Welcome February!

Hello and greetings from South Dakota!

Life here continues to be good for us. I am still loving my job, I assisted in delivering 9 babies over the past week. It's amazing to see a new life enter this world. I love giving the babes their first bath and introducing them to their moms for the first time. I really enjoy coaching the younger moms through labor. It's a hard thing to grasp when you are 18, but they come through in the end.

Jon has been attending school for a few weeks and is still as motivated as ever. I have never seen the man be so organized. He's almost like a different person! I am so proud! He tells me so many funny stories about class. He says many of his fellow classmates bring their children to class and some have even brought friends. What in the heck? This last week he had two classes cancelled due to founders week, but he missed out on the joy you get when class is cancelled because he drove the 15 miles to get there and there was no note. Apparently they announce these things on the radio here. Who knew?

The dogs are adjusting well, but hate their tie outs. I do too- every morning we have to go out and untangle the dumb things just to watch the dogs wrap them right back up. We bought our fencing supplies this past week so we are looking forward to getting that up right away. We are also purchasing one ton of hay from a local farm to help seed this backyard. It is mainly dirt and the dogs drag in so much of it with each bathroom break!

We are still waiting for cable tv. Direct TV failed to arrive for our last installation date due to "no equipment" and "no installer" How in the world does a company not have any equipment? So now we wait. February 6th is the new date. I am not holding my breath!

Our house in Omaha has yet to sell. We have had two pretty sad offers up until this point. We tried to negotiate with one couple, but it appears they had a set price in mind and refused to negotiate any further. What is sad is the house is so great and whoever buys it is getting a great deal. I can't let it get to me right now. I swear I have an ulcer coming on.

Jon is still looking for a part-time job. Jobs around here are hard to come by- especially with Indian Preference. He has expanded his search to Valentine. Keep your fingers crossed...

We hope everything is going well for you. We will be back in Omaha soon. Looking forward to visiting with everyone and eating a crap load of fast food.

XOXO Jon, Jill, Bailey and Eli

It's cold out here!

Jon's man cave

Laundry area

More Man Cave

Stairs to basement

Master Bath

Master BR

More Master

Hall Bath

Kitchen

Dining Room

Entry

Living Room

Beautful Sunset

Rosebud

Rosebud

Hello everyone! When I woke up this morning, our handy temperature gage told me it was -20 degrees Fahrenheit. That's cold!

I wanted to attach some pictures of our house here in Rosebud. The government provides us with some pretty decent housing for a nice price. I can't complain. However, I can worry myself to death about rattlesnakes- or just snakes in general. This area (especially where we live) is home to many a snake species. I do not like snakes- never have. I especially do not like snakes that have the potential to kill me because they are afraid of me. I have been doing my research regarding snake prevention and hope to get started as early as I can to hope I never meet up with slithery slimy snake. Wish me luck and any advice would be appreciated.

I hope this post finds you well. We are doing well here. Really liking it! We went to Winner, SD yesterday to pick up a package at the UPS warehouse. This extremely customer service friendly facility is open from 5:30 to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday. Can you believe that? I hope you get a laugh from those hours! Oh yes, and we dined in at Pizza Hut. When was the last time you dined it at a Pizza hut? Do the words "Book It" ring a bell to anyone???

My job is still going well and Jon is really pumped for school. Just ask him about his basic math course. He can't wait! He will be taking intro to Lakota language and he already started reading the book. It's so exciting to see him so pumped. I sent in my Loan Repayment Paperwork, so cross your fingers that they approve me!

I should go, we are planning a trip to Rapid City tomorrow so I need to do some map plotting.

XOXO
Jillian

Life on the reservation Part I

Greetings from South Dakota!

As I mentioned in our last post, we were lucky enough to have movers to pack us. When we arrived up here in Rosebud, after our caravan was pulled over for speeding, our belongings were already in our home. We were left with the task of unpacking. Oh what fun!

We met the task of unpacking with much energy and tackled most of the house the first night. Saturday, we made a trip to Valentine for groceries and some other items. At this point our dogs were still unsure of why our things ended up in this strange house. They also questioned the yard and why they had to go out on leashes. They have since come around to the res.

I started work and am happy to report I love it! The hospital has such a family and small town vibe, exactly what I wanted. I will be working as an inpatient nurse caring for OB, Labor and Delivery, Pediatric and Medical/Surgical patients. I will also take call and occasional float to ER/OR. Everyone has been so welcoming and I really have a good feeling about it!

Jon got up to Sinte Gleska and registered for his first semester of school! He is so excited and was also met with the same family atmosphere. As I mentioned before, Jon is pursuing his secondary education degree. While waiting for the semester to start, Jon has played house-husband perfectly. He has breakfast ready before work and dinner when I arrive home. He cooks, cleans and does the shopping. What more can a working girl ask for? However, this will come to an end when he begins class and has homework to do.

Back to the dogs....They have met a few of the "pack" dogs in the neighborhood. Bailey's response is typical Bailey- bark. Eli, however, who only wants them to be his friend scares the living daylights out of these dogs. This is lucky for us. They have adjusted to the yard situation and seem to actually like the new digs.

We have some other animals that frequent our neighborhood including: Buffalo, Deer and some sort of quail-like bird. So far, we haven't met anyone but the deer face-to-face, but the buffalo leave a nice, large treat after their visit.

Lastly, let me tell you about the fine delicacy were we lucky enough to eat today. Indian Tacos! These things are awesome. Even better is how you get them... You drive into "town" where a lady, appropriately named "Taco Lady", drives her red and white bus named "Taco Bus" and parks. You approach this full-sized bus where you order is taken, money exchanged and then return to your car for her "signal" to return and get your items. Let me just say- this experience is awesome and the tacos are even better.

Enjoy some pictures from the res. I am looking forward to posting more soon.

XOXO

Jon and Jill

Moving Day

As I sit here and watch three men (none of which are my husband) pack, carry and transport our belongings away I can't help but get a little teary eyed. This was Jon and my first home together and we have so many memories here. But...it's time for a new chapter to begin. I also sit here and think how lucky I am to be blogging on the computer while other people move my stuff. I have moved enough times to know it is not a fun job, so for this fact I am grateful.

On Friday, Jon, Eli, Bailey and I are off to Rosebud, SD. This town will be our new home for the next two or three years. It is exciting, scary and terrifying all at the same time. I will miss my family very much whether they believe this or not. I know Jon will be missing his family too. And, of course, we will miss our friends so very much.

I am looking forward to our new future, but very sad for this chapter to end. Stay tuned.....

The Adventure Begins

Well it's official, Jon and I are packing our bags and moving North. South Dakota or bust!

I have accepted a position with Indian Health Services at Rosebud Indian Hospital. I will be working as a staff nurse at the hospital which includes labor and delivery through geriatrics. I am very excited to be embarking on this new journey, but with this excitement comes fear, sadness and anxiety. I will miss Omaha, my family and friends-- oh yes, and we have to try and sell our house in this poor economy.

Jon is also embarking on an exciting journey of his own. One perk to our move to the reservation, Jon will be able to attend Sinte Gleska University to pursue a bachelor's degree (we think in Education, but his mind changes regularly). He will be looking for a part-time job so he can put his main focus on school.

We will have a house (#15 ) across from the hospital where all of the hospital employees live. I guess it would be similar to a military base in some respects. We picked #15 over some of the other houses because it was newly remodeled and has all tile floors. For owners of an English Mastiff, wipe able floors are a must have! Our house has an amazing view, including a buffalo ranch! However, we must be on the lookout for rattlesnakes. I don't even want to imagine seeing a rattlesnake!

Jon and I are looking forward to some excellent adventures and some exciting sight-seeing trips. Can you believe I have never seen Mount Rushmore or the Black Hills? Now these amazing sights will be in my neighborhood so I have no excuse. I think Jon, myself and our furry boys will actually get out and enjoy nature.

The pitfalls of this move mainly revolve around the fact that we will be living 1.5 hours from the nearest Wal-Mart and a minimum of 45 minutes to a fast-food restaurant. This is something I have NEVER dealt with and never planned to, so let's just say I have some apprehensions here. My husband, the optimist, picked out a cute drive in movie theater 45 minutes away (with a nearby McDonald's) where we could go on a date since we will actually have halfway decent schedules where we may actually see one another.

So, our adventure begins and we hope you will check back often to see how things are going. If nothing else, the idea of Jon and I living on an Indian Reservation has got to peak some interest. I am sure we will leave you with a chuckle or two as the years pass. (Yes years, we will be here for at least two years but probably one or two more after that.)

XOXO Jill and Jon Plymesser, nouveau-Dakotans