Colorado Bound!

Can't wait to view mountains on my drive every day.

I know some people reading this blog will be excited for us moving to Colorado and others will think we are crazy for moving away from a place where we have so much support from friends and family.  Trust me; I was not seeking this out at this time at all (although CO has been a dream for us) BUT Colorado found me this time!  In the last year Bambi and I have spent our time, effort, and money fixing up a house we bought in Nov. 2010.  We finally have everything situated and here we are putting our house up for sale.  On top of that, I started a new job in September and we just had our first baby.

This new venture got started from a Colorado Summer trip back in August of 2009.  Bambi and I had gone to Winter Park to do some mountain biking and then went white water rafting around the Leadville area.  When we touched down in Houston Bambi was determined to move to Colorado, both of us putting resumes out there.  After several months and no luck, we quickly moved on from that dream and accepted Houston as our home (still).      

Fast forward to 2012…I was in Dallas in January on business when I got a call from a recruiter in Denver.  He came across that resume from 2009 on Rigzone.com where I stated my desire to find a job in Denver.  He had a Corporate Development Engineer position.  Oddly enough, my experience over the last 3 years fit the job profile even better now, although he wouldn’t have known that from the resume.  I still thought it was a long shot but I was able to score a phone interview with the VP of Corporate Development there a week later.  I guess he liked my background from our 45 minute conversation because a week and half later they were flying me up to Denver for a face to face.  This was actually the same week Thor was born.  Thor was born on Monday (2/6) and I flew to Denver that Friday (2/10).  I had to tell everyone I was going to Oklahoma City for business as my current employer has a big office there.  We were keeping this from our parents because we knew this was going to be tough on them.  Plus, during this whole process we were under the thought that it was a lot less likely for everything to NOT work out anyway and there was no use in getting anyone else’s feelings/thoughts/opinions involved at a premature point. 

Well the following Tuesday the recruiter informed me that I was their guy and they were going to make me an offer.  I accepted!  How could I have not accepted the job because the deck was stacked against it the whole time throughout the process.  I never would have thought that everything was going to work out best for all parties.  My official title will be Senior Petroleum Engineer, Corporate Development working for Bonanza Creek Energy, a small E&P company that just went public.  This opportunity will open a lot more doors than my present job and give me more responsibility at the same time.  I will be in charge of getting their oil and gas to sales (market), otherwise known as marketing in the oil and gas business.  They have a couple of plants in Arkansas that will be my responsibility as well.  I will also assume the role I’ve done for the past 4 years of trying to buy oil and gas properties around the US.  I’m very excited about the opportunity and I will be working for a fellow Texas A&M alumni; can’t beat that.  It will take a while to get fully situated up there and I look forward to catching up with friends and family before we head out.  On top of that, our door will be open to anyone who wants to come visit!       

My Best Friend - Shiloh

Shiloh

As you all know from my previous posts on my blog, animals and especially dogs have a special place in my heart.  I have saved two dogs in the past few months.  Then, one of my worst nightmares played out in front of my own eyes on July 14, 2011.  Shiloh was run over by a car.  As much as I blame myself, there were a chain of events that were not normal for any given walk that I normally take Stormy and Shiloh on.

I’m notorious for letting my dogs run free.  I hate seeing dogs always being chained up and restricted in everything they do in life.  I like to let them explore as long as they listen to me.  We live on the corner of a very busy street in Forest Cove subdivision.  Part of our house faces Chestnut Ridge, which is a main gateway in and out of the subdivision.   Shiloh was a very high energy dog, always bouncing around and full of life without a care in the world.  She had a great personality as well and wasn’t scared of anything.  She even duked it out with a possum one night.  And one thing was for sure, Shiloh was my dog.  She followed me everywhere, about 3 weeks ago I was mowing the grass and she followed me around and around for an hour and half while I mowed.  Constantly barking at the mower but she wanted to be next to me as well.  She even started to dry heave because of the heat so I had to take her inside.  I would go ride my bike on the trainer in our workshop and Shiloh would wait for me in the sunroom while Stormy and Bambi would be in the bedroom.  Shiloh worshipped the ground I walked on.

Trio

On this horrible day, I got home at the normal time I usually get home, but we had contractors at our house working on the floors.  They were finishing up and I quickly changed clothes and put on my sandals.  Shiloh jumps through her skin when she sees me put on the sandals that I always wear when I walk them.  She gets so excited and starts jumping around and breathing heavily.  I usually take Stormy and Shiloh out the front door because it’s the safest route for letting them run free, away from the busy Chestnut Ridge road & down our side street instead. But on that day a contractor was blocking the front door way, finishing up.  So, then I tried taking them through the garage; the other route I randomly take them on their walks.  I usually have them sit and stay before I give them the go ahead to cross Chestnut Ridge & they’ve been really well at minding that.  Contractors were blocking that path as well, using the garage for all the tile cutting.  At this point I start looking for the leash but everything was packed away because of the construction, so I gave up. 

From here I went out of our side gate instead which sits right next to Chestnut Ridge.  I never take the dogs out of this gate.  As soon as I open the gate Stormy heads straight across Chestnut Ridge with Shiloh on her tail before I could even shut the fence door.  I’m yelling at the top of my lungs for them to stop, but no success.  They sometimes play with another dog across the street so that is where they were headed.  We have about 10 ft of fenceline before it opens up to Chestnut Ridge, so I didn’t see most of what happened, but I do remember hearing something and remember me cussing out loud to myself because I knew this wasn’t going to end well.  What I did happen to see was Shiloh coming out from under the front right tire as she was run over, the driver of the Cadillac (the lady had to be her late 70’s or early 80’s) never once stepped on her brakes.   She rode a half a mile down the road before she turned around and came back, and the only thing she said to me was “I saw her chasing the other dog.”  There was nothing for me to say, the damage was done.  But any normal person would have hit their brakes, swerved, or just about any other thing that this old lady didn’t do.  I chalk it up to slow reactions, poor judgment, and an old lady who probably shouldn’t be behind the wheel.  What if that would have been a kid, it would have probably ended the same way with a kid being ran over. 

Look at that face!

So Shiloh gets up and it looks like only half of her body is in working order as she tumbles in the ditch.  It appeared as if she was bleeding from her legs only when I first glance at her, so I leave her in the ditch to run & go grab my keys, phone, and wallet because I was going to rush her to the vet’s office which is probably 3 miles away from our house.  When I came outside I was surprised to see Shiloh standing in the middle of the driveway staring at me when I came outside – I’ve always said she is a tough cookie.  I grabbed her and Stormy and loaded them up in my truck and off we went.  At this point I started to see Shiloh’s eyes going back and forth and she smelled like death.  I never knew death had a smell but I smelled it that day.  I rushed her into the vet’s office and they quickly took her back and connected her to IV.  Bambi showed up to the vet’s soon after and we were ushered into a waiting room with Stormy.  After about 10 mins the vet came in and said it did not look good after the X-rays, her stomach wasn’t where it should be and she could see internal damage to the lungs.  She said it was a long shot and she rushed out to go check on Shiloh.  The next time she came in (2 mins later) she was there to tell us Shiloh wasn’t going to make it and to come say our goodbyes….. one of the most heart wrenching things I’ve ever done (drip drip). 

We adopted Shiloh in November of 2010, but she had come as much a part of the family as anyone else.  Dogs are great because they love you unconditionally day in & day out.  I still get sad and sometimes tear up when I think of Shiloh.  She was around 2 yrs old, full of energy and personality, and loved on everyone.  She and Stormy were a match made in heaven, constantly playing and following each other everywhere.  The thing that hurts the most are all of the “What Ifs” that horrible day.  What if the contractors weren’t there?  What if they weren’t blocking both of my paths?  What if it wasn’t an old lady driving the car?  What if I decided I wasn’t going to walk them that day?  Or walked them just 2 minutes later?  What if it was Stormy and not Shiloh?  All I know is that the stars were aligned and it was Shiloh’s time.  The Truitt Family will miss you Shiloh, farewell.                          

One of her favorite things to do, ride around in the truck.

Marley's Mom

So on Tuesday after work I loaded up my bike and went back out to the same spot where we spotted Marley and the Mom.  I had dog food, water, and a couple of dog leashes hoping I would see the Mom and bring her home.  I rode 13 miles on the trails looking for her, constantly looking and saying “Come here girl.”  I knew it was a long shot but it would allow me to sleep better at night knowing that I went out there and looked.  I searched for about an hour and half and never found her.  I left some dog food behind where we found Marley just in case.  I know there may have been a good probability of her being found as well.  The dogs were along the creek when we found them and the creek is very active with people fishing, hanging out, and kids playing.  I will never know what happened to Marley’s mom and my only regret is not going back out there on Sunday and getting the mom. 

Marley Day #3

Marley and We

I couldn’t capture the whole story by posting a picture and writing a short paragraph to Facebook, so I thought I could tell the whole story through my personal blog. 

Bambi has been talking about riding her mountain bike for the last week and we finally both had some free time on Sunday so we loaded up the bikes and went out to Lake Houston Park.  Lake Houston Park is located in New Caney, my hometown by the way, and is about a 15 minute drive from where we live.  There is a 10 mile mtb loop trail around the park which 6 miles of it is a mixture of jeep road and single track while the last 4 miles is a gravel/concrete road.  Most of the trail follows Peach Creek which always has water and looks more like a river. 

I’ve ridden out there a few times and you hardly ever see anyone on the trails after you get about 2 miles in.  I take that back, I saw some wild hogs on the trail the last time I was out there probably 5 miles out and almost hit a baby hog.  The thing was nested on the ground and I thought it was stump and as I approached the little thing went scurrying off like a bottle rocket. Anyhow, so we were clipping along on our mountain bikes and around 4 miles out I looked up and saw a big yellow lab darting off into the woods.  We would never see the dog again (mom) when we were there.  As Bambi and I got closer there sat a little puppy (we are calling him Marley), all bones wagging his tail and he was very happy to see us.  There were no questions to ask, we quickly surveyed the situation and knew these dogs were abandoned out in the woods to make it on their own.  I knew Marley wasn’t dehydrated because they were right next to the river and he had muddy paws, but he sure was starving.  Poor thing was covered in fleas, ticks, several wounds, a limp leg, and boney as could be.

Marley the day we found him.

So, there we were 4 miles out with 2 mountain bikes and only one small camel back (definitely not big enough to hold the puppy).  The only way we were going to get the puppy back safely was carrying him back in our hands.  Bambi had the duty of carrying Marley while I was pushing the 2 bikes by hand.  The trails are way too narrow, sandy, and bumpy to ride one and push the other.  As we are walking back you could hear Marley grunting/moaning & his stomach turning over and it was very worrisome.  My only concern at this point was to keep the little guy alive until we could get him home & cared for. 

As I said before I never see anyone on the trails and then by chance there was a fellow mountain biker who comes up on us only after a half of mile walking back and he is wearing a backpack.  He was using the backpack for his hydration; it was perfect for carrying a small puppy.  We asked if we could use it and he said no problem, so we loaded Marley up, zipped the pack up with his head poking out, and I put him on my back.  I got to ride 3.5 miles of trails back with Bambi & the mountain biker following me making sure everything was okay.  Marley got tired of the enclosure once and climbed out.  He also got sick on the way back and threw up mud down my back and on the guy’s backpack.  I didn’t care and neither did he.  The sad part was that obviously Marley had resorted to eating mud & weeds just to have something in his belly.  L

Marley day #2, a different puppy.

We finally made it back to the truck and quickly loaded the bikes.  The fellow mountain biker told the park ranger about the yellow lab further out on the trails.  We hauled ass home and stopped to get some soft dog food along the way.  Marley was starving and would have eaten anything we put down.  We only gave him small portions every couple of hours to get his stomach lined with some food.  After a few hours we saw him pee and poop and we were relieved.  He was definitely a sad site to see on Sunday, he barely had enough energy to stand up and the soft moans were heartbreaking.  The next big task was to figure out how we were going to rid of the 500 something fleas he was covered in.  That required two long flea baths on Sunday & Bambi pulling a few ticks out of his ears.   Maybe one more flea bath should do the trick, but definitely a lot better.  Bambi did most of the bathing and cleaning up and has been doing a great job; I think she should work at a Vet’s office. 

On Monday you could see him getting stronger and being able to walk around the yard some.  He is starting to look more like a normal puppy being playful and getting a sense of his personality.  He definitely misses his mom; he always wants to be right next to someone.  We have two dogs that are spoiled rotten so it has been weird for them seeing the new dog around.  But they can sense something is wrong and they are very timid around Marley.  Stormy has been watching over him at night at times and it points out that Mother Nature is in full force. 

Marley chilling on the deck.

The plan is to take him to his vet appt on Friday to get vaccinations and a full examination.  We are going to foster Marley until we can find him a great home.  Please pass this story along to any of your friends who could use a loving & very grateful male Yellow Lab.  He would really be great with other dogs as well, as he keeps trying to lay up next to or on our dogs & follows them around.  On Tuesday after work I’m going to make my journey back in the woods, get in a little trail run, and see if I can find the mom.  Wish me luck!

Update on Happenings

I haven’t posted of late due to personal boredom.  I feel my like my life is like Ground Hog Day at times and I need a big change, mostly work related.  But I will say things are starting to get better for the Truitt household.  Bambi got a job at Pacific Drilling and started this past Monday, she is the executive admin to the VP of Commercial (i.e. Procurement, Supply Chain & Logistics) and also supports the entire group of 12 employees.  I know she will do will great at the job with no problem.  She doesn’t lack a work ethic if she really likes what she does!  On other notes, I ordered my crankset last weekend and hope to have my mountain bike by the first of next week.  I will post a pic as soon as it’s back together. 

We met some of our neighbors last weekend as we were staining our bricks around the house.  We actually ended up meeting 3 neighbors this past Sunday, quite a shocker.  We are by far the youngest couple on the street by 10-15 years, but I don’t mind.  There is nothing exciting or drama unfolding around us and I like it that way.  One of our neighbors (Bob and Sheila) invited us over for dinner and told us to bring our dogs on Sunday.  We had met these neighbors just a few days before.  They are both retired and their kids have left the house within the last few years.  You can tell they just like having guests over and they are really nice.  We still have half the house left to stain but it’s not going anywhere, we will get to it when we can.  I plan on staying at this house for the next 20 years so I’m not stressing out over any of the modifications.  Everything costs time and money, which I don’t have a lot of either right now.     

Giving Back

Well it seems I have a soft heart lately.  A lot of my coworkers have tickets to Rockets games and Rodeo performances and they haven’t felt like going.  So instead of me taking them for myself, I had decided to give them away to friends that I know will go and appreciate it.  I’ve posted them on Facebook and emailed friends.  It has worked out really well: 4 tickets to Miranda Lambert, 4 tickets to Zac Brown Band, 2 tickets to the Rockets game on Wednesday night and 2 tickets to this Sunday’s night game.  I know I didn’t purchase these tickets but I could have also let them go to waste instead of offering them to others that would like to go. 

Carrying on this same theme, I was on the way home from the gym last night and ran into a big Husky running in the middle of Kingwood Drive.  The dog definitely looked lost and out of place, he was far away from any subdivision entrance when I came across him.  A couple cars went around him and I got to thinking someone is going to miss this big guy when they get up in morning.  So I turned the hazards on and parked my truck in the right lane on Kingwood Drive so I could load him up.  He was really friendly and jumped right in.  The dog had to weigh around 100 lbs, he was a big boy.  He started licking my face and what not as I was trying to read the phone # off his collar.  The dang dog would not sit still so I had to remove his collar to get the phone #.  The phone number listed was to his vet and not to his owners, so I called Bambi and told her I’m bringing a big dog home tonight! 

Charlie

Stormy and Shiloh were petrified as expected, they are not fond of bigger dogs.  They were scared for their life but the big Husky named Charlie was friendly and just wanted to play.  We had to keep the dogs separated due to our spoiled dogs wouldn’t share their space with him.  Bambi called the vet this morning and found out he was 10 month old Husky named Charlie.  The owners came and got him but they even offered if we needed a pretty white dog.  I was glad we found the owners but not glad they really don’t want the dog.  I’m sure they will remove his tag when they get home so next time he gets loose, he doesn’t get traced back to them.  But a 100 lb. Husky is the last thing we need right now.    

I was asking myself why I’m trying to help others more so lately and I can’t really figure it out.  I mean, we've always been ones to unselfishly give and do.  It may be circumstance or me coping with losing the baby.  Bambi and I try to be really nice people and do the right things.  We live our life that way, I would much rather give than to receive.  I just wish I had more to give.     

Picture of Kid Rock from the Rodeo on Monday night

We went to see Kid Rock on Monday night at the HLSR; not a great voice but a great entertainer.  His show was very patriotic which was nice for a change.  No PC from him.

Update on Bike Frame

So mid last week I decided to take matters in my own hands in regards to my damaged bike frame.  When I discuss my bike frame issues with others it tends to get people upset and it seems they are more upset than I am on the situation.  It really provoked me to do more, so I went to Trek's website and they don't have a phone # to call.  But they do have an option where you submit your contact information and they contact you.  So I submitted my info and was surprised to get a call later in the day.  I explained the whole situation to the guy and he seemed to understand my frustration.  I clearly explained to him that I understand the second frame I cracked was most likely my fault but still felt I got screwed on the first one and would like them to make it up to me.

He looked around in their system to make sure they had a frame my size and sure enough they did.  He said he will contact his warranty rep that handles Bike Barn and will get it taken care of.  So I'm getting a new frame at cost from Trek, I believe it will be around $225.  I definitely feel like they did the right thing in this situation now.  I know there will never be another Trek frame in my future but I will ride the new one while it lasts (undamaged).  I know I'm hard on bikes, but so is most everyone else who races and rides.  It's the nature of the sport.