As my time with Office Team began to end, I was offered the opportunity to roll over the position to the Hill Group, a company that contracted with IHS. I appreciated the opportunity to continue working with DP/HH as I had become well versed about the program. The contact staff at the Hill Group was very professional and also warm. We would go out to eat when they were in town and would receive gift baskets when they were not in town, usually for the holidays. I continued working on DP/HH with the Hill Group at the IHS building until one day I saw an opportunity to be the Director of Immigration at Catholic Charities

For several months I did a ton of outreach and advocacy as well as a lot of reports and grant applications

In the end, however, I decided to return to the Hill Group.

Michele invited me to come and meet the team. I drove out to the soccer complex in Bernalillo with Victor and Maria Elena to meet the team.

I thought the team was great; they got along well, played soccer as a sport and not a competition, and they bonded together well. I did notice that there was a difference between me and a majority of the other players; while I was married to Victor, many of them were married as well. However I was married to a man, and many of them were married or dating women. I was not uncomfortable at all and started playing the next week with the team.

The first game I played, I was very self-conscious as I didn’t bring any skill to the team. I started off in defense as that allowed me to watch more and get a better feel for the game. I would feel my heartbeat race if the ball got close to me. The team we were playing against was very hostile. We would have teams like this over the next seven years that I played-team names would change, team members would change, but I found that the friendships did NOT change

When I first moved down to Albuquerque, my daughter went to public school for the first time. I was adjusting to her needing clothes as her previous schools had uniforms. I was very involved in her schooling, and my husband would walk her to school most mornings as there was no bus service for us as we lived close to the school. When my dad visited, he would walk Maria Elena to school, and he quickly developed a rapport with the crossing guard. They shared the same political philosophies. As I was accustomed to Body Pump in Holly’s class, I wanted to maintain the level of fitness, and I started Body Pump at Evolve Fitness. I stayed there for some time before I went on Groupon and found a deal for an independent gym near my apartment. The owner, Michele, had mentioned that she was on an outdoor soccer team, and I asked if they needed players. She said she would ask

I joined the Women In Training Program for several reasons. First, I wanted to be able to run a distance. Second, I didn’t join groups in the past as they were predominantly male. Third, I wanted to be a role model for my daughter. Her dad is a superior runner, but I wanted her to see that her mom, too, could run. I thoroughly enjoyed the training. We would meet every Saturday morning and every Wednesday evening to train. We started out with a mile and a half run and would gradually add a quarter every Saturday until the point that we could run 14 miles. The theory was that if we could get to the point that we could run 14 miles that 13.1 would be easier to do. Our team leader was Martha Porter. She kept things fun. Each Saturday morning she would hold a raffle, and you could only redeem the prize if you were present. The prizes were running related and included things like wrist-held water bottles and other gear.We would have practice on Saturday morning at 7am so that the Albuquerque sun didn’t quash us. We would arrive, seek out Martha, and stash our keys in her car so that we could run unencumbered.And then… we were off!

Running in Albuquerque is easier than other places as it is largely flat and there is relatively no humidity. Each week I would arrive excited to be part of a group of like-minded women and scared that I wouldn’t be able to go the distance or some other ridiculous fear.

The Women In Training staff were always positive and uplifting. Each group had pacers, to guide us through the run and keep us all going at the same pace. My pacer was Phil, an active-duty military man who was funny, relaxed and supportive. We would have clinics throughout the training on shoe recommendations, dietary guidelines, and even a clinic on appropriate BRAS to wear. Needless to say, Phil didn’t join us for THAT one!! It felt good to be part of a group.

I headed downtown to pick up my Women In Training running shirt as well as a packet that included my number, and safety pins to secure my racing number to my shirt. I had talked Victor into running the race with me

Maria Elena had been in soccer teams since PeeWee leagues, and I didn’t want her to miss a beat because we moved. I asked Victor to enroll her in AYSO so that she could continue playing. He was able to do so, and she played for a youth team called the Spice Girls. The team had great chemistry from the onset, and they got closer together as time passed. They were friends on and off the soccer field enjoying sleepovers and cookouts when off the pitch. Soon, the team tried out for a Select team, called AYSO challenge, and they all made it through.They added a new player to ensure there were enough subs.

In Albuquerque, we first lived in a two-bedroom apartment. It had a community pool.

When I first started at IHS, I took over the Diabetes Prevention/Healthy Heart program from the previous coordinator. There was so much to learn about the programs including what IHS area they corresponded to, the history of each program and the success rate that each program had. The lead on these programs was a Registered Nurse from the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service. Shortly after I started, the RN left his position at IHS to return to Zuni Pueblo. A Commission Corps officer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota took over running the DP/HH program, Juanita Mendoza. At first, Juanita seemed quiet, even shy. After I got to know her a bit better working on tasks despite being in different states, I came to appreciate her sense of humor. We would continue working with each other, and we would grow to be good friends, even though we never met in person. One day our supervisor introduced me to CeciliaButler, a Registered Dietitian who primarily worked in the Santa Fe Indian Hospital. Cecilia was able to work onDP/HH two days a week, and we immediately bonded as we both spoke Spanish.

One day, I went to get the newspaper, and there was an article there about the Public Education Department secretary designate, Hanna Skandera. I couldn’t believe my eyes; Hanna had been my roommate at Pepperdine! I thought it odd that someone who had been homeschooled was now in control of the Public Education Department.

When I was ready to make my next move, I realized that I didn’t have connections like I once had in the Albuquerque area, so I interviewed at a staffing agency where I thought I could make income and augment my pay from the Child and Family Services department. I was hoping that they would be able to help me, but I was dismayed by the other applicants that I saw in the office.Many did not have degrees or a work history. When my name was called, I interviewed with Brandon, and he reviewed my application and asked if I would be interested in working with the Indian Health Service. He told me that they had been looking for someone for a while, and I said absolutely when I heard that the pay rate would be better than I had expected. They asked when IHS could call me for a phone interview, and we scheduled a time.

When Maria Elena was going into the Fourth Grade, Victor got in touch with me. He had completed high school, was starting college, and he was interested in seeing Maria Elena. I asked him if he wanted to return to Nevada as I was in a townhouse and Maria Elena would not have to switch schools. Victor said that he was not going to move back to Nevada as he had established a clientele in New Mexico and was going to

Joanne was ready to retire, and we had a retreat prior to her departure where I said offhandedly that I was a nerd who liked things that others might consider tedious. Little did I know, but Joanne’s successor, Tina, made a mental note and remembered what I had said when she was asked to run the Child and Family Services Department for the School District which would oversee the Family Resource Centers, the Pre-K standards program, the Children In Transition Program, primarily for homeless youth and the Re-Engagement Centers, to locate students who had dropped out of school and encourage them to return to school or prepare for the GED.

I was initially learning the ropes, but I eventually learned how to manage grants, collect and record timecards, and design the website for our new department. I was finally at a point where I felt like I was where I needed to be.