Pumpkin Spice Latte Season 2012

Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Season Everyone! Haha This should really be a season! :) I have definitely been excited about lattes. But really... Since June, quite a bit has happened. At the zoo, we have had quite the excting last 3 months! We had three red panda cubs born and a giraffe calf. One red panda cub didn't make it since it wasn't fully developed. The other two have been going strong! They are both beautiful and constantly growing. I wasn't able to tell anyone about them until after they were formally announced by the zoo. So sorry I couldn't say anything in my last post. Then the giraffe calf was a surprise. Libby, our oldest (13 yr old) giraffe, is the mother to a male calf. He was born on Sept. 2nd. We had all agreed that she was getting rounder and rounder. She even began to waddle. I didn't think that was possible for a 13 foot plus giraffe to do! They do fecal tests on giraffe fecals to see if they are prego. The test said that she wasn't pregnant... how wrong it was! She gave birth to a six foot, 147 lb baby boy! (no pics on my computer yet, but maybe next time!) Other than the zoo, things are pretty busy. I joined a basketball team, in which I learned that I know absolutely nothing about the game! haha so let's just say I'm the weakest link of the team, but I try! haha! Besides that we just finished up a kickball season, and I joined soccer again. I am on the same team as before. That game actually makes sense now! So hopefully I will get the hang of basketball too! Marty is getting so big! He is in the beginner obedience class with the American Kennel Club. He had a rough first two weeks after having a break from Puppy Kindegarten class. He is getting so handsome the older he gets! There are better pics on facebook. When I can upload pics off of my phone, I don't always put my pics on my computer right away. My niece, Amelia, turned 9 today. I can't believe it! I feel old. haha Miss all of my nieces and my nephew all the time. Thank goodness that Nate has an adorable nephew, Micah, who I get to help watch each week. He is precious and will be 2 in December. What else to tell? Nate and I went to the apple orchard! Thank goodness since that is a Fall tradition! It was a lot of fun and still have a billion apples to use up! haha If you ever need a new snack, try apples dipped in peanut butter/apple butter mixed. It is delicious! OH! I joined a hip hop class at a dance studio here. I am the oldest one, but I don't care. I keep up with all of the teens, and I keep getting asked what high school I go to... haha! And when I tell them, "Sure I'm 18 with a college degree..." They respond with "Oh so you're like 22?" BAHAHAHAHAHA yes! lmao Cracks me up! But it's fun, hip hop and keeps me active. I take the class after a full class of zumba, where my friend is the instructor. She definitely keeps our butts moving! I'm feeling so good now that I'm staying active. I have even lost weight! Not that you'd be able to tell, but I can definitely feel it! I'm watching my calories etc. People at work ask why. I just want to see if I can get down to where I want to. I'm at a weight that's even less than my high school weight! Go me haha. My birthday was good. I spent the day shopping, and a friend met me to get our nails done. Nate's family and I went out for Texas Roadhouse for supper! It was so yummy! My parents came up on Sunday, the 2nd (the day the calf was born ironically). And they spent the night since Monday was Labor Day. We went out for Johnny Carinos, and I didn't count my calories that day! LOL I got so many great gifts! I got a pillow that stays cool. It is amazing! It's an ISO-Cool pillow in case you too like cold pillows! I got a gold/silver/bronze dolphin necklace/earring set from my parents besides the pillow along with giraffe slippers and a Dream necklace. They spoil me! But seeing them was the best gift I could ask for. Nate gave me lotion and body spray as well as ironing on a giraffe patch to my kickball shirt since I was the "Giraffe Whisperer." I didn't make that up, but I sure like it! He also got me FLOWERS and a dolphin watch bracelet. IT's blingy, but I love it! His fam gave me a new purse, bill-fold, shirt, bracelet, and an awesome pic of Micah! My aunt even sent me a cookbook, candy, notepad, fancy new bic girlie pens, decoration and a cool little ceramic pot. I am spoiled. I went up to Fargo the following Monday and spent time with some friends there. I miss seeing them all the time. I miss college cause you got to keep learning and you saw your friends all the time. Ugh. Time goes by too quickly. If you're reading this, thank you. I'm awful at posting but when I do it's a long one! And I miss you. Call whenever. I sound busy, but I've always got time for you. Love, Nessa

June 2012

Hey Everybody, Sorry it's been so long. Last time I wrote I was about to meet all the staff here at the zoo... Well it has been 3 months. I think I will feel like the new person for a long, long time. I'm learning a lot all of the time. It's mostly about how things are ran here. I can definitely tell that the animals are getting used to me. The zebras usually were very stand-offish while I fed them, but now they approach their feeders before I'm out of their stall. I've had to get used to going in with the bongos. Now we are friends. The giraffes are a hoot. I get slapped in the head almost everyday by Chioke, the male giraffe. They're really fun, and I enjoy seeing them. The supervisor and I chatted on Monday. I am the main Cheetah person for sure. They are really fun, and I am hoping to get training them soon. There are 3 cheetahs: Kimbaya, Ellis, and Crybaby. We have had some babies at the zoo this season. There are 2 baby sheep ( whatever they're called lol), 2 baby goats, 2 red panda babies, and a mini horse (Tango). We did have a crane's nest of the African Crowned Cranes... but a giraffe stepped on it :/ maybe they will have another clutch again since it's early in the summer. Other than that, I am working on getting to know everyone. One of the keepers says I may be taking her place as the funny one in the group... haha!! I'm just more free-wheeling with my dorkiness. HAHA Sioux Falls is still treating me well. I got lost 3 times today, but those are 3 more adventures I got to have. :) It was 99 today, and my day off to stay in A/C. Until a friend from college came to visit, and she dragged me to the zoo. Haha Since I last blogged, I moved in with Nate. We moved into a house in a quiet neighborhood. It's 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath and has a deck and washer/dryer and dishwasher! It's coming together. It needs a lot of landscaping to be done, but it'll get there. My parents have already came to visit twice, and Vinnie got to come along once too. They surprised me at the zoo one day. It was an amazing surprise! Besides the house, we got a PUPPY!! His name is Marty. He is a lab mix. The mom was a lab, and the dad was a stray. He is almost 5 months old, so we have had him almost 3 months. As of last night, he graduated puppy kindegarten! We are so proud :D Well that's all I really have for today, But I promise I will ttys, Nessa

Long Needed Update from Sioux Falls

Why Hello... Finally,
This post is long overdue. For a while there, I didn't have too much to update on I thought. Sioux Falls is a great city! My mom and I were even talking today about how much safer it is here than in Minot surprisingly enough. I really like how large of a city it is and the Falls Park is so pretty! The Falls Park is the park that Nate brought me to on our Christmas together :) I have been living with Nate and his family for the past two months that I've been here. Can you believe it's been 2 months already? I've enjoyed being here and his family has really taken me in and made me feel so very welcomed. I love being here with Nate. I look forward to seeing him everyday when he gets home. Believe me, I don't take that for granted. It's so much better than seeing him for a couple days here or there every now and then. When I first got here, it took only a couple days, and I got hired at Applebee's. It really wouldn't be a bad place to work if people had people skills. There are a few kind people there but wow how rude the rest of the people are. I finally gave up trying to get to know people. But happily, my last day at Applebee's is this sunday.
Have no fear, my first day at the Great Plains Zoo as the newest FULL TIME ZOOKEEPER! I am very excited to say that after two interviews and being contacted by the Director of Animal Care to apply for the position, that I have been chosen to be the Savannah keeper. I will be caring for Zebras, Giraffes, Cranes, Cheetahs etc. Tomorrow, well today I guess it is by this time of night, I am meeting with my supervisor and the rest of the staff! I'm so nervous! I'm excited for this next leg of my adventure through life :)
I will update soon!
Love!

2+0+1+2= A Year Not Yet Written

Hope all of you had a great new years holiday and Christmas! Hard to believe it is 2012, but that's also very exciting! Big changes are coming. Change is in the air! I was very lucky in having been able to head home for Thanksgiving and then Christmas, but not before making it to Nate's home to meet his family. Nate is my boyfriend and is from Sioux Falls, SD. I'm sure most of you saw on facebook that him and I are a couple. He is so sweet and amazing that I couldn't be luckier! :) He is 24 also and an engineer. His family is very kind and welcoming. What a relief after being so nervous! lol I spent Dec 22nd-the morn of Dec 24th at his home. Nate made me a tie-big enough for two people, a picture frame of us two, a jewelry box engraved, and a bracelet with both of your sets of initials engraved! He definately surprised me! Then he had a great, perfect date planned during my visit to SF! :)Then he was able to join my family for Christmas evening and the day after. The night after Christmas, both sets of our parents met even, and that went very very well. We were both really happy it went so well. In fact, I enjoyed Sioux Falls so much that after a lot of thought I decided that I will be moving there come the 20th of this month. Living there allows me to be there with my boyfriend, be 3 hours from home, 3 hours from Fargo, and I'm hoping to volunteer at the zoo there. So why not?! I'm very excited and ready to move!! :)
Even with moving, I am still applying and will remain applying. But I'm still waiting to hear from Fort Worth Zoo as to if I got the position or not. I interviewed with them on Dec 1st. So fingers crossed! The zoo here in minot promised that they'd call me when I was able to come back. I hope they keep that promise. But we will see how this year pans out.
While I was home, my grandma unfortunately had a stroke they think. I'm glad I was home, so I could go visit her in the hospital. She was supposed to be sent to the nursing home right after I left for physical therapy.
Besides all of that, not to much happened since last time... well I'll write soon, but it'll be from Sioux Falls, SD!!
Love,
V