Seems like I have hardly had time to sit down these past several weeks. Since the second week of January I have been busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest at a county fair!

I spent the first couple weeks of January looking for a part-time job, so I could pay for my horse-related activities, as directed by my family financial advisor (wife). I was putting in applications at places like Cal Ranch, Tractor Supply, and Ace Hardware, etc. so I could keep it at part-time, so as not to defeat the purpose of getting the job in the first place…which was to pay for my horse habits. Why pay for a horse if you can’t ride him? I had no idea what my job search would set in motion. So much for retirement!

After a couple weeks of job hunting, I picked up a few hours a week driving a night courier route, delivering car parts through a stretch of back country in central Utah. I was driving two nights a week, leaving about 10:30pm and returning home around 6-7am, and covering 350-400 miles. I found I was almost completely useless for a couple days after each run. Didn’t like that feeling, but the money was decent and I enjoy driving, and particularly driving at night. At least I had some money coming in.

The driving job helped me pay for the fees for several certification courses I decided to take to become an NRA Firearms Instructor as well as an instructor for the Concealed Firearm Permit (CFP) in the State of Utah. Since January 17, I have obtained my Utah CFP, certified as an NRA Basic Pistol Instructor, and taken the course to become a Utah CFP Instructor. I’m still waiting for my CFP Instructor card to come back.

After finishing the CFP course, I got to talking with the instructor, who mentioned that he was associated with a group who was putting together a team for special projects related to security details and personal protection. He wondered if I might be interested. I told him I’d think about it. I called him a couple days later and expressed my interest and asked him to put me in touch with his contact. A couple weeks later I interviewed with Bedrock Protection Agency and became an on-call employee for their special projects group. I completed my Utah Armed Security Officer certification and am now a licensed Security Officer in Utah.

As it turns out, Bedrock likes my qualifications and has approached me to take over the training program for their security officers. So, this week my application was submitted to become a PACSCO certified instructor for the Utah Armed and Unarmed Security Officer licensure training.  Additionally, I have already worked one special project for them.

In preparation for instructing at Bedrock, as well as doing NRA Basic Pistol and Utah CFP courses, I have registered the business name of “Guardian Personal Firearms Training” in Utah, under which I will conduct all my firearms training-related business. I also intend to register the name in Arizona and obtain business licenses to instruct courses for the Arizona CFP, since Arizona accepts the Utah CFP course for their CFP certification, as long as it is taught by a qualified instructor. Arizona accepts certified NRA instructors as qualified under their laws.

All this sort of interfered with a project I had going on already, of building cabinets for my daughter and son-in-law, who are finishing their basement. So, I’m behind on that, but making progress when I can. I hope to have them finished by the end of next week.

On top of all that, I sold both pairs of my chaps two weeks ago (the ones I made last year – see my blog posts on them), which was good, except that now I don’t have any chaps for my pack trip in April. Then the fellow called back last week and needs another pair for his nephew. So, this evening I ordered leather for his third pair of chaps, as well as leather for pairs of chinks and chaps for myself. I’m hoping the sale of my first three pairs of chaps opens the door for further business in that direction. I am hoping to be able to expand my leather working, and the sale of the chaps has helped me further that purpose, allowing me to buy more tools and leather.

Additionally, I still have my old Hamley Ranch Saddle to finish repairing.

Then today, I got a call from the CEO of Bedrock, who wants to pull me in a little deeper into the company. I explained that while I am very excited about the opportunities presented to me by the company, for the next several months I cannot commit to full-time employment. I explained that in April and May I intend to be with my dad, riding horses from the border of Mexico to Panguitch, Utah, and that was my main priority for the moment. I let him know that once that ride is over, that I will be able to put forth whatever effort and time is required to make myself fully useful to the company. He seemed satisfied with that answer, for which I was glad, for I am truly excited about the prospects of working with this young and growing company.

So, for the moment, I will be working part-time for Bedrock, part-time in business for myself as a firearms instructor, and part-time as a cabinetmaker, and part-time as a leatherworker….how many parts was that? I am also a Cub Scout leader, a husband, a father, and grandfather…and I have to pick up the dog poop every Monday (nothing like that to keep me from getting too proud of myself).

So you can see I have been rather busy. Busier than I really want to be. I haven’t had but one chance to even mess with my horse in the past three weeks. That is about to change.

This weekend I will be joining Jon Tanner, Michael George, and several others on a ride in the Saint George, Utah area for a couple days this weekend. I’m truly looking forward to it.

I have to say that when I told my new boss, the CEO of Bedrock Protection Agency, in the face of a very good opportunity for me, that I would be unavailable during April and May for a pack trip with my dad, I suddenly felt for the first time that this trip is really going to happen and I was not going to let anything get in the way of it this time. Dad and I had the chance to do a similar trip many years ago, but we both let other aspects of life sort of pinch it off. I have been planning this trip now for more than two years and I have lived with the fear that I would allow some other part of life smother it again. Today I sort of a flushed all doubts from my mind and a whole new level of excitement has filled me.

Only problem now is that I’m running out of time! Just a little more than a month left before we hit the trail! Lots to do.