They are so cute!

I can't believe it's been a week now. I'm still just as fascinated by my chooks as the day we brought them home. Actually, I think I'm more fascinated with them now. They have grown so much in just the past week, Bessie is almost as tall as my knee and they are starting to peep less and bock more.
They even talk to me when I'm with them, I just wish I knew what they were saying.

Bathing beauties. (Ms. Fisher in front, Alexis in back)

They are making themselves at home and that makes my heart glad. They like to rearrange their bedding after I clean and fluff it everyday. They seem to have a schedule worked out, I get chirped at if I'm late in the morning and they have enforced nap time at around 1100 every morning. Kate calls them to roost and Ms. Fisher rounds up any stragglers.

Get on the perch! (Clockwise from top left: Kate, Dot, Bessie, Fisher, Alexis)

All 5 of them will eat out of my hand and Kate (the gray one) will follow me around as I tidy up until I sit down with her snack. It's funny to see her avoid me and chase me at the same time. Earlier today she was pecking at something and I touched her to shoo her away and she didn't even flinch. Maybe she will let me pet her soon.

Got snacks? ( Kate facing you.)

Life is good here with the chickens. Now I'm off to study them some more! 

We got dinosaurs!

Ok, technically they're chickens, but they are related to the T-Rex so it counts in my world.
My husband and I had been talking and thinking about getting chooks for a few years now, but it never seemed to be the right time. There was always something going on.
Then we went to the store to get groceries and saw the price of eggs. There was no way I was paying that much for the pack. We got the rest of what we needed and went home where we once again had the chicken talk.
This time everything lined up. My husband had 6 days off in a row so he could build the coop, older chicks/pullets were available instead of the chicks, and the side garden had been fallow for a long time because the turtles ate everything except the pomegranate bush and the mesquite tree. It was perfect.
We did our research and found out we could have up to 24 hens, but we decided on 5. Then we went to various feed/livestock stores to compare prices and see how they kept their chickens. Some where only a couple of dollars and we found some chooks that were $50. The range of prices and living conditions was mind blowing. We decided on OK Feed and Supply for the chickens and their feed. They had the best looking and friendliest bird out of the places we visited. They also gave them lots of room to run around and I liked that. On Monday morning we went and picked out our birds!
Now on to the chooks!:

First photo!

Ms. Fisher

Ms. Fisher is an Easter Egger, heavy on the Ameraucana breed. She was hatched on June 17, 2015. She likes boxes. She's the most mellow of the flock and likes to do her own thing.

Bessie

Bessie is a Silver Wyandotte. She was hatched on May 28, 2015. She is the largest and likes to get on the roost on one end and push everyone else off the other. When she reaches that end she will go to sleep.

Alexis

Alexis is a Rhode Island Red. She was hatched on June 17, 2015. She was the first to figure out the feeder. She is also the best at bug catching so far.

Kate

Kate is a Blue Andalusian. She was hatched on June 17, 2015. She is the bossiest of the group and likes to snatch things away. When the sun goes down she starts peeping to tell them to go to bed and even leads the way.

Dot

Dot is Golden Campine. She was hatched on June 17, 2015. She is a bit temperamental and likes to peck and run. She is also the tamest so far and will eat the food that falls from my hand. Hopefully soon she'll eat from my hand.

It's a lot of fun watching them and learning about them. They each have distinct personalities and preferences. It'll be awhile before they start laying eggs, but that's fine. We are happy getting to know each other for now.

No Sale BUT...

I got a second appointment! He wants to learn more about what we do and he seems very interested! I see him again next Wednesday! My manager was really great about showing me what I needed to do and it really helped me feel more comfortable. I can't wait for the next meeting!

My First Day Training Was Great!

Yesterday was my first day of training for the sales job and it was great! I got to pick the pizza toppings for lunch! The owner of the company came down from Phoenix to help out and meet me! Everyone in the office was super friendly! The cubicles are cute and if I can make it through the training I get one and can have a plant in it! Lying to clients is not allowed!!!! That last one is big because at CC salon the manager often lied to her clients and tried to make us do it too. She was after higher sales. What's funny is I had the highest tickets there and I never lied. 2 months after I left she was fired and 5 months after that they closed that location.
I learned a lot about how the business works and that I won't be an "employee" but an independent contractor. I'll have complete freedom to come and go as I want when the office is open. They encourage me to join clubs and things to meet more people, which will also help with my photography. They will do every thing they can to help me grow my client base. I'll have clients that I get to build relationships with and hopefully work with for a long time! That means more characters and experiences for me! I really hope I can complete the training successfully!
A part of me can't believe they're even thinking of taking me on. My background has very little sales and they are #1 in Arizona and one of the top in the country in internet marketing. I feel really glad I followed the little cartoon man to their site and took the chance on applying.
The only downsides are that it'll take about a month before I start making any money because I have to go out/ call and make clients. I can do it though! Also it's in one of the ugliest parts of town, so no great photo ops there and it's out of my bicycle range, but I can work on that.
*** (Shameless pre-self promotion!) If any of you have a business or know of anyone who has one and want to plump up your marketing and increase you prospective sales give me a week to finish training then let me know! (Shameless pre-self promotion!)

The future is shiny and colorful!

More Interview Adventures

Since the lady for the salon job, who didn't show, hadn't called me back to reschedule I took another interview yesterday. This one was for a pure commission phone sales job. The man who interviewed me was surprised I'd even applied due to my resume being all hair and photos, but he was willing to meet with me. I didn't have the nerve to tell him I'd applied because I liked the cute videos on the company website.
Getting to the interview was a real adventure. It was in a part of town I thought I knew well, but due to construction I couldn't figure out how to get into the proper parking lot. After driving around side streets for awhile I pulled into a Denny's about 2 blocks away and walked. I found the right building, but I had written the suite number wrong so I got to wander around there for a while until I found it. I'm glad I left early because I arrived right on time.
Right after hello and a handshake he offered me water, I know my face was all red and sweaty from the walk, but I hadn't had time to scout for a bathroom to tidy up once I found the place. I was very grateful for the water and probably shocked him when I chugged it down. He was polite though and didn't stare.
I really liked him right off the bat, and the interview went well on my side.
The job will involve cold-calling businesses and selling them SEO, website building, and other assorted useful things. It's not something I'd ever thought of doing, but it sounds interesting and I could learn a new skill set. The hours are flexible and I can work from home most days if I want (although he did say he'd never heard of anyone having success doing it) or I'll have a little cubicle of my own there. I hope I can decorate it.
The more clients I get and services I sell the more I get paid. Sounds like what I do now plus I can keep doing what I'm doing now. I can even take this job on vacation with me if I want. I start training on Monday and it's a week long course, no pay but there is free pizza. I hope I pass the training portion!
An added bonus is the dress code is business casual with no color restrictions! I'll be able to wear something other than black, grey or white (the colors allowed at the salon I applied for). I can actually wear whatever I want, but if I have to meet clients I want to look professionalish. That is a big plus in my book, I love color!
Not bad for a rebound interview. Wish me luck!