Weekly Review through July 9

Whew! It's been a while since I've done a Weekly Review post! Time to get caught up. :)

Fitness
The bulk of my fitness has centered on training for my upcoming Triathlon on July 17. It will be here very soon! This most recent week, I began my official taper for the triathlon. Here's a breakdown of the past few weeks, since I haven't done a review since June 18.

June 19-25
Sunday- 10 mile hike in Refrigerator Canyon near Helena. READ HERE!

Monday- rest
Tuesday- BRICK WORKOUT: 14 mile bike, 3.2 mile run
Wednesday- 4.1 mile treadmill interval workout
Thursday- 2000 yards of swimming laps
Friday- rest/Drive to Red Lodge
Saturday- 5 mile hike in Custer National Forest. READ HERE!

This photo isn't from the hike, but Jeff, Tom and I drove to the top of Beartooth Pass and this photo was taken there. 

June 26-July 2
Sunday- 3.5 mile run in Red Lodge
Monday- 7 mile mountain bike ride in Red Lodge
Tuesday- BRICK WORKOUT:  10 mile bike, 3 mile run
Wednesday- I did a TON of yardwork outside today, and 30 minutes of yoga
Thursday- 3.75 mile treadmill tempo run
Friday- 1500 yards swimming, AND 12 mile bike ride

Saturday- rest.

July 3-9
Sunday- 4.7 mile run

Abby joined me on my run while Harvey chose to stay home.

Monday- BRICK WORKOUT: 10 mile bike, 2.5 mile run
Tuesday- 8 mile bike, 1500 yard swim
Wednesday- 60 Minutes of yoga-- loved it!
Thursday- 4.3 mile run outside with Harvey! ICYMI, Harvey wrote all about this run and you can read his recap HERE!

Friday- 7.5 mile bike ride
Saturday- 4.6 mile interval run on treadmill

Year To Date:
Running: 313.15
Walking/Hiking: 87.2 miles 
Yoga: 1190 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles *Done for the season
Alpine Ski: 3 days *Done for the season
Mountain bike: 156.2
Swimming: 9000 yards

Spring wheat heads are filling. 

Farm
Things have been very busy on the farm, which is partly why I haven't written a Weekly Review post in a while! We've been busy cutting and baling hay, spraying our conventional farm fields, plowing up the rest of our organic land, and cultivating some of our fallow fields. We also moved some of our cows to different pastures, and had a cattle rep out to work out a deal for our calves to be presented for sale in a video auction. It really just seems like it's been a blur.

This is a picture of Jeff driving the tractor and breaking up ground that will be seeded as organic fields.

Life
I can officially say now that I am part of the unemployment ranks. I got laid off from my job in June and my official last day (even though I hadn't worked since school got out) was June 30. The whole situation was a really big mess and I'm not going to go into detail, except to say that I've never worked for such a poorly managed, dishonest company in my life. Frustrating. But, as I've written about before, the school where I worked (the school contracted with my former company and was simply the site of my job)-- the school was fantastic. I'll really miss working there and seeing those kids every day, and the teachers and staff, who were also amazing. I still have my track coaching position in the Spring, so I'll continue to be involved that way.

In the meantime, I've applied for unemployment, which is a hard thing to rationalize in my mind. I've been working steadily since I was fourteen years old. I remind myself that it wasn't my fault that my job ended, I'm a good worker, and I'm simply taking part in a system that was set up for situations exactly like this. It won't be permanent. On the other hand, I'm thankful that this system does exist!

So, I have been looking for work locally and applying for jobs. There isn't a glutton of jobs in Almost-Canada, MT, so there's not a lot to choose from, but I'm hopeful that something will work out. On the other hand, as I've said, summer on the farm is extremely busy and I've found that I actually haven't missed working over the summer so far. I've had plenty to do to stay busy and feel productive around home.


This upcoming week my parents will be here for a visit from Iowa. Jeff and I are looking forward to hosting them on the farm, and they'll also be joining us in Helena to spectate my triathlon. It'll be a great visit!

This is some of our neighbor's winter wheat-- feels like harvest is right around the corner!

Open Doors

We’ve all heard the saying “When One Door Closes another Opens.”  How we approach that open door varies for each of us, and varies by circumstance.  Some of us don’t wait for the door to open but barge on through anyway.  Some of us forget the door and hop out the open window (Defenestration of Self?).  Some of us stand before the door without ever seeing it before us.

 

In my case, recently, I didn’t know I was standing before an open door at all.  Sometimes all of life’s crazy decisions lead us on a path we don’t recognize until someone points it out to us, even if unknowingly. 

 

Right now, the door that opened for me is a new job opportunity.  The door first cracked open an inch when I was asked to apply, then the door opened completely when I was offered and accepted a position with Altacare/Acadia of Montana as a Mental Health Associate, working with K-12 students at the local public school.  I didn’t even think I could apply for the job because I have no background or experience in mental health. But after some encouragement, I applied anyway and was told that for the Associate position, as long as I’d be willing to learn, previous experience with mental health was not a prerequisite.  At one point the job was explained to me as “You are essentially a teacher. You are teaching kids how to succeed in life.”

 

In considering whether or not to move on to a new job, I thought a lot about where I have come from in my life.  I don’t know where this came from or why it came to me all of a sudden, but I can remember talking to a friend in my college days about the future.  Of course, then the future was a distant constellation of opportunities that would happen…someday.  Now I am among the stars and choosing which to land on.

 

We were on a service trip to Kentucky to build and repair houses.  My friend, Ryan, who was always asking the heavy-hitting questions, asked me, “What do you want to do with your life?”  I remember being struck by it, thinking, Well… I am an Apparel Design and French major, so surely I’ll enter into a career in one or both of those fields, right?  But what I said was, “I just want to help people.”  I knew even then that what gave me the greatest satisfaction was simply helping people.  I remember Ryan’s expression as I said that—thinking he had misjudged me.

 

It’s no secret that I did not enjoy some key aspects of the job I am leaving as a Financial Counselor.  I will, however, miss many of the people I have gotten to know very well over the short two years I was here, and I have learned a lot.  One of the biggest things I learned is how to communicate with people who don’t want to communicate with you.  That is a skill I can take anywhere and will likely transfer in my new job in one way or another.

 

There are some great aspects of my current job that I did truly enjoy that I will be leaving behind.  I liked connecting patients to services that could make it more affordable for them to pay their healthcare bills.  I liked training to be a Certified Application Counselor, to assist people in enrolling for coverage on the new healthcare exchange. Or at least, I liked the idea of it. I am leaving this position before even delving into that. I liked my roll on Wellness Committee and TLC Committee: encouraging workplace health, camaraderie, and well-being for the staff.    But again, the heart of each of these activities and the reason I enjoyed them comes back to a want to simply help people.

 

As I thought back about it, I do have some experience teaching kids. I taught swimming lessons to kids of all ages and abilities when I was in High School.  Upon moving here, I immediately got myself on the Substitute Teacher list for the school.  Then, last spring, I fell in love with Track and Field all over again as I had the wonderful opportunity to be an assistant coach. I’ll certainly lean on what I’ve gleaned from each of these experiences as I begin my new job.

 

I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing as a Mental Health Associate, or MHA, but I do know a few things.  I will be working with an actual licensed counselor.  I will be working with kids in kindergarten through 12^th grade.  I will be working much closer to home. I will not be behind a computer in an office.  I could be doing anything from assisting in teachers’ classrooms, to recess duty, to group activity therapy sessions with kids, to helping older students learn how to balance a checkbook.  Each day will be different and each day will offer its own challenges and rewards. 

 

I know it was a big surprise to my current employer when I called and gave my notice yesterday.  Today has been a day filled with explanations and long conversations with my supervisor and coworkers.  It’s bittersweet and surreal already, and it’s only the first day of my notice period.  It doesn’t feel like I am leaving yet, even though I know that I am.  Similarly, my new job doesn’t feel real yet—and probably won’t until I am walking into the school on my first day.  Walking through that open door. 

First Days at the New Job

Yesterday was my first day at my new job as a Financial Counselor at Liberty Medical Center in Chester. Liberty Medical Center houses the hospital, ER, clinic, a dentist, an optometrist, physical therapy, and a nursing home, and provides other services as well.  My job is to help make sure people pay for the services they receive.  I will work with billing of patients, residents, and clients.

My first two days have been filled with paperwork and reading employee handbooks and policy manuals.  There will be a lot of training in the billing software programs, too.  I am sure it will be a while before I get the full swing of the new position, especially as in some ways it is a lot different from my previous experience in retail.  In other ways, it is very similar.  Ultimately, this job will be about connecting with people and helping find a solution, which is what retail is at its core.  This connection to people I am hoping for is ultimately what appeals to me about the job.

My coworkers all seem very friendly and Liberty Medical Center seems like a great place to work. Certainly the benefits will be worthwhile.  Who knows what kind of possibilities this position could lead to?  I will be working Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and even though I have a regular schedule, it is flexible if it needs to be.  I like that I can have long weekends each week,  and I will still have plenty of time around the farm to help out, too.  Seems like a good fit!

A Busy Weekend!

Our speed trip to Bozeman for the Bobcat home opener started off on Friday with some business meetings in Havre.  Since we signed the new farm lease, we had a few things to get in order before progressing to much farther with farming the new land.

First stop was FSA so Jeff could sign the necessary paperwork there.  I actually was not present at that meeting (I just dropped Jeff off and ran another errand) so I am not one hundred percent clear what he accomplished, just that he did what he needed to do.  I think just letting them know that we will be farming this land now.

Next, we visited with our insurance man.  We applied for crop insurance (on the wheat we haven't planted yet... kind of crazy, but hey I guess that's just how this all works) and got a pretty good guarantee there.

Third stop was the banker, who approved us for a loan basically of the same amount as our crop insurance guarantee.  This will be our operating money we will use to farm the new land-- buy seed, fertilizer, herbicide, etc.

Last, we visited with an accountant to see if we need to form a corporation yet or not.  At this point, our operation is pretty simple and straightforward, so we are better off not forming a corporation.  But at some point, it will be necessary.

All in all, there were no surprises anywhere, so I took that as a successful morning.  I learned a lot at each of the meetings and feel like I'm getting a better understanding of the business side of farming.  Credit is also due to Jeff and Tom for patiently explaining how things work, even after I probably ask the same questions over and over.

After we were done in Havre, we headed south to Bozeman.  Friday night, after stopping in at my old stomping grounds in the mall to see my former co-wrokers, was the Montana Brewer Association Beerfest, which was really neat.  Since I was still not feeling 100% better after being pretty sick earlier in the week, I didn't drink more than just a few sips of the beers Jeff really liked.  All the same, it was fun to see some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Saturday, the Bobcats took the field against UC Davis.  The first home game this season, and with the stadium expansion, it was an easy sell-out and attendance record.  It was really cool to see all the fans so supportive of the team! Our season tickets are in the newly constructed end zone seating area.  It's a great place to sit to see plays develop.  I found that I liked the seats better than I anticipated.  The Bobcats won easily.

After the game, Jeff, Tom, and I left immediately and drove home while Carol stayed in Bozeman for a wedding.  I am spending today getting caught up after our short trip and watching football.  Tomorrow will be my first day at the new job!

Transitions

It was cool yesterday evening.  Tom had eaten his dinner and left and I was waiting for Jeff to come in for his turn.  I crawled up onto the hood of our white pickup and watched the combine crawl closer, the evening sunset warmed me while crickets and grasshoppers sang an impatient staccato chorus.  I felt an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction, of contentedness.  This is where I am supposed to be, and I am happy.

Today was my last day at my raspberry picking gig.  The berries have certainly tapered off.  Where I was making $90 a day and only picking on side of one row, today I picked on 6 rows and only gleaned two gallons ($30).  But I suppose my wages were earned in other ways as well-- delicious meals at noon, the odd extra produce from the rest of the garden (2 HUGE zucchinis, and a pound of green beans), connections made with other pickers and wisdom gleaned from conversation.  And that certain satisfaction that can only be earned by hard work.

So now, I'll enjoy my weekend, help where I can around the farm, and seek my next Hi-Line adventure. Already the second half of August, and although it feels like summer just began, it also feels like it's nearing its end.  Nights are cooling off quite a bit already.  Football and hunting season are just around the corner.  Though harvest continues to roll on, transitions are all around.