted the original. A bald man said he could void out the transaction but the refund would have to wait. At that point a woman and two other employees came out and started to shout at KD. There were a total of four individuals involved. KD just wanted a refund that they said they would give her but they wanted the original paperwork because they did not have their paperwork. The “owner” yelled at KD and said she was trying to be nice but she pissed off Mr. nice guy and proceeded to say that she would have to eat the cost of the chairs. The bald guy jumped out of his chair saying, “That’s what you get, in your face,” and disappeared. We left the store before KD could be verbally attacked again.”

Personal statement:

I am requesting that VFW be mandated to issue me a refund of my full purchase amount. Please understand that my request is not based on the fact that the chairs did not arrive in the time that I expected, but that VFW cannot prove to me that the chairs were ever ordered. After finding this out I attempted to reach a resolution with them and felt that I finally had. I then attempted to deliver the requested paperwork in a manner which would protect me as the consumer and was spoken to in a way that still makes me cringe when I think about it. In my opinion, the fact that VFW was unable to show me proof or record of the chairs being ordered, is a breach of their contract.

I have been in the customer service industry for many years, and I am appalled at how I have been dealt with. The last interaction that I had with the employees of VFW was enough on its own to cause this complaint. The fact that there were days of interaction leading up to this is shocking. Many of the exchanges that took place were in a hostile manner, but it is difficult to portray that in writing. Also, I tried to keep the account above as emotionless as possible to offer the most accurate report.

Since this has happened, I have spoken to many friends and advised them against entering into transactions with VFW. Not surprisingly, more than a few of them have stated that they had or have heard of other unsatisfactory experiences with the company.

At many times I felt as though I was being backed into a corner because the company is privately owned. There is no one to speak to above the owner and they knew that and used it to their advantage. In addition, the owner refused to speak with me until she had an opportunity to accost me in the middle of her store. I was shocked at the manner in which I was spoken to and that the owner did not handle the situation better. In any other case, I would have expected the owner to pull me aside separately and attempt to resolve the situation civilly. Instead, she joined her employees in publicly and loudly berating me.

I have many personal opinions about this situation, but have attempted to keep this report as straight forward as possible. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the situation any further, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Addendum to initial report made on Monday, November 30^th regarding my dealings with Valley Furniture Warehouse.

December 10, 2009

Since I submitted my original complaint, I have had a lot of time to think about the interactions that occurred. I wanted to make two additional points that I feel follow the legal tone that VFW has chosen to depend on.

1. According to the contract/order paperwork, a customer may cancel an order if the product has not been ordered at the time of cancellation.

a. At least 3 times that I can remember (now2 weeks after the incident(s)) I asked if the chairs had been ordered. Each time the answer I received was either, “I can’t tell you that,” or “I can’t locate that paperwork.” This led me to assume that the order had not been placed which, according to the contract, would put me within my rights to cancel the order.

2. The last incident in the report, and the one that caused me to finally file a complaint against the store, was when I was refused a refund because I would not leave the original paperwork with the store.

a. Throughout this process, it has become very clear to me that the contract, as written, is a result of previous litigation and is a complete and legal document developed by VFH and the Attorney General. It is for this reason that I feel the insistent request for the original paperwork was completely unfounded and inappropriate, and that their resulting refusal to process a refund is outside of their legal rights. Every other possible aspect of any transaction done with Valley Furniture Warehouse is spelled out very clearly in the contract. Nowhere in the contract does it mention that original paperwork must be surrendered in order to process a refund.

b. I strongly believe that VFW had lost all record of my order and needed my paperwork simply because they were lacking theirs. Unfortunately, in my haste to leave the situation that day, I left them with the copies I had made which I had intended to leave with them in order to process the refund. Had I been thinking more clearly at the time, I would have taken those as well so that they could not be used to replace paperwork that may have been missing.

c. I will ask again, if at any time during your investigation you ask for the paperwork as proof of any aspect of this transaction, please ensure that they are working off of original paperwork and NOT the copies that I foolishly left in their possession.

So...hopefully you will help me spread the word. My transaction is only $150, so I am definitely pursuing this for the principle of the matter. However, there are transactions for as much as $8,000 or more posted on the BBB website. These people are crooks and they need to be shut down. They should know better than to give me such a goal...I don't generally rest until I accomplish my goals. Mwah ha ha...

Another House Update

2009-08-21T22:58:00.005-06:00

I got chastised, lovingly, today for my absence (thanks for keeping me on my toes Robin :) ) so here's an update for everyone!

I am working my way through the process of purchasing my first house. My tendency to be painfully detail oriented has really been a blessing throughout this venture. Here's a quick breakdown of the timeline thus far, and in the near future...

August 9th: Saw the house, despite my stomach bug that nearly kept me home for the day. SO glad that I decided I needed to try to get out to see some houses!

August 10th: Made the offer at about 9:00 AM. The house had only been on the market for a day when I saw it. I knew that I was the first offer, but didn't want to risk anything by playing the low ball game. Instead, I offered asking price, and asked for a few unconventional items to convey. The offer was accepted as presented, which means that I will also be the proud new owner of the W&D, all curtain rods, a bathroom cabinet and surround sound speakers.

August 12th: I'm called the "posterchild" of homebuyers. My realtor and mortgage broker both inform me that I am ahead on all my paperwork and that this is abnormal. I still have a hard time understanding how people can sit on their haunches while trying to buy a house...I KNOW I'm not the only one giddy with excitement about this!

August 13-20: I continue to stay on top of things, receive all the necessary documents from the seller, and everything looks great! I also manage to sell and replace all my living room furniture. New dining room table, coffee table, entertainment center and couches.

Quick side story...I did all of this on craigslist. I wasn't planning on replacing my couches. I was browsing through craigslist one night and found a beautiful chaise lounge. I've ALWAYS wanted a chaise lounge and my new bedroom is big enough to accomodate one. So I got it...later that night I was doing some more browsing and found the matching couch and loveseat to the chaise lounge that I had just purchased. How could I not see that as serendipity?! (he he he) They are all in perfect shape, match my personality perfectly, are microsuede (which apparently cats don't like to sink their claws into), and they're beautiful. So, I got a whole new set of couches...retailing at about $1800...for $550! SCORE!

Great thing is, I've been able to purchase the new stuff almost entirely with the money that I made from selling the old stuff. Upgrading for no more money...amazing! Of course, I am selling items that I'm not replacing, but I am really excited to get rid of some of the clutter. Currently I am VERY tidy, but still have a lot of stuff. Trying to get rid of some of the unecessary stuff to achieve the clean, modern, minimalistic look. We'll see how successful I can be...I'm certainly not getting rid of everything!

August 21st: I find out that an earlier closing date is a good possibility. Background...before I made the offer, my realtor spoke with the seller's realtor and found that the family had just outgrown the house and wanted to stay in the neighborhood. For that reason, their ideal situation was to get under contract to sell, and THEN begin searching for a house...in the same neighborhood. I took this as a great testament to the neighborhood by the way! So, as a good faith gesture I made the offer with a six week closing period. The understanding was that if they found a place earlier, we could probably close earlier. Never really expected that to happen though. SO...looks like it may! I'll let you know (I promise!).

August 25th: Home inspection

September 25th: Original closing date (hopefully changing)

September 28th: Original possession day (hopefully changing). Painters, DirectTV, Qwest...already scheduled to be there...gotta remember to change that too...

September 29-October 1: Moving mayhem (hopefully changing)

October 1st-4th: Mini VayK to Denver (NOT changing, but great motivation for hoping the others change)

October 9th: Tentative house warming party (not solidifying this date until after inspection...and I guess it won't even be definite at that point if closing is moved up)

October 31st: Open for trick-or-treating at my new house!!!

So there you have it...a completely ridiculous update with no solid information at all! :)

Thank you all for caring enough to read! Have a great day and I'll come back soon.

Kristin...all growed up! :-)

2009-08-10T22:51:00.001-06:00

Well ladies and gentlemen...I am under contract to purchase my first house. I am up late because I found out late, so I won't write much now. But you can see pictures here, and I will write more as the process continues. Closing is September 25!

and last but certainly not least...three of three

2009-06-28T13:43:00.005-06:00

I'M HOUSE SHOPPING!!!

I have officially begun the serious processes of purchasing a house. I've actually made an offer on a place, but it's a short sale.

Briefly, a short sale is the step before foreclosure. During a short sale, the seller has negotiating rights which they use to try to make a profit over what the bank is demanding. The process can be long and drawn out, not to mention the bank can pull any deal up to the very end.

Right now I'm a "back up" offer. Normally I would think that my chances were gone, but because of the short sale that may not be the case. I'm not used to hoping for others to not get what they want so that I can get what I want...but I have to admit that I really hope it doesn't work out for the first offer!

Of course, there are many more houses out there. In fact, there are currently over 6,500 houses for sale in the Albuquerque area. I'm sure that this is NOT the only one that I would be in love with. But I'm really in love with it! If you want to see it, click here (HOUSE) and it's under the "saved" tab. The address is 7515 Vancouver. Once you find it, click on "view details" and that's the best way to see all the info and pictures.

I continue to pray that God's will prevails, as I know it will. I'm also praying that I allow God's will to be my desire, and that's probably what I will struggle with the most. We shall see!!!

I know that I haven't been great at updating, but I can promise you that I will keep you all posted on the house situation!

two of three

2009-06-28T13:31:00.003-06:00

ARGHHHH...I am so furious at my body's inability to step off of things. As you may or may not know, I have always struggled with ankle issues, and about 3 years ago I had reconstructive surgery to address that. Every time that I had ever hurt my ankle(s), it had been a result of being on my toes. Stepping off of a curb, stepping down a stair, back marching in marching band. Well, it happened again on Friday.

I was simply walking out of my home to go to brunch with a friend. I was fine, my foot made it's way out the door, ball of the foot on the ground, and next thing I know, all support was gone. I've turned my ankle on occasion since the surgery and it's been a matter of walking it off. NOT this time. I have now spent 3 days on crutches, taking advantage of my incredible friends, and planted on my couch with my foot alternating between an ice bath and a prop above my heart.

I did manage to get my hair done (it wasn't until after that that I realized how bad it really was), go to brunch, and get pushed around Kohl's in a wheel chair!

I am sure that it's just a sprain and everything will be fine, but I'm trying really hard to baby it. I really want to make sure that I do no damage to the work that the doctor did!

The REALLY frustrating part...for the last 6 weeks or so, I have finally gotten into a regular exercise routine. I've been running, walking, biking, dancing, wii fit(ting!)...all things I can't do with a bum ankle.

So...hopefully the future holds some brief recuperation followed by a quick jump back into the daily routine...including the exercise.

one of three...

2009-06-16T23:27:00.007-06:00

I haven't written in a while. I'll try to do better, but for now, here'a bit of Kristin's life...

My grandfather passed away on May 20th. He held on for a while, and we really thought he was going to go many times before he did, but it was definitely time for him to meet Jesus. It was really nice to be there to say goodbye and I was able to help with his care (he was in house hospice) for the last week and a half of his life. He was funny up to the end...my mom (Tina) has a new nickname...Tuna. I have a new nickname...Chicken. Apparently he had food on the mind! At one point, after he hadn't had anything to eat or drink aside from sucking water off a sponge for days, I stopped to check his pain level and chat with him a bit. He looked up at me and said "OVER TWO HOURS AGO I ASKED FOR A GLASS OF MILK...WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" If you didn't know my grandfather you may think that he was just going senile in his last days, but it was completely his sense of humor.

Even his passing was a bit humorous as far as timing goes. He had been holding on for all this time, and managed to make a statement by dying at a specific time. He HATED American Idol...so when did he pass...not 15 minutes into the finale! We had all been sitting in the living room, his bed about 5 feet away from us, watching the finale. Needless to say, we turned off the TV, said final goodbyes, and started making the necessary arrangments...his mission accomplished I am sure! I'll miss you Pop Pop, but see you soon enough!!

I am so thankful that I have a job, and more importantly an employer, who allowed me the opportunity to spend this time with him.

Since I've been home I've been to the FFA state championship and got to serve as a judge for the 2nd year. I judged extemporaneous speaking both years. This year, I also got to be a judge for the micro-organisms and ecology displays of the Agricultural Science Fair. The next weekend I was in Clovis for State Rodeo.

Now, I'm home for the rest of the month (I started writing this post when there was actually a good portion of the month left!) and getting ready for July...another month of travel.

If all goes as planned, I will be driving to Denver for the 4th of July. Carrissa, Chris and I will drive up in my car and hang out with Rissa's dad and step mom, as well as hook up with Leanne while we're up there. Should be a blast!

On the 10th, I'm taking a group of kids to Cliff's...kind of a summer tradition for the kids of my co-workers. This year Dana's going to join me, so I'll have some adult interaction too!

The following weekend I'm taking a group of 9 students to Indianapolis for the National Student Leadership Conference. I was able to put together a great cross section of kids from around the state, and they'll learn some incredible stuff while having a great time. Should be a blast for all of us!

The following week begins the summer mayhem at the office. We'll have two state conferences that week and I'll be working quite a bit. Somewhere in there, I'll squeeze in a birthday celebration (probably 3 actually!) and get ready to start what should be my last year of school...finally!

On that note, I just registered for 2 of the 3 classes I will take this fall (I'm trying to squeeze my way into the 3rd class which is currently full). When I'm done with that, the Spring semester will consist of nothing other than my Thesis/Examination work. Keep your fingers crossed that there will be no other speed bumps to finishing this degree as there have been in the past!

Since I started this post, there have been some developments that call for their own posts. So, see two and three of three!

An interesting time for some updates...

2009-05-16T09:24:00.003-06:00

Well the madness of Spring events is over! Now we're in the middle of some madness of our own. First for some updates...

After basketball we had a "break" from work. However, this break was just before the Spirit Competition which is my biggest event. I spent a lot of that time in the office getting ready for the Competition. It was worth it...my very first Spirit Competition (under my direction), at a new venue, with a new category, and many other changes that caused some anxiety, went off without a hitch. The kudos I've received from coaches all over the state have been so encouraging, and I'm ready for the next one!

A couple weeks later, the State Band Contest came rolling around, and was another great event. We had a little bit of a schedule change which I got some heat for, but I really didn't see any other option. A quick run down...the father of two band students (one HS, and one MS) and the husband of the band booster president, died while the band was on their spring trip. It was completely unexpected. Obviously, he had been a large part of both bands seasons, and the majority of both bands wanted to attend the funeral. The funeral just so happened to be during the High School's performance time. So I bumped them to the end of the day and bumped the schedule back about 30 minutes. Well, some directors weren't so happy with my executive decision, but I really don't think that another decision could have been made. I think eventually the directors got over it and realized that it was the right decision. I'll tell you one thing, I will never ask a kid to choose between supporting his classmate and a band contest. I know what decision I would expect my own kid to make.

So at the beginning of May, Band Contest is over and the office is working together to get ready for Spring sports. Enter the Swine Flu...let's just say that due to decisions made by national, state and local associations, all 7 Spring state championships were pushed into the same week. WOW! That's a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of stress. Our office started handling it like champs.

In the middle of all of this, my dad calls and tells me that my grandfather is going downhill fast. My boss, incredible as always, says that family comes first and that there's no option but for me to go to PA with my family. As I write the office is closing up the crazy week of championships while I am sitting vigil at my grandfather's house.

So my family and I were planning on driving to PA, but "Pop Pop" was fading fast. So we hopped on a flight on Monday and have been in Frackville ever since. It looks like we are coming back next weekend, but we're kind of at his mercy as far as timing goes.

Now that I'm getting some sleep, I'm enjoying my time out here. The first two nights, I was close to smothering my dad and brother because of their nighttime noises...ok, snoring. At one point, I had my iPod on, a pillow over my head, and a hand over the pillow and they were still cutting through. I cried myself to sleep out of frustration at about 4:30 that morning. Now I'm staying at my grandparent's with my mom and sleeping like a baby.

We're in a holding pattern right now, and don't really know what the next step is. I'll try to keep everyone updated, but my last blog was 2 months ago, so no promises!!! Love you all, and I miss talking to you too!

One liners...

2009-03-26T20:25:00.002-06:00

Whew it's been a while! So here are some one-line updates...

Basketball's over!
Spirit's next weekend
Band is in a month
GRE is tomorrow
Date this weekend
Engagement is off
Allergies suck!!!!
Everyone is healthy (despite the allergies)
Social live is booming
Addicted to Ratched and Clank...still...
Move day this weekend
Living situation has landed me in therapy
Currently enjoying Spring Break
Bod Squad dissolved
Weight loss is still a goal, but not being accomplished as quickly as I would like
Working about 60 hours a week
School about 20 hours a week
Just did a sleep study
24 RULES
American Idol has a pretty impressive top 10
Running out of one liners that you'd care about
Got my hair cut yesterday
Almost aquired another dog
Found dog's owner
Dog's owner is incredibly thankful
I'm thankful that the vet did the "look-over" for free (4 hours before the reunion)
A bit worried about how much I CAN'T remember
Won't be travelling as much as usual this summer (something about the economy...)
I'm sick of the economy being everyone's scapegoat
I still believe that if it hadn't been an election year, our economy wouldn't be as "bad" as it is (or has been made out to be)
Still...I'm considering buying stock
I miss friends
Mine...not the show...
OK, the show too, but not as much as mine
Buying the house this summer (keep your fingers crossed...)
Yep, that's about it...
...
...
I think that really IS about it. I know it's not the usual way of updating everyone, but for those of you who follow this blog to follow me...it should be sufficient!!! Love you all!

OK...Cat's out of the bag.

2009-02-15T20:50:00.004-07:00

So here's a story of unconventionalism to beat the band.

A couple of weeks ago I received a friend request on Facebook from someone who I had never met. I ignored the request for a couple of days, and then thought I would do a bit a digging before denying the request. I saw that she was from Las Cruces and attended NMSU, and that she was friends with my brother. So, I figured that I would check with him. If you're familiar with Facebook, you can picture what I'm about to describe. When I went to my brother's page and clicked on "Send Michael a Message" the message box popped up as normal. I started typing...

"Do I know..."

then my eyes drifted over to his profile and saw something that knocked my on my back

"who apparently you are engaged to??? She requested me as a friend and I'd like to know my future sister in law???..."

At this time, I sent the message thinking that this was just a couple of "kids" having fun with the publicness of Facebook and looking for reactions...like I just had. So I awaited his response, not worried, but definitely curious to hear his response. What I got back was not what I expected. Below you will find the transcript of Mike and my messages. I have cut out things that I felt should be kept in confidence...
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From Michael:
Uh no, you don't know Monika, but yes we are engaged. I wasn't planning on telling the family yet because I haven't talked to her dad at all so please refrain from telling mom and dad until I have done so at which point I will tell them. (edited) Sorry that you had to find out this way but, as I said, I wanted to do things right and have just not had the opportunity as she lives in Cruces and I am, well, not. So yes, your gonna have a sister and you also get a new 4 1/2 year old nephew named Josh. Please dont tell mom and dad, I need to do that on my own when the time is right.

From Me:
My lips are sealed, but you probably want to take it off facebook then. There are quite a few people, for example (edited), who are also on Facebook who would not think of asking you before talking to them.Congratulations...this is more than unexpected. I guess you'll tell me more when you want to.

From Michael:
There is not much more to tell at the moment. We are not planning to get married until May 2010 so there is a bit of time before it all comes together. Thank you though Kris! It has all been pretty unexpected for me too. Go check out her pictures though you'll get to see her and Joshua, they're amazing!

From Me:
So do you want me to accept her as a friend yet, or would you rather me wait? I wil be honest with you, I won't be able to avoid being nosy. I hope you can understand my hesitation to except that you are engaged to a girl I have never even heard about...it will take a while for anyone who knows you and not her to get used to the idea. But if you're happy and you're sure, congrats...I'll get behind you

From Michael:
For sure, Im not afraid of you being nosy and neither is she. We've discussed all the interesting situations that we have established through this unconventional engagement. But please, get to know your sister-in-law!
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So after this went down I freaked out a bit...no other way to say it. This will explain the status update claiming I was abnormally speechless...in case you noticed that one! At some point I decided that my brother's going to make his own decisions, there's nothing I can do about it, and I have my own issues to deal with (also part of a status update).

Around the time that I made this decision, I received a message from Monika, "the girl."

Here's more messages!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Monika:
Heylo! I'm so excited that I'm getting to "meet" you! Lol!

Thought I would introduce myself. My name is Monika, I'm 23, soon 24. I have a beautiful bouncing toddler, 4 years old, named Joshua. He's the light of my life! I'm so blessed! I'm a senior English major, and I want to become a professor some day! God help me huh? I have a twin, other than that just a bunch of half and step siblings, some of whom I'm close to, some of whom I'm not. My twin's name is Shawn, we're night and day fraternal twins!

My father is a minister at a local church here in Cruces. My parents are pretty laid back people and they are extremely passionate about Christ and bringing people to Christ. Which is an AWESOME calling!

I am head over heels in love with your brother. And I'm beside myself with excitement to get to spend the rest of my life with him, taking care of him and raising a family together. Michael is a very special man and I'm grateful for God bringing him into my life. Anyway, I wanted you to know a little about me. Cause we're gunna be family! :-) Tell me about you! I'm so eager to know more! Your future sister-in-law! Monika

From Me:
Sorry that I haven't replied sooner. I so hope that you can realize what a shock this sudden engagement has been to me. It's not that I am not in support of it, but I'm not at the point where I can get 100% behind it either. I just have to process it. I am a protective older sister after all! From what you have written, you sound like a great girl. And I trust Mike's judge of character implicitly...so I'm not worried there!

Now here comes the obligatory "if you hurt him..." part of my message. This is the not so fun paragraph...but I think once we get past this, I will understand some things better and we can just enjoy eachother! I know that you must know how incredibly emotional Michael is. That's awesome and generally a true gift. It also means that he loves more and deeper than most people you will ever meet. And his loyalties are concrete.

So for these reasons, I have to ask you a question. I've read your profile and see that you have been married and divorced two times. What do you feel for my brother that you didn't feel for these other men? I can tell you that for Michael...marriage is forever. And I don't doubt that that is your goal as well, but I wonder why you feel that this is the relationship that will work. I would imagine that you felt that when you began the two marriages as well. I don't want any of this to be uncomfortable for you. I truly am happy for you two, and I look forward to meeting you and your beautiful son. I just hope you can understand why it is a bit disconcerting to find out that my brother is engaged to a woman I have never met...and to find out on Facebook...

OK...I'll let you respond to that as you see fit, but here's the more pleasant stuff to read.
I am 28 and finishing my masters in Ed. Psych.
I have worked for the NMAA for over 5 years and I oversee all of the "non-athletic" high school activities in the state.
I have incredible friends and I am truly blessed with my life in Alb.
I have no family at this time, but my animals are keeping me company in the interim.
I have 2 dogs, Sprite and Caspian, and a cat, Lucy. (If you're familiar with the Narnia series, some of these names may sound familiar!)
I love movies, games, shoes, and a whole bunch of other random things.
I can be found enjoying my shows, golfing, cross-stitching, enjoying a glass of wine and a good meal...pretty much anything. I really feel that the activity is not what makes something fun...it's the company.
Multi-tasking is probably my most prominent strength.
I don't have much free time, but feel that maintaining a social life is necessary to maintaining sanity.
I am more than slightly anal-retentive, and drive people crazy with my OCD tendencies. I believe everything has a place...and everything should be in it's place. My biggest pet peeves are 1) people who do not pay attention to their surroundings, and 2)people who don't leave things and places the way (or better than) they found them.
I drive a Jetta and love it
I am mindful of fashion and like staying abreast of the "fads"
I have expensive taste...not always a good thing! :-(

I think I have sufficiently filled your inbox with completely random facts about myself. Please consider what I have asked and feel free to respond as well. I hope you are doing well, and I look forward to learning more about you and seeing you and Michael in a relationship.

From Monika:
I am so glad that you wrote me back! And I DO UNDERSTAND, totally and completely your shock and your amazement that we would break this news to you on facebook! I'm a little shocked by the whole experience myself. Lol! I guess, as you obviously would agree, the nasty stuff is better out of the way right up front. (edited)

Now, to the part that matters. I KNOW that Michael is an extremly emotional person, and that he loves with all of his heart and it's not something he gives away too easily but once he's given it, he never takes it back. Our relationship is DIRECT proof of that quality in him. It's one of the things I DEARLY love about him.

That being said. Know this: I have no desire to, nor will I EVER hurt your brother. I love him dearly and I want only his happiness. He is an extension of my heart. Michael is different because I am actually in love with Michael. For all the things he is, and all the things he isn't. I can't wait to marry him. If only it were today! :-)

Anyway.... now you know, and now if other ppl have questions then you can answer some of them. I hope that now, you can understand a little about what I have been through and how truly grateful I am for the goodness in Michael. My mom always told me that she married my Dad cause he was the first nice guy she fell in love with. I knew I'd always be the same. My only regret is that I didn't marry him FIRST! I can't wait to meet you either, and we should get together, have lunch. I want to come to ALB soon, cause Michael and I are thinking of doing the wedding in Santa Fe, and I need to research wedding planners. He says you can help with that??? I'd love that! I'll keep you updated on when I'm coming. And you could always come here too, it's not that far!?!?

From Me:
Your response is well stated and makes a lot clear. I am so sorry that you have had to experience in your 23 years what many don't have to in a life time. Still, this isn't going to be an overnight transformation as far as getting used to the idea of this, but know that I am getting there!

Yes, I have more than a little bit of experience planning weddings. and I would be happy to help with this one. I will ask that we slow down a bit until my brother has made the engagement official with your parents and mine. I have shared with Mike that I feel pretty uncomfortable having to keep this from my parents until he decides to tell them. That's another aspect that is making this process...different...Once he tells them and I don't have to feel like I am hiding something from them, I am ready to jump in!

Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to learning more about you!

From Monika:
I totally understand that. And to put you at ease Michael will be talking to my parents within the week and so he will be telling your parents immediately after. So hopefully that will be cleared up very very soon. And I won't be heading to alb until at the earlies Spring Break week, which is the last week in March. I too am looking forward to getting to know you. I hope that we will continue to chat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So. True to his word, via Monika, my brother talked to her parents last night. They were incredibly supportive and encouraing. He then talked to my parents, and to both of our surprise, they too were supportive of the decision that they had made together. I didn't quite understand that, but after talking to them I see where they are coming from. Basically, they realize that Mike's going to make whatever decision he is going to make. Also, after speaking with him, they found that he and Monika are planning to begin pre-marital counceling, and the 15 month engagement allows a lot of time for learning.

After my messages with both of them, I am actually to the point where I can see myself completely in support of this marriage. I can't make any guarantees until I meet her of course, but I am ready to do that and I look forward extending our family.

So, if you are interested in "meeting" my brother's fiance Monika, you can find her on my Facebook page. She really does seem like a great girl, with a great background, who has had some tough breaks. Please pray that Mike and Monika are able to build this relationship with a foundation in Christ.

I will certainly keep you updated and let you know when the wedding is going to happen.

Healthy and on a roll! Random updates!

2009-02-11T23:25:00.004-07:00

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for the wishes of good health. I am happy to say that I am 100% recuperated and back in the swing of things. I've officially hit the crazy 4 months of my year, so I may be absent for a bit!

I had jury duty again this week, and I am still pleased with the process. I am making some friendships and even though it's time I could certainly be using for other things, I'm enjoying the change of pace. Back to work tomorrow.

There is something going on within the family that I can't quite announce yet. Please stay tuned, but in the mean time, PRAY! It's not health related, and it has the potential to be great. That's just yet to be determined.

I'm taking the GRE next month. I've taken so many other exams including specific ones for my original Masters. The new program I'm going into wants the GRE so I have to get that done. This is the first time that I've ever experienced any testing nervosa. I've gone as far as to purchase a prep program...that's never even crossed my mind before. Anyway, I feel pretty confident that I will do fine (hopefully better than fine) but I will be sure to fill you in when I get my scores.

Here's the schedule for the upcoming weeks...I won't be offended if you skip right over this (actually I won't have any idea...but if I did, I wouldn't care!)

2/13 State NMASC
2/14 State Bowling
2/15 Church, work and a date
2/16 I'm OFF! Yay!
2/19-2/20 State BPA
2/20-2/21 State Swimming & Diving and State Wrestling
2/27-2/28 State Choir
3/10-3/14 State Basketball
And of course work, school, and social stuff throughout all of that.

Told you the madness has started!

My church has begun a new program that brings community choirs and church choirs together to perform major works. Last week was the first rehearsal of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Ode to Joy). i'm so excited and it's so great to be singing again. Although I will say that after years of not doing much more than Karaoke, Beethoven's love for soaring sopranos was a bit testing for the first day! I am loving that my voice will be back in shape (there's no other option!) by the time we perform. Yay!!! If anyone's interested, the performance is with the Albuquerque Philharmonic and will take place at 2:00 PM on Sunday March 15th at the Hispanic Cultural Center. It's going to be great! To give you an idea, our choir alone is probably 70 voices strong, and there are at least 2 community choirs joining us, and then the Alb. Phil. Choir. WOW...I can't wait! You won't be able to pick my voice out of this one mom! (She swears she can always hear my voice...even though I tell her that that's not really a good thing when in a choir...oh well)

OK, I'm officially babbling. Hope no one minds that this blog has become my journal. I have given up on the idea of making every post entertaining to the reader. I hope that you enjoy reading them, but if not...at least I got to get it out of my head! Recently thought of an analogy that sums up most of my days...

I can generally liken my head to an air-powered bingo machine and all my "to-do's" to the bingo balls.

I like it! And it really does capture the multi-tasking craziness that is the life I love.

Love you all!

Flu Shot...I miss you

2009-01-29T15:34:00.002-07:00

For the last two years I have jumped on the bandwagon of the flu shot, but thought it was totally unecessary. After all, for the first 25 years of my life I had never had one, and I had made it through those flu seasons just fine. Well, this year I thought about getting it taken care of, but the opportunity never presented itself. In the past, I had done it at a health fair, or while at a doctor's office for another purpose. Well, mark my word, I will never wait for the opportunity to present itself again...I'll be finding a flu shot as soon as one is available.

On Sunday I started feeling that tickle in the back of my throat that spelled disaster. Mind you, a cold would be a disaster for me at this time of the year. So I grabbed my trusty Airborne, and 3 bottles of water. 6 hours, 2 Airbornes, and 3 bottles of water later, I wasn't feeling any relief. So I figured I would go home, take some Nyquil, get to bed early and deal with the sniffles in the morning. HA!

First of all, the Nyquil didn't cut it. Never before have I had such a hard time sleeping while drugged. So I got out of bed to get in the shower and nearly passed out trying to do so. I called into work and said "I'll see you tomorrow."

It's now Thursday and I am still camped out on my couch. My mom, bless her, has stopped by my office twice to pick up stuff for me to work on. I was going to go in yesterday, but was still breaking fevers and certainly contagious. Didn't think my office would appreciate me bringing that bug in! Then I got up to shower this morning...wanting to get back to work...and nearly passed out again.

I feel like such an invalid. And to make matters worse, I keep trying to get work done, but I kid you not...my brain is mush! I have completely lost my ability to think.

And let's not forget...class started last week, so I've missed a week of class only 2 weeks into the semester. ARGHHHH!

OK...I'm done venting, and this has tired me out. So I'm off to take a nap.

GET YOUR FLU SHOT!!!!!!!!!!

My Civil Duty

2009-01-07T23:05:00.003-07:00

So of course I can't really say much, but I have finally, at age 28, been summoned and selected to jury duty. And I must say, my mom who has never been called, is more than a little jealous!

I am kinda torn between 3 different emotions here:

1: Do I really really want to know about all the bad stuff that is happening? I don't even watch the news consistently because nobody has anything good to say.

2: This is going to be really cool, I'm going to learn a ton, and I'll be serving my state and country in a way that not everyone gets to.

3: Spring is my absolute busiest time of the year at work...how am I ever going to make this work?

Well, there is an oath of secrecy that says that I can't tell ANYONE ANYTHING that happens in the jury room. Technically I could tell you what jury I'm serving on, but I don't think that would be the smartest move since anyboy could ultimately get to this blog. I'm sure you get it.

So instead, I thought I'd just educate you a little bit...here's some of the stuff that I have learned just during my juror "orientation" if you will.

Juries, at least this one, are literally chosen by RANDOM. We're talking names in a hat. Some levels pull from registered voters, and some pull from those with driver's licences. I won't get into what I think about this...

So here's the selection process:
Everyone who was summoned shows up. Those people who feel they have a reasonable excuse for not serving share those excuses, either in public or private council. Then those reasons are taken to a judge who decides whether the excuses justify exception. The jury director returns to the room with the names of those people still in the running on pieces of paper. No one finds out who was excused and who wasn't...this keeps people from "borrowing" other's excuses if they want to get out of service in the future. Then the jury director mixes up the names...literally. In this case he used one of the bingo wheels. He then pulls out the appropriate number of names, and that's it. Telling you how many people I'm serving with could lead you to determine what I'm serving on...no can do.

There are two different types of juries.

First there's the Grand Jury. Grand juries determine whether a defendent should be indicted or whether there is not enough probable cause to do so.
Then comes the Pettit Jury. Pettit juries are trial juries (the ones we all think of when we think jury). You know, "we find the defendant..."

Then there are the different levels:
Metro, State, Federal, etc.

And juries at different levels serve for different amounts of time, and have different monthly requirements, etc. etc. So I can't say exactly what kind of time commitment this is or one could deduce what jury I'm serving on.

Let's just say that I'm going to be stretching myself thin for a while.

But in the end, emotion #2 is really what I am leaning towards the most. Yes, it's going to be a time commitment, and yes I may learn of some things that I would rather imagine are not happening. But the bottom line is, they are happening. And I have an opportunity to fulfill my civil duty and my constitutional right to do my part in making sure that the justice system works in the way it was designed.

I feel quite privileged to be serving on this jury. And I have definitely learned that I work better under pressure, so I don't really need to worry about the stress level of jury duty, full time work, full time school...and that thing I call a social life!

I would encourage you, if you are ever summoned, NOT to listen to your peers who will tell you that you should try to get out of it. I could have written a book of ways to get out of jury duty with all of the "suggestions and tips" I got prior to showing up at court. If everyone were to use these excuses, we would destroy the system that we have now. And although it is certainly far from perfect, it still strives to protect the innocent, afford anyone and everyone a fair trial, and consider all innocent until proven guilty. We can complain all we want about the flaws in our justice system, but at least it's designed correctly. Many other countries don't even have that foundation to build upon.

God Bless America!!

Dramatic, yes...The way I really feel...ABSOLUTELY!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T10:02:00.002-07:00

I have been on my vacation since Monday and I still feel like I should be doing something. Not that I'm just sitting around, I've had plenty to do. But this break feels a lot more like an actual break than some of the ones in the past. I don't go back to work until the 5th (followed by jury duty on the 6th), and school doesn't start up again until the 20th! WOW!

It's the morning of Christmas Eve, and the festivities are starting. I am headed out to buy A LOT of seafood for Cioppino, our meal for tomorrow. Every year we try to do something different and this year is no different. It's a Sicilian seafood soup that has had RAVING reviews. It only takes about an hour, prep and everything. I'm excited to try it. You can check out the recipe most similar to ours (we've made it our own) here. For some reason I can only get that to link to the Food Network homepage, but if you look up Giada De Laurentiis and Cioppino, that's the recipe.

I have to go find or make a dessert for my potluck/gift exchange with my "sisters" and their family. I'm thinking that there is a reason the stores overstock on desserts on Christmas Eve...so that people like me can continue to procrastinate!

Around 5 we're going to hop on the New Mexico Railrunner, a train system that runs North to South and that has just opened its route to Santa Fe. We will head into Santa Fe and stroll through Canyon Road. This has become a Christmas Eve tradition for us (my sisters and me) and if you're ever in NM for Christmas Eve you should try to make it there. It is the quintessencial Christmas scene; shops with lights, carolers, hot cider, bon fires, snow(!), it doesn't really get any better!

We'll be back in town in time for me to go to 11:00 service and then head to bed and get ready to spend Christmas day with my family.

I hope you all have a safe and blessed Christmas and that you find many things to be thankful for!

I HATE drama!

2008-12-14T21:04:00.003-07:00

Why did God wire women to create or insinuate drama?? I don't understand it, but I truly loathe it. I'm not saying that I've never been guilty of it, but do people not realize that it's only hurtful in the long run. Eventually someone will have to deal with the repercussions of the drama and that's NEVER fun. Ok...done with the soapbox for the evening.

Totally cute aprons...check 'em out!

2008-12-13T12:28:00.001-07:00

One of my fellow "Bods" has a friend who is starting to sell the adorable aprons that she makes. She's kicking off her new business with a giveaway...check them out here!

Enjoy enjoy!

Light at the end of the tunnel...

2008-12-09T18:18:00.002-07:00

Well, I have to say that taking 3 classes while working and living is suddenly much harder than it has been in the past. I'm trying to figure out if it's the classes, the promotion, or just me getting older! I'm pretty sure it's the promotion. Although I was doing a lorge part of this job before the promotion, there have definitely been added responsibilities. Not to mention the fact that I have been out of town for at least part of 8 of the last 10 weekends...there went my school catch up time!

So, I have completed one of my two final papers, just finished one of my three final exams, and am off to finish the second paper now. I wish I knew why I insist on procrastinating until the very last minute to write. It's obvious by the length of my posts that writing, and especially BSing, is certainly a strength of mine! And yet here I am...24 hours away from turning in a 7-10 pager, and I'm posting instead of writing my paper. Could someone please play psychoanalyst and tell me what the heck is wrong with me?!?

OK, I'll stop wasting time and get to the nitty gritty.

Point of this post...2 classes will be my maximum load from here on out. And I need to light a fire under my butt when it comes to large assignments. One of these days my gift for BS isn't going to cut it and I will pay for the procrastination!

Hope you are all doing well!

A new venture...and a healthy one at that!

2008-12-04T10:09:00.002-07:00

I have joined an online community called The Bod Squad. I am so excited about this group. There are 12 ladies who have made a commitment to change their lives to be healthier, and often thinner and more toned. There is so much more to it than that though...this is truly an emotional journey. Anyone who has ever struggled with weight loss can attest to that. Having 11 accountability partners, strong women who aren't afraid to tell you to get your act together, will be an incredible asset to my journey. And I hope that I can be just as helpful and encouraging to them. Although The Bod Squad is at it's capacity of "original" members, this community is an incredible way to gain encouragement on your own journey. Check it out!

If you get to this RIGHT AWAY...I'm not yet up there. Give me until the 7th to get everything to them so they can post it online. But I'm certainly not the only one...in fact, if you already know me, you probably already know my story. Check out everyone else's. Have a great day!

My new Advent tradition

2008-12-01T19:23:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I was given an Advent calendar. I had never really had one, but had always enjoyed the thought of the tradition. As I was driving home with the piece I started to think. I certainly didn't need a piece of candy every day, and I didn't think grapes would last. Suddenly something popped into my head. It's entirely possible that this is not an original idea at all, but I'm really excited about it and I wanted to share. If you are looking for a way to celebrate the season other than empty calories...give this a try!

I ripped up 25 pieces of paper and wrote the names of people in my life on each. I folded each of them up, and tossed them into a hat. Then I pulled them out randomly and without peeking I put one in each of the 25 days of the Advent calendar. Each morning I pull one out and say a special holiday prayer for the person or people listed on the paper.

Like I said, no guarantees on the originality, but if anyone is interested in joining me in this new tradition of mine, you are SO welcome to!

Thanksgiving Update

2008-12-01T19:11:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know, because I know you're on pins and needles, Thanksgiving went great! My greatest accomplishment was my shoo fly pie...I haven't had a good one since I was in Pennsylvania. I was SO excited when it came out right! I also did quite a bit of baking...Pannetone, Challah, and Tomato Herb Rolls. The succotash was great, and the salads were tasty tasty. The turkey brine did just what Alton Brown said it would...even the white meat was moist! The only thing that didn't exactly turn out right was the Herb Stuffed Artichokes. The artichokes were great, but the stuffing can be best compared to sand. I guess that's what you get when Weight Watchers tries to turn something sumptuous into something healthy... In all fairness, many of the other recipes were Weight Watchers, and they turned out great. I hope you all enjoyed a feast and a time of Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Feast

2008-11-25T10:33:00.003-07:00

Just a quickie...

I am so excited for my Thanksgiving meal. I am doing all of the cooking, which is not necessarily new. What IS new, is the fact that I have incorporated at least 7 pretty ambitious dishes/items into my menu. For those of you who understand my love of the culinary arts, you will understand why this is so exciting for me!

My kitchen has been temporarily transformed into a truly efficient work space (as close as I could get with what I have at least...) and I am ready to get started first thing tomorrow. Actually, the whole process will start tonight.

I hope you are all in a place where you are able to look forward to the holidays and not dread them. I think you would agree this is one of the biggest disservices that our society is doing to our children...the holidays have turned into a commercial rat race, rather than a time to be thankful and reverent.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving...and if anyone is without a table to sit at, my door is open! :-)

Give Thanks

2008-11-25T10:27:00.004-07:00

At this time of year, I am reminded of how many things I truly have to be thankful for. Here is a short laundry list just to get me started!

my faithful Father

My friends:
Shannon
Elizabeth
Lisa
Carissa
Megan
Leanne
Sasha
Kelly
Laura
Jax
Mindy
Alissa
Shari
Dana
Perry
Melanie
Barbara
Chris
Robert
All those who I haven't seen or spoken to in a long time, but you are always on my mind!
(I know I run the HORRIBLE risk of missing someone here, but if I did, please know it's only because I'm rushing through this because I should really be working...)

appropriately, my job

my family

my church

30 Rock

book club

school - being able to attend and excel

children

my animals

my abilities

my weaknesses

my health

There are SO many more, but I have one more post to make before I am done, and I would like to keep my job...seeing as I am so thankful for it, so I should close up for now.

I really encourage anyone, regardless of how silly it may feel, to initiate the roundtable naming of things you are thankful for at your Thanksgiving meal. You will truly be humbled and blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A dating story

2008-11-25T10:22:00.003-07:00

So I had a bit of an ego boost on a date last night and I thought I would share...

As you should know (if not, you need to read further!) I am partaking in a dating service. I had a date last night and it was obvious within the first couple minutes that there was no romantic chemistry. But one thing that I have made a point to do is have fun at each date regardless of long term potential. So we just talked and laughed and said goodnight.

Well, at one point during the conversation we started talking about the actual service. Come to find out he has had a less than incredible experience with this company. So as we continue talking I learn that I am his 2nd date in 3 months (that's NOT a lot). I also learned that a couple weeks ago he talked to the manager of the company and basically told her to put her best people on this, and that he better get someone who would "knock his socks off," (his phrase, which he happened to use about 23 times in the conversation, not mine) or he would make his opinion of the service known to everyone he knows.

I told him I would do my best...

So what did I, the eternal optimist, glass half full girl take from this? My dating service thinks I'm the creme de la creme!! And I'm going to keep that oh so positive thought in my mind 'cause it makes me happy!

Something fun!

2008-11-25T10:09:00.002-07:00

I figured if I was going to spend the time filling this out, it might as well be a "get to know me more..." tool. So here's Kristin in a nutshell...I guess...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Don't remember...
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sure
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Ham
5.DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would certainly hope so...but I can see how I would drive myself a wee bit nutty
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Who me?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No no and another no. I have no fear of being called a ninny in this situation.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Life
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry's mint chocolate cookie
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smile
15. RED OR PINK? Couldn't care less
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? lack of motivation during those rare moments of down time
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST ? friends
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? kind of a mute point considering the fashion in which I'm completing it. But it would be cool if I learned that others thought this was such an neat, original, fantastically desirable way of completing a survey that it ended up on other blogs (because I'm sure NO ONE has ever done this on their blog before...)
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I wore brown to work, but I have my black slippers on under my desk! :-)
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? oatmeal
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Christmas music
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? probably orange...why...no idea
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? desert rain, lillies, any many others that would occur to me if I were smelling them right now
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? co-worker
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? postively!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? football
27. HAIR COLOR? blonde
28. EYE COLOR? blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes
30. FAVORITE FOOD? really anything
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? not necessarily happy endings, but no scary movies
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? does 24 Redemption count? If not, Quantum Solice
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? brown
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? fall, winter or spring
35. HUGS OR KISSES? both please
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? creme brulee

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? refer to #18
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? refer to #18 and #38

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? a text book...but no fear, I am picking up Marlee and Me tonight...
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? just the lone critter
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Redemption 24, Dancing with the Stars, and Chuck
42. FAVORITE SOUND? laughter
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Europe
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? probably a couple...
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? LA...New Mexico
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Could they ask this question in any other form?

Oh...an update on an old subject...

2008-10-23T15:38:00.002-06:00

I got caught up in reading my own blogs (is there something egocentric about that?) and realized that I hadn't given you the most recent and assuredly the last update on a certain subject. Remember the fraudulent address issue? If not, flip back through my blogs...one of my finer moments if you ask me. Well, the issue never resolved...we stopped getting stuff from Wells Fargo, but continued to get stuff from Sprint...no matter what we did. I can't lie, I was incredibly frustrated, but I finally figured it was just something that I couldn't do anything about and would have to deal with.

I was SO wrong! One day I got home from work to 2 packages on my porch. I wasn't expecting anything, but was still incredibly excited! I got to the packages and saw that they were from Sprint. "You have got to be kidding me..." I started to feel that familiar feeling of anger, but it was quickly replaced by a rush of horribly devious pleasure. I hurried into the house and opened the packages (I stopped worrying about opening stuff with this person's name on it a long time ago). Lo and behold, each box contained a brand new phone. I couldn't believe it!

It's not like I could use the phones, or pass them on to someone who had Sprint...I'm sure the phones could be tracked once activated. However, I was bubbling with excitement at the realization that Monica had finally been beat at her own game. Bills and statements are one thing...equipment...what did she expect, for me to drive across town and drop the phones off at her house with a little note on flowered stationary saying "Here's the phones that sent to my house because you're fraudulently using my address to get your kids in a different school even thought I explicitly told you you couldn't. Hope you enjoy!"? I think not!

So, after playing around with the phones for a while because they were a new model that looked like fun, they were shipped back to the recycling plant. I will admit, I pocketed the chargers because they fit my phone...I'm so bad. However, the beauty of this...all phones sent to the recycling plant get checked for damage, paired with a charger, and sent off to be used by either the military, battered women, or someone else who needs them.

This was the best poetic justice I could ever hope for, and you shouldn't be surprised to know that I haven't received ANYTHING else for Monica since that day. I wish I had been able to listen to the phone call she made to Sprint.

Monica: Hello, my name is Monica and I haven't received my phones
Sprint: What is the address ma'am?
Monica: (ACTUAL address)
Sprint: I'm sorry ma'am that's not the address that we have on file. Can you verify your account some other way?
Five minutes later...
Sprint: Thank you for that verification. Now, what is the correct address for the account?
Monica: (ACTUAL address again)
Sprint: Ma'am, the address that I have on file has been being used for over 3 years. You said that you have been receiving your bills and statements, how is this the case?
Monica: uh...well...I...nevermind, it's just wrong, can we change it?
Sprint: Well sure, but I want to make sure that nothing else will be sent to the other address. Are you familiar with that address? How did it get onto your account?

You can see how I would have been thrilled to formulate this exchange in my mind and imagin Monica with her stomach in her throat.

Ah well...This, unlike the detective work from the beginning of the saga, is NOT my finest moment. But I really think that it worked for everyone...

I'm no longer receiving a stranger's mail
Monica learned a valuable lesson
Two people are getting to talk to their loved ones on brand new phones that were donated to them

I can't feel too bad!

Hope you enjoyed. I'm not REALLY this devious, I promise, but I have to admit, it was fun to see play out!

Kristin

Kristin Quarterly

2008-10-23T12:03:00.003-06:00

I just read my last post and realized that I am a horrible liar! I said I would keep you updated, and I haven't said ANYTHING...and there's definitely stuff to say. So here goes...

I accepted the job and I LOVE it. I have been traveling all over the place, learning new things everyday, and taking advantage of the opportunities to make positive changes for the students of New Mexico. I started the job with a month worth of traveling within the state. I went to Carlsbad for the Rodeo finals, Ruidoso for some meetings, Alamogordo for the Athletic Training Challenge, Las Cruces for FFA...it was a CRAZY month. But it was a great way to decide whether I knew what I was getting into, and if I was making the right decision. Obviously I was pleased with what I saw! I continued my travel by going to Washington DC for our Summer meeting, Indianapolis for a Spirit Committee meeting, and OKC for our Section meeting.

Somewhere in all of that, I managed to pull off the reunion...which I was pretty pleased with! It was a great time, we had a great turnout, and from what I've heard, people had a lot of fun. Of course this probably means that I suckered myself into being the reunion planner for years to come, but only time will tell.

Sorry, that was a tangent, back to work. I am now 6 months into my position and I really feel that I am where I am supposed to be. I have already had many opportunities to address issues that I have struggled with for years. I have also had the opportunity to learn lessons about being in a position with that much influence...it is definitely a much more precarious place to be. But as I learn more and more, I realize that I like the precarious!

My actual job is overseeing the 22 "non-athletic" activities in the state of New Mexico. Now that I've called them non-athletic once, I won't any more! It's the easiest way to explain what I am talking about, but the prefix "non" implies a negative, or what they are not rather than what they are. So here's a list of those activities in case you are interested.

Athletic Training Challenge
Bowling
Business Pros of America
Chess
Choir
Concert Band
DECA Marketing Education
Drama / One Act Play
English Expo
FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)
FFA Agriculture Education
HOSA (Health Occupations Student Assoc)
JROTC
Mock Trial
Rodeo
Scholastic Publications
Science Fair
Science Olympiad
Skills USA
Speech and Debate
Spirit
Student Council
TSA (Technology Student Assoc)

I completely run some, have a hand in the day to day operations of others, and simply oversee the rest. It makes for a busy 6-7 day week, but I really have loved every minute of it!

So, where does school fit into all of this? Well, my boss was incredible and willing to bend over backwards to allow me to finish my Elementary Education degree. He was going to allow me to take off 3 months during the summer to student teach, and 2 days a week during the Fall Semester. I don't have to tell you that that is an INCREDIBLE offer when I am a full time salaried employee. So I put together a proposal to UNM asking them to allow me to student teach at a year round school so that I could complete my student teaching during the summer, our least busy time. The plan was to complete the first semester of student teaching this fall (that's the 2 days a week) and complete it next summer student teaching full time. I would complete the course work that is required as well; attending class regularly while student teaching in the Fall, and attending the Spring semester class drawing on my experience from the Fall semester to complete assignments. I also ensured that I would have access to a class so that if I needed to complete an in class assignment throughout the Spring course I would be able to do so. Knowing that I was asking for an exception, I also took the additional steps to find a year round school, meet with the principal, get approved as a student teacher, and arrange a tentative schedule with my mentor teacher. This is normally the responsibility of the university faculty who does placement. I submitted the proposal and was turned down...rather bluntly at the end! I did appeal the decision, was lead to believe that it would be overturned, and was then turned down again.

So...obviously this caused more than a handful of problems. The most difficult were these;
1. After being told by University faculty in the VERY beginning that this wouldn't be a problem, I had already accepted the position at work.
2. I had fallen in love with the job and wouldn't have attempted to withdraw my acceptance
3. When I had accepted the position, salary negotiations had included the assumption that I would procure my Master's degree in the near future
4. I was 85% done with a Master's degree that I now wouldn't be able to complete
5. If I loved this job so much, how much do I really want to be in the classroom?

This lead to some serious soul searching, a lot of unsolicited advice that eventually helped me reach my final decision (but in general, not the desired decision of those offering the advice!), and a more decisive plan for the future of Kristin!

I chose to not complete the Master's in Elementary Education and instead have begun the process of transferring all eligible credits to my Masters in Educational Psychology. I am already very pleased with my decision. Many people have come to me stating that I "belong in the classroom," I "have a talent and I shouldn't waste it behind a desk," and "don't give up on your dreams." As much as I appreciate their compliments of my abilities with children, I have come to some realizations throughout this soul searching process that have helped me realize that my place is NOT in the classroom.
1. I am also an organized leader who possesses the talent and intelligence to positively impact even more students from "behind a desk."
2. Just because I am not in the classroom does not mean that I will not have the opportunity to work with children. I still have the undying desire to be a mother, and I truly feel that maybe that is where my talent with children will be best utilized. I have already proven to be more successful on an individual or small group level than with a large group.
3. I have always struggled to balance my characteristics/hobbies/desires that seem to come from polar opposite ends of the spectrum. I don't know how to best explain that, but I can try to give an example. I have always pictured myself as a city girl: suit, heels, business portfolio, etc. I put that aside for so long because I was training to be a teacher. This job combines the two. I still get to interact with and benefit the students, while dressing up, clip clopping down the hall, and looking "put together" in the business world. I hope that makes SOME kind of sense.

So, there's that. If you were one of the advisors, thank you for your concern, and thank you for trying to keep me from making a rash decision. But please realize that I am very please with where I am and I don't feel like I have given up on my dreams...I feel like I'm realizing them!

I am submitting my application to the Ed Psych program within the next week or so...wish me luck!

This semester I am taking Qualitative Research in Education, Intro to Gifted Ed, and Intro to Human Development. I am enjoying all of the material, and two of the instructors! The gifted education class has been an eye opener to an interest area that fits into the Ed Psych line of study. I think my thesis will be centralized around gifted students who participate in extracurricular activities. Does this help them cope with their giftedness and are they more successful at the High School level when gifted programs no longer exist then their counterparts who do NOT participate in extracurricular activities? Can you see how everything is fitting together like a puzzle?

So do I still have a life? Well I try! Like I said, I did the reunion this summer, took an extra day in OKC to visit Lisa, and just returned from a trip to AZ to see a So You Think You Can Dance tour stop. Something I haven't had the time (or desire) to do is tackle the non-existent dating scene in Albuquerque. So, I have joined It's Just Lunch. It is basically a matchmaking service for busy professionals. I haven't made any connections yet, but I've met some pretty cool people!

I have also found a church that I am happy at...FINALLY! It combines fellowship, traditional service, church activities, small groups, people of my age, and most importantly the love of God! It took me a while, but I am very happy there as well.

I am still at the same place in Albuquerque. The house is on the market, but we are not desperate to sell. When it happens it happens! I am planning on buying a house in the fairly near future, but there will most likely be a transitional rental in between this home and my first. My mom is living with me a couple days a week and in Los Alamos the rest of the time. She has a job here in Albuquerque as a PA and is really happy there, so she's down here generally Wednesday through Saturday. We drive eachother appropriately nuts the way mothers and daughters should, but I'm luckier than most in that I get to see her as often as I do. She doesn't like to cater to my anal-retentive neuroticism, and of course that's driving me to drink, but not excessively! :-) Happy BDay mom!

The Broncos aren't making me incredibly proud, but the Phillies are on a roll!

My animals are the same wonderful companions they have been for years.

I still have an addiction to shoes.

I still love to cook and have recently added to my semi-professional cookware...you should come for dinner sometime!

I'm pretty sure that I have sufficiently updated you on anything and everything you ever wanted to know, and probably stuff you didn't want to know! But since I figured this one may be the last post for months (as that has been my recent pattern) I didn't want to leave anything out!

I love you all and hope everything is going equally well for you. Email me at any time, or call me. I'd love to talk to you...I'm just really bad at making the first call recently! Not an excuse, but I'm sorry anyway!

Love you love you! Have a fun Halloween, a fruitful Thanksgiving, and a blessed Christmas!

Kristin

Wow...what a difference a day can make!

2008-04-09T20:06:00.002-06:00

Hello again! So, yesterday I was considering a position in Artesia, and today I as offered an Assitant Director position at the NMAA. I have been gunning for this position for 4 years...and here its become a possibility! I still have to make sure that student teaching is going to work before I accept the job. I really want to take it, but I won't sacrifice my degree for it. So...just thought I'd let you know what's going on. Short and sweet, but it's here! I'll keep you updated as decisions are made.

A bit of catching up to do...

2008-04-08T23:19:00.002-06:00

Hello devoted blog readers! Just thought I would do a bit more catch up than last time, which was a bit of a cop out! So, being the overly organized (ok, anal retentive) woman that I am, I'll break it down by category!

School - I am currently taking my last two classes before I begin my studet teaching. I'm struggling through stats, which is odd because I've already aced a stats class. I'm certainly having a difficult time with the teaching style of my professor. Oh well, I'll make it through. The other class is supposed to be integrating technology in the classroom, but instead it has turned into a royal waste of time and money. Not the first time...so I'll get through that too!

Work - Here is the big update. I am applying for an Assistant Choir Director position with the Artesia School District. This is a huge opportunity, but there are some obstacles in the way. UNM doesn't want to allow me to complete my student teaching requirements in Artesia due to the distance from Albuquerque. It seems that I have the support of the Artesia schools, and if they choose to offer me the position I think they will help me appeal UNM's initial decision. I am submitting my application tomorrow or Thursday, so I should have a better idea of what to expect by the end of next week. I'll keep you updated!

Aside from that, I have been receiving some incredible kudos from my colleages in regards to the impact I have had over the past 5 years. Apparently, my attitude has made a very positive change over the last 6 months. I haven't noticed a difference, and I don't remember making any changes, but something's hitting the right note! I was recognized during the State Spirit Competition which was incredibly unexpected, and very touching.

Reunion - I am having a blast planning the reunion! I'm having some difficulty securing financial sponsorships from Los Alamos businesses. Thankfully I have some help "on the hill," and she is approaching businesses in person.

Life is good. I am healthy, happy, motivated, loved, blessed and looking forward to whatever changes may come. If I am not offered the Artesia position, I will remain in Albquerque for the next year and complete my student teaching. The NMAA has offered to extend my full time contract throughout the summer and then keep me on as a part time employee throughout the fall semester. They have also assured me that there will be no penalty for breaking this contract if I do end up taking a teaching position.

I think that's about it for now...I'm exhausted and it's time to get some sleep. Hope everything is going well, and I love you all!

I'm alive!

2008-03-16T15:38:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! If anyone is even taking the time to check this blog anymore, just wanted to let you know I'm here. State Basketball ended yesterday, and my Spring Break has officialy begun...WOO HOO!!!! I have about a week and a half to get caught up on the doings of life, then it's back into the swing of everything.

School's going well

Work is insane

Reunion planning is frustrating at times, but a lot of fun

And the future is so incredibly up in the air, I can't even begin to tell you

Hope all is going well, you are all in my thoughts and prayers!

Oops...forgot something

2007-10-27T14:40:00.000-06:00

Someone kindly reminded me that I had not yet shared about the American Idol auditions. As you may have guessed, if they had gone well, I wouldn't have needed reminding! Here are some pictures of the audition area and all of the other people who were with me.

This is the parking lot that we all lined up in. The day that we picked up wristbands, this lot was filled, emptied and filled up again 3 times!!

These are some pics of the first day we were there...picking up wristbands. Basically, wristband pickup starts on Saturday morning. These pictures were taken at about 6:00 am. You can see the humidity in the air...yuck. We waited in the parking lot until about noon. By the time we started moving, the whole process went pretty quick. I was out of there with a wristband by about 1:00.

Wristband pickup lasted through Sunday and auditions began Monday morning.

People started lining up for auditions as early as Sunday night...regardless of the fact that camping out was not allowed. I got there at about 5:30 am and by 9:00 I was in the doors.

Here are two pictures of my company on audition day. There were over 20,000 people...WOW! We filled the Wachovia Center, home of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Yep...there's Ryan Seacrest. Even though I didn't make it past this first day, chances are pretty good that you'll catch a glimpse of me during the opening sequence of the season. Philadelphia is the first audition city to be on the air, so keep an eye out (about four rows off the floor) during the opening scene, and look closely when you hear "I Love Rock'n'Roll". Ryan came in to shoot the opening scene...you know, the famous "THIS...is American IDOL...," and hung out for about 30 minutes.

Then it was time for the auditions.

There were 17 of these audition tables spread across the floor of the arena. Each table had 1-2 judges at it, and group of fours auditioned at a time. If you look closely you can see some of the freaks that came out...

Auditions started at about 11:00 at I got out of there around 5:00. So, how did my audition go?

Well, after hearing some of the people they turned away, and seeing some of the people they put through, I was completely prepared to go home with the reasoning "not what we're looking for." HOWEVER, I was not prepared to go home because I had royally flopped my audition. I sang "Broken Wing," by Martina McBride, and started out great. The judge actually gave me this, "now this is refreshing," look. However as soon as I sang the first note, I could tell I was too high and that I wasn't going to pull it off. Sure enough, when I came to the chorus, I was cornered by my own mistake. I was SO frustrated. So, since I can only blame myself...I'm going back next year!

Michael also auditioned, and I honestly don't know how he did. All he has told me is that he thinks the whole process was a joke and that he was incredibly turned off. We haven't really discussed his actual audition. Needless to say, he didn't make it either. You can watch for him in San Diego...singing "California Dreamin'."

So, no American Idol this year, but like I said...I have to be turned down after a good audition in order for me to be satisfied, so I'm heading back next year. Let me know if you want to be part of my entourage! Actually, each person can only bring one guest...so we should get a group of people together to audition so that we can show up with a real entourage. OK...there you go. Now I think we're really caught up!!

Hello hello!

2007-10-26T13:13:00.000-06:00

Well,
Here I am again and I'm ready to do some more filling in on the happenings of Kristin! So I think I owe you info on the progress of the reunion, work and whatever else you're in the mood to read about.

As far as the reunion goes, planning has taken off and I think we have a GREAT event to look forward to. Two of my classmates have really jumped on board to help, and they are both in Los Alamos still, so that's INCREDIBLY helpful. We have a great weekend planned, but we're kinda holding off on the announcing of everything to add a bit of fanfare to the itinerary. We also have some really neat ideas for stuff that we are going to present throughout the weekend. I'm excited to see everything come together! If you know any '98 graduates, tell them it should be an event to remember and definitely not one to miss!

Work...ahhhh...work...hmmm...well...ok, thought I was out of here near the end of the summer, but once we started getting busy again, I realized that I just need to stay busy to stay happy! Now, busy is a definite understatement and I barely have time to breathe, let alone pick apart the reasons that I'm not totally content. Really, I take comfort in the knowledge that I have put my life and soul into this place over the past 4 years, and in 7 short months that will end. I have been denied opportunities to advance, and that has hurt every time. BUT, I have truly enjoyed my time here, and the growth that I have made as an individual is incredible, so I can only be grateful. It will be hard to leave, but I can't wait to begin my new adventure of teaching!! That is the career that I want to put my life and soul into.

So...what's coming up for me? Some fun stuff!

First of all, for all you Garth Brooks fans out there, I ALMOST won a trip to his sold out concert in Kansas City. I was one of 8 qualifiers, but someone else took it. I did however walk away with a reserved copy of his 6 CD set coming out in November and $100. Can't complain!

School project: I am in the process of creating a documentary for a class. It is a lot of hard work, but the subject is one that is really of national relevance. I feel that this documentary could ideally be used nation wide to assist athletic and activity programs fight for survival and hopefully funding. The platform is

“Those students who participate in interscholastic activities are surpassing those who don't when it comes to test scores and GPA. Due to budget adjustments meant to allow for more testing materials and resources at schools that are not meeting AYP, these schools are losing their activity and athletic programs at an alarming rate. As a result, the students who most need these motivators to do well in school, no longer have the opportunity to participate in these activities."

If we gather the data that we expect to throughout this process, I truly feel that we have a good chance at making this national!

November: I am going to be going on a Carribean cruise to Progreso, Merida, and Cazumel the first week of November, and I can't wait! I've done an Alaskan cruise, and it was incredible. I am really excited to "hit the beaches" though!

Thanksgiving at my place! In case I haven't told you, I have become quite the lover of culinary arts...and I'm pretty darn good at it if I may say so. Last year I was lucky enough to have a successful Pampered Chef party that yielded quite a bit of free stuff for me. It also meant that I was given 50% of their professional pan set. My parents and I split the cost as a Christmas gift to me, and I have never had so much fun! I was also lucky enough to get a new stove in May, and I was insistent that my connection be switched from electric to gas. LIFE IS GOOD! Turns out there was a gas line back there all along, it just needed to be turned on. ANYWAY, I am hosting Thanksgiving at my place and I'm excited to have an opportunity to pull out the full size dining room table and my good china. So, if anyone is without a place for Thanksgiving, let me know and you aren't anymore!

December: Besides my 2 week Christmas break (woo hoo), my parents have decided to host Iron Cheff Derr at their house! Michael and I have both enjoyed experimenting with and learning about new and interesting culinary techniques, as well as the marriages of flavors. On December 22nd he and I will be fighting it out Iron Chef style. If you are going to be in town, we are in need of 2 more judges...let me know! We are going to put the whole thing on tape and see if we can be featured on the "How Do You Iron Chef" spot on the Food Network. Should be fun!

My mom and I are looking into travel possibilities to get us to California to assist some of the fire victims over break. After experiencing the Cerro Grande and the resulting devestation, we can truly empathize with these communities. Even more importantly, one of the most memorable aspects of that tragedy was the assistance that came from all over the world - literally. I feel that this is an opportunity to show our appreciation by doing the same for another group of survivors.

OK, I think I have truly caught you up on the saga. Hope you are all doing well, and I really am going to try to stop in weekly or so to say hi. And in order to start how I finished...goodbye goodbye! :)

OK...so it took me awhile...

2007-10-17T19:16:00.001-06:00

but I'm here. I'm not writing where I should be...totally in class right now, but this is the class that I haven't yet discovered the point of, so I don't feel incredibly guilty! I know I have a lot to write about, and to be honest, it's a bit overwelming when I think about it, but here I go.

School:

As I said, my last week of summer school was kinda out of control...but I made it through. And by the end of it, I had a ton of great teaching resources, including lesson plans and unit plans that I created. I think that these resources will really help during my first year in the classroom.
I am now in three classes, all of them "PC" master classes...meaning, I'm not sure any of them are really necessary (at least they haven't yet proved to be), but they look good on my credentials. Let's put it this way...the title of one of my classes is "Social Justice in Education." now come on...what do you think goes on in there besides a bunch of complaining???? HOWEVER, I have met some great people and I have fun during all of my classes...the fun may be nothing related to the class material, but it's fun regardless!

I've been very blessed to be surrounded by people who respect me and my opinions and I really feel like I am where I'm supposed to be. For those of you who haven't struggled with that, after not knowing what you were doing for an extended amount of time, it's a great relief!!! One of my instructors told me last night that she wished her son had a teacher like me. This woman has 2 PhD's, and she's not one to give away compliments, so I was incredibly touched.

Harry Potter Book Fair:

Well, it was almost 3 months ago, but I was the 75th person in the Hastings on Montano to get the 7th and last insallment of Harry Potter. I got it in the middle of my summer classes, so I had to lay it down until classes were over. Then once classes were over, it was time for officials clinic, coaches clinic, and athletic director's meeting. I FINALLY read the first page of the book on August 5th, after driving into Des Moines, Iowa, for my annual summer road trip.

Remember how I said that the necklace I wore to the movie premier was the most dressed up I would ever get? I lied...I took my coworker's 12 year old daughter and when I found out that she was going to be dressing up, I couldn't be left out...

The book was great! And that's all I'm really going to day because it has been awhile and I don't want to make any comments that aren't an key. I am going to reread the series when I'm done school, but for now I am happy to know that the series ends in a way I was happy with.

Iowa/Pennsylvania:

Carrissa and I took our annual summer road trip from August 4-18. We had a blast as usual and I'll give you a quick breakdown of the trip...

Day 1: Drive to Denver and have dinner with Rissa's dad and step mom...yummy...Nancy made us cherry pie! Then we watched a snow-mobiling video with Bob...that was fun!

Day 2: Drive to Des Moines. Bob and Nancy allowed is to borrow their radios so that Riss and I, could communicate with Laura and Annie in the other car. I was banned from the radio after a while because I'm told I talk about pointless things...why do we have radios if we're not going to use them? THEN...the same people who told me I was talking on the radio too much came on the radio and dared me to swallow a gobstopper whole...OK...done, now what? They didn't believe me, so they dared me to do it again while they drove by and watched. Never a dull moment!!! We packed food so that we didn't have to spend money on the way and had 2 nice breaks for food throughout the day. We got into Des Moines and relaxed at the hotel for the rest of the night.

Day 3: Riss and I started at the mall and then joined the family for a meal. This day was nice and easy...

Day 4: Amana baby! If you ever go to Iowa, you need to make it a point to travel to the Amana Colonies. Amana is a cluster of old German colonies that still function as small communities. There is a great wool mill, family dining, and a cellar winery ever 100 feet. It's great fun! on our way back, I decided that I knew the way to go, and although I was wrong...the locals in the car didn't feel like telling me so. So, not only did we go off the beaten path (which was actually a blast), but we were running out of gas at an alarming rate. We barely made it to a gas station in time, but we did, and the experience was totally memorable!

Day 5: State Fair day 1. The Iowa State Fair really is the greatest state fair in the country. I was so bummed that my ankle kept me from covering as much of the fair as I normally do, but it was still great to be at the fair. Every year the "butter lady" carves a lifesize cow out of butter as well as something that is relevant to the pop culture of the year. So of course, I saw a lifesized Harry Potter, his broom, chest, and the fat lady, all carved out of butter. Check out the preying mantis that jumped onto the car when we got back to the hotel...she's HUGE!

Day 6: The Fair again. I didn't spend much time at the Fair this day due to the heat and my ankle. Strangely enough, during the hour that I was there, I was spotted!

After getting back to the hotel that night, I hopped onto myspace and saw that I had a message. Gina had emailed me saying..."You have a twin and I saw her at the Iowa State Fair today. The resemblance was so strong I almost ran over and said hi." I couldn't believe it! I emailed her back and told her that I didn't have a twin and that I had been at the Fair that day.

Day 7: Gina called me early and we laughed about the strange circumstances of the day before. I told her that if she didn't mind me packing while we talked, she should bring Cassie to the hotel so that we could catch up. We ate breakfast together and enjoyed about an hour of catch up time before Riss and I had to get on the road.

Riss and I drove to the St. Louis (stopping for Dutch Letters in Pella on the way) and stayed at her family's for the evening.

Day 8: I met Rissa's grandfather this day, who is truly a one of a kind man. He is an expert on big band music and has an incredible library of music in his self made recording studio. He is 92 years old ( if I remember correctly) and needs a magnifying computer system to see anything. It was an honor and a special memory to meet him and I can't wait for the CD that he has promised to make me!!

Day 9: Riss and I added a leg to Pennsylvania to our trip this year and we decided to take a train out that direction. We had a connection in Chicago and then got on our train that would travel throughout the night. We had splurged for a sleeper car, were able to get a great upgrade, and were treated like queens for the evening. I had lamb for dinner! Yummy!

Day 10: Pennsylvania here we come! My uncle was over an hour late picking us up at the train station...not incredibly surprised...and then we made it to my grandparent's house. We enjoyed the evening with them and went to bed!

Day 11: We drove around the towns that I grew up in and around and visited some old friends. I tried to show Riss as much as I could, but by this time we were getting pretty tired of travelling and we were missing our animals A LOT!!!

I couldn't introduce Riss to my family without a game of Pit, so we played cards for a couple hours before going to bed.

Day 12: We visited a coal mine and went on a tour into the mine. My uncle and cousin joined us and it was a fun time. Riss and I then drove to Hershey and went through the free Hershey's chocolate tour. We were told that we were the millionth customers to park at the museum, but later found out that the parking attendants were just bored! No complaints...good story and free parking!

At this point we met up with my uncle and drove to the train station to get back on the tracks

We were SO ready to get off the train and get back home!

Day 13:

We arrived back in the St. Louis area and stayed this evening with Rissa's family again. I made the family individual cobblers to go with dinner and I think I'm golden with them forever!

Day 14:

We drove all the way home this day, stopping only for necessities and to do about a 30 minute shopping spree at Ulta...Love that place!

OK...DONE with the travelling.

I think I'll end this post here and write another one to include details about work, the reunion and my upcoming fun later! Thanks for bearing with me.

PS Shannon...see what you get when you ask for a post!!!

I promise I'll be back soon...

2007-09-06T10:32:00.000-06:00

Hey all you bloggers! I promise that I will be back in commission sometime soon. Work and school are back in full swing, and everytime I think about writing, I end up with something else to do. I meant to catch you all up on the happenings this past weekend, but I had quite an extensive to do list that took precedence. I got almost everything on the list done though...I guess that's a positive thing! Here's a quick update for the time being...

Work: Still at the NMAA, and because schools are back in session we are back to being insanely busy. I've been working on getting as much done for the year as I can.

School: Taking 3 classes; Principles of Curriculum Development, Social Justice in Education, and Advanced Instructional Strategies. I'm having fun, although I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to be learning in one or two of these classes yet... I've met some great people who will continue through this program with me and we're having fun sticking it out together.

Reunion: I am having an absolute blast planning my 10 year reunion. There are about 5 people who are interested in lending a hand, and our first meeting will be next weekend. After that I should have a better vision of the fun to come!

Other: I'm planning a wedding for a friend/sister...the budget is $500. Talk about minimalistic...it's going to be beautiful and quaint.

Everything else is pretty much the same, just busy busy busy as I try to keep it at all times! I am not going to give myself a deadline for writing more, because I'm afraid I may miss it, but I really do have a lot to write about that I hope to get done sooner than later!

I Feel SO Bad...

2007-08-24T08:36:00.000-06:00

I have to make this short so that I can get to work, but I am devastated. I ran over and killed someone's cat this morning on the way to work. I've hit wild animals before, but never an animal that had an emotional connection to a human, and visa versa.

If you're already rolling your eyes, you might as well skip this post, cause I'm only going to continue on this same thought pattern.

I think that if this had happened when I "didn't like cats," I would have felt horrible, but it wouldn't have affected me the same way. After I hit her though, I saw that she had a collar and I absolutely lost it. All I could imagine was someone sitting at home getting ready for work thinking that their cat had gone on their daily stalking adventures, who will never see their cat again. I'm tearing up again just thinking about it. Picturing Lucy out there...

I watched the poor thing go through convulsions before taking her last breath and I'm just glad she wasn't totally alone in the middle of the street. I called the city, but after 30 minutes, I had to just move her off the street myself and get to work. It ripped my heart out to just leave her on the side of the road. Her collar was just a flea collar, but I am hoping she was micro-chipped. I left clear instructions to please pass on my apologies, condolences, and even my phone number if the owner was contacted.

It was very interesting to watch people change as they drove by my car, parked half-way in the middle of the road to keep others from running over her. The area that I was in is known for being the home of some not so nice or law-abiding citizens. However, even those that were carreening around the corner, wondering why there was a sobbing woman in a black Jetta in their way, displayed expressions of sympathy, hurt, or empathy as they continued on their way. I even had a lady in a mini van, with literally 10 passengers, stop and console me, telling me it was allright and that "she was already in heaven". Very kind of her, and completely unneccesary, but appreciated.

If you haven't yet experienced this humbling and heartbreaking experience, I hope you never do. If you have, I hope that you had closure, cause that's all I'm hoping for. I just hope that the family is notified and knows that the "culprit" is incredibly sorry for their loss.

It's been too long!

2007-08-10T22:39:00.000-06:00

Hola amigos! I was just stopping by and realized that I haven't written in forever. I can't write much right now, but this is a promise of some fun posts to come. The last post I made came right before my insanely busy last week of summer classes, then I had a week of crazy work, and then I left for vacation...writing in my blog has not been in the forefront of my mind! However...here is an idea of what I have to update you on...

1. My crazy finish to school
2. My time at the midnight book release for the 7th Harry Potter book
3. My review of the Harry Potter book (don't worry, I'm pretty careful about spoilers...but read carefully if you haven't yet read the book)
4. My vacation - including the incredibly coincidental sighting of "my twin" by Gina who didn't know I was actually in town.
5. And one other topic of which I am still awaiting news on from my end...so that's as much as you get for now!

Hope your summers are going well...hope you are all staying cool and dry...and hope you enjoy the remainder of yet another summer that has flown by and is soon to be gone.

LAHS Class of '98 Reunion

2007-07-20T17:23:00.000-06:00

Well, can't believe I signed up for this, but it should be fun. I have officially volunteered to plan my 10 year reunion. So, I'm asking for the help of any LAHS graduates who have friends from the class of '98. If you have any contact info, can you shoot it my way? Also, I know a couple of you have some experience planning reunions, so if you have any suggestions can you give me those also? Thanks so much guys!

Aside from that, I know I haven't written in a while, but I've been nose in the books for the past week. Classes are over next week, so I'll be back on the ball soon! Off to have a birthday dinner cooked for me by my marvelouse "sisters"! Then to the Harry Potter release party...fun times! See ya!

Harry Potter

2007-07-12T14:05:00.000-06:00

Here's my own review on the new Harry Potter movie.

First of all, I think it is important for you to know that for the 3rd movie in a row, I have gone to the first midnight showing. Totally worth it!! I got the closest to dressing up this year by wearing a Dumbledor's Army necklace...I think that's as far as my fanaticism will ever go! I have some sort of respect for those who show up in full costume just because of their willingness to make fools of themselves, but at the same time, they definitely scare me a bit!

Laura and Mindy were the first two in line (they got there at 5:00 PM). We were pretty surprised that the line was as short as it was until as late as it was. The last movies we saw at Century 24, the biggest theater in town. For the last movie we showed up at 3:00 and STILL weren't first in line (ok we were second, but still...). Also, in years past there have been long lines HOURS before the show started. This year, people didn't really start showing up until about 10:00. Weird, but I guess the theater had something to do with it.

So, we sat in line and made friends with the theater staff, ate dinner, played cards, did homework, played more cards and were finally let into the theater at 10:30ish. Laura started polling the fellow fans "Friend or Foe" (if you don't know what I'm talking about read the books) and found that all but 3 people say Friend...me included. If you want my reasoning for this, I'll be happy to offer it at another time! Then we started playing Harry Potter trivia. I am not that good at recall, so I was amazed at the people and what they knew. Can anyone else name the four types of dragons in the Goblet of Fire tournament...without looking it up? Some of the fans there could! And what is Voldemort's mom's name...woah! As answers were shouted out, I remembered them, but the fact that people could recall something that was mentioned in maybe 1 Chapter of a 700 page book just baffled me.

We also received many lectures about the fact that cameras of any kind, including camera phones, would be confiscated if used in the theater. Technically they were supposed to confiscate them if they SAW them, but I guess they were realistic enough to know that that was a silly goal! Apparently, there are already bootleg copies of some movies that just came out last weekend circulating throughout the city. There is a $250,000 fine and 5 years in jail in the future of anyone taking pictures if someone decided to turn them in. And why would someone turn them in...$500 finder's fee. Honestly ridiculous. So, I misunderstood the whole "in the theater" thing. I thought that it meant in the actual seating area of the theater...oh no, ANYWHERE in the theater. The Movie Posters for upcoming movies are copyrighted also, so they are just as guarded as the movie themselves. Well, thank goodness the "officials" weren't around when I took a picture of the long line for the movie right before we were allowed into the theater...sorry, the seating area of the theater. Anyway, once we got in and were seated, there were flashes going off all over the place. The theater staff went crazy for a little while trying to confiscate all of the cameras until they decided that they didn't want to be liable for the cameras! LOL! Needless to say, the cops weren't called in on anyone.

Before the lights went down, a reporter came and talked to Laura and Mindy because they had been the first ones in line. Check it out at http://www.abqtrib.com/ if you are interested. At first I was upset that she hadn't asked me about anything, but when I ended up with some stomach thing the next morning and couldn't go to class or work, I was fairly relieved. Something tells me that my being sick may have been questioned, legitimate as it was, had my instructors or boss seen me quoted about being at the theater until 3:00 in the morning!

Anyway, the movie started and we all groaned through the previews. They can be annoying when you HAVEN'T been waiting for 7 hours to watch the movie...need I say more! So as soon as the Harry Potter music started, applause began and quickly died down as we tuned into the much anticipated film.

Well, either we were so hyped up that nothing was going to please us, or the first 10 minutes of the movie were truly disappointing. The acting, the cinematography, the choppiness...everything just didn't feel right. Thankfully, it soon turned into the white knuckle movie that we expected. The comedic relief of Delores Umbridge, the crony sent to the school by the Ministry of Magic, was great. The fight scenes in the Ministry's Hall of Mysteries were wonderfully done, although the minimalistic coverage of the fate of Sirius was slightly disappointing.

Some say this movie was supposed to be the darkest yet, although I think I would argue that the Goblet of Fire still takes the cake in that aspect.

So, there's my review...can't wait till the 21st when the last book comes out!!! Well, off to class I go.

Wish me luck as I am attempting the bicycle for the first time in years tonight. I know..."it's like riding a bike," and I should have no problem, but I fear that I become less and less comfortable with adrenaline the older I get, so I'm hoping for no adrenaline triggers tonight! (I just read that back and I sound like a 72 year old, paranoid grandma...oh well, notice I didn't erase it!) Have a great night everyone...talk to you soon!

2007-07-10T12:11:00.000-06:00

Update on the Fraud Situation

So...Here's the deal. I got a text this morning from Jessica stating that yes indeed, the two Monica Olivas' are the same woman...weird small world we live in huh? So that means nothing monumental except for the fact that I am not jaded against all women named Monica Olivas for the rest of my life! Since this turned out to be only one person and not two, I can just be jaded against her!

As soon as I got to work I covered my own butt by talking to two of my superiors and giving them a heads up about the situation. I just wanted them to know that if it ever came back to the NMAA, I had NEVER given permission for my address to be used. They both laughed incredulously at the situation and told me that I needn't worry.

OK, next I called APS, the school district, and made them aware of the situation. They looked up the kids, and the good news is they have never been listed at my address and they have been going to the school on the military base here in town (their dad is a vet). So, technically I should feel all better about the situation, but I don't!

Even though they never took that final step of registering outside of their zone, they still made legal changes to their address AFTER I had told them that I was unwilling to allow them to use my address. I just feel betrayed. And if they had been unable to get them into the school on base (apparently there were issues with this because of their parent's divorce), would they have still used my address? What astounds me is that as Jessica and I were making these odd connections, she stated that her boss had openly admitted that she had used someone else's address to get her kids into a different school zone (what's absolutely hilarious to me is that she was admitting this to a resident of that address and neither one had ANY idea!!!). Anyway, how dense can you be to advertise to the world that you have done something like this, let alone the fact that you're proud to be successfully fooling ME! ARGHHHH.

So, I think I am going to write a letter to my dear old co-worker letting her know that she didn't totally fool me, and that I am not happy to have had to deal with this. I'm also not happy that I had to figure it out the way that I did. And lastly, I'm REALLY not happy that she broke her word to me saying that she wouldn't use my address.

I called Sprint and they have taken my address off of the account, and put a note on the account as well. I have to run into a local Wells Fargo branch and make sure that everything is taken care of there. After that point, I can let this situation go, but I think we can safely say that I have learned yet another lesson about placing trust in the wrong people...but the question still remains...how do you know?

2007-07-09T23:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks Jim...

side note...(this post is specifically directed to a guy who left me a comment who I can't seem to comment back. Fair warning, it's all about the dreaded video game!)

Don't know who you are, but you gave me advice regarding beating Ursula. I was actually talking about the second form of Ursula which is a WHOLE lot harder than her and her cauldron, but thanks for the advice. By the time I read your comment I had beaten her and was back fighting tournaments in Olympus. Thanks again though!

2007-07-09T22:05:00.000-06:00

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Wow, I had quite a disappointing evening. Let me break this down for you...

For over a year I have been getting mail at my house for a Monica Olivas. I don't know a Monica Olivas. I have been getting her mail from both Wells Fargo and Sprint. Last year when this started, I called Wells Fargo and asked them to check on the account to verify that there hadn't been a mistake. They told me very plainly that there was nothing that they could do and refused to even look up the name and address.

I got more and more frustrated about the mail, but kept referring back to the fact that I was told that, due to customer confidentiality, there was NOTHING that they could do.

So, flash back to about a year and a half ago...an old co-worker of mine asked me if she could use my address so that her grandchildren could get into my school zone which is rated as superior to theirs. I told her very plainly that no, not only was I not comfortable with the dis-honesty of that, but that because of where I work, that could cause serious issues in the future. I trusted her promise that they would not pursue this address fraud.

So I know what you are thinking...duh Kristin, it took you over a year to figure out what was going on?? Well, keep in mind, I trusted my co-worker Louisa and didn't think that she would go against her word. I also did not know her daughter Monica, who had a different last name. I just thought that I was getting some random woman's mail.

Back to today...I get another piece of Wells Fargo mail for Monica Olivas AND one for Martin Olivas...this is new. Knowing that proof of residency is used for many security purposes, I decided I didn't care what I'd been told in the past by Wells Fargo and I called them again. After hearing what I had to say, the employee and his supervisor gave me permission to open the Olivas' Wells Fargo mail. Ironically enough, the items that I received today were confirmations of an address change. The new address seemed strangely familiar...I recognized the street as an old address of my best friend. So I called her and asked what her address had been. When she told me her old house number, it suddenly all came clear...Louisa lived down the street from her old house and the addresses fit perfectly.

Not wanting to believe what I was thinking I understood so clearly, I took a drive and verified that the address on the Wells Fargo letters was indeed that of Louisa's house. WOW!

And even stranger, as this is all falling into place, my roommate realizes that her boss' name just happens to be Monica Olivas. We are not 100% sure, but we're thinking we're not incorrect in naming these two as the same woman. We'll know more about that tomorrow when she does some investigating!

And what am I doing tomorrow? Talking to my boss about the fact that my address has been frauduently used for inequitable educational gain...pretty much the biggest thing our office stands for. After I cover this at work, I will talk to the school district and inform them that I feel that my address has been used without my knowledge to unfairly register students outside of their school zone. Hmmm...

I guess I'll let you know what happens!

2007-07-09T13:18:00.000-06:00

Video Games...ahh the waste of good brain cells...

Yes, I know that I just posted, but if you hadn't noticed, I specifically spoke against my use of video games, so I figured I should separate the two topics further! Let me tell you how much time I spent playing video games this weekend...on second thought, I better not. Let's just say that I think I safely made up for my 6 month sabbatical from my PS2 in a matter of 3 days. Funny thing, for the first half of a day, all I did was complain about the game that I was playing. But I figured, I'll give it a little more time and maybe it'll grow on me. So what did that accomplish? Not sure it grew on me, but I am so determined to beat the stupid thing that I have latched on to it with a death grip! I am playing Kingdom Hearts which, for those of you who don't know, is an adultified game with the Disney characters!! Right now I am stuck trying to beat Ursula and man is she a tough one. I just want to give King Triton his trident back...wow...enough said I think...I'm gonna go stick my head in an encyclopedia now and see if I can coax some of my brain cells to come out of hiding.

2007-07-09T13:10:00.001-06:00

Social Responsibility and my Conscience... (my blog's not allowing me to add titles, so this is the best you get!)

My Social Studies class had an orientation at Roadrunner Food Bank today and then worked for about 2 hours. What a smack in the face...this warehouse is less than two minutes from my house and this is the first time that I have been there. How much effort did it take on my part to put in two hours today?? Not a whole heck of a lot. And how many people will benefit...THOUSANDS. Hello Kristin...maybe you can find something better to do with your free time than playing video games (see next post!). Don't get me wrong, I think free time is essential to one's sanity, but would sacrificing 2 or 3 hours of it a week be detrimental? I'm determined to find out. So help me out...you all are my accountability partners. Next time you chat with me, or send me an email, or leave me a comment, will you throw something in there about how my community service is doing? It will keep me on the ball and hopefully help me to change my current pattern of spending all of my free time sitting on my gluteus maximus to one of productiveness!

2007-07-07T14:53:00.000-06:00

Well, I think my intelligence level may be diminishing as I complete this assignment! I have just finished reading 17 children's books...15 of these are bonified picture books! Actually, some of them are great reads and I will definitely be storing their information for my future lesson planning. Now I have to review the books, and plan a lesson plan and then a unit plan around one or two of them. Funny thing, and somewhat unfamiliar, I'm not dreading the work that will go into this process.

I made a call to my mom on Thursday that I think affirmed to both of us that I am on the right track. I told her that I had had a revelation while in class that I really enjoyed what I was doing, and I am constantly looking forward to what's coming next. Yes, I've come far since HS, and I have grown immensely, but I have FINALLY found myself knowing that I am doing what I should be doing. Now, does that mean it won't change, no...what if something were to come of this American Idol thing? I have to continue to take it a day at a time, enjoy every moment of it, and most importantly, keep trusting that God is leading me by the hand to a finale only He knows the plot of!

Here's the glowing one ;)

2007-07-03T23:06:00.000-06:00

Well, I feel much better now! I just finished helping my mom catch up with the times by getting her set up with online bill pay. Then I planned a wedding in an hour...hmmm, never said that before!
Megan, one of my three psuedo-sisters, is getting married in September. She and her fiance are on a tight budget, but after tonight, I am confidant that we are going to end up with a beautiful day/evening for a small price tag! She will make a dashing bride (imagine Snow White) and the sunset ceremony will only enhance her beauty. There will only be about 8 people in attendance (family only), the Maid of Honor, Best Man, Officiant, and the happy couple. Lavender, Sage, and Yellow. OK, I guess I do miss this wedding planning thing a little bit! It's nice that I'm not doing it for pay anymore, so that I can make the decision to do a wedding for free. That used to be a tough call...looked bad to other clients.
Well, it's off to bed for me. Happy fourth everybody!

Serious doubts about our children's education...

2007-07-03T13:36:00.000-06:00

So I am sure that this is no new phenomenon, but as an individual who is attending classes with the future educators of New Mexico and beyond...I think I'll homeschool! Actually, I think that public school is an important part of social development, but I have serious doubts about the capabilities of some of my classmates.

Today we broke into groups in our Social Studies class. To model the strategy that she was teaching, our instructor assigned each member of the group a role; discussion leader, recorder, reader 1, reader 2, timekeeper and supply chair. My group turned into a democracy...our dicussion leader took her role a bit too seriously and wouldn't give anyone an opportunity to discuss! All I could think of was her poor future students not being able to get a word in edgewise. This is just one example, and a very mild one at that. Don't get me started with the kind of writing skills, grammar skills, math skills, etc. that I am seeing. I certainly don't consider myself as expert in any of these areas who never makes a mistake, but my test scores were in the top 95th percentile. This is not self praise, but what I think should be a standard for those wanting to teach these skills to the youth of our communities.

Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing people in this program, but I don't see much of a margin of error in this field. We don't figure in a margin of error in the medical field, yet it is somehow ok to graduate mediocre educators? I see something wrong with that.

Wow, apparently the combination of my schedule and the heat has put me in quite the cynical mood...I'll be back in a bit with something glowing to say...I promise.

More punishment...

2007-07-02T18:04:00.001-06:00

So I just finished my second class, and although it is not near as labor intensive as Social Studies is going to be, let's just say this blog may be the only way anyone will know I am alive for the coming month! 2 more lesson plans, 2 book reviews, one group project, an assessment with a child, and an individual oral presentation. Again...four weeks people...I guess this is what Masters is all about!

Glutton for punishment

2007-07-02T13:40:00.000-06:00

Well, I started my second set of summer classes today and I think I'm nuts. Here's my schedule for July...
Monday -Thursday
8:00-10:30 AM - Teaching Social Studies in the classroom
11:00-3:30 PM - Work
4:00-6:30 - Teaching Reading and Literacy in the classroom

OK, so it may not look THAT bad, but you haven't seen the syllabus for my Social Studies class...
5 Journal Entries
1 Lesson Plan
2 Unit Plans
10 Book reviews
10 Website reviews
and I think I'm missing 2 things

Keep in mind this in only a four week class! Oh well...so I won't have a social life for July...I've dealt with worse!

I head to my Reading and Literacy class in about an hour...let's just hope that I don't see the same kind of work load...

Let's just say that I had a hard time justifying the fact that I played my PS2 for hours yesterday until I went to class this morning. My videogame saga was some well deserved respite prior to beginning these classes!

By the way...Lisa, Shannon...it is your fault that all of you now have to suffer through the day to day goings on of Kristin...if only I had no idea what a blog was...

American Idol, here I come...

2007-06-29T23:16:00.000-06:00

Well, she said she'd do it. For years, my mom has been saying, if I'll go, she'll pay. So, it's official, I will be auditioning for American Idol in Philadelphia on August 27th. And, my brother will be singing to the opposite side of the country on July 30th when he auditions in San Diego.

Whether she's living vicariously through us, or just an incredibly proud mama, I don't know, but we are ready to oblige!

So wish us luck, and I'll let you know what happens! :)

Ahhh...dry air in the desert

2007-06-29T10:06:00.000-06:00

Well, I wasn't sure it was ever going to happen, but I have refrigerated air!!! Some may wonder what other kind there is, so bear with me for a moment.

Swamp coolers were a wonderful invention for areas with dry climates. By pulling outside air through wet filters, it blows cool air into the house. This is great as long as there is no existing moisture in the air being pulled through. Swamp coolers are used by many houses in the SW, but in Albuquerque, our hottest month of the year happens to be the month of our monsoons. Need I say more???

So about 2 months ago, I started researching the cost of swamp cooler-refrigerated air conversion. I almost passed out when I got my first quote. Would you believe that the 4 quotes I got covered an $8,000 span????? We went with Roto Rooter and have been very pleased...I think Steve from Roto Rooter considers me a close family member for as many times as we have spoken throughout this process! So, sounds simple right? Ha!

Steve came out, gave me a quote, and we hired him. He came out to do the service, and found that my house was built with only 50 units of electricity...the average house runs on 100. As a side note, this may explain why I can't run my dishwasher while making a pot of coffee!! So, he tells me that we have to start with PNM to see about adding another 50 units to my house. OK, so what's so bad about that?? 1. PNM has a normal response time of 3 weeks. 2. If all the units in the transformer are being used, we have to purchase a new transformer (avg $7,000). Once we purchase this transformer, everyone else in the neighborhood can use it for free in the future. Arghhhh...

Well, Steve pulled through and put our issue in PNM's emergency inbox, thanks to a connection he has "on the inside"! Who would have thought that I would be as anxious to hear back from PNM as I was to hear about being accepted into my Master's program...ok, that may be stretching it, but you get the idea. Finally, we get the word...we are good to go with the original transformer!

So, the next step...get the electrician out here. "I'm sorry ma'am, we're booked for 2 weeks." OK, breathe Kristin..."How about the 26th?". The electricians show up, tear apart my laundry room (and don't put it back the way they found it...I'm down a cabinet until I install a new one), and put a brand new silver box on the outside of my house.

Steve came by this morning (after the electricians, who I made come back to clean up their mess) and hooked everything up. So, the verdict...

It was totally worth the wait, and finished in perfect time...monsoons start next week, and we're supposed to hit record heat too.

So, I'm gonna lay back and sip some iced tea with my feet up and that guy from my class fanning me with palm leaves, and...oh wait, I have a paper to write. Well, atleast I'll be comfortable!

Oh let's give it a try

2007-06-18T20:39:00.000-06:00

Never thought I'd do the blog thing...and we'll see if I keep it up at all! Life is busy as normal, but we all know that's how I like it. Since I can't give you updates on kids, here's updates on my "kiddos"... :)

Sprite - the original
Sprite is great, and has just turned 9 years old...can't believe it. He is still grumpy, but Caspian and Lucy keep him going! He has an anxiety issue that shows its head during storms, fireworks, and social gatherings. Besides that, he's still a mama's boy and is a joy to have around!

Caspian - the slob
Caspian is the boss of the house, just don't tell Sprite that! He's always getting into trouble and making messes. He also thinks that he's the keeper of mom's lap. He is the glue that holds the other two together.

Lucy - the princess
Lucy is a priss who loves to rule the roost. She and Sprite are hilarious together, as their idea of playing is chasing eacother around the house, pretending that they hate eachother! She is bringing in new prey on a daily basis...a huntress to the max! Occasionally, she acts like the dogs when she thinks no one's watching...namely when rolling around in piles of dirt outside!

I'm in the middle of my Masters program and I am loving it!!! Work is good good, but I am ready to move on to the next part of my journey! Hope you are all doing well...keep in touch.