And by a minute I mean its been almost a month since my last post. Sorry for the time away, Internet is sketchy at best, depending on where I'm at, at the time. Let me tell you what I have been up to.
So far I love Colorado. I do. The mountains, the weather, the people.... are nice, but they don't drive very well and I thought Ohio drivers were bad... in this state, people seem to rather enjoy driving their SUV's into other people's homes and businesses. As I don't own a SUV, I don't foresee myself driving my car into any one's home. Something else I didn't know till I got here, Colorado is a Medicinal Marijuana state. Huh. Maybe that is why the people here drive horribly and run into inanimate objects. When down town just about every other corner has a "Dispensary". All you need is an exam by a physician, his OK for your need for it and wham bam thank you ma'am you can spend your paycheck on legal weed. I will say that most of the people do seem to be happy. lol
I have been to Boulder Co., twice now. I very much like the city and think I could live there. I won't be moving there in the near future, but who knows where my adventure in Colorado will take me. I have been avidly looking for employment. Living in Aurora leaves me little option as all the retail establishments are at max capacity for hiree's and while they have signs on their doors that say "Now Hiring" they don't really mean that. What they mean is "We aren't currently hiring, but you can fill out an application and we will keep it on file." This is usually said with a blank stare and vancant smile. (blink, blink)
Thanks to my fiend Julie, I have been in contact with Ryan's cousin Dr. Jayme Glamm DDS in regards to possibly filling a front desk position in her new office that is being built in the Highlands. The Highlands are a part of Denver, not to be confused with Highland Ranch.... south of Denver. I have also been in contact with Cintas for a Uniform Room Manager. I have had two phone interview's and the second one went really well. I have great confidence that I would be a good match for them. I can only wait for further instruction from them. Today I went to Adecco to see if I can't get some Temp work in the mean time. Monique who I was a first worried about, turned out to be very nice and seemed willing and wanting to help me find a position in the type of work I would be good at. Mainly clerical. I am alright with this. Right now money is money and I am running low. I had hoped I would get a job quickly when I got here, but apparently this job market cannot be rushed. I do, unfortunately have some what specialized skills, that can of course be molded to fit just about any clerical job description, but I would mainly be put to the best use in a doctors office. So we shall see what happens and where everything goes.
I am currently down town in a Starbucks. Thanks mom for the gift card. I get free coffee and free Internet. It's two fold and fabulous. When I am feeling blue or feeling defeated I have been going to this great little cafe and gamemporium. It's called Enchanted Grounds and it's in Highland Ranch are of Colorado. It's about a 35 min jaunt from Aurora, but I don't mind the drive. Here I get my geek on and play several hours on WoW, or apply online for jobs, or play Farmville... thanks to my mom, I am playing again. :) This place isn't only for WoW players, but for people who play D&D, Magic the Gathering, little old ladies who play bridge, there are board games, card games, puzzles, and comics. You can also add to your dice collection, purchase miniatures, gaming hand books, and additional cards for Magic and WoW. While you do this you get to enjoy some of the best coffee and sweets I have ever had. Or if you are more of a savory person you can purchase pre-made Udi sandwiches or Breggo's. I know that when we finally have our own place to live it may be a distance from Enchanted Grounds, but that will not stop me from coming down and hanging with my "brethren".
Last night I met a friend of mine from ORF. She is a helper of Shane/squire. Her name is Justinn and we met in Castle Rock at the Rockyard. It was really great to see her and I got to meet here SO, Dave. He is a big guy and just looking at him screams VIKING! We enjoyed good food, good talk and good beer. Then the most bizarre thing of the day happened... it started to snow! When you look on the news and they say Denver has got a lot of snow or bad weather, what they mean is the Rockies have the weather... we usually get passed over. Especially Aurora. There was snow when we got here... it's been a month and there is just snow again and only a little. I have been told that mother nature likes to pull the ol' bait and switch with February and March. February is beautiful and gets up into the 60's and then March gets the worst weather. So I guess this means it was good of us to move in February instead of March. :)
OK, that is all for now. I will keep everyone posted as to what is going on, hopefully sooner than a month down the road!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Aurora, Co
I am here. I am in Colorado. Right now it kind of feels like a vacation, except on this vacation I brought a long my dog and all of my stuff.... though not the kitchen sink, thankfully. As I had been stating we got the truck on Feb 7th. Finishing packing and moving stuff into the truck from the house as a long and tedious project and I am not looking forward to unloading the truck here, reloading later to move into an apartment and then unloading for a last time. Any way.
Thanks to Leah B and Leo's dad for helping us on Monday with moving the big furniture. I think by the end we ended up with 5 trips to the thrift store. Most of the large furniture went except for my dry sink, my couch, the book shelves, the beds, the freezer full of MEAT and... and...oh and my dresser I got from my parents house. hmm. That is all the big furniture I think. My poor old floor model tv that was my parents before it was mine, had to be left behind. We didn't have room at all. We should have maybe had a bigger truck, but we made due. Also left behind was Andrea and Leo's kitchen/dining room table and chairs. The washer and the dryer got left behind too, as well as Leo's grill and the patio furniture. We packed as much as we could Monday until it was dark. I made one last trip to my moms house for the dresser and we were done for the night. Tuesday we got up early, but not early enough. There was still so much to do and it was all very, very overwhelming. I think we got on the road by 11:30 am. 2.5 hours later than we intended.. or it could have been noon. While packing my car I had to go in and out of the house several times. Everytime I went out the door, Jamie would try to come with me. I would tell him "Not yet." and he would sit down and wait for me. This happened several times and when I finally said "Ok, it's your turn." He jumped about with what I can only call glee. He had been locked up and held back and scooted out of the way for two days now and he was tired of it.
On our way out of town we stopped in Englewood, Oh to meet with Liz and Larry for brunch/lunch. It was wonderful seeing them. I am going to miss them soo much. We had a huge meal, gave hugs and kisses, and piled back in the car and truck. Thus started my journey west.
Driving through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois wasn't bad at all. The lay of the land is pretty much the same. Jamie and I had to stop a couple times for bathroom breaks and a walk about, but he mostly slept the whole time. When he started to snore, I poked him so he had to wake up. If I have to be awake, so does he. :) We had a small mishap while driving through Illinois. Some ice flew off of a Semi and took the right side mirror clean off the truck. Leo was a little panicky and it was understandable. He had declined the insurance for the truck because they thought it would be covered with their auto insurance. Guess what? It wasn't. Some calls were made and there appears to be a place in St. Louis where we can stop and have the mirror fixed. So we travel together in a tiny caravan of truck and car towards St. Louis. I have never been,in a car or a plane for that matter, to St. Louis. The Arch was AH-MAZING! So magnificent rising up from the ground the Gateway to the West. It brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could have taken time to actually go there and see it up close. But alas, I was on a schedule. We had to make it to Columbia, Mo. before we could be done for the night.
Rising bright and early the next day we boogied on down the road toward our destination. Kansas, in the beginning, has beautiful rolling hills and the sight truly is breathtaking. I could not imagine traveling through Kansas in a horse and wagon train. It was so... expansive.. and there weren't a lot of trees. Of couse everything had snow on it which gave everything a shimmery look, but still. After Topeka is a different story. Still expansive but now with out the hills. Wide open fields as far as the eye can see with a random farm here and there. Field, field, field, silo, field, field, field, field, farm, Jesus sign... and it goes on like this. I realize after the 5th or 6th Jesus sign that I was in the bible belt. I did not turn my radio on while in Kansas. I listened to my book on my phone. I did see a bunch of deer along the side of the road grazing and they could have been there because of a farm or because they had just stopped there to eat, but either way it was very cool... oh and the wind turbines... if that is what they are called. A wind farm maybe. Reminded me of ET. Several acres with the big white wind mills(?). Very interesting. Kansas is mile after mile of flat land. Farm land. And it was good to see farm land. So much farm land is being eaten up by housing back where I'm from I find it somewhat sad. When I can drive down a road at 31 years of age and say.. "I remember when that was a field." I don't know if that bodes well for the future or not. (shrugs)
As I was chasing the sun across the country the night was gaining on me. I have pictures and will post them when I am able to figure it out. When I finally hit mile marker 1 for Kansas I was very excited. However, Eastern Colorado doesn't really look any different except there were a few more trees. I think eastern Colorado should just be called western Kansas. Then something unexpected happened. A tumbleweed blew past my car! A tumbleweed! I was a wee bit surprised. I have never seen a tumbleweed and I guess it didn't occur to me that they would be around in the winter... or in Colorado for that matter. Boy was I wrong. LOL! After this I kept my eyes peeled for more but didn't see any and I tried desperately to see the mountains... I know, it was dark but somehow I just thought that if I tried hard enough I could see them. Silly no? I made it to my destination with no problems.. just a sore behind from driving for 12 hours and an antsy dog who was tired of riding for 12 hours.
So far my time in Aurora, Colorado has been nice. I finally saw the mountains in all their "majesty" and was once again brought to tears. I can't wait to see them close up but even at a distance they are breath taking.
Thanks to Leah B and Leo's dad for helping us on Monday with moving the big furniture. I think by the end we ended up with 5 trips to the thrift store. Most of the large furniture went except for my dry sink, my couch, the book shelves, the beds, the freezer full of MEAT and... and...oh and my dresser I got from my parents house. hmm. That is all the big furniture I think. My poor old floor model tv that was my parents before it was mine, had to be left behind. We didn't have room at all. We should have maybe had a bigger truck, but we made due. Also left behind was Andrea and Leo's kitchen/dining room table and chairs. The washer and the dryer got left behind too, as well as Leo's grill and the patio furniture. We packed as much as we could Monday until it was dark. I made one last trip to my moms house for the dresser and we were done for the night. Tuesday we got up early, but not early enough. There was still so much to do and it was all very, very overwhelming. I think we got on the road by 11:30 am. 2.5 hours later than we intended.. or it could have been noon. While packing my car I had to go in and out of the house several times. Everytime I went out the door, Jamie would try to come with me. I would tell him "Not yet." and he would sit down and wait for me. This happened several times and when I finally said "Ok, it's your turn." He jumped about with what I can only call glee. He had been locked up and held back and scooted out of the way for two days now and he was tired of it.
On our way out of town we stopped in Englewood, Oh to meet with Liz and Larry for brunch/lunch. It was wonderful seeing them. I am going to miss them soo much. We had a huge meal, gave hugs and kisses, and piled back in the car and truck. Thus started my journey west.
Driving through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois wasn't bad at all. The lay of the land is pretty much the same. Jamie and I had to stop a couple times for bathroom breaks and a walk about, but he mostly slept the whole time. When he started to snore, I poked him so he had to wake up. If I have to be awake, so does he. :) We had a small mishap while driving through Illinois. Some ice flew off of a Semi and took the right side mirror clean off the truck. Leo was a little panicky and it was understandable. He had declined the insurance for the truck because they thought it would be covered with their auto insurance. Guess what? It wasn't. Some calls were made and there appears to be a place in St. Louis where we can stop and have the mirror fixed. So we travel together in a tiny caravan of truck and car towards St. Louis. I have never been,in a car or a plane for that matter, to St. Louis. The Arch was AH-MAZING! So magnificent rising up from the ground the Gateway to the West. It brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could have taken time to actually go there and see it up close. But alas, I was on a schedule. We had to make it to Columbia, Mo. before we could be done for the night.
Rising bright and early the next day we boogied on down the road toward our destination. Kansas, in the beginning, has beautiful rolling hills and the sight truly is breathtaking. I could not imagine traveling through Kansas in a horse and wagon train. It was so... expansive.. and there weren't a lot of trees. Of couse everything had snow on it which gave everything a shimmery look, but still. After Topeka is a different story. Still expansive but now with out the hills. Wide open fields as far as the eye can see with a random farm here and there. Field, field, field, silo, field, field, field, field, farm, Jesus sign... and it goes on like this. I realize after the 5th or 6th Jesus sign that I was in the bible belt. I did not turn my radio on while in Kansas. I listened to my book on my phone. I did see a bunch of deer along the side of the road grazing and they could have been there because of a farm or because they had just stopped there to eat, but either way it was very cool... oh and the wind turbines... if that is what they are called. A wind farm maybe. Reminded me of ET. Several acres with the big white wind mills(?). Very interesting. Kansas is mile after mile of flat land. Farm land. And it was good to see farm land. So much farm land is being eaten up by housing back where I'm from I find it somewhat sad. When I can drive down a road at 31 years of age and say.. "I remember when that was a field." I don't know if that bodes well for the future or not. (shrugs)
As I was chasing the sun across the country the night was gaining on me. I have pictures and will post them when I am able to figure it out. When I finally hit mile marker 1 for Kansas I was very excited. However, Eastern Colorado doesn't really look any different except there were a few more trees. I think eastern Colorado should just be called western Kansas. Then something unexpected happened. A tumbleweed blew past my car! A tumbleweed! I was a wee bit surprised. I have never seen a tumbleweed and I guess it didn't occur to me that they would be around in the winter... or in Colorado for that matter. Boy was I wrong. LOL! After this I kept my eyes peeled for more but didn't see any and I tried desperately to see the mountains... I know, it was dark but somehow I just thought that if I tried hard enough I could see them. Silly no? I made it to my destination with no problems.. just a sore behind from driving for 12 hours and an antsy dog who was tired of riding for 12 hours.
So far my time in Aurora, Colorado has been nice. I finally saw the mountains in all their "majesty" and was once again brought to tears. I can't wait to see them close up but even at a distance they are breath taking.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Last Day
Today is my last day of work. Wow. It is incredible to say that. I guess part of me didn't think it would ever happen, but I am super excited for my up-coming adventure. My room is mostly packed, just have to pack up my clothes. I am still in the process of simplifying my life and my stuff. As Kelly put it the other night, we collect stuff to fill an emptiness. As I am no longer empty, I no longer need all the stuff I have collected over the years. A good sentiment to be sure.
The truck has been ordered. We pick it up 10:30 am on February 7th. Leo is flying home to help us load the truck and then drive it out to Colorado. This makes me happy as it seems less stressful with more help.
As we get closer to the date of departure I will update again.
Ciao for now!
The truck has been ordered. We pick it up 10:30 am on February 7th. Leo is flying home to help us load the truck and then drive it out to Colorado. This makes me happy as it seems less stressful with more help.
As we get closer to the date of departure I will update again.
Ciao for now!
Friday, January 7, 2011
From the 14th to the 21st
On Jan 3rd I turned in my 2 weeks notice. To Cheri and then to Lorie. Cheri emailed me a sad face and Lorie looked askance at the 2 week notice, all I have to legally give, and then said something about finding my replacement and needing more time and blah, blah, blah and in the end I ended up extending my notice to 3 weeks. So my last day will be on Jan 21st. Not a huge deal, but her look of surprise, surprised me as I told them over 6 mos ago that I would be leaving.
I contacted Pods... good lord are they expensive. I have contacted Penske... they are about 1000$ cheaper. Even Uhaul was pretty expensive. I didn't realize how expensive moving west would be. By that I mean I knew that it wasn't going to be cheap, but 1500-3500$ to move a few rooms of possessions seems a little exorbitant, but I guess every one is out to make a buck so there.
Our estimated date of departure is Feb 7th. Exactly one month from today. Wow. I am both excited and nervous about this huge step I am taking. I know that I am ready for it. I can feel it and I no longer have any doubts about that. It feels good to have made a decision and to go through with it, 100%.
Packing is going... slowly, but it is going. The DVDs are all packed away and I have gotten rid of many books and VHS that I haven't read or watched in several years. Boxes are beginning to pile up in my room, in the living room and there are boxes in the basement that are in the "Going to Colorado" pile.
I need to get the cherry bedroom set from my parents house as I want to take that instead of the stuff that I have. It was my brothers, when he was a boy and it moved with him to Bowling Green I think and it has come back home and now it has been mine for the past 10 years... I'm ready for something else. :) Mom, I know you are reading this... we need to make some arrangements on this.
As for now I think that is it.
I contacted Pods... good lord are they expensive. I have contacted Penske... they are about 1000$ cheaper. Even Uhaul was pretty expensive. I didn't realize how expensive moving west would be. By that I mean I knew that it wasn't going to be cheap, but 1500-3500$ to move a few rooms of possessions seems a little exorbitant, but I guess every one is out to make a buck so there.
Our estimated date of departure is Feb 7th. Exactly one month from today. Wow. I am both excited and nervous about this huge step I am taking. I know that I am ready for it. I can feel it and I no longer have any doubts about that. It feels good to have made a decision and to go through with it, 100%.
Packing is going... slowly, but it is going. The DVDs are all packed away and I have gotten rid of many books and VHS that I haven't read or watched in several years. Boxes are beginning to pile up in my room, in the living room and there are boxes in the basement that are in the "Going to Colorado" pile.
I need to get the cherry bedroom set from my parents house as I want to take that instead of the stuff that I have. It was my brothers, when he was a boy and it moved with him to Bowling Green I think and it has come back home and now it has been mine for the past 10 years... I'm ready for something else. :) Mom, I know you are reading this... we need to make some arrangements on this.
As for now I think that is it.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Just a quck update.
January 2011 is here and the packing has begun in earnest.
Leo left yesterday for Denver with is friend Bill. They made it to Kansas City about 9:30. I expect I will hear from him sometime today in regards to where he's at.
We have 28 days until we are leaving. Or there abouts. I doubt we will leave right on Feb 1st, but it's a good goal to have since getting Andrea moving could be difficult. We cannot be wishy washy about our move out date. We need to have a plan and then stick to that plan. Kinda like Harry Potter and his first train ticket. :)
I plan on calling Pods at lunch today to speak with them in regards to having the pod delivered etc...
There is a lot to do and very little time to do it actually. However I feel confident that we will get it all done with no problems.
Wish us luck!
January 2011 is here and the packing has begun in earnest.
Leo left yesterday for Denver with is friend Bill. They made it to Kansas City about 9:30. I expect I will hear from him sometime today in regards to where he's at.
We have 28 days until we are leaving. Or there abouts. I doubt we will leave right on Feb 1st, but it's a good goal to have since getting Andrea moving could be difficult. We cannot be wishy washy about our move out date. We need to have a plan and then stick to that plan. Kinda like Harry Potter and his first train ticket. :)
I plan on calling Pods at lunch today to speak with them in regards to having the pod delivered etc...
There is a lot to do and very little time to do it actually. However I feel confident that we will get it all done with no problems.
Wish us luck!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
The end of a year
The end of 2010 is coming to a close and 2011 is revving it's engines at the starting line. I am excited to see what this year will hold for me. I know that it will be challenging, but I AM looking forward to it (someone remind me of this when I am stressed out in Colorado,eh?). Leo has started his own count down. He will be driving out to Denver on Jan. 2nd. He has orientation on the 4th I believe and Ocean Prime in the Historical District of Denver will be opening on Jan 19th. Woohoo! I know they have had many setbacks during this process of turning an historical building in to a restaurant, so it is exciting that they have come so far.
My last day at work will be on the January 14th. Then it will be a whirlwind of deciding, tossing and packing up my things to load them onto a truck or into a pod... I haven't decided what is going to be taking our things out to Colorado yet, I only know that while I am a capable driver, I don't wish to drive a moving truck out to Denver myself. If I have to, I will get rid of everything large that I have so I can pack the necessities I will need to survive and go about it that way. Talk about downsizing. LOL!
With that said I would like to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and I hope that you have a wonderful New Year. I hope that it brings to you as much enjoyment and excitement as it will to me.
My last day at work will be on the January 14th. Then it will be a whirlwind of deciding, tossing and packing up my things to load them onto a truck or into a pod... I haven't decided what is going to be taking our things out to Colorado yet, I only know that while I am a capable driver, I don't wish to drive a moving truck out to Denver myself. If I have to, I will get rid of everything large that I have so I can pack the necessities I will need to survive and go about it that way. Talk about downsizing. LOL!
With that said I would like to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and I hope that you have a wonderful New Year. I hope that it brings to you as much enjoyment and excitement as it will to me.
2011
here I come!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Actively looking...
I started the process of looking for a job. Now this, I feel, is going to be difficult at least right now due to the fact that I still live in Ohio, but at least I am getting idea's on what is out there, who is hiring, etc... In my quest for updating and making my resume fabulous, I have run across many people who seem to know people out in Denver or the surrounding area so I feel confident that with a little bit of networking, I will be able to procure a job not long after arriving.
Thank you to several friends who have put in their two cents about how to update and create a resume that will get employers attention. I want my resume on top of the pile...not in the circule file.
Thank you to several friends who have put in their two cents about how to update and create a resume that will get employers attention. I want my resume on top of the pile...not in the circule file.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)