wrapping up

Its hard to believe that 2 1/2 years ago, Ladd and I picked up our lives and moved out here to Colorado to begin a new chapter. That chapter is coming to an end this May, when I graduate. I will proudly walk across a stage and likely with a sense of surrealism, accept two degrees - one in Veterinary Technology and one in Associates of Arts.



This closure of this phase of my life becomes more and more palpable as each week winds down. This week I wrap up my last shift of animal care in which we feed and water all the farm and exotic animals living on our farm. Its always been a drag to wake up so early - especially in the cold months - to drive up to the farm to do the chores. Yet when its time to do the chores I speak of, its really quite blissful; rewarding, actually.

We love our animals here at the farm and it shows.




This is how I feel about school. Its hard to get up in the mornings, hard to choose to study or do homework instead of going out for a pint or watching TV or napping, but overall, my experience at this school is quite blissful as well.....rewarding, actually.



Only 4 more weeks and I will be off to fulfill my externship requirements at the fabulous Sedgwick County Zoo. I will miss my husband and furry babies but it will be so worth it - I just know it.



Until then, I am trying to find all the strength left in me to give it my all these last few weeks, and to take time to look around me and absorb the rest this experience and my friends can teach me.

is it over or just a break?

no post since June, huh? I knew it had been awhile but didn't realize it was that long.

Sorry.

Really, this whole blog thing started to become tedious and unfulfilling. I felt my posts were uninteresting and I started to get frustrated with a lack of understanding why some applications and pictures weren't working.

Oh yeah, and I've been BUSY. :)

School was nothing short of overwhelming at times, this past semester. 17 credit hours, 7 classes plus an online pet nutrition course kept me pretty busy.

Also, I really do feel like my posts - my whole blogging style, really - is uninteresting. Let me know if you feel otherwise or have any tips for me. I'm considering revving this thing up again but doing things different.....

less words, more pictures.

Here's one for starters. A picture outside our living room in October after the first big snow of the season.

wildlife management week 3

week three was bird lab

we practiced foot braces and wing wraps and blood draws on pidgeons. They were remarkably fantastic patients!!
We then drew blood from the resident red tail hawk. She too was well mannered.
We ended with taking some blood samples from a rescued and rehabilitated golden eagle. We then got to participate in her release to the wild.
pretty cool.

 

goat races and such

It's baby season around here, again.

This year, we are keeping all the goat and sheep babies.
We have been asked to play with them as much as possible to get them used to people and being handled.
Last week, the farm manager asked all of the vet tech students to take the goats and sheep on walks if we wanted.
So.....a few of us went out during a break, haltered them all up, and took them on a walk.
We ended up having a race.
Twice.
I have video, but alas, I can't figure out how to view it, let alone share it!
Ladd would be so proud. :)

Its funny, though.
Right now, nothing seems cuter to me than watching baby goats and sheep run. Its funny. Kind of like Rudolph.

what are you?

Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realising your right brain/left brain tendancy will help you interact with and to understand others. Left Brain Dominance: (10) Right Brain Dominance: (8) Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz

half-way point

FINALLY!!!

I just finished my last of 6 finals.
Thank G.O.D.!

This semester seemed particularly long.
I remember last Fall semester being ridiculous, but I don't think it was even this bad. WOW. Hard core.

This semester is officially over which signifies my half-way point in the program.

Its a bit unreal, the more I think about it in that context. Only 1 1/2 more years and I will be set free to the world to utilize (hopefully) all the glorious and wonderous skills that i have learned here.

Amen! Hallelujah! Holy Shit! Where's the tylenol?
(from: Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation - a.k.a. the BEST movie EVER!!!)

So now is when I go toast a glass of ice cold beer and hug my husband and pets for (surviving) helping me through another semester of intense, scholastic craziness!

Cheers!

last day of classes

I have officially finished my last day of regular classes for this semester!

I have one final down and 5 more to go. Two of them are half take-home and half in class. In another class we were assigned a paper due the day of the final.

Let me count this out:
2 papers
3 online quizzes
2 take-home exams
5 in class finals

All of this is to be due at various times within the next 7 days. Some are even due tonight.

Wow. I am officially cramming!

*Sigh*

Any positive vibes/energy you can send my way would be mucho appreciado!!!

86 cats

Last week, 86 cats and kittens were ceased from a 2 bedroom condo about 40 miles west of Glenwood Springs. All were being held by one lady who just wanted to "give stray cats a home". So, like many of these cases, her heart was in the right place but she couldn't properly care for them.

These cats were brought to C.A.R.E. The rescue center just yards from the vet tech farm. They are the only "shelter" in our county and thus, they receive all cases as such even though they are not technically a shelter, nor are they funded by the county as such.

Thankfully, the local paper posted a huge front page story about this last week. All sorts of good people have donated items or volunteered for helping to foster these cats. There is just not enough room there for all of them. C.A.R.E. has been able to move about 15-20 adult healthy cats to other shelters, in the meantime, to help clear some space.

A friend and I went up to see some of the tiny kittens in need of care. We helped "force feed" some kittens who needed help eating food.

Good times. ;) And yes, they are that tiny.

doin' chores

Twice a semester, each vet tech student is assigned to a group with about 4 or 5 other students to do chores on the farm. Each group is on duty one week at a time.

A couple weeks ago it was my turn, along with 4 other girls. It requires being there at 7am and 5pm on the weekdays, and 9am on the weekends. This gave me a LOT of time in between classes and let me just say that I got quite a bit of school work done that week. :)

I enjoyed doing the chores. It brought me back to when I was younger and still lived on the farm. I was a 4-H kid and daughter of a cattle farmer (well, he also farmed crops) and so livestock is nothing new to me.

While growing up on the farm, I "owned" 2 horses, a couple calves, a steer, and several sheep. The horses weren't bought by me. Dad already had Billy when I was born (which was one of the reasons my birth mom chose my parents to be my new family). He was a spectacular horse. He lived a long and happy life at the farm. Soon after he died, I received a horse for my 13th birthday.

You see, in our family, turning 13 was a big deal. A new chapter in life. You were, afterall, officially a teenager!

The celebratory tradition included a big party thrown in your honor (the whole 8th grade class came out to the farm for horseback and hayback rides, lots of food, and fun) and a bigger than usual present. Brad got a go-cart on his 13th. I got Poco. Troubles Poco Dell, to be exact! He was BEAUTIFUL! It was such a nice surprise. I remember it like yesterday.

But I digress.....

Doing chores on the farm reminded me how much I miss these large animals. I occasionally dream of having a small ranch someday. Just a few goats, a couple horses, maybe some chickens for fresh eggs, etc.

This is why doing these chores is a good thing. It forces reality onto you like a big slap in the face! A farm means feeding and watering these animals twice a day. EVERYDAY! You have to buy hay, feed, equipment, etc. Its not all romantic, you know.

Nonetheless, its good, healthy work. Its a peaceful and gorgeous time of day, when you do chores in the morning. Its so quiet. No hustle and bustle. No sound of students or cars. Just the rooster, goats baaahing, and horses snorting, out of hunger. I watched the sun rise over the mountain each day.

Glorious.

Hopefully, I can snap some better shots for you next round when I'm not so preoccupied with creating my own routine.




The main vet tech building is to the left. It holds 2 classrooms and the teachers' offices. The middle building was brand new last year. Its our new science building. It holds 2 separate lab classrooms. We are so thankful for this new addition. The building on the right is the small hospital we use. The small cage in front of the hospital is one of the raptor cages. It houses a golden eagle and a bald eagle - one of the features at this school that made me feel this is where I need to be.



Llamas sort of freak me out when they stare at me. Their eyes and eyelashes are so HUGE. They always look like they are plotting something.


No, his head is not stuck. :)

week 6 down, 8 more to go

It is hard to believe, but we just finished week 6 of school. This semester is flying by.

I have had a handful of tests so far and I have done very well. It continues to amaze me what I am capable of. This isn't how it used to be for me. I always struggled in school. My attention span, difficulty reading, caring, etc. I still have to work very hard for my grades. I still take FOREVER to read a page. But I am absorbing information so much better now. Maybe its because I LOVE what I am studying. I know my goals. I see my future. I see a purpose in the time I am investing in all this school work.

I recently was on chore duty for a week. A friend of mine mentioned how another girl and I call it "chores" and not "animal care". I think its the farm-raised part of me. Feeding the cows. The horses and chickens. Those are chores, where I come from. ;) I have a few pictures, but not as many as I would have liked to take, to share with you. Not in this post - but I hope to get them up soon.

It was nice doing chores. Taking care of the goats, sheep, horses, llamas, ducks, chickens, ferret, mice, rats, etc. Its a long list! It is nice to have these animals around, because I know there is no way I can have all these pets right now. I can get my "fix" at school.

It is also reminding me how much work it is to run a farm. Some days, I toy around with the idea of having a small ranch in the future. A handful of horses and maybe some goats and chickens. Then reality sets in. Working on the farm here at school has brought my dreamy self back down to earth and woke me up to remember; FARM = VERY LITTLE FREEDOM. You have to be home to do your chores twice a day. If you want to go away for a vacation, you have to be able to find somebody you trust and who is available to take over for you while you are gone. It almost stresses me out just thinking about it.

But.... I know not to make predictions. Never say never.

We also went "leafing" last weekend. I took TONS of pictures. I can't wait to go through them and I will definitely share those with you as well. It was a MAGNIFICENT time. Unbelievable. Breathtaking. We drove all the way to the summit of Independence Pass, to see all the colors along the way. We started in Glenwood where the temp was about 75 or so. Within an hour south, we were at the summit and it was barely snowing! So awesome.

Stay tuned. Pictures and more posts and stories to come.... now that I FINALLY have a little free time! :)

back to school

For some reason, every time school starts up again for me, I instantly have this playing in my head. :)





School started up again, today. I think my general feeling of today was relief. I know this semester is going to be tough and I will have TONS of reading, but I am ready. Bring it! I had a good long break and now its time to get back to business. That degree isn't going to get into my hands by camping, working, and other summer fun-ness that has been had. Its time to work!

I only had a couple of my classes today and so far so good. I am super excited for U.S. history. I will be learning so much and loving the discussions of politics, I'm sure!

I got a peak at the new vet tech freshman. (at least the ones that are in the 2 year program) These are the girls that I will be graduating with, along with my other fellow classmates from last year. I feel pretty hopeful and optimistic that this crew of people have integrity and kindness.... more than last year's class I hope.

I am not here to make friends, but it would sure be nice to do so. Not that last year's class was ever mean to me.... I stayed out of the petty/catty bullshit, therefore not making enemies. But it was harder to want to be friends outside of school with so many of these girls when they chose to make fun of and gossip about others. Not the people I want to hang with. Discussing feelings with your friends about/towards someone else is MUCH different than pointless and hateful comments... at least in my book. And let me say, yes, I did make some friends last year. It was just slim pickins' is all I'm trying to say. :)

Anyway, I have a good vibe so far about how this year will go and my trust and hope in anticipation of this year has been steady and strong all summer. Lets hope this class is a fine bunch of chicks (and one guy).

And yes, I take a lunch box to school.... it's just not as cool as Billy's. :)