I left you with the start of my college years. Which really wasn't that productive. I went to school, swam, played water polo, and worked. That was my life for 2 years. I was getting bored and knew that I wasn't ready to transfer to a 4 year school. I felt like I needed a break from school since I had been going non stop since the start in pre-school. A friend of mine was joining the Army. I went with her to talk to her recruiter and decided that I too wanted to join the Army, but I didn't want to go full time. I wanted to join the reserves. I spoke to the recruiter and ended up signing up about a week later. I went to MEPS and took the ASVAB and then went through the physical and the search for a job. I knew I had scored high enough to do something in medical and when I sat down with the person who helps you look for a job, they tried to give me a desk job. I told them what I wanted and I knew I qualified for and they still tried to give me the same job. It took me standing up to walk out for them to "find" me a medical job. May 1998 I left for boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Then, from there I was off to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for my medic training. When I was in, it was a 91B. That was the job title/code. A combat medic. I will say, I have made some amazing friends while I was in training and even my unit I was in when I got back home. My time in training, both boot camp and medic school wasn't really that notable. I learned a lot. Had fun learning. It was both physically and mentally challenging to me and I loved that. I came home from medic school October 1998. The following month I went to my first weekend drill. We really didn't have a lot we did there on our weekend drills. Classes, inventory, PT, and of course, at night we would go out. This company was an ambulance company. I went to my first 2 week annual training that following June (1999). We went to El Paso, Texas. My first 2 weeks and I will be honest, I had a lot of fun. We had trainings with the local fire department and runs back and forth between El Paso and a small base in New Mexico. It was definitely a good experience. Come October, I got a phone call from my unit saying they needed volunteers to go to Hawaii for another 2 week training in November. If I went to that one, I wouldn't have to go to Fort Polk, Louisiana in June. So, of course I jumped on that! To be paid to be in Hawaii and also a flight to Hawaii? No problem!! I will have to say, that was probably the best training I ever went to. We were in "combat" mode for a full week. Actually doing our jobs. I felt good after getting back from that training. I was there in that unit until I switched to a unit closer to home where we did physicals every drill weekend. I loved that unit because we were busy all weekend and it made time go by. I was physically doing my job I learned. I was working in the lab mainly drawing blood and doing the urine specimen. Eventually I moved to Northern California and another new unit. That unit made me bored compared to the other 2. We absolutely nothing. No training, no classes, no nothing. It was a field hospital unit. Shortly after that I was out of the Army Reserves. I fulfilled my time. The whole thing was a great experience, although, I couldn't say I would do it again.
As I mentioned above, I moved to Northern California. In March 2001 I moved to the Sacramento area with my then boyfriend. He got a job offer up here and I decided to go with him when he asked me to. We lived in Rancho Cordova for about 7 1/2 months when he was offered a position in the Nevada City area with his department. So, we moved up there. This was after September 11, 2001. And things were much different immediately. Not in our relationship, but in the world. You could tell. So, being in Nevada City was nice. Away from the city and so quiet and relaxing up there. It felt "normal". Like pre 9/11. It was there in Nevada City that I got my first State job. I was a park aide for California State Parks. It was a nice change from what I had been doing when we moved there which was working at the grocery store. I was back to what I considered "normal" for me in a job. Working weekends and holidays. And of course all summer. I was back in what would be considered public safety. I worked there from about April until October 2002. Then I got my second State job. A dispatcher for Caltrans working in the snow. I worked out of the winter dispatch center at Kingvale dispatching for the guys and gals on the road plowing the snow and also setting up the chain controls. Both of those state jobs I did for 2 seasons each. Until Caltrans picked me up for more hours working in Rancho Cordova at their 24 hour dispatch center. During that time, we decided to move to a more central location for both of us. He was now working in Auburn and since I was in Rancho Cordova, we decided to move to Rocklin. It was a much better and easier drive after a graveyard shift for sure. I also bought my first car while we lived in Nevada City. Brand new 2004 (it was August 2004) Saturn Ion. I was so proud because I had been saving my overtime money and putting even some other money aside each month. I was able to put $10,000 down on a $17,000 car. It felt good.
I eventually applied for and got a job with CHP as a dispatcher. I took to the call taking very fast. Getting the information we needed from the callers and moving on was pretty easy for me. The radio, on the other hand, took me a while. Finally I had great trainers who really took the time to help me and I finally got it. I had a fear of what would happen to an officer if I messed up a call or didn't put out enough information. Eventually I got over that fear. I had some crazy calls and even got two commendables in my 1 /2 years there. One for answering over 800 calls in a 4 hour period of overtime during a huge storm over New Years 2005-2006 and the other was for answering a call where somebody didn't give me any information, taking down the number that came up on caller ID and having somebody else do a cell trace since I was working a radio at the time. Ended up being the noise I heard on the phone was a miter saw and the lady killed herself. As I look back and remember that call and my time there at CHP, I didn't like the person I was becoming. I was numb. I was become something I wasn't. I was becoming a robot and cynical. Nothing bothered me and I really had no emotion. On my days off I didn't want to do anything. So, my job offer from California State Parks doing the same thing came at a good time.
I started with California State Parks on June 1, 2006. A few days later my first nephew was born. June 4, 2006. I was so excited. A new job. I was a brand new aunt. What could possibly go wrong? Well, after 6 years together, my boyfriend I moved to this area with and I broke up. Even though I was hurt and hated him at that time, it was a mutual break up. It was a good thing too. I had been saving my overtime checks again and had over $17,000 saved up again. So, the day after the break up, my friend Becky came over and got me and we went looking for apartments for me. The first one I found I got. And 3 weeks later I moved in. I was finally living on my own after moving from my parents house in with a boyfriend. It was tough at first, but eventually it felt good. It felt good to finally be on my own.
In 2008 my parents helped me buy my first house. I ended up buying a new build condo in Lincoln where I live now. I loved being able to pick out everything inside. From flooring, to the blinds, the cabinets, tile, and counters. Everything. I saw it go up from frame to the home I live in now. After watching it go up, I got the keys and moved in on September 28, 2008. That was the most exciting day to date at that time. So many emotions went through me. When I got the keys, I drove over, pulled into the garage, closed the garage door and went inside my new home. After going through the place and looking at each room, I went back down stairs, played in the middle of the floor in the living room and just stared at the ceiling. My arms and legs were out like a sea star. As I lay there I thought to myself "This is all mine. This is my home."
This seems to be a good place to pause and have a part 3 later. So, a little about me is to be continued...
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