Journal/Blog

September 19, 2007

So, I guess I really should start by blog by telling you a little bit about me. 

I live in a place called Golden Valley, Arizona.  Golden Valley is not really a town.  It is just a bunch of houses off of Highway 68.  There are a couple of gas stations, mom and pop stores, and eating places along the highway between my home and town.

Town is Kingman, Arizona.  Kingman has a population of approximately 25,000 people.  It is the seat of Mohave County.  So, there are a lot of government offices there, including state satellite offices, county offices, and city offices.  It also has a small airport with an industrial/manufacturing park. 

Since Kingman is so small, it doesn't have a lot of things that a big city has.  However, we are very excited that Home Depot, Chili's Restaurant, and Office Depot recently opened there.  There is also a bowling alley and a movie house with four theaters.

Kingman is about 90 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada.  That is where everyone goes to shop, since we have no malls.  We also travel there for entertainment, such as concerts, gambling, and NASCAR races.

In the opposite direction from Kingman is a city called Bullhead City.  Bullhead City has a population of about 45,000.  It is located right across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada.  Laughlin is a gambling community with seven large casinos.  Because of the proximity of the Colorado River and Laughlin, Bullhead City's revenue is based on tourism.

Mohave County is mostly desert.  So, it gets really hot here.  In Bullhead City it is not unusual to have temperatures of 126 degrees in the summer.  Kingman and Golden Valley are about 2,000 feet higher than Bullhead, and the temperature is usually 10-15 degrees cooler than Bullhead in those areas.

I live in a small home with my husband, Robert, and my son, Keith.  Our house is about two miles back on a dirt road.  We have a little over an acre of property, which is great for our two labs, Pharaoh and Junior.  We also have two cats, Pumpkin and Phantom.

Sometimes we jump on our quads and just take off.  From our house there are many places we can ride to.  The Black Mountains, which has many quad trails, are only about five miles from us.  We can also ride the quads all the way to Lake Mohave, about 20 miles, without our tires touching asphalt once.

Robert works for Bullhead City in the parks department.  I don't know how he can dig up irrigation, mow grass, and all the other physical labor he does in 126 degree heat.  Somehow he does it.  My husband loves to hunt (I hate it), watch movies, and take naps.

Keith is 16 and a junior in high school and loves what all boys love at that age.  Specifically, he is into girls and cars.  He's basically a good kid; although, sometimes I have to really ride him to get his chores and homework done.

I also have a daughter who is 17 and think she knows everything.  She's been living with her dad in California, but that may change this weekend.  Sunday is her 18th birthday.  She has been giving her dad a lot of trouble because she thinks she can do whatever she wants now. 

Last night he called me because they had a big argument, and afterwards she took off without telling him.  He said he was throwing all her stuff out on the front lawn.  I've told her in the past to come live here, but she doesn't want to leave her "friends".  That may change now.

Personally, I think she needs to get out.  Her dad has two little ones from his new wife.  They are 3 and 6 years old.  He wants her at home babysitting all the time.  He still hasn't let her get her driver's license.  I think because it would make her too independent.  There's a multitude of other reasons that would take me all day to write.

As for me, I am 35 years old.  I was born and raised in California but moved to Arizona 10 years ago.  I was a meth addict when I was younger.  However, I now have 11 years clean.  One of the reasons I moved to Arizona was to get away from my old lifestyle and acquaintances.

My hobbies are reading and writing, of course.  I enjoy crocheting and playing games on my computer.  I love NASCAR.  I also enjoy camping and riding my quad.

I am the Tech Prep Director for Mohave County.  Tech Prep is an educational grant.  One of the things I do is facilitate agreements that provide high school students community college credit for the vocational courses they take at the high school.  There are a multitude of other things I do, but the grant is quite complicated and detailed.  Isn't everything that involves the government?

I have a BS in Business administration, and I am currently working on my Master's Degree in public administration.  I have finished everything except my thesis.  However, I am really burnt out on school right now and finding it difficult to buckle down and get my thesis done.

So that's a brief description of me and my life.  Stay tuned to learn more than you probably want to know.