Time to tell

This has been one of the most stressful weeks of my life... And that is saying A LOT!

First off I'd like to finally tell you my big secret. Drew and I are looking at buying a house in Hutch!!! The plan was that I would go back and work at the restaurant during the winters and work on getting the necessary experience I needed to finally get a full-time job with the state during the summers (which would probably take another 3-4 years).

Then last Sunday on the way to breakfast at Perkins, he tells me that his Dad's farming partner may be retiring in the next few years and he'd like Drew to come back and farm. WOAH!! Talk about dropping a bomb! We did not have many details, so I spent a very long week thinking about it. I don't know how easy this will be to explain without talking to you, but I went from pretty much having the next few years roughly planned out to having my world turned up-side down. We had a really long talk (after my freak-out was over) and decided that while the location of the farm is not ideal for a lively social life, we both really want to end up in the country on a farm in the future. There is just one MAJOR problem with this decision.... there are no naturalist jobs available in that part of the state! I decided that if we want to do this, I need to stop focusing on being a naturalist and start working towards finding a career that will have a better probability of finding a job. I would much rather make a career change now rather than in 5-10 years after I spent so much time and energy working my way up to a full time position.

So here I am. 5 years of college, 1 BS degree, 1 Environmental Ed. Teaching Certificate, and 1.5 years of naturalist positions and I am changing gears. This is incredibly scary and super exciting at the same time! Talk about closing a door and opening a window!! After meeting the parents for a dinner and long discussion, we are thinking that we might have another 2-3 years before things are ready for us to make the move. So the plan, keep looking for a house in Hutch, I'll work at the restaurant this winter, possibly take some classes at the local Tech college, and work towards finding a job that pays decent and has benefits.

Don't worry, I love being a naturalist too much to stop. I will hopefully be starting my own free-lance naturalist business. More about that later.

So in the last week or so, I have:
1) Been looking for a house - which we need to find fairly soon otherwise I will be driving an hour each way to work every day.
2) Working like crazy to finish the work for this position
3) Trying to find the next job that counts as "professional" experience
4) Found out we might be "going back to the farm" - who knows when
5) Looking for a house
6) Buying a brand new bed
7) Meet with the parent to find out it's 89% sure we're "going back to the farm in 2-3 years"
8) Looking for a house and researching costs of appliances
9) Trying to find out how to start my own business
10) Trying to figure out a brand new career!

Keep your fingers crossed that we'll close on a place soon! Once that gets off my plate I think I'll be able to breathe a little more and concentrate on some of these other things.

Thank you so much to my friends and family who are helping me get through these stressful times.

One last thing... what should I be when I grow up???!!!!! HELP!

Oops It's been awhile

Last post was on July 25th, oops. Well here are some things that have happened in the last 2 weeks.

My poor car was fixed! $375 and an hour spent by 3 great guys and it was drivable again. Not bad since my brother estimated the damage at around $3000. But I have some bad news. The "Silver Bullet" is no more. This repair brought on a name change. I'd like to introduce you to...(insert drum roll)... the "Calico Car."




Drew has been working 12-14 hour days battling aphids. We've tried to see each other when possible. Last Sunday we went and had a fantastic dinner at Antone's in St. Cloud. It was a great atmosphere and the food was amazing. I think it is our new place to go when we want a special meal.

http://www.antonsrestaurant.com/

On Thursday, we were able to spend a little time together (gotta love windy days). It was a good day, since we both left work early, and being in a good mood we decided to go try the local Mexican restaurant in Litchfield. Carlitos! What a great time. When you walk in, the place kinda looks like a dive, but man is the food amazing! I had a chimichanga and the crust was... wow... words cannot describe! Drew had a Texas Fajita and the meat had amazing flavor and was perfectly cooked! The other fun thing is that it is a self-serve bar. Want another beer? Walk behind the bar and grab it out of the cooler. Need a margarita? Grab a glass and pour it from a dispenser. Too cool. If you are ever in Litchfield - you really need to stop!!

This past week has been a stressful yet productive one. I've been spending A LOT of time working on my new secret project. I can't wait to tell you all what I'm doing, but I think it is better to wait just a bit longer. hehe

The Regional Naturalist came to watch me give both of my programs yesterday. He is the big wig and has given me some great advice over the past couple of months. Even though it was stressful having him watch, and at times join in on the fun, I got great feedback at the end of the day. Whew!

I cannot believe it is already August 7th! Unbelievable! I have one month exactly until my season is over. This summer has gone by so fast!