CoCo's Corner

This is not a health update. I decided to talk about life, in general, since 2014.   Today, I realized that eleven years ago today was my last day at my previous job, my previous career, my previous life.  I loved my previous life, until I didn't.  And that all turned around the end of 2013.  I was a 911 dispatcher for 32 years.  I started on March 1, 1982 as a records clerk.  Moved into dispatch as a call taker and dispatcher, was promoted to supervisor and finally was the deputy director at the end of my career.  That last part was probably the worst decision I ever made.  And maybe the best.   I was there through so many crises and events.  The day I took my application in, I was told pretty much everyone was gone "to the funeral".  A police officer had been shot and killed the week before and nobody was there to take my application.  This was LONG before the internet.  It was a handwritten application and ba...

So I had the most frightening experience of my life yesterday, as far as my own life is concerned. The background of the story is that I have had a stomach bug or food poisoning the last five days.  Started Thursday morning around 4:00. in the morning.  All the usual things that happen with a gastrointestinal issue happened with this virus.  You know - pretty vomiting and diarrhea.  I had to call in sick on Thursday morning.  I dragged myself into work to bid for my shift and then back home - quickest time spent there.  I had to drive Ted to the airport that night, because the next days flights to Tulsa, OK were not looking great and he was trying to get to a very important banquet in Joplin, MO.  By Thursday night, I knew the next day was not going to be well enough to go into work.  So I called in for Friday.  Friday night, I felt like I was going to be doing well enough to go to work. Saturday, my alarm went off at 5:15.  I snoo...

April - it's been an odd month.  Just new things happening and old things starting up again.  The weather has been one of those usual up and downs.  That time of year when it can be 75 degrees and lovely outside and twelve hours later the wind starts up.  The wind blows in the clouds and the storms start.  Mother Nature will flip a coin and decide if you are going to get snow or get rain - but, usually you end up with both.  Two days later, it will be 75 degrees again. You can literally go from wearing flip-flops and capris to long sleeves and snow boots in the span of twelve hours.  But, hey - wait another twelve hours and it will change again.  It just  means it is Spring in Utah. I was so in love with the Houston Space Cow.  He was in the lobby by the Delta check in counter. The month started out with me working in a totally different world.  I got the call that they needed a few extra agents in Houston because of the c...

I did this once before on a blog challenge.  Decided to do it again.  For starters, just to keep you in the know, I set up a swap at work so I could have a day off in the future for an important birthday party. Wake up to alarm at 4:30 - after going to bed at about midnight. Get out of bed Put makeup on Get dressed Did hair Brushed teeth Kissed Ted goodbye Read my text messages that were waiting for me Replied to one text Got in my car to drive to airport Talked to BFF on the phone Stopped at McDonalds for breakfast Continued driving to airport, parked my car, got on bus to ride to terminal Clocked in to work Emily's shift Saw Marsan and her daughter in the bathroom.  Hugged her and chatted a bit. Worked first flight Ate some Easter breakfast with the other people working in the concourse that I have only worked in a couple of times and don't know hardly any of the people.  Need to get to know Candace better - she is freaking hysterical!!! Worke...

About two weeks ago, maybe a bit longer, I got an email that I had been "selected to attend" this event that Delta does a few times a year.  I was very excited.  I have an idea as to why I was selected, but I am not sure.  As far as my station goes, I was the lowest in seniority to be there.  This entailed flying to Seattle on Tuesday morning and flying home on Wednesday night.  Delta paid for everything, my hotel, my food, a gala event on Tuesday night.  It was a BUSY two days.  I am still trying to get my feet back under me from the whirlwind.  I spent most of my two days just exhausted. However, that is not what I want to gab about. I spent 32 years in a job.  It was a local government job.  I have been through my fair share of "leaders" in my 32 years there.  This would include mayors, police chiefs, deputy chiefs, captains, directors and such.  Some of those leaders were good; i.e. the chief from 2000 to 2006 was an am...

I survived my first "busiest travel season" which in the rest of the world equates to the Christmas and New Years holiday time.  I'm not sure how I did it, because when it all boiled down to it, I ended up pushing myself to the very, very limit.  I worked out some trades and somehow had myself working all but one day since and including Christmas day.  I ended up with some painful ankles and shin splints - the explanation on that to follow.  But, the biggest news is, I survived it.   I agreed to work Christmas day for someone who was offering to work two shifts in exchange for that.  Well, that worked out nicely in my favor, so I jumped on it.  I had intended to find someone I felt deserved it off anyway and cover it for them.  The selfish side in me decided that the two for one offer couldn't be refused.  It worked out for the both of us, she got to be home on Christmas and I now have two days off.  I then worked my four shifts. ...

The trees are all orange and yellow.  The weather changing from hot to cool and crisp.  The season from summer to fall and then to winter.  The holidays are starting to get closer.  Things change - it's the world, it's life. This year, my life has changed immensely.  I await the birth of my eighth grandchild, a beautiful baby girl who will arrive in a couple of weeks.  I went from working forty exhausting hours a week at the airline gates to sixteen hours working in the lobby.  A drastic change for me, but an invited one. Semi-retirement; a concept I didn't think was possible, but after figuring things out - it's perfect for me; 16 to 24 hours a week means more time with family.  I'm very excited to finish up this month in the lobby and go back to the gates that I love. I'm getting older.  Ted is getting older.  But, that isn't stopping us.  We're bound and determined to spend our lives doing whatever we can to spend these yea...

AKA:  Portland for Lunch Ted and I made a tradition of going to see the colors - the Autumn colors up in the mountains here in beautiful Utah.  We would leave in the morning and go see the beauty that surrounds us.  This year, we changed it up a bit. This last week I was in training all week for the job.  Ted and I talked that if I had Sunday off, we would try and go somewhere. Thursday, we decided Portland.  Leave late Friday night and come home Saturday evening, leaving Portland in the afternoon.  We got us listed on the flights we wanted, set up the rental car and found a hotel for the night. I managed to get us on the guest list for the Sky Club.  Made a new friend during the class and he got us in the club.  It's where those frequent fliers, important people, celebrities and such go to relax, chat, eat free food and drink free alcohol and other beverages.  There are also showers available and places to set up your computers. ...

What is a season?  Is it just those thirteen weeks or 91 1/4 days that make up a spring, summer, fall or winter?  Summer seems to be from Memorial Day to Labor Day, from the last day of school to the first day of school.  Though the official day is toward the end of September and we can have warm temperatures well into October, summer is ending. I can say that this summer has turned my world upside down.  In good ways - but, in some not so good ways.  I have spent this summer in the most amazing place in the world.  I have loved pretty much every second, every minute, every hour, every day of working at the airport.  I am seeing people come and go.  I have seen the good and the bad.  I've seen the normal and the strange.   I have had an amazing summer - even though I feel as though I have not had a summer.  I have hardly seen my family.  My husband and I are virtual strangers.  I hope to have time to make up for that...

The airport is an amazing place to be.  People watching there is extraordinary type of fun.  Thursdays, the "working girls" head to Vegas.  Families galore heading to John Wayne Airport or Orlando Airport.  Businessmen, hoping to get upgraded to first class, heading to their next appointment, meeting or wherever they go - and they go so often, they get those upgrades quite a bit. I think the thing that excites me the most is the awe that people have when they get here and see the mountains.  And they are probably just seeing that kind of beauty for the very first time.  It's something that we residents take for granted for the most part.  It's something we see every day.  But, when you see the excitement that comes from people arriving here - they stand their entire families in front of the windows so they can take a picture with the mountains as the background, you realize that we get to see this every day.  They stand and take photo after...

Tomorrow marks two months from my official retirement from my old life.  I've now been working at my new job for about six weeks.  Here are some things I've found in that time: I love watching people.  I always knew that, but, the airport is the most amazing place to watch people, to see how people act, etc.   I have no idea how to recognize celebrities.  I don't know how many times I've had someone say, "do you know who that was?" and not realize who they are.  The only one I actually recognized I didn't recognize their face, I recognized their name as they were boarding. I was spoiled for 32 years.   I had a job that was sitting down - hence my Chelsea dubbed, "big, big butt" was born.  I am now on my feet and running and walking and standing and sweating.  It's awesome!!  But, I'm pretty much exhausted all of the time. Now I'm working at a place where you eat lunch and you are all together.  So seeing how differently peopl...

Today marks one month since I left my old life behind and moved onward to a new one.  As I've posted before, it was not an easy decision - and I honestly kept thinking that I wouldn't be where I am today when I walked away.  I kept thinking I would wake up and the nightmare would be done.  But, that didn't happen. I spent the first week very angry.  And when I realized that my life was moving in a positive direction and not a negative one - I moved on. The last month has been a whirlwind.  I started projects, none of which are finished.  I went on an amazing road trip - that had to be cut short.  I started a new job.  That is a pretty full month. The new job started out pretty shaky at first - well, shaky for about two days. The intimidation of the reality had me a little freaked out.  I am the oldest of the new hires.  That came with perks, too - as being oldest made me first in seniority.  But, for the next three months, I d...

I'm retired.  I'm happily retired.  It's what I wanted.  It was time for me to move on.  I had planned to stay at least two and a half years more, but, that didn't work so well.  I moved on. However, when I turned in my two weeks notice, I was summarily dismissed to not return after the upcoming Friday - or leave before that.  I know it's common in business, but, I was sent into a shock zone.  I was thrown for a loop.  After the shock wore off, I became angry.  Extremely angry.  I lost a friend with whom I have adored and thought of as one of my kids through it - and that makes me sad.  I've come to terms with it, though. Early yesterday, I had an epiphany.  I realized that being angry was not going to get me anywhere.  It was time to move on.  I needed to get past the anger if I ever was going to enjoy myself.  I started to realize some of the things that have happened in the last couple of weeks: I've re...

I've been doing what I do for a very long time to make a living.  I've been at my job for 32 years.  I've loved my job for the most part every minute.  I have had down times, and very seldom have I felt that it was time to leave. That has changed over the last few weeks.  I've had a run of emotions during that time; anger, frustration, overlooked, out-of-the-loop.  There was no single thing that caused this, but an accumulation of things that have happened. I literally ran away from work this week - I took a week off on a moment's notice.  This is something I have never done before in my life - with the exception of funerals.  My plan was to never go back.  I was going to retire and just walk away from everything I knew.  Not that I was prepared for this, because I know I need another job.  But, I was planning to just go forward and if I had to work at Arctic Circle or Walmart I was prepared to do it.  I went so far to go to the...

I'm not spontaneous at all.  I usually have some type of plan in my mind about what I am going to do with my hours and my days.  Yes, there are things that come up - but, those things are also planned as things in my days, too, because I expect them. So, when I was on a website and saw that there was a job opening, I have no clue why a spontaneous moment made me apply for it.  I will say, that I am always looking at a particular website that has jobs. I look for myself and those in my life that may be looking for something.  But, I never apply for a job. Now, I am not counting on even getting a phone call.  With the way the economy is going, I am sure there are a lot of people with the qualifications they want to do that job. But, I just felt that it was something that I needed to do. The sad thing is - I know I could do the job, I know I could kick that jobs ass and make it mine.  But, I am realistic enough to know that I probably won't be given the ...

I had so many plans this week and I hardly did anything I planned.  And I'm ok with that!!! Saturday - November 23:  My Thanksgiving.  I know most people celebrated on November 28, but, we had a large family Thanksgiving before.  Raja and Rustie couldn't come back down for the actual holiday and Brandon was probably going to have to work.  So - we just decided that this was our Thanksgiving. Sunday - November 24:  Stayed home and worked on home stuff.  Was worn out from the previous day. Monday - November 25:  Ted, Crystal and Zachary went to see Dr. Who at the theatre.  It was a special edition, in 3D.  It was crazy.  We all met for dinner and then they went to the movie and Chelsea, KayeLynn and I all came back to the house and played games and watched television. Tuesday - November 26:  Crystal had class today, the kids got out of school early, so I went and picked them up.  We went to Grandma Great's house and ...

I give up.  I'm too busy.  I just can't keep up - - - - - - so here goes the rest of the month in one whole post. I'm thankful for (in no particular order): pedicures fall leaves wind that rakes the leaves to the neighbors yard Chewy Red Hots (ooooh yum) road trips plane trips Nestle Sugar Free Chocolate Milk Powder  pictures - there needs to be more pictures a warm house my bed in the igloo reading glasses - I have seven pairs family time grandbabies - young and older education honeymoons my honey bunny my kids who are awesome adults being busy feelings of accomplishment hot baths home cooked meals writing hair color - but, I earned every one of those gray hairs it's covering amazing stepdaughters sporty car a challenging, new job sitting down, putting my head back, my feet up and saying AAAAHHHHHH!! That's not all!! But, highlights are amazing!!

A community lost a hero today.  He was a silent hero - I didn't know him until today and it was too late.  I look at the picture of him, his wife and his little boy that one of the news agencies posted and it breaks my heart.  The little boy, who looks to be about two years old, will grow and slowly, but surely, forget pretty much everything he knows about his father.  The only things that will strike his memory are the things that his mother and others who loved his father tell him.  Sgt. Derek Johnson didn't deserve to be gunned down in his car as he drove to help someone in need. Rest In Peace Sgt. Derek Johnson May you watch over your little boy from the heavens above I've worked in public safety a very long time.  Not many have surpassed the amount of years I've put in - only a few have hit the milestone that I'm at now.  Nobody in this world, myself included, knows what it is to walk in the shoes of a police officer or a firefighter. ...

Who knew it. Who really thunk it. Who ever really thought it possible? Two weeks ago, I had a great day.  I was floating on air.  I was so proud.  Proud of myself.  Proud of my work kids.  Just plain proud. Today, I opened an email.  This is what it said: Hi Colleen.  I heard you might be interested in writing for The Journal of Emergency Dispatch published by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.  If so, that would be great and we should set up a time to talk.  Let me know - Looking forward to hearing from you. What?  What did that say?  Someone may be interested in hearing what I have to say?  Thinks that maybe I can write a sentence that makes sense?  WHAT?  When I read it the second time, after dismissing it as crazy the first time, I responded and told her that it sounded like a challenge and I do love a challenge.  We'll talk to the author of this email and see if I can provide somet...

I have been struggling this last week.  Things are piling up in my brain and making me frustrated and irritable. I've been plain cranky. I feel like life is rushing by and I'm two steps behind everyone else.  I feel like I'm on the outside looking in.  I can't even say for sure why - the window I'm looking through is getting really frosted over, too.  And, I'm tired of the feeling. I'm happy to have Ted home, but, I feel like everything is in disarray there.  Its not just a feeling, everything is in disarray. And mundane.  Work all day then try to figure out something healthy for dinner.  When you're a chunky woman who eats with her emotions, being cranky and not being able to dive into a piece of cake or something is extremely frustrating.  So trying to figure out how to make chicken tasty again is rough.  Especially after frying my brain out trying to figure out how to make it through another day at work - a place where everyone is frus...