Where are the babies?!  Work has been pretty slow around here as the holiday craziness has settled down and kidding season is at a standstill.  As someone who loves to keep busy I'm anxiously waiting the arrival of more newborns.  I find the hardest part of a job is to constantly take that initiative and find big projects that need to be done around the place.  It seemed easier at the center what with the variety of animals and work flow but here I'm still struggling with that.  Eva said it's something that comes with time and I can imagine that with your comfort level and knowledge of the farm and how its run it becomes easier.  Anyways the work days have been filled with milking, feedings, caring for thinner goats, hoof care, and farm maintenance.  Andrew and I were on the phone and he was wondering what exactly I do on a day to day basis.  I think I may have blogged this before but in case you guys wonder what a "typical" day at surfing goat dairy is here's what we ALWAYS do on the farm no matter who's up to some shennanigans (like the golden girls or soho teeny boppers (teenage kids) escaping) or who's giving birth.  We have two main shifts...6-2:30 or 10-6:30.  I've become primarily an evening shift person with Teo and Erin but I do get to work mornings on Tuesday before deliveries.  I absolutely LOVE mornings.  It's still dark out and the moon and stars are out and I'm milking and spending time alone with the goats and all of a sudden before you know it the sun is rising and the day has started.  There's also something to be said about the evening shift and working as the sun sets.  My favorite moment of the day on the farm is herding the golden girls down, saying hi to Teddy our buck, and walking back knowing everyone is tucked in and watching the beautiful colors of orange, yellow, pink, purpe, etc. of the sky as the day comes to an end.  It's one of the most peaceful times of the day.  Below is a pic of Teddy our billy goat.

A picture Eva sent to me in an email titled "work with benefits" haha the babies LOVE playing with the bins while you fill them with hay...such adventurous little ones.

So the "typical" tasks of the day would include milking/feeding, cleaning around the milk stand, mixing grain (instead of buying grain we mix on our own), sweeping up goat walk (the "loading zone" for the milking herd before they come on the stand), herding, cleaning kennel, sometimes taking the teeny boppers to the orchard for a couple hours to browse, caring for sick goats/kids, hoof care, cleaning/checking waterers and giving out hay, and more milking, feeding, and herding.  It's your average list of daily farm chores.  Some days we also go inside where you pasteurize, make cheese, pack cheese, or clean.  So there ya have it!  

So like I said not a whole lot is happening here lately...makes it hard to blog sometimes.  But I always try to take pics throughout the week.  I received an awesome package from my alaska cousins Bethany and Amanda.  THANKS SO MUCH!! LOVE YOU GUYS!  In the package they sent me "Snickers!" the porcupine from the AWCC....or at least a stuffed animal version of him haha.  So I took a few pics of Snickers enjoying the Hawaii and some sun as well as making some goat friends.  I sure do miss that state...but I'm pretty sure the beach and sun are more enjoyable than all the cold and snow so I'll have to live through them and Andrew ; ) 

I've been spending a lot of time at the beach lately on my off time.  Last Sunday I took the bus to Lahaina and people are so open and friendly here.  I just hung out on the beach and met a nice older couple on a cruise in the water, met a "happy hippie" as he calls himself while eating lunch and watched the hard core sand volleyball players play with him, and on the bus ride home met a young woman from Kihei who gave me her number to hang out sometime.  I've never met people just going about my own day as I have here.  Must be the aloha spirit.  The bus ride home was amazing...I saw probably 6 or 7 whales spout and show off their big flutes.  I've been seeing some whales breach from far off in the distance at the beach too.  I can't wait for February and hopefully dad will come and we can go on a whale watching tour.  That's supposed to be the best time for sighting them as the moms have their babies and they seem to be everywhere.  Before I leave here I really want to hear them in the water too.  When I went to the beach on Thursday after deliveries I walked up and saw they had a whole area roped off.  There was a Hawaiian monk seal sleeping on the beach!  These guys are endangered and need their space so they have volunteers who go out to wherever one is sleeping and monitors them and keeps people at a safe distance from them.  I guess they like to feed and then when they get tired they go to the shore of the area they're in and pass out for 48 hours or so.  I never thought I'd ever say this but it was actually really cute!  Looks like all this marine life has forced me to get over my fears haha.