What is your greatest achievement thus far in your life?
I’d have to say that it is my marriage. To find a man that I really love, and to be with for over six years so far (four years married) I think is quite an accomplishment. It hasn’t been easy by any means, it’s been quite tough. But I don’t think I’d trade it for anything or trade him for anyone. If we are able to add to our family, it would be icing on a very rich cake.
Are you in insurance?
I am. I work for an independent insurance agency. I got into insurance almost 13 years ago just a year after graduating from college with a bachelors degree in marketing. I was working as a temp for a local water utility company where I met my future boss. He was asking me a question about a contract that he was reading and I was able to help him figure out how it should have read. I guess he was impressed. He told my then boss that they were looking to hire a new customer service representative so I sent in my resume, was called the next day, interviewed the following day, and hired a month later.
It originally just started out as a job that offered benefits, but as I obtained my health and life insurance license, then my property and casualty insurance license, I really was beginning to enjoy it. I had been hired to work in Colorado Springs, which was about a 45-50 minute commute for me. I then had the opportunity to work in our Pueblo office and jumped at the chance to transfer.
I have moved up from a customer service agent into sales and consulting. When our company was bought out two years ago, I moved back into servicing mainly, although I continue to sell to supplement my income, but I’m not under any minimum sales requirements.
I deal only in the health and life side of the business. I work mainly with employer groups providing their employees with their benefit packages.
Do you share your chili verde recipe?
I can share it. I’m not too worried about someone winning with my recipe in a International Chili Society cook off because it does not fit into the type of green chili that many of the cooks make. Here in Pueblo, green chili is popular with tomatoes in it. However, for the cook offs, they frown upon the tomatoes, but I still use them.
Growing up in Kansas, we had more red chili than green chili. If we got enchiladas at a restaurant, they were always covered in red sauce.
It wasn’t until I moved to Colorado that I had green chili. We had some of the best little Mexican restaurants where I first lived here in Colorado. Oh goodness, that was some yummy food! Of course, that leads me as to how I met my Hubby. I don’t think I’ve told that story yet. If you ask him for his version though, it will be different.
I lived around the corner from his restaurant for about a year and a half but had never gone into his restaurant, which is a take out Mexican place. I was over at my best friend’s in law’s house helping them do some stuff, I don’t even remember now what it was. But anyway, they ordered some food from a local restaurant and brought it back for dinner. It was pretty good food, so I figured I’d have to try it one of these days.
When I first went in to the restaurant, I saw this guy with long brown hair, and while he was nice looking, he wasn’t my type as I don’t dig guys with long hair. It was probably a year later when I went in the next time, and I saw him again, and I thought Whoa! He had shaved his hair off into a crew cut, had a goatee, glasses, and I thought hey, this guy’s good looking!
We flirted almost every time I went in there over the next couple of years. One day, I finally worked up the nerve to make the first move. I had gone through the drive thru on the Saturday before Mother’s Day six years ago. I wrote a check for my food, and told him that if he wanted to call me, my number was on my check. He said he’d call me in a day or two. He called on Monday night and we talked for a good 90 minutes, arranging to go out the next evening. We went out to the Pueblo Reservoir after stopping off at Sonic to get something to drink. It was a simple date, but enjoyable.
We saw each other every couple to three days the first month, then almost every day after that. In January 2005, on a cold Sunday afternoon, we went back out to the Pueblo Reservoir where he asked me to marry him. We were married then in May 2005.
Back to the original question, I’ll have to post my recipe one of these days when I get on my other computer.
How do you celebrate any success?
I tend to buy myself something when I have a success. It may be something small, like a sundae, or something a bit larger. When I graduated from college, I remember I bought a bread maker. When I got some serious bonuses from work for my sales, I paid off debt (which to me is a celebration), as well as treating myself to some home appliances. I’ve actually done that three different times. Twice with dishwashers and once with a stove.
When did you first fall in love? With who?
I think I was around four to six years old. I remember I had recently been in my aunt’s wedding as a flower girl and had this really pretty yellow dress. Being a tomboy, it was quite unusual for me to even wear dresses. My parents had a friend named Gary Johnson. He was such a nice man. I think I had a bit of a little girl crush on him (perhaps even puppy love). Somehow or another, it was arranged that we would go out on a “date,” and I got all dressed up in my pretty yellow dress, and sat waiting for him on the couch. The designated time came and went, but he didn’t show up. He broke my heart. I don’t think I fell in love again until I was a teenager.
What was your favorite Halloween costume?
You know, I really don’t remember any of my Halloween costumes as a kid. I do remember one as a teenager that started out as a ghost (wearing a white sheet), but it was so cold that night, I ended up taking it off and putting it inside my jacket, and pretended to be a pregnant teenager.
My favorite adult costume is from a few years ago (before I was married as Hubby hates Halloween). I found a faux-leather biker chick dress, complete with tassels hanging from the sleeves. I bought a long black wig with ringlets, black high heeled chunky boots, and wore really heavy makeup. I looked quite hot! I even found some fake tattoos and put them on my arms.
I love Halloween! Because Hubby doesn’t, it makes it kind of hard because we go back and forth on whether we’ll even give out candy to the trick-or-treaters. My mom even invited us over this year on Halloween night for a chili dinner and Hubby said no because she celebrates Halloween. It drives me nuts.
Every year I want to go to a haunted house, but I either have to go with my friends and their little kids (who aren’t so little any more) or not go. It’s never any fun to go by yourself because who are you going to drink hot chocolate with?
Thanks for all the great questions. If I get more, I’ll answer those too.
