Today was my first day at Community Pet Hospital. To be honest, it was pretty uneventful. I filled out the necessary paperwork and watched a lot of webinars on the software that is used in the front office of the clinic, where I will be spending the majority of my time. Tomorrow I will start my training up front, and the kiddos will test out the new daycare we have decided to use. It is an in-home situation, which makes me slightly nervous, but mostly due to my own negative experiences as a child. The lady was recommended to me via a co-worker at the hospital, and she couldn't stop talking about how great she was, so I have high hopes. I have met only a handful of people at the clinic, but all have been very friendly, and I think I will fit in just fine. So... here's to another paycheck! Woopee!
Since I have adjusted to my life as a stay at home mom, I am a little nervous about fitting everything in on top of a full time job. Of course I managed just fine in Texas, but the kids were not involved in extracurricular activities during that time. And there were many days that I came back from the zoo totally exhausted, with very little desire to put dinner on the table for my family. All I can do is try my best, and hope my family forgives me on the nights I serve them cereal for dinner.
I will say I am very grateful for the opportunity to work again, and am excited for the next page in my career. For those of you who are wondering, I am not giving up on my dreams of being employed as a zookeeper at the Denver Zoo just yet. I will continue in my steps as a volunteer, and when the time is right, I am confident I will reach my goal. Thank you all for your support!!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Job Update
This is going to be quick, as it is late and we've lots to accomplish tomorrow. But I promised to give some details on my next venture, so here it is.
I have been offered a position at a vet clinic in Thornton, which is about 10 minutes north of us. The job is called a Client Care Specialist. This is essentially a front desk/reception position, so I will not be doing much on hand animal care. I will however get the opportunity to buff up my vet knowledge, and I think I am going to work with some pretty great people. I will be working approx 35hrs a week, and the pay is better than my other previous vet interviews.
I am now trying (madly) to find daycare for Ben and Jo. This is quite a challenge. Our wish for them is to find a reliable, licensed caregiver that does not charge an arm and a leg. We are looking at about 3x/wk, and the best one I looked at today wanted $200.... I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone today, and will hopefully have a chance to visit a few more places tomorrow. The vet clinic really wants me to start on Monday, so wish me luck!!
I know this isn't much, but I will try to post again when I feel I have things under control again. I do want to say thank you for all your support. It has been tough to stay positive, but here I am with an opportunity, and I don't plan on wasting it!!
I have been offered a position at a vet clinic in Thornton, which is about 10 minutes north of us. The job is called a Client Care Specialist. This is essentially a front desk/reception position, so I will not be doing much on hand animal care. I will however get the opportunity to buff up my vet knowledge, and I think I am going to work with some pretty great people. I will be working approx 35hrs a week, and the pay is better than my other previous vet interviews.
I am now trying (madly) to find daycare for Ben and Jo. This is quite a challenge. Our wish for them is to find a reliable, licensed caregiver that does not charge an arm and a leg. We are looking at about 3x/wk, and the best one I looked at today wanted $200.... I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone today, and will hopefully have a chance to visit a few more places tomorrow. The vet clinic really wants me to start on Monday, so wish me luck!!
I know this isn't much, but I will try to post again when I feel I have things under control again. I do want to say thank you for all your support. It has been tough to stay positive, but here I am with an opportunity, and I don't plan on wasting it!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Our Elephant Bank
Sunday, March 13th was Thai National Elephant Day. Every year since this day was appointed in 1998, the national animal of Thailand, the elephant, is celebrated. The event is a way to bring public awareness to this magnificent creature, and to increase conservation efforts worldwide. Here in Denver, the zoo put on an event recognizing this great holiday. In true Thai fashion, the two female Asian elephants, Mimi and Dolly, were offered a feast of gigantic proportions. In Thailand, the elephants are honored with banana trees, sugar cane and LOTS of fruit.
Photo courtesy of http://www.thaiphotoblogs.com
As many of you know, the Denver Zoo is building a 50 million dollar Asian Tropics exhibit, which will be home to Asian elephants, rhinos, tapirs, otters, leopards, gibbons and more. They are about half way through the construction, and are on time to be opening next spring. Obviously fund raising for this amazing project is no easy feat. This past Sunday, while Thai National Elephant Day was celebrated, the zoo kicked off a Kid's Campaign to encourage children to do their part to raise much needed money. More info can be found at http://denverzoo.org/AT/how_you_can_help/kids/index.html . The Brown family couldn't attend (we had a very important birthday party to attend), but I decided we could participate at home.
The zoo is giving out paper elephant banks, and asking that kids fill the banks and return them to the zoo. It is a great way to get the community involved, and a fantastic way for kids to make a difference. Since we couldn't head to the zoo on Sunday, I asked Ben if he wanted to make our own bank here at home. I explained to him that the money he would put in the bank would help pay for the elephants new exhibit. Ben's response was "I can HELP PAY for their exhibit?! COOL!"
I located an empty jar, and we got to work. Instead of printing the suggested graphic from the zoo website (http://denverzoo.org/downloads/at_build_bank.pdf), we decorated it with paper, stamps and stickers. (Nothing against the graphic, my printer is just about out of ink).
We titled ours "Pennies for Elephants". Of course the first order of business was finding some pennies to start us off. Ben and I headed to the office, and located the change jar amongst Daddy's things. Ben was so funny about raiding the jar- he acted as though he was being sneaky, and I had to assure him it was okay to take Daddy's pennies.
At my niece's birthday party on Sunday, I allowed Ben to take the jar with him. He asked friends and family if they had any pennies to donate. He was very shy about it, but I could tell he was very pleased with himself. I am very proud of Ben, and his desire to help out with Asian Tropics. Once the jar is full, we will take it to the zoo, and he should get a poster with Mimi and Dolly on it for his efforts. Who knows, maybe we can fill it more than once. Either way, I feel good knowing that my son is participating in something much larger than himself, and having a good time in the process.
Photo courtesy of http://www.thaiphotoblogs.com
As many of you know, the Denver Zoo is building a 50 million dollar Asian Tropics exhibit, which will be home to Asian elephants, rhinos, tapirs, otters, leopards, gibbons and more. They are about half way through the construction, and are on time to be opening next spring. Obviously fund raising for this amazing project is no easy feat. This past Sunday, while Thai National Elephant Day was celebrated, the zoo kicked off a Kid's Campaign to encourage children to do their part to raise much needed money. More info can be found at http://denverzoo.org/AT/how_you_can_help/kids/index.html . The Brown family couldn't attend (we had a very important birthday party to attend), but I decided we could participate at home.
The zoo is giving out paper elephant banks, and asking that kids fill the banks and return them to the zoo. It is a great way to get the community involved, and a fantastic way for kids to make a difference. Since we couldn't head to the zoo on Sunday, I asked Ben if he wanted to make our own bank here at home. I explained to him that the money he would put in the bank would help pay for the elephants new exhibit. Ben's response was "I can HELP PAY for their exhibit?! COOL!"
I located an empty jar, and we got to work. Instead of printing the suggested graphic from the zoo website (http://denverzoo.org/downloads/at_build_bank.pdf), we decorated it with paper, stamps and stickers. (Nothing against the graphic, my printer is just about out of ink).
We titled ours "Pennies for Elephants". Of course the first order of business was finding some pennies to start us off. Ben and I headed to the office, and located the change jar amongst Daddy's things. Ben was so funny about raiding the jar- he acted as though he was being sneaky, and I had to assure him it was okay to take Daddy's pennies.
At my niece's birthday party on Sunday, I allowed Ben to take the jar with him. He asked friends and family if they had any pennies to donate. He was very shy about it, but I could tell he was very pleased with himself. I am very proud of Ben, and his desire to help out with Asian Tropics. Once the jar is full, we will take it to the zoo, and he should get a poster with Mimi and Dolly on it for his efforts. Who knows, maybe we can fill it more than once. Either way, I feel good knowing that my son is participating in something much larger than himself, and having a good time in the process.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Hopeful Once More??
So today I had an interview. No, it wasn't for a zoo position. The title is "Animal Care Attendant", or as my interviewee says, an ACA. This is a support position at a veterinary clinic in Golden, which is just outside of Denver. The hospital is huge, with a total of seven doctors, and a multitude of technicians. The staff I met were all very nice, and I feel the interview went well. The hours would be a mix of mornings and evenings, during the week and weekends. Sounds all over the place, but the CVT who interviewed me said it would be consistent every week, and we could do whatever would work for me and my family schedule. So.... do I dare hope that this might be my next step? The pay is not great, but I think I would really enjoy the job, and it would be great experience to have under my belt. Besides, after 90 days I would be eligible for benefits, and a possible raise.
Either way, I sort of feel at this point that whatever is meant to happen will happen. I am sure if it was a carnivore job at Denver I would be stressing out completely, but I have this very calm feeling about me. If I don't get it, then I'll just keep plugging away. As Tom Krause (a motivational speaker) says, "There are no failures- just experiences and your reaction to them".
PS. I will keep you all posted. I should hear back within a week.
Either way, I sort of feel at this point that whatever is meant to happen will happen. I am sure if it was a carnivore job at Denver I would be stressing out completely, but I have this very calm feeling about me. If I don't get it, then I'll just keep plugging away. As Tom Krause (a motivational speaker) says, "There are no failures- just experiences and your reaction to them".
PS. I will keep you all posted. I should hear back within a week.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
March Blues
It's been a rough couple of days in the Brown household. Well, at least for me. The kiddos are mostly oblivious, aside from being yelled at by their angry mom a little more. And Paul is doing his best to hold me together, bless his heart.
I got the dreaded phone call from the zoo yesterday. Sorry, we really liked you, but we chose another candidate. Same old story. Well, I shouldn't say that. At least I had a chance to interview. My emotions ranged from disappointed, angry, sad, and frustrated to downright depressed. Paul is definitely my rock right now. As he told me before the lights went out last night, "Tomorrow is another day".
And today was a little better. I found a few postings on Craigslist for vet clinics and doggie daycares. I've already received one email back. Unfortunately these types of positions pay poorly. But as I told my husband, at least it would get me out of the friggin' house!! After that I took the kids to the library. For some strange reason, this is the first time we have gone since we've been back. We used to go almost every week in Texas. So I now have an Elizabeth George novel and a popular gluten-free cookbook/love story to read. Hopefully this will lift my spirits a bit.
The weather is supposed to warm up again tomorrow, and hang around for a few days. I hope this will give us a chance to soak up some sun, and chase these blues away.
I got the dreaded phone call from the zoo yesterday. Sorry, we really liked you, but we chose another candidate. Same old story. Well, I shouldn't say that. At least I had a chance to interview. My emotions ranged from disappointed, angry, sad, and frustrated to downright depressed. Paul is definitely my rock right now. As he told me before the lights went out last night, "Tomorrow is another day".
And today was a little better. I found a few postings on Craigslist for vet clinics and doggie daycares. I've already received one email back. Unfortunately these types of positions pay poorly. But as I told my husband, at least it would get me out of the friggin' house!! After that I took the kids to the library. For some strange reason, this is the first time we have gone since we've been back. We used to go almost every week in Texas. So I now have an Elizabeth George novel and a popular gluten-free cookbook/love story to read. Hopefully this will lift my spirits a bit.
The weather is supposed to warm up again tomorrow, and hang around for a few days. I hope this will give us a chance to soak up some sun, and chase these blues away.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Just a speed bump
Well, I totally had a moment of weakness tonight. And I am okay with that. Really. I think that all this being patient and working towards my goal can at times be very frustrating. I am so very blessed that I have a husband who would make everything better in an instant if he could, and who allows me to break down in his arms when I need to.
My only disclaimer is that it is my "ladies time" (ew, I know, but I felt it has to be said in my defense). So maybe this is why I am feeling stressed more than usual, who knows. The tip of the iceberg was making this healthy, supposedly gluten-free meal, only to put a soy sauce type dressing on it, and realizing after the fact that it contains wheat. Fabulous. (For those unaware, I am going gluten-free as a trial to see if some health concerns lessen). Well, guess what Doc, I sure as hell ate it anyway. I felt bad, but I think in light of everything else, I can made one blunder, right?
Anywho, I was feeling guilty I guess, and this got me kinda down, and then (remember folks, I am being womanly right now) I started feeling bad about other things too. Like how I still haven't heard back from the trainer of the Wildlife Show at the Denver Zoo, when she told me they would decide on their candidate by Thursday. So yes, I had me a little cry. At the dinner table.
Not one of my finer moments. But ya know what? It helped. A lot. My husband was there for me, and my babies got all concerned about mommy, and I felt good, like someone knows what I am worth and makes sure that I know it too. So even though I am still feeling a little sorry for myself, I have been more than reminded of what I do have to be grateful for.
So this is just a little bump in the road I guess. And I've seen my share of speed bumps and lived to tell the tale, so here's to hoping this story won't be any different.
My only disclaimer is that it is my "ladies time" (ew, I know, but I felt it has to be said in my defense). So maybe this is why I am feeling stressed more than usual, who knows. The tip of the iceberg was making this healthy, supposedly gluten-free meal, only to put a soy sauce type dressing on it, and realizing after the fact that it contains wheat. Fabulous. (For those unaware, I am going gluten-free as a trial to see if some health concerns lessen). Well, guess what Doc, I sure as hell ate it anyway. I felt bad, but I think in light of everything else, I can made one blunder, right?
Anywho, I was feeling guilty I guess, and this got me kinda down, and then (remember folks, I am being womanly right now) I started feeling bad about other things too. Like how I still haven't heard back from the trainer of the Wildlife Show at the Denver Zoo, when she told me they would decide on their candidate by Thursday. So yes, I had me a little cry. At the dinner table.
Not one of my finer moments. But ya know what? It helped. A lot. My husband was there for me, and my babies got all concerned about mommy, and I felt good, like someone knows what I am worth and makes sure that I know it too. So even though I am still feeling a little sorry for myself, I have been more than reminded of what I do have to be grateful for.
So this is just a little bump in the road I guess. And I've seen my share of speed bumps and lived to tell the tale, so here's to hoping this story won't be any different.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Dreams Are Like Fish
Whew!! What a crazy week we've had around the Brown household. As you can see, I haven't posted anything for awhile. We've had Taekwondo, dance, chiropractic appts, ZooU volunteer training, a trip to Montana, the kids spent the weekend at the grandparents.... and yesterday I took the kiddos and cousin KK to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. (I may post about this later.)
So today is my first chance in awhile to take a deep breath, absorb everything that has transpired in the past few days and get the house back in order. Tackling the dishes this morning, I decide to throw on some good 'ol G-Love and the Special Sauce to get me motivated. A line from one of their songs struck a chord with me today. "Dreams are like fish: you gotta keep on reeling!"
How true!! This quote has special meaning for me right now, especially after this weekend. Thurs eve, and all day Sat and Sun I was at the zoo for volunteer training. It was a lot of fun, and so refreshing to meet new people that share similar interests with me. Most of the other newbies don't have an animal background, but they all feel strongly about the zoo's mission, and that's what is important. I learned a lot about how Denver is run, and the people that make it happen. We had several tours of the different areas of the zoo, and met some volunteers that have been in the program forever, and some that just got started recently.
After training on Sunday, I had an interview for a temporary position at Denver, in their Wildlife Show department. This is a keeper position, taking care of the animals that are in the show, and providing support to the employees that run the program. It is definitely an education related spot, which is a lot of fun. The job would be March to September, and would allow me to meet some great contacts, and hopefully leave me with a great reference from someone directly from Denver. (*YAY*)
I should know within the next few days if they offer me the job. I am definitely thinking positively, yet I feel that even if I do not get it, at least I am in the door in the volunteer department. This is where G-Love comes in. Baby, I am reeling those dreams in!! I may not be catching the prize bass, but no one is gonna stop me from making my way towards my goal.
I will leave you with a picture of Denver's absolutley gorgeous snow leopard. What a pretty kitty!!
So today is my first chance in awhile to take a deep breath, absorb everything that has transpired in the past few days and get the house back in order. Tackling the dishes this morning, I decide to throw on some good 'ol G-Love and the Special Sauce to get me motivated. A line from one of their songs struck a chord with me today. "Dreams are like fish: you gotta keep on reeling!"
How true!! This quote has special meaning for me right now, especially after this weekend. Thurs eve, and all day Sat and Sun I was at the zoo for volunteer training. It was a lot of fun, and so refreshing to meet new people that share similar interests with me. Most of the other newbies don't have an animal background, but they all feel strongly about the zoo's mission, and that's what is important. I learned a lot about how Denver is run, and the people that make it happen. We had several tours of the different areas of the zoo, and met some volunteers that have been in the program forever, and some that just got started recently.
After training on Sunday, I had an interview for a temporary position at Denver, in their Wildlife Show department. This is a keeper position, taking care of the animals that are in the show, and providing support to the employees that run the program. It is definitely an education related spot, which is a lot of fun. The job would be March to September, and would allow me to meet some great contacts, and hopefully leave me with a great reference from someone directly from Denver. (*YAY*)
I should know within the next few days if they offer me the job. I am definitely thinking positively, yet I feel that even if I do not get it, at least I am in the door in the volunteer department. This is where G-Love comes in. Baby, I am reeling those dreams in!! I may not be catching the prize bass, but no one is gonna stop me from making my way towards my goal.
I will leave you with a picture of Denver's absolutley gorgeous snow leopard. What a pretty kitty!!
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