WOW, can you say bored!

Were back home again, with a new little person in the family :)

Danica is absolutely adorable, I just love her so much. I can hold her for hours and just stare at her, she is perfect. Dan is back to work, and Bryanna is back to school, and now it's mainly Dani and I at home.

I am already going nuts, Danica sleeps a lot and I have nothing to do, I don't really have anyone to hang out with.

I was working a lot before and never had time to slow down and visit with many people.

I am going to fast forward a little so I can get closer to today's date, sure makes it easier for blogging, I have a horrible memory and I have probably left out so many things along our adventure here in Williston. The last 8 months have been exciting having a baby and watching her grow :)

We went on vacation this last June 2010, first we flew to AZ and visited my Dad again for a few days.

Then went to my Mom's, they were so happy to meet another grand baby :)

<~Mom kissing Dani

   


 Aunt Meri and Uncle Danny

 

 <~This spider was in my Bedroom, yes it was HUGE! YUCK
That's Dani, Me, Bryanna, Sis Bridget, and Mom, we went to Tombstone AZ

                                                     





  Awe Mom putting Dani to sleep

Then we flew to NV to spend time with Dans Mom, we made plans for everyone to meet us at the casino for dinner, and Dani got passed around from Brother to Sister all night :)

Dans Sis Margi

Dans Mom

Dans Bro Chris

Dans Bro John and wife Betty

Dans Sis in law Mary

Dans Bro Joe

We're home again, it was refreshing seeing family, it really sucks not being around them all the time, we don't get to have holidays with them, and the kids don't get to grow up around them and their cousins. 

I am getting really tired of how people here treat us, people aren't as friendly as they used to be, the place is really going crazy with construction and traffic, the influx is out of control. 

I am bored out of my mind, there is nothing for Danica and I to do during the days, no gym with day care, nowhere to go hang out, just locked up inside all the time, and it has really got me depressed. I miss my husband all the time, and I think he is missing out on so much of Dani's life, and growing stages..

I love my life, I love how blessed we are, and how we don't need for a lot, but I feel like I'm watching life pass by from my window, and all the money in the world can't buy my kids family, and the feeling of having that kind of support system, I need interaction with someone other then my kids, and I need to find a gym so I can work out, Im getting fatter every day :*( and there is no one to watch Danica, no day care available here :(

Dan's married to Halliburton, and misses out on so much... Life truly is Bitter/Sweet....

Our friend's Christina & Jake moved to a place we have been giving serious thought too, Pennsylvania.

They seem to like it and Christina has been communicating with me about it a lot. I think I want to go, I'm sorta freaked out about it, I don't like the idea of moving my Daughter Bryanna again, shes in Jr High and it can be hard for kids to adjust, but I don't think Williston has much to offer her anymore, it's gotten pretty bad here..

Do we stay or do we go? Hmmmmmm.........................

WHAT?!! I'M PREGNANT?! :O

Well, were back from a nice vacation and getting back into the swing of things...
Things are pretty hectic at work for me, now that I have been out of the office for a week things are backed up a little. That's the price we pay when taking vacation though :|
Dan is also back at work, I hope he had a relaxing time he deserves it, he works way too many hours.
Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it, seems like I never get to see him anymore, I feel so detached.
The more money we make the more money we spend, it's an ugly cycle we REALLY need to break, and it's not even like we have a lot to show for it, I think it's more a matter of wanting to have nicer things, we couldn't have before, like a nicer couch, or TV, and a new bed or new towels..

Today I am feeling really sick, I have been getting a little dizzy here and there, and emotional lol I have a familiar feeling and if I'm correct about this WOW do we have a BIG surprise in store for us!  I made a trip to the store and bought a pregnancy test, the kind that have 2 in the box. I waited till the next morning to do the test and,  OMG IM PREGNANT!! I took the other test and tried it again just to make sure the first one was right, and OMG IM PREGNANT!! WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! Okay so I know how it happened HAHA, but it's almost impossible for me to have gotten pregnant, I mean not only am I on birth control, but I don't ovulate most the time due to poly cystic ovaries, this is definitely Gods doing, and so I am going to say it's a blessing from my Father above.. 

The pic I sent Dan telling him I was pregnant,

 I'd say this is the only time I felt as if I were glowing! LOL

Dan is pretty excited, and as the days go by I'm getting more excited too.
During the first trimester we almost lost the baby, I had to be careful and take medicine.
I didn't have much sickness, just like with my first baby I got sick for a week and then it was all over.
But with the stress of work and the hours I was putting in I have to say I have never felt so worn down and tired. I have been having a lot of fun shopping on line for baby stuff hehe, this is something I never got to do with my first child, I had to use hand me downs, this time I get to pic colors and designs, so much fun hehe.

Half way there!

The second trimester came pretty fast, I am feeling more energized and I don't have to tinkle every 15 minutes :) YAY I can sleep through the night again, well most the time, I still get called out a lot for work, and it's cold again, snow is just around the corner, I learned my lesson last year with finding a snow removal guy and keeping the heating and plumbing guys #'s close by. I put in my resignation which will happen 4 weeks before my scheduled due date, that way they have plenty of time to find someone to replace me, and I will have 4 weeks of nesting, making sure things are ready for the baby. :)

Getting closer

Third trimester holy COW, cow is what I am feeling like, I am so tired, out of breath, I hate climbing stairs which I do a lot when it comes to going out to the properties for showings or whatever need be.
my hands are swollen, my face is fat, my belly is round, I work constantly, and then come home to work there too, I still have a family I have to take care of, Dan works so many hours that I have to be the one to cook, clean, pay bills, and stay involved with my teenager and all her activities. I finally decided to put together all of the babies furniture, Dan is just always working and when he's not he is sleeping, so I figured I had better get it done..
They still have not found a replacement and time is getting closer, they better hurry..
I have been in to see the Dr.s a lot lately, they are watching me closely due to high blood pressure, and they take blood every week to make sure I'm okay. I failed all my glucose tests, and so they have me poking my finger too, I was diagnosed gestational Diabetic. :(
Today I was sitting in the living room watching tv with my teen and my husband, and a commercial came on it was the (ASPCA) and they were singing a super sad song as they showed several animals who've been abused and OMG I LOST IT, I was SOBBING, my daughter and my husband were looking at me and laughing! I can not believe how emotional I get now, especially when THAT commercial comes on, I have to leave the room....

I resemble a Cow

Well, I have been placed on bed rest because I keep going into labor, I have 5 weeks left, and they have had to stop labor twice now.
Work has not found anyone to replace me, I have told them I need to be on bed rest, and I am told it would be okay to work from home, I really don't want to let them down, if I was to quit now they would be in a lot of trouble, there is no one to take care of all these properties here, and all the tenants wouldn't have anyone to take care of them.
My resignation date has come and gone, and I have not been on bed rest like I'm supposed to be, I still have to run around showing apartments, signing leases, evicting people, making sure contractors are getting things done, collecting rents, and running a LOT of errands. How in the world can I work from home??? They realllly need to find someone to replace me, LIKE NOW!
I am back in the hospital they are trying to get labor to stop again, I'm 2 weeks away from delivery date which by the way is a scheduled C-section.
I told my boss I am done, so she is coming down herself to take care of things, I love this woman (Karen) she has been a great Friend and co worker, I hate to leave the company but I really need to be home with my babies. I feel guilty, like I'm walking out on them, I feel super bad I couldn't stay and help.

Its 3 days before my due date and I am in labor again, this time they said if it doesn't stop then I will be delivering in the morning, OMG will Dan be able to make it home?! Sometimes I really hate that he is always gone, I miss him, and need him right now. This is definitely a Bitter Sweet life, the life of an Oilfield Wife!
He made it with a couple hours to spare, he sat there half asleep from working 18 hours and I wish he wasn't so tired, I am in HORRIBLE pain :\

I wanted to KILL him!

It's time to go, I'm so scared, did I forget to tell you the reason I never had another child was because my heart stopped twice after giving birth to my first daughter (by c-section) they over dosed me on morphine, and my body pretty much relaxed to the point it didn't work anymore.
I keep thinking, I don't want to die, I don't want to die.. Please God don't take me yet!

Dan came in after they prepared me and had me on the table, a little background on Dan, needles and blood he doesn't do too well. So as this is happening he took a peak around the curtain and his face goes white, I see sweat bead on his face immediately and he looks as though he is about to pass out, but he is a trooper and made it through...

It's a GIRL :) OMG OMG OMG She is SOOOO Beautiful, SO Perfect, 8lbs 11oz. HELLO beautiful baby girl, I love you, omg she's so pretty Dan thank you.

I am so blessed, I have a wonderful husband who works so hard for us, and I have 2 Beautiful Daughters! <3

VACATION 2009

I am sooo excited to go see some family, first I had to take my daughter Bryanna to the airport where she was going to fly out to Carson City NV to see her Daddy for the summer, wow that was hard to do, I mean I was away from her for about 3 weeks last summer, but this will be the longest I have ever been away from her.

There she goes!

The next day Dan and I were packed and ready to fly out to Phoenix Arizona, Have you ever been in AZ in June? hehe I love it but I could never live in it again, I say again because I was born in Mesa AZ and I lived in AZ for many years, I really do like my seasons, and Arizona only has Hot, Warm, and poisonous bugs! LOL

Touch down in Phoenix now we are waiting for my Daddy to come and pick us up, I can't wait to see him, it's been about 5 years since we last seen each other and that was just for a couple days..

My Dad is a great guy, he has accomplished many things in his life, he is also the BEST BASS fisherman in world, I sure miss fishing with him hehe.. 

Last Christmas he had a stroke, thank god it was a small one and he wasn't debilitated from it, but it was a serious wake up call, he has smoked all his life and also suffers from emphysema. Dad is now smoke free :)  He has worked hard all his life but was also recently forced into retirement, he is disabled due to arthritis and he has a hard time walking a lot because of his lower back, the disks are pinching his sciatic nerves, so he likes to spend his time playing with his gadgets/electronics and computer games :)

While we stayed with Dad, we took him down to the barber LOL his hair was really long in back and he had the worse comb over.... Well, we went to a Barber on the corner and when we walked in it was a little akward lol, it was a barber shop for the african american, BUT they decided to cut his hair, and it came out nice and clean.

We had a nice visit with Dad, we went to Taco Bell which we don't have back home, but mostly we kicked back with Dad and Leandra <~~his long time girlfriend :) I got to see my Sister Cynthia too and her kids Devon, Jessie and Trinity, we took every one to the Olive Garden which we don't have back home either LOL surprise surprise, we really enjoyed the relaxing non stressful week.

My Daddy Fishing!

This is my Daddy and Leandra <3

This is my Sister Cindy :)

Next stop is Sierra Vista Arizona, to go see my Mommy <3

It's not that far of a drive, just a few hours if I remember correctly, and a lot of cactus in between haha.

My Mom is also a really cool Mom, she is not only Beautiful, but I can talk to her about pretty much anything in life, good, bad, and kinky. LOL JK, no really I'm not. ;)

She also happeneds to be the BEST cook in the world, Dan loooooves it when she makes him her sweep the floor omelettes, MMMmm me too. hehe

This is my Sister Bridget and I kissing her only I decided

 to lick her face like she used to do when I was a little girl hahaha!

This is my Sister Bridget, this chair is actually normal size she is the incredible tiny woman! LOL

JK, but ya she is my Big LITTLE Sister if that makes sense :)

We had a lot of great food at Moms house, my sister Bridget and her kids came, and my Aunt Meri and Uncle Danny came over to BBQ with us too, she lives next door, also if I remember correctly I got to see my cousins Robbie and Virginia and their kids too, OH did I mention a baby scorpion was ready to crawl on my foot while we were all on the back porch BBQing, YUCK!!! Gary is my Moms husband he is also a really neat guy, really different then most, which is how I like them, I mean just look at my guy Dan hehe. 

Gary has Parkinson's Disease and has had to slow down a little, when I last seen him he was riding his motorcycles and out in the shop playing with his machines and this time he was really shaky, and took small steps, makes me worry about him, I hope they can find something to help him get around easier.

I never want to go home, I want to move back in with Mom and have her cook for me everyday :) who cares if I get as big as a house, no one will see me were in the middle of no where and practically in Mexico, no literally we are just a couple miles to the border. 

But I guess all things must come to an end, I really am not looking forward to going back home, in fact it is really depressing me, and as I wave goodbye to my Mom from the car I lose it, and start to cry... :(

Dan said we could come back next year, so I guess I have that to look forward too :)

MOVING AGAIN!

Winter sure likes to hang around for a while here, we had so much snow this year that we are having major flooding issues with the garages and parking lots, and it has been hell trying to find someone to do snow removal this winter, at times I've had several tenants calling me telling me they are blocked in and can't go to work LOL. Wasn't funny then but now that I look back on it winters here are CRAZY!

I put an add in the paper today, seeking a house to rent.
Treading the parking lot to the entrance, then up 3 flights of stairs, and then all the way to the other side of the building with groceries is reallllly hard to do, plus I just really like my own space, it's hard living in a box, on top of a box, next to another box LOL..
Anyway, a few days after I ran the ad I had a woman call me and tell me she had a house available, so we went to see it, it wasn't an awesome house but it was cozy, and it had a 2 car garage with a cute yard, and can you believe it was $400. less then what we were paying for the apartment :) so we signed a lease and moved in..
Chrissy was ecstatic, she finally had a yard to run around in, the back yard was fenced in and she would just run and run and run like the energizer bunny...
I realized with the warmer weather just how much work the yard was going to be, I had to mow like once a week and even that seemed to be too far in between. It rains like almost every day lately and we now have a new problem, my basement keeps flooding out, we have sump pumps down there but I guess they just can't keep up, I was told the water table is high, so all this means to me is stinky basement! UGH
Oh and with all the rain and warmth comes an abundance of Mosquito's, okay so I thought when we first got here that they were a pain but I thought it was just that year and they would die off and never come back, OMG was I wrong, I can't even breath with out having a few of them plug my nostrils, it's awful! I hate this place!!!
Okay so I don't totally hate this place, but it has been weighing on me a little, the once very nice people have kinda changed a bit, with all the new oilfield workers coming in, it has upset a lot of the locals, I can understand why to a certain extent, I mean we come in and the demand for housing starts, causing housing prices to sky rocket, there isn't enough housing so the price gouging is ridiculous! The cost of everything has gone up, it's causing  many people to have to leave their homes because they can't afford to be here any more. Also the crime has gone up a little, you hear about bad things in the newspaper more often, it happens with an influx like ours, but the locals are not having it, so the families "us" that have moved here to work and survive are unwelcome, stores, restaurants, banks and many more business don't have enough help to keep the doors open, often Mc Donald's will close the lobby early and then the drive through lines are an hr wait, and Walmart what a disaster that is, we have pretty much come in and taken over on their town .. :\

In our defence I have to say, We have not come here to hurt the people in this town or ruin their lives, we and many others in our same situation have lost homes and jobs and its kind of the American thing to do, going out and seeking work and promising futures for our families. I mean look at history, our settlers travelled far for the hopes of land and work, besides it's better to move for work then to sit on your butt crying about how you don't have a job and putting your hand out for government handouts! just sayin.

On another note, we are going to get out of here for a couple weeks and go see my family in AZ, this will be a nice break from the oil field life and some much needed rest for us both. :)

OMG BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

We are all settled into our new apartment now, and I have gone from being a resident manager to an assistant manager for the property management company we rent from. There are 13 multi dwelling apartment buildings spread all over Williston, I have to say the last people to manage for the company have really messed things up, and I don't mean just a little, nothing is organized, everything is messed up from rents, vacant apartments, to contractors. This is going to take a lot of hard work and lots of hours getting this mess straightened out!

My supervisor is Teke, and to tell the truth she was thrown in to all this like I was, she had a lot of great ideas but maybe a little out in left field, and after about 8 months she dropped the ball and left the company.

I was offered her position as the manager and I took it, talk about a heavy load, we have really had a lot of progress making things right, although we still had a ways to go, and when Teke left she didn't leave me the information I needed to continue smoothly, such as appointments I didn't know she had, renewals, and move outs I had no idea about, what a mess!

I had to start all over, and with out any help from an assistant, we couldn't find anyone to take my position.

so for the next year I ran this place alone. The main office was located several hours away and everything was communicated through email, or telephone, not another soul was in Williston who worked for this company except Dale, he was the maintenance guy, and boy did he have his hands full.. I would get calls in the middle of the night for flooding apartments, no heat, disturbances, and all kinds of other things, I was putting in about 12-14 hours a day, BUT I was finally getting things organized, and running smooth.

This winter has been a crazy one, definitely nothing I have ever experienced. Bryanna is about 1 block from school a straight shot up the street, we see the school from our window and she wasn't able to walk due to blowing wind and snow.

Temperatures plunged to more then 30 below zero over North Dakota with wind chill factors of more then 60 below, and get this they didn't cancel school LOL, we have about 3-5 ft of snow with snow drifts that reach the top of two story buildings.

I can remember walking from the garage which was quite a ways away from the entrance of the apartment building, and the wind was blowing hard, Bryanna and I were carrying in groceries, Bryanna wasn't happy about something and had been crying a little, by the time I got to the door and held it for her she was not behind me, so I back tracked and found her huddled by the garage door, her tears had frozen and caused a eye to stick shut and she freaked out. This place is like living in Antarctica!

Dan is still working his butt off, I never hear a complaint, he works a 14 day shift then gets 7 days off, but the man still works some of his days off, I think 230 hours in 14 days is an average, I could never do it, he is amazing, he also continues to move his way up at work and is a supervisor on the crew. :)

Bryanna is doing well, she is still getting A's and B's in school, staying active in band, sports, and she has found a ice skating rink at the rec center which is where all the kids hang out in the winter, seeing how there is really no where else for them to go and they can't hang outdoors.

I still like Williston, even though the weather is craazy and it's kinda in the middle of no where lol, I feel like we are a part of something pretty amazing, a major Oil Boom in North Dakota during what I call a depression of our time.

This is me at work late almost dark out and ready to throw my hands up in the air, and say I quit! 

But I don't :)

I do look forward to Spring, this cold weather hurts, plus I can't wait to go visit my family back in Arizona <3

We found an apartment! :)

I am going crazy in this motel room, 2 animals, a pre teen, and a tired grumpy husband.
Fast food for the last 3 months, we all gained weight, at least 20 lbs, and a manager who won't get off my back!
I have been driving the streets looking for a rent sign to pop out at me, looking on line and in the newspaper, calling all the property management companies almost daily, and finally we heard about some apartments being built, 2 bedroom 2 bath with an office and a 2 car garage $1095. a month, they aren't done yet but we are on the waiting list, and we are sooo excited! :)

That's our apartment on the 3rd floor at the very end, it was nice having an apartment that was brand new, nice and clean, the view was nice too, not that there was much to see, this is Williston were talking about LOL. But the clouds and storms that roll through here are pretty wild and we got the best view.

Williston has grown on me a little, I still hate the mosquitos they are really bad here, the summer heat isn't real bad, but it can get humid. The people here are very nice, like they come from a different planet, I'm not used to the kind, very caring people I run into every day, it's like an untouched society it's kinda crazy.

I like the speed limits, the people aren't in a hurry, and I feel very safe, I feel like I can allow my kid to walk to the store, or park and not have to worry about scum bags kidnapping her or worse. I like the school system, it is a blue ribbon school, and Bryanna has made a lot of new friends, one of them is Esther she is such a sweet heart, a little quiet, and odd at times but they get along great.

I still don't care for the fact that if Bryanna needs her braces worked on we have to drive to Minot 2 hours away, but I guess it is a nice get away, they have a mall there too we like to go to, and we get to eat at a nice restaurant, which is something we don't have in Williston.

The management company has offered me a job as resident manager, it's only $300 a month to vacuum the hallways, and clean around the property a little but it will keep me busy while Dan is working.

Dan has a crazyyyyyyyyy schedule, he will get a phone call from the dispatch people at 3 am and has to be in the yard by 4 am, then sometimes he doesn't come home till 28-30 hrs later, it's wild and I don't know how he can do it, I would be a zombie. He says it don't bother him, so I pack him a fat lunch and some snacks, and wait and hope all is okay, he really does have a dangerous job. :(

Williston Herald news: File photo: A car moves along the highway in October 2008 during a blizzard in the area. Williston and area residents are urged not to drive tonight, and to be cautious if they must drive by taking cell phones and winter survival kits with them, as well as informing others where they are going. Williams County and surrounding counties are under a Blizzard Warning until tomorrow. 

It's Oct 4th, today it started to snow, and the wind is blowing like crazy, by night we were in a full blown blizzard, and it dumped about 2 feet of snow. I am somewhat used to the cold, we came from the high desert and would get a lot of the lake effect snow from Lake Tahoe, in fact a couple years before we left NV the weather had dropped to -2 degrees for a week and that was sooooo cold, BUT what we had in store for us here in Williston ND, hehe was wayyyyyyyyyyyy worse......

                                          

Settling in at the super 8 motel in Williston ND

I was tired, sad, irritable, crushed, and did I say tired?

Halliburton made us a reservation to stay at the Super 8 until we could find a place to live, so we pulled in grabbed a few things, of course the dog & cat too and went up to our room, it was located above the pool and our patio was in a terrarium it was stinky, and humid.
The next day we went down to the U-haul to grab a few more things and to drop the car off the trailer, and discovered it was almost 90 degrees out, wow the humidity was high, immediately I was under attack by hundreds of mosquitos, so I jumped in the u-haul only to discover Mango (my daughters fish) was floating in a hot fish bowl :(  JUST shoot me now!
We spent the afternoon calling every apartment, or trailer park we could seeking a place to rent with no luck, nothing was listed in the paper, everything had a waiting list.
So we decided to find a storage unit to unload the U-haul truck, again there was nothing available, so we called near by towns which by the way are not so near, and are a fragment of the size of Williston which is about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide!
Finally we found a unit in a place called Ray, ND. about half an hour from Williston.
We tried to settle as much as we could in a our tiny motel room, which by the way I had them move us so we could have a window and sunlight, I guess I rubbed the manager the wrong way because she didn't like me and throughout our stay she gave me hell!
I put my house plants in the window and made it as homey as I could.

Chrissy and Unali learned to get along quickly, I think Chrissy just missed her big sister Meika and soon latched on to the next best thing Unali lol... This is them getting a little bit of Sun light in the motel room, Chrissy also started to pee on the floor, it could have been because of other animals, but mostly it was because she was used to having a doggy door that led out to 5 acres of potty turf, and now she had to rely on me to take her out. UGH

About the 4th day in Williston, Dan was told to pack a suit case he was going to Wyoming for a couple weeks for training, and so he did, and WOW I was a very lonely girl, stuck in a motel, no where to go, didn't know anyone, my kid was still with her dad for the summer, so I sat with my little animal children, and watched the days go by out of my motel window, I cried a lot, I walked the dog a lot, and I ate fast food every day, BARF! Oh and did I tell you the manager of the Super 8 motel didn't like me for some reason, she started to harass me, looking back I now know it was because I was an out of towner, but we will get to that later....

I can honestly say I was tempted to grab my keys and drive back to Gardnerville, and just do the whole long distance relationship, but I had already given up the house, regretfully turned down a great job, and it wouldn't be fair to Dan my DH. So I sucked it up, and took one for the team, sacrifice for the betterment of my family. :\