Going off on my own to the internship started off as an extremely frightening experience, but in the end, it turned out to be a life changing eye opener.

Florida was beautiful.  The sunny sky, the smell of salt water, and the sound of the sea was my world.  The people I met, the places I went to, and the relationships I made were a gift from God.  My heart shattered into pieces when I had to leave; it was as if I was leaving behind a brand new life I had only just begun to enjoy.

The whole experience taught me how to live a little more, how to love a little more, and how to be… me.  Somewhere over the years, I lost who I was, or maybe I never knew who I was.  All I know is that in three months, life changed and now, it is time for growth.

Thank you for staying with me through my experience.  I hope that somewhere within my notes, you found something enjoyable and inspiring.

God bless and many good wishes.

~R.K.  Nightingale

The End.

The  last two days were extremely productive, if I do say so myself…

8/7/09

It was time.  Southern Gal and I knew the day was coming and today, was it. We would alternate, but sure enough, both of us were going to be on the head set, speaking in front of the audience.

Now, the only animal we really know anything about is, Alf.  Alf was out of the show for a few days because he has been sick and he will continue to be out of the shows for another week.  However, for the next two days, he was going to be making another appearance.

Normally, if I were getting ready to perform, my heart would be beating out of my chest and I would be dry heaving in a corner.  Luckily, it was not like that at all.  Maybe it was because I knew I only had two weeks left or maybe it was because there was a certain comfort level with the frog and The Care Giver; either way, I was ready.

Both Southern Gal and I made it through the 5 minute description of Alf; the audience clapped; and we were smiling from the inside out.

Then, The Care Giver decided she wanted to do something a little different when it was time to talk about, Fluffy, the ball python.  As I was holding, Topaz, the Skink, The Care Giver turned to the audience…

“Now, we can’t talk about reptiles without talking about what?” she asked them.

“Snakes!”

“Right.  Ok, I need a volunteer!  You!  Yes, you!”

A young man with a safari hat stepped down, grinning from ear to ear.

“I know you think you volunteered for one thing, but you didn’t!  In fact, I’m going to give you Miss Topaz here.  You see, our lovely intern has been here for almost three months and she’s never held the snake.  So, I’m going to let you walk around with the lizard and let her walk around with the snake.”

Of course, I knew this was going to happen, but that didn’t make my stomach churn any less.  Where was that corner when I needed it?

“You ready, Rachel?”

“Suuuuuuuuuuuure.”

The Care Giver reached into the box, grabbed Fluffy’s tail, and handed it to me.

Fluffy felt smooth, like most reptiles.  Many people are under the misconception that they are all slimy, but that’s not so.  Her black, brown, and beige speckled body slithered through my hands.  It surprised me how firm her muscular movements were.

So far, the audience was enjoying my lack of squeamishness and then, Fluffy took her head and started maneuvering it up past my wrist.  Her tongue darted out at me, as she pushed herself closer and closer to my skin.

Oh God.  I’m gonna die! No, no. Relax.  She’s just tasting her environment!

I flinched.  I felt my face contort into an acrobatic mix of fear, disgust, and awkwardness.

The audience laughed.

By the end of the show, I had become used to Fluffy’s movements and felt comfortable enough to start posing with her:

Me & Fluffy

“C’mon, Rachel!  Work her!” The Care Giver shouted.

“Alright!”

Who's afraid of the snake? Not me!

It was a great ending to a very productive and fun day.

8/8/09

Southern Gal called in sick today.

Oh great!  I hope I didn’t give her anything!  How the hell am I going to be able to get through this day!  There’s so much to do and Lady Bird isn’t here!

Turns out, I really had nothing to worry about, as The Care Giver helped me with quite a bit of the morning routine.

It was quite an eventful day.  During both bird shows, our lovely, extremely ornery bird, Grasshopper was pitching a fit; he would slam his beak down on the counter top, not perform his trick, and scream, “Rawr!” every few seconds.  Then, Shiloh’s perch fell down and he looked over at me with confusion in his eyes and extended his foot out to step on the empty space.  I laughed.

Immediately following Shiloh’s fiasco, Peeka got freaked out and decided to fly around the show area.  Needless to say, by the end of the day, she had her wings clipped.

For the two “Going Wild” shows, I was on the head set again.  This time, it was even more productive because, not only did I speak about Alf and walk around with Fluffy, I also got to interact with The Care Giver and the audience, as a presenter.  We had a blast and I felt such a sense of accomplishment that I couldnt’ help, but posture.

To make a productive day even better, I also built up the courage to finally transport Grasshopper, Screw Louie, Sunkist, and Albert & JJ.  That may sound like nothing, but trust me, if you knew these birds, you’d be patting yourself on the back too!

At the end of the day, before I left, I got to witness the animal keepers round up and catch a gator.  The gator had some injuries and it was necessary for it to receive an antibiotic shot.  I did take some great pictures, but I haven’t uploaded them yet.  When I do, I will update this entry.

So, here’s to living, loving, and having a good time while you’re doing it!!

===================================

****Update****

(Left to Right) Rockin' Robin, The Care Giver, Sergeant M., and The Cookie Lady

Sergeant M. wrastlin' a gator!

Now, that’s some title, huh?  I swear, it’s the God’s honest truth.  When you have a bearded dragon perched upon your bosom:

How can you not think that’s hot?!

Ok, ok.  I’m just kidding!  Seriously, though, I swear, these animals are so unbelievably attracted to a woman’s cleavage!  It cracks me up.  If a bird isn’t trying to perch within the fullness, then a beardie is trying to climb it or a random whats-it is trying to dive bomb it!

Moving on with the day… so, I didn’t sleep much last night… and went in feeling like 6,000 bricks hit me head on.  Great way to start the day… but, quickly, I picked up a second wind and felt the day fly by with productive colors.  From giddy laughter to catching videos of Shiloh saying words he shouldn’t be saying, it was certainly eventful.

Honestly, today was a great picture taking day:

The love of a lizard...

And a great day for a new hairstyle:

Julian... my hair dresser

And a good day for a massage:

Ahhhhhh ....

And a good day for some love from a good friend…

My buddy... looking at me longingly....

Ultimately, we got stuff done and had an enormous amount of fun doing it.  The completion of the internship is narrowing in and I am trying to soak in what’s left of the goodies.

Today may not have been an exciting “writing” day, but it was certainly a day filled with smiles and cherished memories.

Ah, yes.  We have been waiting for three weeks for this to happen:  The day that Eddy bear would get neutered.

First, it started with a tranquilizer dart and after about a half hour, he was ready to be transported to the “hospital.”  About eight people lifted him and placed him onto a heavy quilt.  Once in the quilt, he was placed on a flat bed and rolled into the hospital.  Poor guy, didn’t even see it coming.  He was forced to miss dinner and breakfast, not allowed to enter the exhibit in the morning, shot in the rear-end, and then was on his way to lose his manhood.

Southern Gal and I were in charge of monitoring his breathing.  He was placed on a gas mask to keep him under and if his breaths dropped under 18 per minute, the gas had to be turned down to a different level.  Luckily, his breaths never dropped under 24.  Eventually, the gas mask wasn’t enough because his breathing got shallow, so Doc had to intubate him.

The surgery was a group effort and I am proud to say that I actually felt like I contributed.  I watched breathing, I helped maneuver the bear when necessary, etc.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well, though, and got a little light headed all from a medical issue that is now being treated.

I am actually a little surprised.  Normally, surgery does not bother me.  I see people with their eyes all stitched up and red and that doesn’t make me queasy.  I’ve watched others get needles and stitches in the most goriest of situations, yet, this surgery was different.

There I was, standing in front of a ginormous bear, watching his manhood get pulled out from under the skin, twisted, stretched, yanked, and cut.  Then, it was thrown in the garbage!  I couldn’t help, but snicker and wobble at the same time.  It was so wrong in so many ways, but how many people get to say they could participate in something as extreme as that?  Not many.

Ever get stuck in one of those moods where you just can’t help, but ponder where your path is going to take you? Sometimes, you think you know who you are and then suddenly, you realize, maybe that’s not you at all.

Each of us are faced with challenges on a daily basis and those challenges are what make us grow as individuals. Sure, I know, that’s such a cliche, but cliches are what they are for a reason: they’re true.

I went to the ocean tonight, again, with my sister. As usual, we had a blast, but I couldn’t help, but visit the philosophical side of it. When I am standing in front of the water, there is this unbelievable magnetic pull that starts from deep inside my core and finishes by radiating through my breath.

What’s in there?

I know with every ounce of my being that from the crystal blue water to the depths of the murky kind, we originated from there. I just have to prove it. Luckily for me, I intend on working for the Ph.D.; it’s just going to take me a little while.

We are 90% water; at least in the beginning. If we don’t have it, we die. We secrete it in order to cool us down and then we replenish; it’s not just normal H2O that leaves us, it’s salt water. We’re made of SALT WATER. Our blood, sweat, and tears are made with salt… plus, when it gets too cold, we freeze because of our water content.

So, why is it so hard to bring science, evolution, and some spirituality together? Maybe it’s because we’re all too set in our “humans don’t need to give a shit” mode or our “if I can’t see it, it’s not really there” kind of thinking. I don’t know. What I do know, is that I have to find out why that water pulls me in. I have to find out why, corny as it may sound, I lose myself in its presence. Why does it feel like home? That water; its atmosphere; its life force; its sound; its smell; its dance; that need – is me. It’s who I am and I have to find a way to get there.

Anyway, that’s just my little philosophical thought for the evening. I’ve been suffering from writer’s block and I’m trying to find it again. My wordpress blog was lacking in content and my readers were unhappy, but I needed to feel it and truth be told, I’ve been a little cloudy.  All is good now.

This is some really cool stuff!!

***

Most of you know that there are two very solid interests I have in life:

1.) Conserving/protecting the oceans
2.) Writing

I don’t know how, but just like with this internship, my mother did it again and hooked me up with an amazing connection.

I got a voicemail earlier:

“Ok. Tonight, there’s a free concert at the park. Look for a blond haired, tanned, blue eyed guy around your age, wearing either a bright orange or bright green shirt. It’s not a polo, but it is a dress shirt & it says Captain ________ on it.”

What the hell? I thought.

“He goes to the concerts every night and has connections to the NOAA. He said to look for him. The rest is up to you.”

So there I was: in the middle of a huge crowd of people, looking for an audience member that fit that description. My little sister was by my side, in la la land, no less, helping me “stalk out” what seemed to be something impossible.

And then, there he was. Sitting among a group full of guys, with a beer in his hand.

Oh, Christ. How the hell am I going to go up to this guy and see if it’s him?

Cari urged me on, but prefered to stay behind, just in case it wasn’t my “target.”

We sat close by for a few minutes and then finally, I felt of burst of energy.

“Excuse me. I’m so sorry to bother you, but you fit the description of someone I’m looking for tonight.”

He turned around and smiled a great big, perfectly white and clean smile.

“You must be, Rachel.”

YOW! I got it right!!

“Oh my gosh, I’m so glad it’s you!”

“And I can’t believe you followed through with finding me! That’s really awesome!”

With a shake of the hand, an exchange of business cards, and a few email addresses, I suddenly had access to the most amazing connections. One ship captain and two scientists = a great tour of geekdom and undescribable opportunities. Did I mention that the captain is also a certified diver? Certifying is next on my list.

Granted, there will be some challenges in the program they told me about and I must study it further, but the excitement within me is overpowering. Who wouldn’t want to travel the world on a boat, studying the ocean and finding out how the world ticks?

One step at a time. My heart belongs to the ocean…

So, if you’re ready, go grab a cup of coffee (hell, you just might need it!), a danish, and oh, don’t forget napkins!  You don’t want to get any stickiness on your keyboard!

***

I will begin with emergencies.  Sadly, there have been way too many emergencies in the  last four weeks and some much worse than others.

***

It was time to get Jade out for her afternoon flying session.  Southern Girl and I were waiting around for her to be loaded into her carrier and we decided to act a little goofy.  You see, when the animal keepers are in food prep, everyone that walks through the zoo can see what they are doing.  Half of the time, it’s like they are an exhibit, themselves.

Southern Gal and I walked over to the windows and started pointing and laughing, acting as if we were amused by the keepers making diets.  Sergeant M. came over to the window and started rubbing his hind quarters against it and Southern Gal appropriately placed her hands in a “grab ass” position!  We couldn’t control our laughter.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.  The spider monkeys started screaming and howling as people threw them peanuts.  It was like a whirlwind of chaos.  Sergeant M. and The Cookie Lady ran out of the kitchen, holding onto their radios for dear life.

What the hell is going on?

“Something must be happening with the spider monkeys,” I said.

Then, in an instant, Lady Bird went flying by us.

“What in the world is going on?” I asked as I noticed them pass right by the monkey exhibit.

Southern Gal and I looked at each other with eyebrows cocked and noses curled up.  And then I heard it.

“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaccheeeellllllll!”

Oh no.  It’s not an animal.

I took off running with the animal keepers.  If they were calling my name, I knew the situation had nothing to do with an animal.

I ran into the gift shop, where the comotion was, to see a man laying on the ground convulsing.  There were four people surrounding him, keeping him from swallowing his tongue.  At that point, there was nothing I could do except check vitals.  There was no blood and no mess, just some very distraught people. I sat next to him, just in  case something went wrong before the paramedics got there, but too many cooks in the kitchen can be more dangerous than having no one around.

My knees were shaking and my heart was knocking to get out of my chest.  When the Sheriff/E.M.T.s got there, the rest of us backed off and walked away – a little more appreciative of love and life.

No one knows what happened to the gentleman, but here’s hoping that God was with him that day.

***

TIGGER

It was going to be a very interesting vet day.  Tigger, the tiger, was going to be knocked out and he was going to get a physical and some dental work.

There were seven of us at the “house” where the cats are.  After moving the other cats into their exhibits, it was time for Tigger to receive his dose of a tranquilizer.  After about 20 minutes, he was officially “out.”

The physical and procedures were very interesting to watch, but the most fascinating was the dental cleaning.  Could you imagine scrubbing a tiger’s teeth?  The only problem was, we had no polish for them.  So, Southern Gal and I left to go to the hospital and pick it up.

It was almost impossible to find.  We stood there ripping apart boxes and shelves looking for this stuff.  Then, the Head Master came in.  I thought he was there to yell at us for taking too long…

“Which one of you can run the fastest?” he asked.

I raised my hand.  After all, I had been spending the prior weeks finding time to jog.

He looked at me with a blank expression, handed me a bottle of ketamine and said, “Bring this to the doc.  NOW!”

So, I took off running.  I hurdled over the fence.  I ran past the lemurs.  I dodged people by the bridge and the cat exhibits.  I jumped the fence.  I skipped up the stairs.

“Here,” I said as I handed the bottle to one of the vet tech interns.

“Wow.  That was fast,” she said.

I postured.  Yeah, that was fast. My exercise had paid off and I had done something good for a change.  I got there before he woke up.

The doc injected the medication.  Within seconds, the unspeakable happened.

“Doc, he’s not breathing!”

WHAT?

“His chest isn’t rising.  The breaths have stopped.”

Everyone’s attention turned to the tiger.

What are we going to do now?  I don’t know how to bring a tiger back to life!

“I need the tourniquet!  Someone’s going to have to draw up what I need!”

I turned to the other vet tech intern.

“That’s all you.  I’ve only drawn up meds once or twice.  You can do this.”

She was visibly shaking.  Beads of sweat were beginning to trickle down her forehead.  She drew up the medication.

The Head Master, the Doc, the other vet tech intern, and the Care Giver, were all performing chest compressions, attempting mouth to mouth, and holding the tiger down.  Miss I Hate Interns was standing in the corner with the tranq gun, just in case.

We began answering the docs orders as quickly as possible; needles, tourniquets, gauze, and cloths were being traded and thrown.

“Ok, listen everybody.  The second I inject this medication, we need to get the fuck out of here.”

I watched.  Doc took the needle with the anectdote and placed it into Tigger’s tongue.

“Let’s go!”

We packed up the equipment and bolted out of the way. He came too within seconds.  Granted, he did not come back with the feistiness that a tiger would have, but he came back nonentheless.

Teamwork saved an animal’s life.  The vet techs will go home with a true understanding of an animal emergency.

***

To sum it all up, there were three other emergencies in the past two weeks.

Two weeks ago, Bob the bearded dragon, ate a tree frog and it caused some damage to his system.  He was extremely lethargic and barely surviving, it seemed.  Luckily, with some good medication and a healthy diet, he was nursed back to health and is now more active than ever; he’s back to eating crickets and meal worms!

Two days ago, Jade, the sweet Green aracari ‘aka’ Toucan, got her beak caught in her cage.  Two sharp pieces lodged themselves in her nostrils and she could have been suffocated.  Thank goodness for Southern gal.  If she hadn’t noticed when she did, who knows if/when Jade would have been found.

And now, for our current “animal emergency:”  Alf.  He’s the South African Bullfrog and right now, he is excreting blood clots.  No one knows for sure what is happening to him, but he will be due for an X-ray this week when the doctor comes back.

Someone said to me this week, “Half of these animals are on their death beds here,” and it broke my heart because it is the truth, I am sure.  A lot of them are old, but certainly not unhealthy.  But as many patients say to me back home, the golden rule is, “Don’t get old.”  If only we could learn how not to break the rules…

Expect a new blog on Saturday!

*LOVE*

Last week, Southern Gal and I noticed a very large spider that looked quite similar to a brown recluse, hanging out in the bird barn.  Eventually, it ran away and we hadn’t seen it in awhile.

I was tending to my normal business of sweeping up corn bits and poo, when something darted out of the garbage pile and ran straight for the bird cages.

“Aggggggggggghhhhhhhh!  It’s back!” I yelled.

“WHAT?” Southern Gal screamed.

“That damn spider is back!“

We noticed that one of the animal keepers, Miss I Hate Interns, was outside and we called her in.

“Do you hate spiders?” Southern Gal asked.

“Yep.”

“Will you kill it anyway?”

Miss I Hate Interns reached for a bottle of chemicals and spritzed it fiercely.  I followed behind her with a hose that seemed to have the power of a fire hose.  I aimed and shot the eight legged furball and it went flying into the gutter.  There it was, lying on its back – floating lifelessly.

“Thank, God.  We can safely get back to work.”

“Yep.  It’s dead.”

“Thanks for your help.”

It was time to finish hosing down the floor and while I spritzed down the cement, spraying water patterns onto my legs, I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye.

“Son of a bitch!  It’s still alive!”

“WHAT?” Southern Gal yelled.

“I’m gonna get that bastard!”

I slid through the water like I was on a slip’n'slide and aimed the ferocious spray of water directly on top of the relentless spider’s midsection.

“This ought to do it!  The force alone will crush him.”

And it did.  All eight legs crumpled up into what looked like a mangled car wreck and he lay lifeless.

I finished hosing down the floor.  I went cage by cage to make sure that everything was secure and spotless.  Bird seed floated into the gutter along with strands of half eaten fruit and poo.  What would these birds do without us?

I grabbed the broom and went to go push the water through the gutter and out of the bird barn.  As I stood over our new dearly departed friend, each leg began to uncurl, one by one.

“You have got to be kidding me!  It’s a god damn zombie spider!”

I yelled over to Southern Gal.

“That’s it!  I give up!  It’s your turn to kill this thing!”

“I don’t wanna,” she cried.

“I’m done!”

Southern Gal picked up a long, round, wooden stick and tip toed over to the zombie.  She tilted her head to the side, flinched, and whacked at it with one arm.

“Eeek!”

I giggled.

“It’s still moving!  Hit it again!”

She reached over again, only half flinching this time, and took another swing.

“Eeek!”

I giggled.

“It won’t die!”

Her face suddenly scowled and her cheeks got red.  She took the stick in both hands and smack!

“Die!”

Smack!

“Die!”

Smack!‘

“Die!”

Smack!

Tears were running down my face as I watched Southern Gal trying to take out the zombie.  Finally, when all was said and done, it stopped moving and curled up.  This time, I was not going to take any more chances.  I grabbed the stick, flinched, and raised my arm.

“I’m sorry, spider.  I have to crush you.”

Thunk!  Crunch!

“Ewww.”

“It’s dead now.”

And it was.

***

We spent a good chunk of the day doing our usual work, but after lunch, we were finally able to walk Julian again and then we got to play with Jade, the Green Aracari.

I am in love with, Jade.  We bonded last week when she decided she wanted to figure out what was hiding in the depths of my shirt.

Hmmm, she thought.  If I go in through the collar, where will I come out?

This is, apparently, her new past time.

Jade examing my collar

She enjoys pecking at my ear, nibbling on my earrings, chomping on my hair, and nesting in my curls.  Recently, she has also decided that my cleavage makes a good perch for her.  Where she got that idea, I’ll never know, but that’s the first place she tries to perch.

One extremely interesting thing about her, is that she hops.  Once she’s on the ground, she hops on her two little feet like a birdie bunny.  Then, she chooses another perch:

Jade perched on my leg

An afternoon with Jade, will make all of your troubles go away; that is, unless you are an uncontrollable, controlled fire.

***

The sky was dark and the air was heavy.

“There’s a hawk coming in,” the AD said over the radio.

“What’s a hawk?” I asked Lady Bird.

“A storm.”

We decided that the birds should get pulled inside because of the approaching storm because none of them enjoys loud thunder.

When I got out to birdie island, I looked up at the sky:

I tilted my head to the side when I noticed the increasingly gray clouds, suddenly turn orange.  Mixed in with the orange was a faint yellow hue and then with a instant burst, black.  Something dropped on my shoulder.

“What the hell?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the incredible cloud formation happening above me.  I felt like I was in a disaster flick; one of those tourists trapped by the beauty of something sinister – waiting for panic.

A clap of thunder snapped me out of my visions of destruction and I reached to take Cato off of his perch.  Then, it happened.  It was like a back draft caught in a cyclone.  There was black and gray, yellow and orange, and I was caught in twister of smoke.

This isn’t a storm.  There’s a fire somewhere!

I motioned to Sergeant M. who was in the animal hospital.

“Can you smell that?  There’s smoke!”

The entire sky over the zoo filled with smoke clouds and ash.  It was like a volcano erupted directly over our heads.

Let’s move!

I coughed.  My chest tightened.  My breaths became short.   In Florida, I never expected to be caught in a smoke storm and therefore, I did not have my inhaler.  Asthma is a bitch and I had to move fast before I became a casualty of whatever was happening.

We finally got all of the birds into the bird barn, but it smelled like the inside of a chimney.

What in the world is going on?

The sidewalks outside were covered in white powder flakes.  The sky was still yellow and orange.  The zoo was closed.

Apparently, a controlled fire got out of control when it got caught in the wind from the incoming storm.  I glanced up at the sky, too mesmerized to take a picture, and climbed back into my made up disaster blockbuster.

***

Fireworks.  Who doesn’t love them?  After such a crazy day, my sister, G-reg, and I, finished the evening with an amazing display of vibrant blues, reds, greens, and whites.  Each was a reflection off of the crystal blue ocean and I had a front row seat.

I burrowed my butt in the wet sand, took off my shoes, and sat inches away from the water.  The fireworks were incredible, but it was the finale that had me lost in wonderland, again.

Ping! Pow!  Zip!  Boom!  Sizzle!  Boom!  Bang!  Snap!  Sizzle!

Every sound echoed through my bones.  Each space between every molecule in my body, was filled by one of those vibrations.  I understood what it was like to feel absolutely complete, in a chemical sense.

I smiled.  I am alive.

]]> http://rknightingale.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/armageddon-the-day-after/feed/ 0 rknightingale PICT0872_resized PICT0875_resized PICT0891_resized http://rknightingale.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/no-more-please/ http://rknightingale.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/no-more-please/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:11:07 +0000 rknightingale http://rknightingale.wordpress.com/?p=188 ]]> I started my part-time job on Monday.  It seemed promising, but it certainly was busy.  The people were nice and they encouraged you with words like, “Great job!” and “You’ve done better than anyone else we’ve trained.”

Expo-ing.  You’re the person that stands on the other side of the line, puts all the plates on the trays, and then sends them out.  Sounds simple, right?  WRONG!  Holy Christmas!  Let’s just say, day two did not go so well.  There was a constant tightness in my chest.  Have you ever felt like you were so overwhelmed that your mind just shut the door fast and hard?  Then, it decides it wants to put up a big sign that says, Keep out!! It was awful.  I felt like I was in one of those foreign movies where the English close captioning just couldn’t keep up with the story line.

I quit.  Wow.  That is something I have never done before.  Normally, I would give a two weeks notice, but considering I only have a month and a half left here for the internship, there was no point in giving that amount of time.  I politely stayed my shift, told the kitchen manager, left a note for the general manager, and walked out of there feeling like someone took the lead weight off of my back.

When I went looking for a part-time job, I specifically said I didn’t want to be back in the kitchen.  I left that field for a reason.  After I got offered the position, I thought, maybe I’d try it out and see if it worked.  God knows I needed the money.

In the end, the money wasn’t important and neither was the job.  The thing that counts the most is my internship and I already offered to add another day to my schedule at the zoo.  I’d much rather spend more time there, without money, because I love what I do.

Moving on from that, my sister is finally here with me and I’ll have some company until 8/3.  Then, it will only be three weeks before I get to see my husband!  Yay!!  Until then, my sister and I are enjoying our girly time hanging out at the pool, walking the park, and just hanging out.

Here’s to leaving the past in the past and walking head on into the oncoming future!