Government Contracts, Production Agriculture and Inclement Weather

Random title, this I know, but very rarely am I able to align similarities in my life. To explain, I have recently taken on a job requiring a government contract. It was to begin March 15th, and here we are June 15th (3 months later) and I still have not begun. This is due to the fact that the contracts still have yet to be written. For 90 days, irritated and impatient, I've been stalking my boss with emails asking what updates he has. Every other day I'm given a new reason for their procrastination (only a couple were legit).

I haven't been a total bum during this time, as I'm still working for the university. I'm also assisting with the marketing and advertising for my fiance's family's yoghurt they will soon produce for the masses. Don't worry, there will be a ton more information to come... Side note: You'll love it's smooth, creamy taste AND how healthy it is! Dutch yoghurt is better than anything you've ever tasted!

Back to the topic of why bureaucracy is BS...Asking for advice from numerous people, I've been told "that's just how the government works. But its good money, take it!" Thanks to my brother for seeing it through practical eyes, "That's totally unstable and there's no telling if they'll actually come through." This is how I felt, and if I wasn't so strapped for cash (student loans and credit cards, oh how I hate you...) I would have totally walked away from this two months ago. I have my doubts that this contract will be completed, but I'm tryin' to be optimistic. If it does work, I'll be able to start doing Quality Assurance Assessment on dairies, and receive a payment that will be beneficial to my debt. Wish me luck!

During all this stress and frustration, more has been adding to it: it's called being a farmer's fiance. I love Jeroen, and I especially love his abilities to mange people and fix things. Because of his role on the dairy, he has a lot of responsibility, especially during harvesting and planting seasons. Six months out of the year he has non-stop workdays assuring crops are planted, harvested, baled, moved, and covered with plastic. Although this may not sound too difficult, there's always one factor that chooses how his week goes... the weather. If it's about to rain, its urgent to get the crop off the field and covered before they're ruined. If its incredibly windy, which it typically is, planting and covering with plastic has to be done in the late night/ early morning hours. When the sun is bursting with heat and bakes a crop that was full of moisture (in a matter of a couple of hours), it needs to be cut and baled quickly.

I have so much respect for farmers, dairymen and cattlemen who grow their own feed. People who do this job have no concept of 9-5, because to them, the day's never done. Just 'cause the clock strikes 5, that does not mean its quittin' time. They have no idea what the day will bring and when they will get to go home. Some days it will slow down, and they get to leave early. But if it weren't for those days, it would make the 19 hour days unbearable. It takes a very special kind of person to do these jobs. A person who is hard-working, who can manage emergencies, and is comfortable with not having a routine. 

And it isn't just farming that's difficult... the entire world of production agriculture is no day in the park. Its not a  place for tie-wearing, luxury car-driving, need 9 hours of beauty rest- sleeping, vacation-taking, money hungry individuals. This work is hard, dirty, unforgiving, and all-consuming, yet rewarding. Again, these are a special kind of people who can do these jobs. They tend to love animals and the land, and have a sense of pride in what they do. That's what pulls them out of bed in the morning, and allows them not to fear the day ahead. 

Luckily, I learned the statement "cows gotta eat" at a pretty young age, and since then have had a special place in my heart for ranchers, farmers, dairymen and cattlemen. My brother worked at a feed yard in high school, went to college for animal science, and is now a manager for a very large cattle-feeding operation. As just a teenager, he was at work first thing in the morning, got home late, and worked weekends and holidays.

Being a child of military parents, I was used to schedules for the most part. You would think I would have a better understanding of bureaucracy and government contracts, and be more understanding of 'the system'. But even as a child I believed it was ridiculous that my mom was always filling out paperwork for the most simplest of tasks. ("Drove to get gas on base which was X mileage, then I filled up the car which cost X amount, then I drove back to the office which was an ending mileage of X. The entire trip took X amount of minutes, but I stopped at the stop sign which added X amount of minutes... you get the idea.) Mom had a pretty good grip of her calendar with government holidays, leave, and TDY (temporary duty yonder). But there were the occasional unfortunate disasters where the Air National Guard was called out to assist, and we weren't sure when she would be back. 

So when Tres was gone constantly, even on Christmas Eve, I couldn't really understand...Welcome to the world of production agriculture.  Cows don't care if its Martin Luther King Jr day, they still need to eat and be milked. Crops don't stop growing for Thanksgiving break. The world continues to turn, while the aforementioned white-collar folks get to take a three-day weekend cause they worked 41 hours last week. I'm glad Tres taught me all about this, because had I never known, I would have been devastated learning to deal with Jeroen's "schedule". 

I've become more understanding the more I'm around the dairy and farm. If there's an emergency at the dairy, I'm not about to say, "Well, good luck." Last year a horrible storm blew through, and pulled all the calf hutches off the ground and tossed them for miles around. Immediately, everyone went into crisis clean-up mode, and the workers had gathered up all the calves and made sure they were safe. Standing in one foot of mud, I tried to help them move the calf hutches back (mind you, the dimensions of these are 86.5" L x 48" W x 53.5" H and weigh 100 lbs). The guys were appreciative to see me trying to help, but knew I wouldn't be much assistance when they saw me dangling from one trying to pull it right side up. I opted to pick up feed and water buckets and re-align the fencing instead.

A month prior to that, Jeroen was short a guy during planting and said they needed a guy on a tractor. Hastily, I volunteered. It wasn't that I didn't want to help, but I feared breaking a $100,000 piece of equipment (for those of you who don't know me, I break things...). With how advanced and progressive agriculture has become, I was fortunate to have GPS on this tractor. Using satellites, it aligned the tractor automatically with the previous row. And because I drive a standard, I didn't have too many issues with controlling multiple levers and gear shifts at once.

To assist Jeroen, I've also helped insulate a storage building he built (he calls it our anniversary building because the first time I called him, he was in the process of building it) and I also assisted with putting plastic on piles. This consists of rolling out 250 ft of plastic to cover about 85 1-ton bales. This is not a simple process and takes multiple people holding down the plastic all around the edges, while someone on a loader drops dirt all around it to hold it down. On windy days, this is the most miserable job, as you're being covered from head to toe in sand and will still be dirty after multiple showers. 

Like I said, these are not glamorous jobs, but the individuals who do it are wonderful people. Being on the dairy, assisting with these jobs has given me a better understanding and appreciation for the job itself and the people who do it. They have hearts of gold and bodies of steel. Its also made me more understanding of Jeroen's schedule (or lack thereof), so when he gets home at midnight, I have a plate of warm food and running shower for him. 

Although my contract will be a mess for the next couple of months, its comforting to know that I won't get bored. Between the yoghurt going into production and the dairy always welcoming assistance, there will be plenty to do.

And ps. next time to see someone involved in production agriculture, give them props for what they do. And when you enjoy a nice cold glass of milk, or a delicious tender medium-rare steak, realize how much work went into getting it from the field to your table.

Maturing and learning so much...

In the past, I was a typical college kid- partied, studied hard, dated, and once or twice (or 1,000) listened to / believed rumors. Now, having left a college town and moved out to "my own corner of the world" (Oh how I love you Farwell, TX) and met such a great man, I've learned the error of my ways.

Jeroen is such a great man, and truly lives by the saying "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all". Although its hard sometimes, I try to follow the same rule and remember to practice what I learn in church each Sunday. As a teen and college kid, I misbehaved as most do, but am now trying to rid myself of the bad behaviors and bitterness I've acquired over the last ten years.

By doing this, I've learned how awesome some people really are and am saddened by the fact that I didn't take the time to get to know them better. On the flip side of that coin, I've learned that there's also individuals who put on a whole facade, yet when you actually get to know them, you learn it was all a front. I try to dig in deep and figure out why some people are the way they are, but most of the time it wears me out.

And family is no different. I never want to see my siblings or parents in a bad light, so I've always defended their actions. But I'm learning that all individuals will make their own choices, and its not my place to judge, defend, comment, or get hurt by what they say or do. I tend to be a pretty sensitive, yet caring person, so other people's actions nearly always affected me.

I miss people from my past but am unsure of how good of "friends" we really were. And there's also people from my past that I love and appreciate more than I ever have before. Its true what they say, everyone shows their true colors in time. I'm learning so much and no longer fear the word adult. I know first hand how painful rumors are and how difficult it is having individuals riding your back all the time. Therefore, the day has come that college drama and hurt feelings must be left behind, and that gossip and fear of people not liking me are no longer a concern. I am starting a new chapter in my life and owe it to myself and my fiance, to worry less and just be happy.

Here's to growing up!

“I’ve found love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love.”

As you know... I've met "The One". Some people laugh and say it's silly or even ridiculous, others continue seeking to find theirs. To both I say, it's possible, honest. There are great individuals out there, don't feel as if you've missed the boat, or that you'll never find your true love. The only advice I can give on how to find that certain individual is... never love half-heartedly and don't try to change someone. Yes, people tend to love others for who they could be, when in reality, the only way a person can change is if they, and only themselves, want to. My dad preached this to me for years, but it wasn't till I met Jeroen that I understood. 

When I was in high school and college, I met some individuals that were sweet and fun, some were intelligent and witty, and others were flat out intriguing. There were also those ones who were just attractive, but (to quote my co-worker) "had the personality of my big toe". Either way, something about each of them drew me towards them, and I believe it was their one common denominator: Potential.  

My mom accused me of having "lost puppy syndrome" where I would be attracted to individuals that had fallen in a rut and needed help getting out of it. To this day, I believe I contracted it from her. That's why she was able to spot it so easily. She's always been a kind, swaddling, caring type, and feels complete when helping others. Yes, those "mom" attributes are what she passed to me.

Wearing rose-colored glasses, I put these guys on pedestals and never saw them for who they actually were, but for what they could be. I never saw them on the ground, just where they were after they'd been picked up. During this time, a wise man constantly told me "You can have all the potential in the world, but it means nothing if you don't do something with it" (I now understand, thanks Dad).

My friends and family warned me, but set in my ways, I continued having faith that these guys would reach that bar I set for them, and although some attempted, it was rarely reached. To the more mature, and no-BS kind of individuals, you probably read this and ask why I even bothered, when it seems manipulative or even a waste of time. Well, that brings me to my first piece of advice- love whole-heartedly. 

No matter how much effort it took, I always loved with my whole heart. This allowed me at the end of all most of my relationships, to say I tried and gave them my all.  I didn't need a guy at all times, but I loved to care for others. (Yes, I had pet dogs and goats but they were so autonomous, they were nearly self sufficient). Coming from a family of close relationships, "I love you"s, and hugs, all I wanted was to help others and give and receive love. 

You can imagine how difficult it is constantly putting yourself second, focusing on others' needs, leaving your behind. Then watching as those individuals pretend to be grateful, later walking off "renewed", ready to give his heart to someone else. Yup, I was usually just a half-way home, a place to stop and recover from their past until they were ready to continue their journey. 

I used to wish I was like so many of my female friends that didn't put up with that behavior and made guys not only meet their expectations, but exceed them. And if they didn't... those guys never had a chance. But I'm me, and not them. I've always been a believer in not judging the book by the cover, there's more to people than what they present. 

Those guys who I thought hurt me, only made me stronger. Although it may seem like I do, I actually have no resentment for them and wish them the best. Must admit, its satisfying to see where they are and how far they've come, regardless if I've helped them or not. This was especially true when I received an email from my best friend from 8th grade that I had a emotionally filled fall-out with, in high school. He thanked me for everything that I had done for him, and said he hasn't forgot about our friendship and apologized for his behavior. I had closed that book a long while back, chalking it up to teenage hormones and stupidity but have a new-found respect for him because of his maturity.

So why am I so insightful and rambling on and on about the past? The fact is, the past makes you who are. If I had the opportunity to go back and change what I've done, I wouldn't. I've made some mistakes and I'll be the first to admit it, but its what I've done and learned in the past that has brought me to Jeroen. Because of my past, I know what true...real... love is. Love without conditions. Love that is returned to me as whole as I give it. Love that even better than what you see in the movies, or read in fairytales.

Jeroen walked into my life standing 6 ft 2, and knocked down all my bars without saying a word. He was not a lost puppy, he needed no motivation to change and was not interested in taking advantage of a girl wearing her heart on his sleeve. He was perfect... right off the bat, immediately, no questions asked. Like I said, some people may call it silly, even ridiculous, but I felt something deep within me being filled, kinda like when you have an awful stomach ache, then drink a cold glass of water and can feel it coating the burn. It was like that. 

No longer suffering from my "lost puppy syndrome", I am as happy and fulfilled as I've ever been. Jeroen and I baby each other... what some would say... a ridiculous amount. Our relationship doesn't require much effort, it just feels so natural. I truly believe this is what LOVE is, something magnificent that is felt by both individuals. Feelings of kindness, passion, laughter, encouragement and affection overwhelm your senses daily, and you couldn't picture yourself anywhere else but in their arms.

Before and After: A home's renovation from elderly adornment to a modern twist with Dutch/Country/ Zebra flare!

Although the home Jeroen and I moved into was beautiful and quaint, it needed a lot of work... 


Bathroom
Before:

 After: 

Bedroom
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After:

Laundry Room

Before: 

After:  

Living Room

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After:

Office
Before:

After:

  
Kitchen
Before:  

After:

Dining Room

Before:

 

After:

 

Now, we only have ONE more room to chip away at.... and its gonna be a hard one!!! 

                        

Things WERE horrible....

After graduation, with the declining economy, finding a job seemed nearly impossible. I knew I wanted to be with J-Dawg, but just couldn't figure out how to. There was no way I could ask him to leave the dairy, nor did I want him to. It was such a part of him. So we discussed me moving to Clovis, and finding a job there. I began looking at apartments and sending in applications everywhere imaginable in the High Plains. 

Jeroen took me to look at some small houses and apartments in the Clovis area, something within my budget. I had a couple of leads, but nothing was really fitting. He had mentioned us moving in together a couple of times, but at the time, was living with his sister and had a very comfortable and nice setup that he couldn't afford to leave.  

Things were just looking so gloomy, and I felt like Eeyore. I was attending interviews after interviews, with no call-backs. But I wasn't about to give up, I loved this man more than anything and there was something so special about what we had. 

We knew how in love we were, and when we were apart the pain was nearly unbearable. We just belonged together, there were no ands, ifs, or buts about it. I was miserable being in Las Cruces. I had graduated and no longer wanted to be working for the car dealership, or dealing with the college drama. I spent nights journaling and on Job Search websites, trying to get through it.

Then some shocking news came... his parents were looking for a small house they could buy, fix up, and end up having later for when their yoghurt line kicked up (in case the future manager needed housing). On Aug 2nd, I was given word that his folks were actually physically viewing houses. If they were to find one, they were hoping Jeroen would move into it and fix it up. 

On Aug 19th, they placed a bid on a beautiful 1,700 sq. ft house they found in Farwell, TX outside Clovis.  After discussing payment details with his parents, the bid was accepted on Aug 27th and a down payment was made. Jeroen then invited me to move in with him. I could not have been more happy!

I turned in my two-weeks to the car dealership, and my mom came down to Cruces to help me pack and hold a yard sale. All the money made was set aside to help pay for things the house needed. In a last desperate attempt to find a job, I picked up the Clovis phone book and began calling all the businesses that I might enjoy working for. 

I wasn't optimistic about the responses, and I began to worry more. Only two of the thirty-some-odd companies I called actually took messages. One of which was Danforth and Sons Service Co., a dairy service company. I asked if they were hiring and she said not really but they would take down my information and get back to me. 

Much later, after they reviewed my resume, I received a call-back that her husband would like to meet with me. Ecstatic, I put on some nice clothes and met my soon-to-be boss for breakfast. We chatted for hours, and really got to know one another. They weren't necessarily looking to hire, and were unsure about my marketing/ advertising degree. They said they'd be in touch with me. Although I thought it went well, I felt disappointed about the fear of being denied another job.

But later I received call saying they "saw something" in me and loved my "passion for dairies". They had wanted to begin route sales for dairy supplies and I was their gal. They had understood the whole situation I was going through with the move, and trying to clear out of the old house. They offered me a position- to start in Oct, giving me enough time to get my stuff situated. 


Although the month of Aug and Sept seemed to drag on and on, looking back I can say it all went pretty smooth and quick. Things really began to fall into place, and God truly did have a plan for Jeroen and I. Although I never doubted God, I was making a lot of plans that He was laughing at. He knew exactly what he was doing for us. 


By the middle of Sept, we had moved into the house and began working on it... It was our first home, and during the renovation process we learned so much about one another.

In the next blog: "Before and After: A home's renovation from elderly adornment to a modern twist with Dutch/Country/ Zebra flare!"

Weddings and Baby Showers, Oh My!

J-Dawg and I had two events in the same month that we were invited to. We were looking forward to both of them, and unfortunately didn't look at the calendar soon enough. We later realized they were on the same day...

My brothers had a very close friend, T-Boyle, that they had been friends with for as long as I can remember. Now T-Boyle was a very good-looking individual, and had a personality that made girls melt. If you haven't figured it out by now, I was that annoying little sister that was crushin' on my brothers' buddy, six years my elder. It didn't matter to me though; in middle school, I decided he was perfect. He set the bar--- I would compare every guy to him.

My sister was married in Vegas in 2007, and with all the wedding hype (and some alcohol) I thought it would be a great idea to contact T-Boyle and propose. He giggled warmly, and said "For you..... sure!" I knew he was just being kind to me, but he always knew how to boost my confidence.  It was at that point that I decided I would only marry someone who was comparative to T-Boyle (I thought it would be impossible). 

Well, I got an invite to attend T-Boyle's wedding, and knew I wanted to be there and wish him the best. Only problem is, the wedding was the same day as J-Dawg's cousin's, (Katrina) coed baby shower. Katrina and her dad Titus are J-Dawg's only family in the States. Because of this, they are all very close and J-Dawg and his family like to spend time with them whenever they can. 

Luckily for us, the wedding was in Los Lunas and the baby shower was in Bosque Farms, only minutes from each other. We decided to try and attend both... 

"McHotts" Ready for the Wedding

First, we went to the wedding. Being in the church and seeing friends and family was comforting. The bride walked down the aisle, looking gorgeous. I thought I'd be hurting over watching the man I had admired for the past ten + years, tying the knot. Then I looked to my right just as J-Dawg squeezed my hand and smiled warmly at me. At that point I realized, he was the only man I wanted at my side for the rest of my life. I wish a happy and healthy life for T-Boyle and his bride and know that everything happens for a reason. 


We then decided to head to the coed baby shower, and then figured we would head to the wedding reception after. J-Dawg gave me a tour around Titus' house where the shower was being held. I was overwhelmed with its beauty. There was a nearly life-size original Dutch windmill in his front yard.

The baby shower began and we were introduced to all the guests. There was a load of games to play, and the neat thing was everyone (guys and girls) were included. This was unlike any baby shower I had been to, and it was a blast. For the first game, everyone gathered in a circle and a baby doll was passed back and forth. When the doll was thrown to someone, they had to catch it and name something related to babies. The shocking part was there were three people left: a man, a woman and J-Dawg! With no children himself, he had this game mastered! (With answers such as breast pump, and diaper "butt rub"). 


Then it was the guys turn to compete in a game. Sippy cups were filled with beer and it became a race to see who could down the beer first. Little did I know, this is a very difficult feat. J-Dawg was not content with the limited amount of liquid coming out of the small holes.


We were trying to get a hold of my siblings to find out more information about the wedding reception, since we had arranged to meet back up. Unfortunately, there was a disconnect in the communication, and weren't able to make plans with them.

It was then time for the girls to have their competition: make the largest baby bump as possible using balloons. J-Dawg's sis was wearing a super cute flowy dress, and I just knew she'd win. But I was wearing what looked like a maternity shirt (I loved how comfy it was) and decided I could compete also. Little did I know there was a grandmother there who was goin to have us both beaten with her awesomeness. 

We were really having a blast at the baby shower and I decided we should enjoy the rest of the night there. The plan was to have some adult beverages and crash at Titus', not having to worry about driving back and forth. If alcohol is involved, Jeroen and I refuse to drive anywhere. Safety is first, fun is second. 

After most of the guests had left, a select few of us hung out and shot the bull. The boys were fishing in Titus' beautiful pond in the back, while us girls got some time to chit-chat. It was so neat getting to talk to Katrina, the mom-to-be, and see how beautiful she was with her pregnant glow. I smiled and thought, "I can't wait to have that one day."

There's more to Texas than the Panhandle

After my worst fear of my house falling apart became a reality, I had to call in pros to fix my roof that had completely collapsed from the AC leak. Unfortunately, the repairs took over three weeks. When it was completed, I was ecstatic. It looked amazing with new paint, carpet and vinyl tile. At this time, my work was putting tons of hours on me and requiring me to work weekends. 

I was missing J-Dawg something fierce, and luckily, I got a couple of days off so I could go with him to San Angelo to a friend's lake house. J-Dawg surprised me and came one day early, since I was so miserable with my job and being without him. He hung out at my house while I worked some hours on Friday so I could leave on Saturday. When I returned home from work, I found my house decorated and situated how it was prior to the repairs. Being so busy, I hadn't had time to put everything back. But J-Dawg remembered where it all went and made it look beautiful and homey again. 

We hit the road on Saturday morning and headed west to San Angelo. Some words of advice: look at a map before a road trip; and Texas is a big state. Thinking we were near El Paso, we didn't think it'd be too long of a drive. Little did we know, San Angelo was not close at all. Luckily the speed limit was 80, and we found things to keep us entertained (discussing TX water rights, eating Payday candy bars, and playing I Spy). 

When we arrived to the beautiful lake house, I immediately heard Texas country blaring. Very curious, I followed the sound to find there was a huge concert on one of the docks a couple lake houses down. This was gonna be amazing, I could feel it. We hung out with J-Dawg's siblings and a couple of friends at the house and then took the boat out. The lake was small but still very cool!

I watched as J-Dawg's brother water skied, and sat jealous of his physical abilities. (Last time I tried water skiing, I wasn't able to get up even once as the skis kept coming off my feet). I was invited to try, and said I'd rather watch the others. But just being on the boat, feeling the warm water splash my face, and seeing J-Dawg smile was just so amazing. 

We headed back to the house and cleaned up to head out for dinner with the whole gang. We ate at this awesome sushi bar and shared all the different rolls (thank goodness I was introduced to it earlier). J-Dawg's sister suggested we then head to a bar. Never would I have been able to dream up the creativity that the owner of this bar did. It was a bar at night, and an antique store during the day. But at night, while drinking, all items are for sale. For some reason, intoxication makes less attractive items seem like a great buy. Although... J-Dawg's sis actually bought some  really cool chairs and some other neat items. 


The next day we spent the day out and about on the lake and enjoyed the warm air and cool water. Because I had to go back to work the next day, we didn't get to spend much time in San Angelo. But I'm so glad we were able to go for even a short period of time, and spend some more time getting to know J-Dawg's friends and family.