this Just in...

Made to...?

2009-10-08T16:10:00.002-05:00

I often wonder if I’ll ever be content with how I’m spending my life.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy where I am. I do.
It is generally gratifying and challenging and sometimes I actually feel like I’m making a difference. Life is not overly difficult right now. I have great family and friends, and I am not ungrateful for any of that.
But there is a feeling that burns in my chest that there is something bigger that I am supposed to be doing-that I’m using a small fraction of the potential we all are given.

I think part of it is that I’ve met some pretty amazing people over the past few weeks that I’m secretly really jealous of.
One guy, Chad, decided at age 17, that he was going to clean up the rivers of the United States. He started with a single boat, piling trash in his parent’s backyard. And now he has a major cleanup operation with a full crew, barges, a tugboat, a soon-to-be-aired TV series, and a host of national honors and awards. I met another guy, Paul, who started his own custom heavy equipment fabrication shop and now has a government grand-funded side project of building a biomass-burning furnace that could heat a whole block of homes on nothing more than mulched waste wood products for over a week at a time, unattended. It doesn’t stop there though. He’s already making and selling a dozen other products created from what other throw away and has plans to open biomass processing centers across the U.S., built from other discarded materials (I won’t give away all his secrets).
I hear people tell their stories about serving the poor, the oppressed, and the orphans in places half way around the world and how life-altering it is. How a group of unlikely, untrained, and seemingly naïve missionaries visits a place in the desert and the next thing you know, the ambassador of some far off place is coming to their home in Wisconsin to talk about foreign policy.

I just don’t have that kind of vision. And when I hear others speak of their plans and dreams that they are actually chasing and believing, I feel….mundane. Average. That I am wasting the days I have been given.
Isn’t there something more?

And am I so caught up in this fever-paced, calendar-ized, rush through one thing to get to the next, life that I’m missing it?

What have I been created to do?

And if I find that thing, how do jump from this race and chase after it?

A conversation on sustainability.

2009-10-05T15:58:00.002-05:00

Justin R. Gansc...adam. killer idea. 3:42:59 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...what 3:43:22 PM
Justin R. Gansc...BUFFALO. 3:43:45 PM
let's turn the quad into prairie grass (as it once was) and get some freakin buffalo out there! 3:43:58 PM
who doesn't love buffalo? and the campus is already fenced in! 3:44:06 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...YEs 3:44:07 PM
Justin R. Gansc...can you get me on Mark's calendar?! 3:44:21 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...then we can make money off of selling the meat to restaurants 3:44:32 PM
Justin R. Gansc...mmmmmmmmmooooooo 3:45:23 PM
and we can launch a campaign with a slogan that plays off that of our big green competitor- "Nothing Runs Like a......Buffalo". 3:45:31 PM
Adam, we can't NOT do this. 3:46:24 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...and we can get Buffalo Wild Wings to take a bunch of pictures out here 3:46:29 PM
which means free BW's 3:46:36 PM
have you been getting into the hazardous chemicals 3:46:37 PM
Justin R. Gansc...mmmmm.....wings 3:46:43 PM
why do you ask? 3:47:31 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...because you must be high 3:47:52 PM
Justin R. Gansc...soo...i'm sensing that you are not as enthusiastic about the buffalos. are you a racist? 3:48:09 PM
what do you have against bovine? 3:48:27 PM
this is directly in line with Vision 2020 3:48:44 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...racist 3:48:49 PM
not so much rac-ist 3:48:53 PM
as racial 3:49:04 PM
who does being racist apply to buffalo 3:49:10 PM
Justin R. Gansc...reduce greenhouse gases by reducing mowing. reduce water consumption by reducing irrigation. boost morale. etc. etc. 3:49:25 PM
if i have to spell it out for you, then....jeez.... 3:49:25 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...omg 3:49:28 PM
you're serious 3:49:30 PM
alright 3:49:32 PM
lets do it 3:49:33 PM
Justin R. Gansc...ADAM 3:49:35 PM
yes 3:49:37 PM
hooray! 3:49:38 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...I'm only here till January 3:49:40 PM
so yep 3:49:42 PM
buffalo 3:49:46 PM
done and done 3:49:51 PM
Justin R. Gansc...can we order buffalo through mysupplycabinet? 3:49:55 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...YEs 3:49:56 PM
Justin R. Gansc...get mandy w on the phone 3:49:59 PM
we need her charge number 3:50:08 PM
DO IT NOW! 3:50:08 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...and keep their dung in zebra tubs 3:50:13 PM
Justin R. Gansc...compost, baby 3:50:19 PM
zebra tubs are only for zebra dung 3:50:33 PM
have to keep waste streams segregated. 3:50:35 PM
it's the law. 3:51:38 PM
i hope you are dialing the phone and that is why you are not responding. 3:51:41 PM
adam? 3:51:44 PM
hello? 3:51:56 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...yes 3:52:02 PM
i've gotten Tana on the phone 3:52:04 PM
she says go ahead 3:52:05 PM
Justin R. Gansc...look, if you are not onboard with the buffalo, i'll find someone else. and we'll share the glory. 3:52:08 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...order 200 buffalo 3:52:12 PM
Justin R. Gansc...SUCCESS! 3:52:19 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...we've made buffalo possible 3:52:26 PM
Justin R. Gansc...dude, there's no way the quad will support a herd of that size
3:52:36 PM
there will be much gnashing of teeth 3:52:36 PM
Adam J. Sharpl...our safety number are buffalo targets 3:52:57 PM
Justin R. Gansc...we also have to take breeding season into consideration 3:53:24 PM
no one is allowed to wear brown clothing or hats with horns during the months of august-october 3:54:09 PM
things could get ugly. 3:54:20 PM
and our RIF could potentially skyrocket 3:54:30 PM
but I think it would be worth it 3:55:41 PM
I'm placing the order.....NOW.

From the news room...

2009-07-03T11:10:00.003-05:00

L.E., Peoria, IL writes:

What up playa? (A friend) and I have been talking about working to drop some lbs. I wanted to talk to an expert, so I tried several other people and they were unavailable. I thought I would ask you. I am looking to tone up, maybe try and see my six pack, and still maintain my mass. Since you are taking every supplement, I wanted to see what your advice would be. If you could let me know I would appreciate it.

Dear L.E.,

Before delving into my recommendations, I’d like to clear something up. While I do supplement my diet (something I’ll later discuss in further detail), I stick to natural, non-hormonal proteins, nutrients and molecules to stimulate muscle growth and repair. Anything else is just cheating and ultimately wreaking havoc on your body.
Furthermore, I am far from being an expert in anything. I have been lifting weights since my senior year of high school, when I was 6’1” and about 140lbs (now ten years later I can curl more than that!). So the advice that I dole out comes from learning along the way what has and has not worked for me. I give no guarantees that what has proven successful for me and my body type will work for all others.

With those disclaimers out of the way, here are my Top Keys to physical success:

1. Diet. I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear. But I’m not talking about cutting your food intake. When most people want to drop pounds, they stop eating. Bad idea. This signals your body that you are in “famine mode.” You’ll actually begin metabolizing muscle cells in the absence of other calories to burn. The key is to replace any high-calorie, low-value “food” (fast food hardly qualifies as nutrition) with high-protein, low-fat items. You should be consuming at least 1 gram of protein for every 1 pound of body weight. The big guys are eating at least 2-3gm for every pound of body weight! I drink an energy-boosting Shaklee soy protein shake before each workout and use a Shaklee Physique shake after each workout for muscle cell repair.

Eat your vegetables-especially green ones. Vegetables contain essential nutrients for building and repairing muscle cells after a workout. I also take Shaklee multivitamins, herbal energy supplements, and alfalfa. All work together during and after an intense session in the gym to rebuild muscle (notice a theme here?).

Good sources of carbs are fruits and natural fruit juices. Skip on the big ticket sugary items-like brownies and beer. Sorry.

The bottom line is that your goal is to build muscle. Muscle burns calories. If you’re goal is to loose some weight, make sure you’re burning more calories than you are consuming-but don’t skimp on your food consumption. Just make good choices.

2. Training. There are thousands of routines out there that fitness gurus (or salespeople) will swear by. As previously stated, there is no guarantee that what works for me will work for you with the same results. So I’m not going to give you a day-to-day, set-to-set list of exercises to abide by. But consider your workout frequency, duration, and intensity. I hit the gym 5 or 6 days a week, workout for an average of 1.5 hours per session, and use a pre-workout supplement to give an added kick in energy and stamina.

I find it very beneficial to mix up the routine every month or so. Otherwise your body-and more importantly, your mind-gets bored. You’ll plateau physically and mentally and it will be harder to convince yourself to perform or even make the drive to the gym. Switch the muscle groups you work on any given day and/or the number of times you work each muscle group in a week. For instance, work opposing muscle groups (chest/back, biceps/triceps) for awhile and then mix it up (chest/triceps, back/biceps, etc.). Some people have had great results combining circuit training routines in with weight lifting. If you need some new ideas or techniques, check out websites like www.bodybuilding.com, where you can customize a workout plan or get descriptions of exercises with pictures for proper form. If you’re really crazy (like myself), you can check out a DVD of the Mr. Olympia competitors getting ready for competition. It provides some added motivation and you’ll see lifts that will cause your fellow gym-goers to ask what the heck you are doing!

3. Timing. For years, I worked out in the evening. I honestly didn’t know that 5 o’clock came around twice a day. But when I started working two jobs a couple years ago my evenings were too busy to allow for gym time. And that was unacceptable. My only real option was a morning workout. It was difficult at first-maybe for a week or two. But then it just became normal. And I started seeing results-better results than my prior evening routines. As a biologist, I could tell you that it’s because of the circadian rhythm of certain hormones that peak in the wee hours of the morning that prepare the body for an optimal thrashing. But I think it’s simpler than that. I’ve not yet been drained physically and mentally by a day at the office. I’m fresh. I’m ready. And afterwards, there’s a feeling of euphoria that even a day of auditing is hard to quench. But again, it’s up to you to obey that alarm clock for the first week until you’ve adjusted.

4. Accountability. This can make or break you in many areas of life and it comes in many forms. I’ve had workout partners in the past. Some were good, others less than beneficial, and some were just annoying. So choose wisely. Your partner should be someone that shares the same goal. So if you’re there to work, they shouldn’t be a gawker and a talker. As I mentioned in our conversation last night, success in the gym takes focus. I believe you jokingly replied, “I don’t know the definition of focus.” To which I responded, “Without focus, you’ll have no definition!” But I’m serious.
Find someone who will push your limits and be sure to do the same for them.
However, I prefer to workout on my own. I just seem to get more done in the limited time I have in the morning. And my accountability partner in the gym is the mirror. I’m not trying to be vain. Seriously. But personally, building a strong physique is about physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. It’s a discipline. It’s something I dedicate time, thought and a whole lot of energy to. So if I’m not pushing myself, I notice. And that is enough to kick it up a notch or two.

I met a guy at the gym this morning named Buzz. He stopped me between sets on the leg curl machine to comment on how empty the gym was on a Friday morning (maybe a lack of accountability in the general population). Buzz noted in our conversation that he’s been lifting weights for 62 years and is currently an octogenarian! The man doesn’t look a day over 68! His commitment to fitness allows him to be an avid scuba diver, pick up his grandkids, and generally enjoy life. Great testimony.

So there you have it. I don’t know what its worth. Maybe nothing. But for the past ten years, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that what you do outside the gym walls is just as important as what you do within them. Eat well, rest well. And then work harder than your mind tells you your body is capable when you’re under that barbell or pulling those plates against gravity. One last thing: if a big sweaty guy with a mullet and a Mickey Mouse tanktop asks you to watch his gym bag while he takes a potty break, do it. It may save your life.

See you out there!

CAT Announcement Received Today

2009-06-15T13:15:00.001-05:00

Downtown Peoria: Update regarding recent red-winged blackbird attacks (Peoria Area)
Throughout the past two weeks, red-winged blackbirds have attacked several Caterpillar employees outside the AB Building. These attacks have created a safety concern for pedestrian traffic, predominantly along the intersection of Washington Street and Main Street. The protective birds had been responding aggressively to activity around their nest and hatchlings. Caterpillar has taken action to prevent further attacks on employees.

Caterpillar obtained a Nuisance Animal Removal Permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to remove and relocate the nest, as the bird is protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The tree where the nest had been located has also been thinned in order to discourage future nesting.

The Nuisance Animal Removal Permit is valid for 30 days, and Caterpillar will continue to remove future nests to prevent future disturbances. If you have any questions, or need to report an attack, please contact Corporate Security.

the Word which lives outside the book.

2009-06-08T17:03:00.003-05:00

I had never thought of the bible as being God, just as a biography about John Lennon does embody the man. But there is difference. Lennon's book has a final chapter. While some may contest that he lives on through his music and his influence, his spirit, alas, has departed. But God is ever-present. His likeness is not bound beneath the ink on the pages...

God reveals in John 14...

15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There are some schools (or churches) of thought that place the final power and authority in the bible. If all believed this to be true, then there would be no reformations, no "protestants". After all, if a discrepancy were to arise between believers, why not just consult the final authority. But what if the answer isn't there? Or the human that interprets the 1st century text from a 21st century viewpoint gets it wrong? Where's the authority lie then?

I believe that the bible is extremely valuable. It lets us followers of the Christ know where we came from. It paints a portrait of our God and gives us glimpses of what it means to truly live, filled with Him.
BUT.
I can't live with glimpses. with snapshots. with a few frames of a movie that is to last a lifetime.

God came to earth. He lived, He died. And the Spirit lives on. It is with this Spirit that should and does have the ultimate authority. It is a conduit to the Father. And when Spirit-filled people come together in a community and allow the Spirit to grow and flow out of that community, a revolution of extraordinary things is possible!

Studying the text of the bible is good, but living out what is possible through the Spirit is earth-shattering. As I continue to learn and meld, I pray that I become less so He can become more.

the j-o-b. and other stuff.

2009-04-14T20:49:00.002-05:00

I've been extremely blessed to have thus far weathered the economic storm untouched. The week before our group had a one-week layoff downtown, I was transferred to my "facility rotation" at the Tech Center in Mossville. In the meantime, 5 of my coworkers (including my supervisor), were laid off indefinitely. Myself and the other two rotation participants were told that since we are "the future of the company", they decided to keep us for the time being.
Last week it was announced that our facility would join another in creating the first "regional campus" and that I would become a permanent Tech Center employee as the Hazardous Materials Coordinator on May 1. It couldn't have come at a better time!

Easter this year has been a wonderful time of reflection. What a difference a year makes. One short year ago, I was working frantically to finish my Master's degree thesis-five years in the making. I was in a job that was barely covering the bills-and often came up short. I was trying to figure out how to save enough money to get married. Life was good, but it was hard.
Things have changed. I have a beautiful, wonderful wife. I've traded two jobs for one that pays more than double. And just received a promotion nine months in. I'm blessed to be part of a growing community called Imago Dei and it is exciting! Life is good. And it's easier.

I hope to blog more often. We'll see.

Knockin the frost of the tires.

2009-04-14T20:25:00.002-05:00

After work this evening I drove to the gym, just as I do every evening. But when I pulled into the lot, a buddy of mine drove up next to me and said the power was out and wouldn't be back on anytime soon. So I turned around and drove back home. I had already taken my "pre-workout magic drink", so I HAD to do something. Although it was only about 37 degrees out, I decided to pull the bike out from the back of the garage, air up the tires, and put a few miles on.

I took a new route and ended up on a street that dead-ended at Springdale Cemetery. There was a well-worn trail through the row of trees that lined the boundary of the expansive site, so I followed it in and got on the main road, winding down a valley and then up a hill to the top of the bluff. Within a few short minutes, the sounds of the city around me were drowned out by the soft cracking of gravel under the tires and a choir of songbirds roosting in the massive trees that rise up from the monument-studded landscape. It was beautiful.

The sting of crisp clean air in my lungs as my legs churned the pedals up the inclines. The trees rushing past, weaving and dodging the puddles in the broken blacktop on the downhill sections. I felt like a kid again. And any stress from my busy day had vanished.

I made my way to the other end of the cemetery, around the back of Glen Oak Park, and up past the Zoo before returning home. I must do this more often.

maybe when it warms up.

what i do.

2009-02-18T09:18:00.001-06:00

Texas Boar Hunt '09!

2009-02-17T09:16:00.003-06:00

Leaving in 3 days for my sixth annual Texas wild boar hunt!
I can't wait. It's an adventure I look forward to every year and this year promises to be one of the best. We've got two new ranches to hunt-one of which is over 6,000 acres and rumored to be covered with hawgs. We're also spending a day fishing for trophy largemouth bass and spending that night bowfishing for monster carp and gar. The best part is just spending time with my dad, uncles, Kurt, and our Texas brothers. We get to be kids again for one week a year-with assault rifles.

Here's the improved camera mount for the new Sony HD camera and my AR15.

All set to capture some action-packed footage!

2009-02-04T20:54:00.001-06:00

Cheetos.

Not just for cheetahs anymore.

He ate about 10. voraciously.

It's been awhile.

2009-02-04T20:46:00.001-06:00

So, with all the current layoffs and not knowing from one day to the next if my job is secure, I feel a bit like this little tyke.

but it's all good.

Wedding Pic Preview!

2008-12-11T12:26:00.003-06:00

Deidre Lynn has posted some of our preview images on her blog (see link at right)! She is amazing!

coincidence?

2008-12-09T12:56:00.003-06:00

Any one else find it ironic that on the same day that "The Dark Knight" comes out on video, our super-corrupt governor is arrested in the same city in whch the movie was filmed?

Maybe now we need Batman more than ever...

married

2008-12-03T13:37:00.005-06:00

for 5 whole days now.

wow.

What amazes me the most at this point is the thought that months of meetings, planning, and details all culminate in a number of hours on a single day. and then it's over (at least the party is).

But the day could not have gone any more smoothly or have been any more perfect. It was exactly as we hoped and prayed it could be. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was nearly 50F at the end of November! We quickly realized how amazing that was as we were driving home from Chicago two days later on icy roads in blowing snow.

I started the day (Friday) with a morning workout with my old high school friend, Jeff. After the rehearsal dinner the night before, he decided it might be a good idea to try his tux on. good thing. The jacket sleeves were about 5" too short.
So, we cut the workout short and managed to get in and out of the tux place in 12 minutes-and ended up getting the the church about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Joe made us a beautiful and elaborate wedding arbor to set in front of the altar, which he put the finishing touches on hours before the ceremony started. He's amazing.

Then I got to see Gina.
I could hear the fabric of her dress brushing softly against the carpeting of the center aisle of the church as she made her way to the altar, my back turned to her until I was given permission to turn around. She was stunning. Everyone says that, but she REALLY was. I can't wait to see the pictures. I think I was speechless. Or maybe it was just because time seemed to stop. I don't know. But I will never forget that moment.

And then the photo session began.
Gina's brother, Wes, had rented a limo for the afternoon. The bridal party piled in and we headed to Bradley U. The guys were warm in their jackets, but it was a bit brisk for the girls in their dresses. Our photographer, Deidre, was giddy with how the images were appearing in her viewfinder. The light was perfect. The slight breeze was lifting Gina's long and flowing veil into the air like some fairytale painting of a princess. seriously. it was that good.

And before we knew it, we were off to the church.

Nerves were calm, until Wagner's bridal march began. The doors swung open. And there she was.

Charlie performed an absolutely beautiful ceremony that was both powerful and personal (while I may be a bit biased, my opinion was echoed by many of our guests). We had taken all the photos before the ceremony, so as soon as we had dismissed the last pews of guests, we were right out to the limo and downtown to the reception at the Packard Plaza. We strongly despise waiting an extended period of time for the bride and groom to arrive while waiting at the reception hall, so we made it a point not to keep our guests waiting. We made our grand entrance five minutes after the last guests arrived, followed by toasts, a highly entertaining video of Gina lip synching to "Supremes" as a kid, and a wonderful dinner-catered by One World.

After dinner was the traditional cake cutting (I was kind) and the first dance, mother-son/father-daughter dances. The rest of the night was spent socializing and before we knew it, it was 11:00PM. I think we may have only danced to one other song. My only regret is that there wasn't more time to visit with everyone.

From there, we departed for Frankfort, IL, where we spent the weekend. I think I was asleep more than awake while we were there. It was a much needed and deserved escape. We came home Sunday evening and decided to open all the gifts and cards, which left the living room and dining room looking like the scene of tornadic aftermath. I think we had six or seven garbage bags of cardboard and wrapping paper when we were done (don't worry, they were all recycled)! We were overwhelmed by the generosity and kind words of our friends and family. We are truly blessed by the community we are surrounded by.

We both took Monday off, which ended up being a snow day for Gina anyway, to get the house situated and run errands. The highlight of our endeavors was the purchase of a new Playstation 3, which I've been ceaselessly bugging Gina about since we began our wedding registry several months ago. It truly is an amazing machine and MUCH more than a video game system. i'm sure she'd agree wholeheartedly.
However, I was not allowed to even open the box until everything (of mine) had been removed from all kitchen cabinets, the cabinets had been cleaned, all new kitchen items had been put into place and all boxes of Gina's things had been opens and gone through to determine what stayed and what went to Goodwill or "Good Chris". Mr. Evans is building a nest for his soon-to-be-wife and is the beneficiary of all things disposed of. That little task ended up taking 5 hours. fun, fun, fun.

So, anyway, that's the story of my married life to date. It's incredibly good (five days).

Less than three weeks to the Riviera Maya honeymoon!

stay tuned for photos....

Imago Dei

2008-10-29T14:13:00.002-05:00

The Image of God (often appearing in Latin as Imago Dei) is a concept and theological doctrine that asserts that human beings are created in God's image and therefore have inherent value independent of their utility or function. This understanding is taken from Genesis 1:26-27 from the Bible. (Thank you, wikipedia.)

It's not "I'm a God, ey" or "I'm a dago" or "Imago..wha?".

the image of god.

And now it's a community of people right here in the heart of our city. A community that loves its members. Lots of churches do that. But this love flows out of the upper chambers of the Gateway Building and spreads across the bricks beneath, where the homeless gather. And across the open field beneath the Bob Micheal bridge to Taft Homes to feed those that are hungry. It's only been seven months since its inception, but something is alive in this place.
It may just be a small ripple in what can seem like a sea of endless need, but it is movement. And like a stone dropped into the water, it's influence will radiate.

This weekend, a few members of Imago Dei opened its hearts to one of the city's homeless. They put her in an apartment of her own, they furnished it, they got her a job, and they welcomed her into their lives. One life touched. One small ripple.

Let it radiate...

catch up

2008-10-29T14:07:00.001-05:00

It’s hard to believe. 30 days from now, I will no longer be single. Lately the weeks seem to be over before they start and I often have to check the calendar just to see what day of the week it is. All the little details of the upcoming event are swirling in our heads. People have said that once the day finally arrives, and passes quicker than the photographer’s shutter, it’s a bit of a let down. All the anticipation and effort exerted to make this the most memorable day in your short history is exhausted. But I’m ready. Let’s do this.

Gina has had six bridal showers (which should be some kind of record), which has resulted in the transformation of my dining room into a Bed, Bath, and Beyond warehouse of sorts. There are piles of foreign objects, which I assume are for cooking, and enough sets of Fiesta Ware to serve a polygamist family. Just imagine if all that was power tools…..
Just doesn’t seem fair.

Work has been good. Despite the economic fallout, I still have a job. It was announced last Friday that the program I’m in is getting reduced to 10% next year. My supervisor is currently shifting through 100 resumes and will likely only be able to hire one person. Guess the timing of getting in here when I did was a little more than lucky! I was supposed to find out where my next rotation location was in September, then was told I’d find out in October, and now it’s almost November. The good news is that it will most likely be a local placement. It would not have been fun to spend the first six months of marriage 100’s of miles apart!

Not much else is new around here. I’ve just been cleaning and organizing the house to try and make room for my future wife’s belongings. We’re going to try and cram two housefuls of stuff into one little home and whatever’s left on the lawn is up for grabs (or maybe we’ll just say it’s lawn furniture. That’s what they do in Pekin, anyways).

p.s. The rotator cuff is as good as new. Only took about 8 weeks to heal. I’ve also gained 18 pounds in the past 3-4 months, and I’m darn proud of it. I’ve struggled my whole life with weight-can’t seem to get enough of it!

30 days…

images

2008-09-19T15:08:00.002-05:00

Some of our engagment pictures have been posted on our photographer's blog. Check them out here: http://www.deidrelynn.com.

wow.

2008-09-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

it's been almost a month since I've posted an entry.
time passes so quickly.

So what's new?
It's been the same response for the past couple of months-working & wedding planning.
But the planning is nearly finished (or at least that's what I've convinced myself of in order to preserve what's left of my sanity). And besides being shot down by 15 churches for use of their sanctuaries, and having our cake lady back out last weekend, it's been relatively painless. I give Gina and her mom most of the credit.

Despite cutting back in the service arena, I still don't feel like I have any more free time. I'm still eating dinner at 8 or 9pm, and constantly running from one place to another. time passes so quickly.
Maybe it will slow down soon...

In other news, I was contacted by a video production company that is making a 3-part series for the Discovery Channel, called "Animals of Unusual Size." One episode focuses on wild boar, and I just so happened to have some footage up on youtube! As of this afternoon, they are slated to use 76 seconds of my footage in the show. We are negotiating payment at the moment. I'll post when it will be aired as soon as I hear.

It's been hard to get excited about all the good that's going on with what seems to be a constant barrage of loss and illnesses in our friends and families. The only saving grace is knowing that when the flood waters rise (just look out the window), we have a rescuer on the shore, waiting for us to grab the liferope...

the j.o.b.

2008-08-22T15:17:00.002-05:00

I'm 3 weeks in.
To say that I'm swimming in information would be a dramatic understatement. I've gone from a county government office with about 15 employees in it to a global corporation with 100,000 employees. Bit of a culture shock. But it's good.
So far, my days have consisted of online learning classes on subjects as diverse as insider-trading, office ergonomics, hand safety, forklift operation, information security, and coordinated fire attack procedures. Interesting to say the least. In all, I've completed 58 classes. One more to go.
I've also been assigned to four project teams. One is working on a global water useage strategy and another will examine renewable energy sources. Right up my alley! It's pretty cool that they throw you right in where the action is right off the bat.
Yesterday I had the privalege of touring the Mossville engine plant and several of the buildings in East Peoria where the big track-type trackers (bulldozers) are manufactured. It is impressive! It was also good to get out of the office. I'm really hoping that the next part of my rotation will be there in E.P. The environmental crew there is great and they have a lot of opportunities available.

Other than that, the wedding plans are coming along. We've met with a photographer or church/building people every night this week (except thursday). I think we've agreed on a photographer, but are still having trouble finding a church that will allow us to use the building. It seems you have to be a member at most of them (who knew). We also have to decide on a dj, but the other major things are taken care of.
In other news, today is my last official day at Northwoods. The student ministries took over the main services last weekend and it was awesome. The band did an amazing job. Serving in the high school ministry has been an incredible blessing over the past few years, but I had to make the tough decision to put that plate back on the shelf. I can already feel my sanity returning (at least the little that left of it). I've started to get some things accomplished around the house that have been sitting there for months. I'm getting to rest. I think this is a good thing. At least for now...

Aerial Bowfishing.

2008-08-18T21:35:00.004-05:00

What it is:
Kind of like fishing.
Kind of like hunting.
Kind of like skeet shooting.
An insane amount of fun.

What it is not:
For the faint of heart.
A spectator sport.
A relaxing day on the river.
Without inherent danger.

It's probably an accurate statement that we ended up with more Asian carp jumping into the boat than we actually shot, but they all count, right? I only made it for the afternoon and I'd estimate there were 25 or so fish arrowed between the six of us. I ended up sticking 6.

Normally, accuracy counts, especially in bowhunting. But this is a completely different animal! The boat is traveling about 10mph, the fish are jumping along with the both, away from the boat, at the boat, horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and every other possible direction! And you have about 2 seconds from the time they emerge until the time they slip back into the murky depths to raise, draw, and fire your bow. Aiming is an afterthought. It's purely instinctive.

My favorite moment from the day was when two 15-pounders attacked the boat captain simulateously from over the side. He jumped up from his seat behind the console as one thrashed around on the dashboard, hitting the throttle. The other was slapping him in the feet. The first fish then flopped into a net that was hanging over the edge of the boat, sending it and it's slimy contents into the river. By the time anyone realized what had happened, the net was 20 yards behind the boat, sinking in it's wake. I grabbed my bow and fired at the last spot I had seen the shaft of the net before it disappeared as a last ditch effort. And incredibly, when I started to reel the arrow back in, I felt a tug at the end of the line. I got it! The fish somehow managed to escape, however.

I'm sure we will return again next year for another adventure, just as soon as our carp-inflicted wounds heal.

Lemons (part 2)

2008-08-02T13:16:00.003-05:00

This is for you, Randy!!

I recieved this email notification about lemon slices in drinks a couple of weeks ago, but forgot about it until now. Enjoy!

FROM: Connie Austin, M.P.H., D.V.M., Infectious Disease Epidemiologist
Karen McMahon, Chief Immunization Section

DATE: July 16, 2008

SUBJECT: Hepatitis A Exposure in Iowa _____

Hepatitis A infection was diagnosed in a food service worker employed by Whitey's Bar and Billiards in Burlington, Iowa. This is reported to be a popular restaurant and is located in Iowa across the river from Gulf Port, Illinois in Henderson County. It is reported an employee worked with diarrhea during their infectious period. Any patrons consuming drinks with ice or a lemon slice, or any item from the salad bar, during July 2 through July 13, 2008, should receive either hepatitis A vaccine or immunoglobulin. Some patrons were potentially exposed during June 25 through July 1 but too much time has passed for post exposure prophylaxis to be effective for these individuals.

Remember, friends don't let friends get drinks with lemons!

Plates

2008-08-02T13:14:00.002-05:00

It's almost 11am. My final day at TCHD. I thought I'd be ecstatic.
But it's bittersweet. Actually, I'm almost sad.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to start my new career with CAT on Monday, but the people here have a special place in my heart. They've been a great crew to work beside. People don't work in public health to get rich. They do it because they care. It's largely a thankless job. It's a dirty job. It's usually not fun. But they do it anyway. And the past year and a half in the trenches have taught me a lot. And once again, I have logged another chapter of crazy and sometimes unbelievable stories in the book of my professional life.
So long and farewell, my brave and intrepid colleagues! I will never forget you.

Life seems to have gone from 100mph to mach 4 in the past week. It's all become a blur with all the major life changes that have occurred.
Bill Alison gave a message a few weeks ago at Nwoods about priorities that hit me directly between the eyes. He likened the hectic lifestyles we lead to the art of spinning plates. You know, taking a dinner plate, placing it on top of a wooden rod, and spinning it. Then adding more and more plates on more and more poles, all the while running back and forth to keep each of them in balance.
Each plate represents something in our life that we invest our time, money, or energy in. We can have plates for God (hopefully), family, friends, baseball, food, cars, service, jobs, partying, yard work, etc. The more plates we spin, the less we can invest in each individual plate.
Even if all of your plates represent good and fruitful things, the results of exceeding your capability to mind each one can get messy. The plates begin to wobble, begin to fall. This is where it spoke to me.

I have burdened myself with so many plates that some are barely hanging in there. And while still straining to keep them all from succumbing to gravity, the other, more important relational plates have suffered as well. I haven't seen some of my best friends in nearly a year because I've committed myself to something else here nearly every weekend. Or if I do happen to have an opening on the calendar, all I want to do is shut out everything else and sleep for a day.
It's not good or healthy for the body or the soul.
In response, I have made the difficult decision to take some of those plates from their poles and put them back on the shelf. These plates have been a big part of my life and I will miss them. But I know they will be better served with someone else spinning them.

So for now I will focus on my top priorities: my relationships with Our Father, my friends & family, and the upcoming changes in my career and marital status. I feel more at ease already!

Are there any plates in your life you can put away?

Departing gift.

2008-07-31T22:33:00.002-05:00

This is the video my co-workers put together for my going-away gift. Priceless.
(I had to break it into two parts and the quality isn't the greatest, but it's pretty good).

Down the Drain...

2008-07-31T21:22:00.003-05:00

So today was probably the most odd day I've had at the health department. This morning, we received a phone call that there was a fire at a bar yesterday afternoon. We are required to go inspect the damage whenever a facility has any kind of fire damage or sprinkler discharge to ensure all the food products are safe and the coolers/equipment are functioning properly. And while this local watering hole only served pizza, contaminated alcohol was the main concern of the investigation.
Three inspectors left first thing this morning to go check things out. Then at 11:00, my boss (the same one I scared half-to-death yesterday) came back and asked if I could head down to the location with one of the interns. Two others were also to be on their way. It sounded serious.
We had to wait for the state liquor commissioner to arrive and for the insurance adjusters and fire investigator to clear out before we could get to work. Then we were assigned the task of destroying any and all bottles of liquor and beer, as the grooved caps prevent the surface from being easily cleaned and sanitized.
So much to all of our dismay, we spent three hours emptying over 100 brand new bottles of liquor (many top-shelf and hard-to-find labels), and over 100 CASES of beer bottles. Each bottle cap had to be removed by hand. THAT'S OVER 2,500 BOTTLES down the drain. I'm sure your kids could sing that old familiar tune from here to Oklahoma with that many bottles on the wall.

I should also mention that there was no air flow through the bar while we were working and everything was covered in ash. By the time we were finished, all of us had soot-smeared faces, beer-soaked britches, and shirts that were more wet than dry. Only one more day of this. I guess they figure they need to get all the work out of me they can before I hang up my thermometers, rubber boots, and septic sampling stick!

P.S. When I got in my car after softball tonight, it still smelled like stale booze. gross.

Shananigans

2008-07-30T15:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the health department threw a potluck for me and two other employees who are also finishing their last week of employment here. It has become a tradition in the Environmental Health division to create a crazy video for the departing coworker to have as a keepsake. I'd hate to think about how many taxpayer hours were spent on mine! It was genius. They filmed it as an episode of the "Twilight Zone," with the cameraman playing me, so it was a first-person view. It began by each employee was trying to convince me to stay here, but when I refused all of their offers, they devised a plot to "off" me. The climax was "me" walking into an office where several of them had gathered at which time they captured me with a garbage bag and wrapped me in duct tape. Then several of them carried the "body" out of the office and put it in my boss's trunk. When they were spotted by the director of the health department and questioned as to what they were doing, the narrator stated my boss was going to have to "dig another hole." It was hilarious. I'll post it on youtube when I get the dvd tomorrow.

Anyway, the "body" they used was one of our yellow plastic biohazard suits, which they put inside the garbage bags. It really did look authentic. And creepy.
So today I devised a plan to get my boss back.
I had one of the secretaries call the front office so he'd have to go to the other building for a few minutes. Then I got into the biohazard suit (which was still inside the garbage bags in our break room) and had the secretary slip the bags, secured with duct tape, over my head. I DID leave a hole to breath through. I laid on the floor behind my boss's desk and waited for him to return, while several coworkers lurked in the room outside the door. When Ray came in, he walked over to a file cabinet for a few seconds, then turned to come over to his desk. When he was a few steps away, I jumped up and came at him. He leapt back with his arms up like a little girl! The look on his face was absolutely priceless. I keep bursting out laughing just thinking about it.

I'm going to miss things like this.
But that's about it.

It's Official! (take 2)

2008-07-30T15:07:00.002-05:00

So, the cat's out of the bag (actually he was never in it (it's hard to get him in any confined space)). Gina and I are engaged! It went down last Wednesday on Grandview Dr. in Peoria. And we're pretty excited about it!

Gina has wanted to go on a picnic ever since we started dating. And we just hadn't done it. So I thought it was fitting (and she wouldn't suspect anything) if we had a little dining out of doors a couple of nights before she left for vacation on Cape Cod. She was very excited and I hoped she hadn't figured anything out since I had made a 3-hour pilgrimage (one-way) to a jewelry store in Indiana with two of her friends on the Friday before to buy the ring.

So the evening started out absolutely lovely. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining, there were sailboats on the river and we had a perfect view from the bluff. I had packed a TON of food, so we ate and made casual conversation (and all the while the ring sat a foot away, tucked into a pocket of the cooler bag, like the pounding heart under the floorboards in some Edgar Allen Poe story). After dinner, we sat for awhile, exchanging sweet nothings while joggers and a stray cat passed by. Then I told her I had made something for her and pulled out a piece of paper with notes of how much she meant to me and how I knew she was the only one for me, etc. Gushy stuff.
And then I pretended like that was the grand finale. I gazed at the surroundings. Enjoyed the silence.
Everything calmed.
And then I said there was one last surprise, but it probably wasn't what she was anticipating. The ring came in a very large box, so again, she wouldn't suspect anything. (She later remarked she thought I had gotten her a dog charm or something stupid). I got on one knee, at which time she figured she should stand up, and asked her the million dollar question. And she said yes!

So we spent the next several minutes swooning. It was a moment that was instantly burned into my soul and I will never forget (like one of those flashback moments from a sappy movie where the 98 year-old guy is in the nursing home with his wife, etc.). It was magical.

Then we spent 3 hours on the phone calling relatives and friends and oogling over the sparkliness of her new hand ornament.

Life is good.

And the planning is now in full-swing! Which is insane.
We're shooting for a November nuptial date (yes, of this year).
Woohoo!

weird day.

2008-07-15T16:56:00.002-05:00

13 days left at the health department. Today gave me several reasons to be thankful for my pending departure.
1. Started the morning with the resampling of a septic system that had previously failed. Rang the doorbell...no answer. Again...no answer. No one home. Thanks for making the appointment. I called the homeowner. He was sorry his wife was not home. "I don't know where else she could be." I think what we have here is a failure to communicate.
2. Second stop. Owner was home but forgot to run the water 45 minutes prior to my arrival. I had to crouch in the weeds and the mud, holding a bottle under the outlet pipe to collect drop by drop until the bottle was full. And all the while, swat sparrow-sized mosquitoes.
3. Geothermal inspection at 3:30 in the afternoon in humid 90 degree weather. Mud and grout ankle deep. Sweat dripping from my face onto my clipboard, erasing the grid lines from my graph paper.

On a lighter note, the afternoon brought a touch of humor.
One of our inspectors was going to East Peoria to post a shack as unfit for human habitation. A guy had been living in a shanty without plumbing or sewer since 1997. One of the interns (a 40-ish, former military woman) was to go with the inspector for safety reasons. The inspector was parked behind the office, as was I. The intern was parked out front. The inspector drives a reddish Ford Taurus. I drive a reddish Grand Am. The intern went out the front door to pull around back and wait for the inspector to leave. I left out the back door, apparently at the same time. So, she assumed that I was the inspector, even though our cars are drastically different in shape (as are myself and the other inspector), and proceeded to speed down the road to catch up with me.
Now, this probably isn't the most professional thing to do, but after all she's an intern (and has not returned a "hi" or "good morning" a single time since she started). So I continued on my merry way to complete a geothermal inspection 7 miles south of the office. Remember, she was supposed to be going to East Peoria, about 10 miles NORTH of the office. This didn't phase her. She followed me down winding country roads, further and further south and twice pulled up directly behind me while I was stopped to check mailboxes for the address. Still, she didn't realize that I was not the other inspector, who is heavier, about 5'5", and a female with long blond hair. wow. So on I went, pulling into a driveway and up a steep hill to a brand new house, still under construction (she was going to a shack in the woods). STILL, she followed. It didn't occur to her that she had made a mistake until I stepped out of the car.
I would have loved to have a picture of her face at that moment. Maybe I'm just cruel. But at least she finally spoke to me. I think she was a little embarrassed as she backed her car out of the driveway and sped away back to the health department.

13 more days.

In case you haven't heard...

2008-06-26T17:36:00.001-05:00

After two phone interviews, three "targeted selection" interviews, and a "technical" interview over the past 6 months, I officially received a job offer from Caterpillar, Inc. today as an Environmental, Health & Safety Associate. That in itself is cause for celebration. It is a position in which I believe I will be challenged and allowed to be creative and innovative. And for the first time in my professional life, there are opportunities for growth and a ladder that is vertical instead of horizontal.
and as far as I know, the job has nothing to do with poop, something which I've become ALL too familiar with in the past three jobs (and a grad school career)!
When I think back over the past year, so much has happened. So much good. And just as many financial burdens, stresses, and "how am I ever going to be able to pay this" 's. I know that so many of you have prayed that not only CAT would offer me this position, but that it would be financially freeing. From what a former Bradley classmate who is also working in the same division told me, I expected a 50-60% raise, which had me very excited. I could start chipping away at my accumulated debt and breath easier when the CILCO bill came.

So when I opened the job offer this afternoon, I nearly fell off my chair.

The salary I am starting at is a 125% raise from my current pay at the health department.
I had to read it five times to make sure it was right.
Then I called Gina, who suggested I read it once more-just to make sure.

I know money isn't all that matters. It is an evil thing when people make it their god. But it just such a wonderful feeling of a burden lifted. That the pile of bills on the office desk won't be the loudest thing I hear when I go to bed at night.
Thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts, crossed fingers, words of wisdom and support (and loans). I love you all so much! I am so excited to see where this next chapter in life leads. I am so thankful that you are all a part of it.

It's Official!

2008-06-20T17:12:00.001-05:00

what did you think i meant?

Cougar Quiz

2008-06-19T16:39:00.002-05:00

Let's see how much you know about the coolest cat ever birthed.
1) Which is not one of Cougar's favorite foods?
a. String Cheese
b. French Bread
c. Green Olives
d. Cheetos
2) What is Cougar's middle name?
a. Frank
b. Bear
c. Jones
d. Ringo
3) In what year did Cougar adopt me?
a. 2002
b. 2003
c. 2004
d. 2005
4) In what famous 80's movie did Cougar's double star?
5) Cougar hates:
a. Shadows
b. Cats
c. Dogs
d. Children
6) At one evening meal, Chris Evans fed Cougar an entire:
a. Chocolate Bunny
b. Chicken Breast
c. Can of Baked Beans
d. Donkey
7. How many distinct dialects does Cougar communicate in?
a. 4
b. 6
c. 12
d. I don't know, as I am not fluent in Catenese.

Good things.

2008-06-19T16:27:00.002-05:00

The interview only took 20 minutes! I met with the environmental manager to go over what the job entails and what experience I have. At the end he said I possess all the qualifications they are looking for and I'd make a great candidate. So, I'd say it went "well" to "extremely well." He said he'd call my potential supervisor and let her know of his thoughts.
Now I just have to wait to her from her!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!
j

(Not) back in the saddle.

2008-06-18T20:10:00.002-05:00

I visited the chiropractor this evening for the back problem. I had never been to a chiro before, so they put me through the whole 9 yards with the measurements and the x-rays and such. The x-rays revealed two swollen discs with a compressed one between them. Also, the channels in the spine that the nerves run through (which are supposed to be round) are all shaped like kidney beans and have even started branching away from the spine. He said this was due to a prior injury and that the problem has existed for quite some time. hmm...
Sooo...for now, no lifting or bending. More ice. Another adjustment on friday. It actually hurts worse now than before I went in, but hopefully that's just due to the strong massage at the end.

In other, better news, I have another interview at CAT tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 in East Peoria!! Hopefully this will be the last one before they make a decision. Please pray that it goes well and I have all the qualifications required for the position!

And finally, thank you sooooo much to my dear sweet Nurse Gina who has taken such wonderful care of me through all of this nonsense! I honestly don't know what I'd do without her (probably go to work without socks on and my shoes untied-hard to reach when you can't bend!).

DL

2008-06-15T07:22:00.002-05:00

Somehow I managed to injure myself while dead lifting on Friday. I wasn't trying an extreme amount of weight or anything, but on my last set something went terribly wrong. As soon as I put the weights down, I had shooting pain in my lower back, just below my weight belt. Thus ended my workout.

I went to work and my boss sent me home (thanks). I spent the next 10 hours icing it, which was recommended by a chiropractic friend. It's now Sunday morning and my condition is about the same. I can walk (carefully), but I feel decrepit. If it's not any better by Wednesday, I think I'll go to a doctor. Until then I'll just hobble and complain.

Happy Father's Day to all you procreators!

waiting...

2008-06-08T15:31:00.003-05:00

My lovely and wonderful parents came down on Wednesday eve' and picked up my dead car on a trailer. They also left me a spare car that was out at the shop where my dad works. So, thankfully I have had a mode of transport. The old car is getting a new engine.

Still awaiting news from CAT. I was told I may be having an additional interview with a facility manager to go over the technical aspects of the job. My potential supervisor also said she has to talk with some people to address CAT's need right now. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, although I don't know why they'd be interviewing people if they didn't have a job for them. So that's where I'm at. Hopefully I'll find out more this week. On eggshells until then.

in the meantime, life is good.

Nothing is sound.

2008-06-03T17:06:00.002-05:00

Well folks, this is to be yet another blog in the long line of blogs involving my once beloved (now despised) Grand Am.
I've fought this thing since I got it back in '04. First it was small things like fuel injectors, fuel filters, then the usual things that wear out and need to be replaced as soon as you get it paid off-tires, brakes, headlights, etc.
But yesterday, as I was driving to Joe's apartment, it began ticking. Not "ticking" as in an adorable cuckoo clock on grandmother's wall. An ominous, metallic ticking reverberating from under the hood. It was soon joined by a louder tapping, both in rapid succession. When we got it back to Joe's, he took a listen under the hood. Rod knock.
not good.
The prospects for longevity of the engine were bleak, but it should've held up for at least awhile.
Then today on the way home from work, the little 4-cylinder transformed into a machine gun mimic. People on the sidewalk were diving for cover and drivers in adjacent vehicles sped up to avoid becoming a victim if the thing blew up. and you think i'm kidding. I'm 98.543% sure I now have a spun rod. I made it home (doing 25mph) and the piece of....pleasantry...is parked in the driveway.

not sure what I'm going to do now.

sure would be nice to hear back from Caterpillar in my hour of greatest financial dire straits...

Hooray Hoorah.

2008-05-29T21:55:00.002-05:00

Well.
The day at CAT was great! Everyone I met and spoke with seemed to really enjoy what they do. And the conclusion was that CAT takes care of its people and they, in turn, take care of CAT.
what a concept.

I had three interviews and met with a few others that are currently in the rotation program over lunch. The entire experience was positive and affirming. It would be a HUGE blessing to work in the environmental, health and safety department. The steps that CAT is taking to remain the world leader in sustainable development and to reduce the environmental impact from their facilities is greatly encouraging. I would love to be a part of that change!

So, the three interviewers are having a meeting on Monday to discuss their thoughts and I will know if I will be offered the job by midweek!
Thank you again to all who have been praying! Your prayers have been heard!
Go Big Yellow!

'Twas the night before...

2008-05-28T21:35:00.002-05:00

In approximately 9 hours I will be sitting in the lobby at CAT h.q. downtown, preparing to interview for a position that could bring great change to my life. I've been chatting with a friend from Bradley who has held the same position for about 3 years and she loves it. The more I hear about it, the more excited I get about the potential future. It's not just about the financial stability it would provide (although that is something I'd gladly welcome), but the thought of being in a career where innovation and creativity are acknowledged and rewarded would be uplifting. I don't think I was made to check off numbers on a page or to maintain databases, or to sample poo water, and I certainly was not created to be an 8-hour cube dweller. I am passionate about people and our environment. If those two things can be brought together in an innovative atmosphere, I'd be proud to be on the team.

thank you to all who have been praying, fasting, thinking good thoughts, crossing fingers, or whatever you do. The Ultimate Employeer sees and hears them all!

I'll let you know how it went when I get home tomorrow night!
-j

Blessed.

2008-05-27T21:29:00.003-05:00

The weekend was great. Just what a weary soul needed.

My ole' buddy, Jeff, from high school came down Friday night. We went to One World and then spent a few hours catching up. It had poured all day, but we still planned on getting up early (fairly) and hitting the trails at Jubilee. We used to go riding almost every weekend when we both were attending Bradley, but I've only ridden there once or twice since. So after putting the rack on the car, strapping down the bikes and loading up the rest of our gear, we headed to the park. We decided to park on the back side and ride in since we figured there would be big crowds there for the holiday weekend. We found a deer trail and cut into the woods. I learned a lot that morning. Hooves are better for ascending and descending steep slopes than knobby tires and wet brakes. And stinging nettles EARNED that name. I also learned that you should call the park's phone number before setting out. When we finally found a road 1.5 hours later, there was a sign stating the trails were closed for the day due to the rain. A park employee also stopped his truck to inform us of our error. There was no denying where we had been...covered in mud from the shoulders down. it was a good morning.

Saturday evening Gina and I were to go to the Sletten's for dinner. or so she would have had me believe.
First, she led me astray by having me look down the side streets of the subdivision for the house that the Sletten's were going to buy to be used for Young Life activities. total farce.
Then she was very insistent on carrying the gigantic pan of cheesy potatoes. my gentlemanly manners would not allow it. nor did i question why she made such a ridiculous amount of potatoes for 4 people and a baby.
When I rounded the corner of the house to go through the back gate (also strange, but I didn't think twice about it), there was a large group of people gathered on the deck.
My first thought: oh, this was a cookout? i thought it was just us and the slettens.

Then I saw my family and Gina's family.
Everyone shouted something in unison. I heard "surprise!," and thought, "what in the world is this for?"
I was later told, they shouted "happy graduation," which totally makes sense now.

Anyway, it was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. That my friends and family all took time out of their lives to come down and hang out was a humbling and blessing experience. Gina is the best. And Summer is close behind.

Thank you everyone who came out and everyone else who offered words of encouragement over the years! I love you all!

Sometimes you end up a streak on the pavement.

2008-05-20T16:42:00.003-05:00

I'll just say upfront that context of this entry is going to be weird.
but that's me. sorry.

For some reason, the county or the state has cut off funding for the highway department to pick up roadkill until June because of high gas prices. Needless to say, the shoulders are littered with bloated and half-scavenged carcasses of deer, raccoons, possums, and other things splattered beyond recognition.

It's made me realize a few things.
1) The guys that pick up roadkill have an important job. and one that I would not want (except it would be free groceries).
2) Our politicians are not smart.
3) A freaking lot of animals die on our locals highways and byways everyday (I saw no fewer than 4 dead deer just today).

But it's that third point I'll focus on.
Sunday night I narrowly missed a raccoon as it darted across the road between myself and an oncoming SUV.

Yesterday, while cruising the fine streets of Pekin, a Jack Russell terrier bolted across the path of an oncoming truck and I hit the gas to avoid it going under my back tires. It's owner, a young boy on a bike, watched horrified as his best friend was nearly flattened before his eyes. I could see him crying out across the street in my rearview mirror. As traffic cleared the intersection, he pedaled as fast as he could down the adjacent street to catch the frightened pup.

I couldn't help but think of the pain it would have caused the boy if his dog, his friend, would have been lost while just doing what dogs do. Seeking what was across the next street with reckless abandon. What's over that next hill or around the corner? Dogs don't think about the consequences. They don't count the cost of their wandering.
are we so different?

Our own Master calls out to us daily, trying to keep up from becoming a streak on the pavement. The world bowls us over, spins us around, tramples us, and kicks us into the ditch. The world keeps going. People are left to rot while the world drives by, focused on the own road ahead.

But we can keep them from becoming food for the birds and wild animals by walking with them. While we can't take the cars of the road, we can amplify the Master's call. While not choking them with a chain of rules, regulations, and religion, we can take them by the hand and show them a better way to navigate life here.

and one day they will safely reach their destination.

Tardiness is next to...(oh that's something else)

2008-05-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

Allow me to start by saying the season finale of The Office was outlandish. Loved every akwardly hilarious moment.

Michael: "Toby has been cruisin' for a brusin' for twelve years. Today I am his cruise director and my name is Captain Bruisin."

Michael: "I'm pretty sure she's baked on a professional level."

where do the days go?

2008-05-18T13:44:00.002-05:00

Hey, I'm still alive.
just busier (i thought things would slow down after the thesis was done).

Last week was a whirlwind of working both jobs, completing a video project for my sister's graduating students, and a few hours of sleep.

The only real news is that after a second phone interview with CAT on tuesday (the first was waaaay back in January), I was given an invitation for a formal interview. It will be on May 29th from 7am-4pmish. The position is with the Environmental, Heath & Safety department. CAT has some really exciting things going on in the reduction of waste, energy consumption, green house gas emmissions, and green building. I think this could be the beginning of a lifetime career. So please feel free to pray for the interview and that if I do get the job, there would be no relocation after the first 6 months (it's not too soon to start now).

It feels like doors may be starting to open after all those years of academic strife. I have also become more frustrated with my current job. It has become mundane and administrative. I was told at my first interview at TCHD that the position was a "stepping stone". I've learned a lot, but it's time to set my ladder on that foundation and climb.

2008-05-09T18:25:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday May 6th, 2008 at 11:35am, Scott Massie left this world.
He was an inspector here at the health department and he loved his job.
The last time I saw him was at the benefit held here a few short weeks ago. His hair was gone and he was in a wheelchair, but he was still the same old Scott, asking about the geothermal program and if I had received the plans from a big job he had worked on. As his wife Paula was getting him ready to leave the office for the last time, he said in a shaky voice, "I hope you guys know how much I want to be here."

Today I had the honor of bearing his casket. And as we trudged across the cemetery lawn from the hearse to the tomb, the weight in my left hand was extreme. Even with seven grown men carrying the coffin, it was heavy. I was reminded in that moment that Scott no longer has a load to bear. All the weight of this world is gone from him. He is free.

The pastor of Calvary Baptist delivered a beautiful message of hope for all who believe. He spoke of the death of Jesus' close friend, Lazarus. When word reached Jesus that his friend had died, he went to him to the town of Bethany to comfort those who were mourning. Jesus arrived three days after Lazarus’ death and people were still weeping with Mary, his sister. Luke 11:33 says, "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35Jesus wept.

Jesus wept. The Jesus who knew that Lazarus was with his Father and that the pains of this world had left him…wept.
Was it because He was grieved at the worldly loss of his friend? I don't think so. I think it was because Jesus was moved by the love that these people had for Lazarus and for Mary. He felt their pain.
The pastor suggested that if Scott had the choice of returning to earth, he would do so only to relieve the grief of his family.

I hadn't been to a funeral in a few years.
And I see death differently now.
It's still not easy to lose someone, but "death has lost its sting."
At least for those who believe.

As we stood around the open grave, the sun began to break through the clouds. You can cast away the empty shell, ravaged and broken by sicknesses that this fallen creation succumbs to. You can bury it in a deep, dark hole and cover it with a stone.
But the beloved is not there.
They've changed their address.
Now they reside the nice part of town.

Scott is now in the place where light comes from.
And where life comes from.

Job Fair

2008-05-08T20:39:00.003-05:00

Michael Scott: "We're going to get some young blood in here. We're going to youth-anize this place."

also, it's great to know that Pam was a "Cougar" in high school!

Passing the Torch

2008-05-05T22:23:00.002-05:00

I'll admit this is a little late, but my computer at work wouldn't let me access my blog and then we were out of town for the weekend.
Anywho, Mr. Charlie Dean has handed me the torch for posting new quotes from each week's episode of The Office. So here goes:

Dwight (to Andy in response to his Xterra's "For Sale" poster): "The way I see it, you have four options: 1. Sell it for parts, 2. Push it off a cliff, 3. Donate it to someone you want to see die in a car accident, or 4. Sell it to me for next to nothing."

lost in bloggerdom

2008-05-05T22:17:00.003-05:00

Well, when we left off, I had just had the night of a lifetime, meeting with Mr. Corwin. Last week was just as hectic as any. I got the final revisions back from my committee on Monday and worked into the late hours of the night Tuesday, editing, cutting, and pasting until the two separate papers became one, 52-page beast. With all the required paperwork signed, I turned in the final product Friday to the grad school for binding. So, (sigh) it's all said and done now. I don't think the realization of it all will finally come until I have the diploma in hand.

Gina and I spent a wonderful weekend in St. Louis with her bro, Wes. We went to the zoo on Saturday. It's a great place and it's FREE!! double awesome. We didn't do anything else of note, except eat and relax (two of my favorite things).

Sunday was beautiful. We drove back in time for church at Imago and then split the afternoon between two cookouts with wonderful friends. Could not have been better!

Greatest Night EVER.

2008-04-26T08:14:00.003-05:00

What better way to celebrate the conclusion of my graduate career than to meet my environmental idol?
Tuesday, my former boss from Wildlife Prairie Park called to see if I would be interested in attending the 30th anniversary celebration. Gina and I had wanted to go originally, but couldn't afford the $150 tickets. Linda said she had a table donated and we could go for $30. So, of course, we jumped all over it.

As the program was about to begin, one of my former coworkers walked by. She said she was going to go get Jeff and asked if I wanted to go with her. Are you freaking kidding me?!

So we walked from the exhibit halls, through the new Civic Center addition, and up the escalators to the green room. Mr. Corwin was admiring the view of Peoria from the giant windows when we arrived. It was surreal.
So we walked back downstairs and chatted. amazing. unreal. Here is one of the world's foremost conservationists, television personalities (an Emmy winner), and I'm making smalltalk about the Park and wildlife.

Jeff gave an inspiring keynote address on how he came to be a naturalist and conservationist, the importance of protecting our environment and all species, and how all of us can make a difference in our own homes.

What a perfect end to a great day!

2008-04-25T17:06:00.002-05:00

it is finished. nearly.

Wow, I never thought this day would come. honestly.
It has been such a struggle.
I realized a few minutes before the presentation was to begin that I have been a Bradley University student 1/3 of my life. 9 years!
I should have been a doctor.
Anyway, the presentation went pretty smoothly. There were probably 12 professors in attendance, including the dean of the grad school. The questions following were pretty grueling, but my advisor said that it was the most responsive audience they'd ever had for a thesis, which meant they understood what I was talking about. that's a good thing when it comes to endocrinology (hormones) and ethology (animal behavior).
Then I spent another hour in a room with my committee. They were surprisingly gentle this time. I think they asked 10 questions or so. Then they went into the office and talked for awhile. My advisor came back out and called me in. "Congratulations."
I could have cried, but I was too happy.
They have the weekend to make final revisions on the thesis, then I have until Friday to get everything polished and turned in to the grad school to have it bound. Half of it will be sent to the Journal for Wildlife Diseases for publication. sweet.

Thank you for your prayers and thoughts during the past week. It's been hard and stressful, but you all have made it much MUCH easier! I don't know what I'd do without such amazing friends and family!

not too late!

2008-04-22T22:45:00.002-05:00

The wonderful Gina and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on Friday, the 18th! It's hard to believe it's already been a year. I can vividly remember the first moment I saw her from across the room. Leslie would introduce us an hour or so later. The rest is history, folks. And we've only yet begun to write the book. Thank you all for being a part of our story. I have never felt so blessed as to be loved by Gina. And the friends that we share are the greatest I've ever known. I am so thankful for where I am in this life. It is hard at times. But I wouldn't trade the experiences I've gained for the world.
I love you, Gina Bean!

Ketchup

2008-04-22T22:36:00.002-05:00

Ah.
It's 10:41pm. I should be sleeping. I wish I could say I was feeling relieved that I just emailed both revised (for the 3rd time) chapters of my thesis to the 3 professors that hold my graduate degree fate in their hands. But I still have to finish the powerpoint presentation, and commit to my cloudy memory all the ins and outs of endocrinology, steroid synthesis, stress physiology, and a deluge of statistical analyses that make my head spin.
Friday at high noon is judgement time. I first present the thesis to the biology department and anyone else who shows up. Then I am escorted to a small room and seated at a long table across from "The Three" (ala "The Apprentice"). They can drill me on any of the aforementioned topics for an hour, after which they give me a thumbs up or a thumbs down. If all ends well, I am a grad school graduate. If not....well, we won't go there.
It's been a long (5 years), hard road that I could have just as easily walked away from years ago.
But I can't just give up on something.
I will see it through.
And then....
i will sleep.

changes

2008-04-16T11:29:00.002-05:00

Often when we go out to a property with an old septic system, everything is buried. The only way to find anything is with the drawing that the inspector made when the system was installed. More often than not, the drawing on the right is what we have to go off. This was done in 1976, scratched on the back of another sheet of paper. Sometimes there are not any directions, distances, labels, etc. The drawing on the left is the one I made for the replacement system at the same address (the original system is in the upper left-hand corner). a bit more detail. It's scary to think what may be out there underground (abandoned septic tanks, cess pools, hand-dug wells...
Maybe in your own backyard!

the details.

2008-04-14T16:31:00.000-05:00

My brain has been swimming for the past week. The first half, however, was from a multitude of cold medicines to turn off my faucet-like nose and numb my sandpaper-esque throat. The latter half has been from the stimulating reading and conversations of the weekend.

When I was growing up, the Bible was a storybook. There were some interesting and believable characters in it. And then there were fanciful tales that only a child’s mind could illustrate. Or so I thought.
Then I grew up and was taught that what was written was indeed literal (mostly). If you were facing a challenge in life, whip out your trusty NIV and find the 4 easy steps to solve the problem. I learned that an apologist wasn’t someone who went around telling people they were sorry about being Christians. They had the answers. For EVERYTHING. I wanted to be one. I wanted to shut up my fancy-pants college professors who arrogantly stood at the head of the lecture hall and preached that while evolution was only a “theory,” that it and only it was based on science. You could NOT give any physical support to “creation” because it was based solely on faith (literally said to me as a grad student). Apologists could explain and defend any biblical premise and position.

But recently, I’ve come to the realization that the details that many Christians have disputed, defended, resisted, and talked themselves blue in the face over are not all that critical. Would it be that tragic if the world wasn’t created in six literal days?
Does that change the fact that God created it?

Will anyone care if at the end of time hell isn’t a literal furnace and the devil isn’t a furry guy with ram’s legs and a spiked tail? (ok, I think that last part is from Disney or something). All that matters is that you don’t want to be there! It is eternal separation from God. It matters not if you are on fire or tormented or made to tirelessly eat stacks of unending donuts while you are there.

Are dancing, playing cards, listening to rock music, drinking alcohol, etc. activities that ultimately sinful? Or does each individual have to make the distinction between what is good or not good for themselves. To what extent is this a stumbling block to me? At what point does this activity turn me away from HIM?

I think that there are infallible, undeniable, and unwavering TRUTHs in the bible. There are laws that God handed down in the Old Testament that did not change when the New Covenant of Jesus was instilled and the concrete is still hardening today. The pillars of Christianity have not crumbled and have not been altered to fit today’s changing culture. I GET THAT. But TRUTH in other matters can be true in different ways to different people. We have 136 different “Christian” churches in Peoria alone! There is a reason.

So with all the recent discussion and some hostility towards “emergent,” “emerging,” “postmodern” churches or their leaders, I don’t understand all the hubbub. If you take one path and someone takes another and you both end up at the same destination, what’s wrong with their path?
It’s not that one church is right or another is wrong. Maybe they’re both wrong. Maybe they’re both right. Maybe it doesn’t even matter.

What does matter is Jesus and the way he lived. Let's just do that.

LOWER YOUR ENERGY BILL-grab a shovel.

2008-04-08T13:54:00.002-05:00

Over 70% of the energy consumed by a typical house is used to meet heating and cooling needs. In the U.S., heating and cooling buildings accounts for 43% of the carbon emissions, 39% of the energy consumption, and 53% of the natural gas usage. Why do we only consider cars and trucks when talking about conserving energy, oil, etc?!

Currently less than 1% of Illinois’ energy comes from renewable sources (readily replenished). There is a mandate in our state that by 2025, 25% of our energy MUST come from renewable sources. Got any ideas?

47% of solar energy is absorbed by the earth’s surface and is stored below the frost line. In Illinois, the ground temperature stays 52-57ºF year-round. Wind and solar energy are good sources of renewable energy, BUT they don’t do anything to decrease our dependence on energy. They just create more, so the power companies are still happy. Geothermal systems are more efficient, reducing energy requirements and your monthly power bill.

Ground Source Heat Exchange systems MOVE energy, they don’t create it. A heat pump (replaces the furnace) runs water through a sealed or open loops in underground piping where it is naturally heated or cooled by the ground. The heat pump elevates low-grade heat to high-grade heat by compression and reverses for cooling.

GSHE systems are 50-70% more efficient for heating and 20-40% more efficient for cooling than traditional forced air systems. The current systems in place are already saving the U.S. 14 million barrels of crude oil per year. Illinois had around 3,000 homes and buildings using geothermal systems in 2006.

On average, a 2000 sq. ft. home requires $2,100 of fossil fuel to heat and cool it each year. The same home on a geothermal system requires $700 of fossil fuel! Currently, only 1 in 70 new homes utilizes this technology. Why? Cost. It costs approximately $10K more to install one of these systems as opposed to traditional. This is because well drillers have to drill several (3-8) bore holes 150-175’ deep to run the pipes. However, if you are on a 30-year mortgage, it only adds $59/month or $708/year. And remember you are saving $1,400 on heating/cooling costs!!! That’s at today’s prices. Who knows how far this “energy crisis” will go and how much we will be paying a few years down the road?!

Other benefits: quiet operation, low maintenance, no machinery at ground surface or outside the home (it’s virtually invisible once installed), free hot water (by-product of heat pump), environmentally friendly.

To me, it’s a no-brainer. If you’re building a new home, put one of these in. If you are replacing your current system, the return on investment is 8-10 years. But it’s worth it. You are making a difference.

Hanging in there.

2008-04-08T11:54:00.002-05:00

Last night Joe taught me the sacred art of hanging and mudding drywall. Mudding truly is an art (so I watched).
With the last tenant to move in on the 15th, time is precious. The walls in the main room still need drywall over the ancient plastered brick, 5 windows have to be replaced, a new steel front door has to be hung, walls and ceilings need to be primed and painted, the bathroom ceiling has to be replaced, and laminant floors need to be laid throughout. Wow. 7 days.

Irresistible.

2008-04-08T11:33:00.003-05:00

I must preface this tale by saying that we receive calls from people every day that are bizarre, creepy, and sometimes, downright insane.

So yesterday, out of the sheer boredom that comes with watching 3 men dig a trench, I decided to mess with my co-workers.

I called the office (we don't have caller-I.D.) and one of the secretaries answered. In my most distinguished Pekin-esque, "carnie" accent (sorry), I told the unsuspecting administrative assistant that I had a pet chimpanzee and would like to know if there were any required permits for possessing said simian. She paused, and nervously answered that she would have to transfer me to someone else. Before she could do so, I revealed my true identity. She laughed in relief and then suggested giving my cell number with my monkey request to our supervisor, Ray. Brilliant!

Ray is quiet, professional, and serious. So he was the PERFECT target for our scheme.

15 minutes later my phone rang. I answered with a big "Hee-haw" hello. Ray introduced himself and asked if I had a question about a pet. I informed him that I had a chimpanzee. He then stated I would need to contact Animal Control with my inquiry. I boldly exclaimed (with slack-jaw) that I did not require animal control because I had already got the chimp under control. I continued that he used to go after small children, but he had calmed down now and there was no need for Animal Control.
silence on the other end of the phone line.
"Sir, I'm going to transfer you to animal control."
I then burst forth with the notion of bringing the ape into a food establishment, such as bringing him to baseball games to sell peanuts.
again, silence.
"Sir, I'm going to have to transfer you to our food program supervisor."

At that, I lost it! I broke character and revealed my true identity.
Ray cursed loudly into the phone and slammed down the receiver.

When I called the secretary a couple of minutes later, all I could hear was tumultuous laughter from the office staff. They had all been listening outside his office door.

nailed it.

the good stuff

2008-04-06T15:02:00.002-05:00

It's been a good weekend. I'm sitting on the back porch soaking up the sun and despite the neighbor kids pestering each other on the opposite side of the fence, it's a perfect afternoon.
I got to spend a full day working at Nwoods on Friday since I was gone all day to the geothermal conference in Chicago on Wednesday. I got a lot accomplished but it didn't feel at all like work. I enjoyed it. It was fun. It was just a taste of what working in an enjoyable career would be like.

Saturday was equally as beautiful as today. After hauling "26 sheets of drywall!" in Joe's $400, 1980-somthin' F250 (which boasts an enormous 460 engine) to the apartment building, Gina and I took a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood and then spent a couple of hours lounging and reading on the back porch. We then drove to Canton for her cousin's wedding reception. It was fun, but I think I was asleep before we left the city limits on the way home (probably 10:15ish).

This morning's service at Imago Dei was inspirational, as Charlie taught about embracing and becoming salt and light. The place is full of life. We visited with friends afterward and a bunch of us went to Old Chicago for lunch. Good times, great people.

We also got great news yesterday that Cougar's liver enzyme levels have returned to normal! Only one more day of fighting him to take his meds. He usually is at the bottom of the stairs by the time I get out of the bedroom in the morning, howling for his breakfast. But he has to have a pill one hour before eating, which he has learning, and today he wouldn't even leave the bed. He's been a furry little trooper.

So I'll keep working on my tan (and thesis presentation) until it's time to take a walk to Emo's with the Potters and then head out to the Dean's for small group tonight. I wish days like this could last forever (or at least replace the monday-friday workweek).

2008-04-01T16:18:00.003-05:00

1 Corinthians 2
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

CRAV this weekend spoke volumes to these words of Paul's. You don't have to be eloquent or a biblical scholar to spread the gospel. You don't need to be a pastor or even be old enough to drive. When you are LIVING in a way that shows you SERVE the MASTER of ALL, you speak louder than any bullhorn preacher, and reach deeper than any international televangelist.

Live out the words...

at last?

2008-04-01T15:39:00.003-05:00

April 24, 2008.
I finally have acquired positive responses from all three committee members that Thursday at 12:00pm will work for a thesis defense. So that's a good thing.

The bad? They've had my papers for going on 7 weeks now. And it seems they haven't found an hour in all those days and weeks to read them. And I can't get a straight answer of when I can expect them back for revision. I've spent a couple of hours working on my presentation this afternoon at the office.

This morning, we had a biscuits and gravy benefit for one of our co-workers who has been fighting cancer for about 6 months. For the occasion, I decided it would be a good idea to eat 5 biscuits and 3 full cups of mouth-watering sausage gravy. Needless to say, I skipped lunch. and dinner won't be necessary either.
On a lighter note, we raised over $1,500 for Scott and his family.

Tomorrow I have the pleasure of attending a geo-thermal conference in Naperville from 8-5. I can hardly freaking wait!!!

weekend update

2008-03-31T10:46:00.002-05:00

Thank you all who have asked how our little Cougar has been doing. Gina and I picked him up Saturday morning from Demanes. The doctors and staff there are great. I think Cou was happy to see us! All his levels were normal except the liver enzymes. They are normally 100 and his were 700 and 800. They said this means he either ate something toxic or has a virus. Either way, he looked 100% better after getting rehydrated. He's now on a liver pill and antibiotics, which he despises. He spit the liver pill out 4 times this morning and the baytril makes him foam at the mouth. it's exciting.

I spent my weekend at Nwoods, singing for the main service and the middle school service directly after exiting the main stage, which meant doing the set 6 times (not counting rehearsals). Then a bunch of our awesome Reality kids helped set up the high school room for CRAV (our 2-hour worship experience). We rehearsed from 2-4 and then followed Reachout's set with ours. It was an amazing weekend. I'm not even tired today, which is incredible. my abs are a little sore though...

so today it's back to real life. sampling the disgusting lagoon. in the rain. sorting through piles of paperwork. yeah.

well...

2008-03-28T15:05:00.002-05:00

this has been an intense week. work has been chaotic.
i haven't been home before 8pm since Sunday.
And to top it all off, i was awoken this morning to the sound of Cougar vomiting. This isn't totally out of the ordinary, but he hadn't done it in the last 3 months or so. But it didn't stop. First in my room, then the hall, then on the stairs, in the dining room, living room, kitchen, basement stairway, and in the basement. The poor little guy hurled at least 10 times between 4am and 5:30am (that I've discovered thus far). I thought maybe he had just eaten something that didn't agree with him and went back to bed at 4:15. When I got up to go to the gym at 5:30 I looked all over the house and couldn't find him. Normally, he's pawing my face at 5:00 because he's "starving." I finally found him, curled up on my chair in the living room. He would barely lift his head and couldn't stand up. In a panic, I called Gina (who else do you call for a 5:30am cat emergency?). She raced over (because she's an angel and I needed her). After a call to the emergency hospital, we decided to wait until 7:30 to take him to the regular animal hospital, two blocks away. The doc said he had a fever of 104 and was dehydrated (obviously from all that covered my floor). They were giving him an IV, antibiotics, doing blood work and possibly x-rays, all to the tune of $434-475. ouch.
I don't think he's covered by my insurance, even though he is treated as a child. He was crying in the back room as we left the office. very sad. Hopefully he'll bounce right back after his stay and be up to his old shenanigans by tomorrow night.
I miss my Cougar already.

2008-03-22T07:25:00.000-05:00

Why it's good to live in the city.

2008-03-19T14:54:00.004-05:00

This was once someone's yard...until today. This is what it looks like when your septic system goes bad.

This crazy system had two 1000 Gallon tanks, an electric lift station, 3 separate trench systems, and an old 1500 sq ft. sand filter.

So much for landscaping.
It took about an hour to draw all of this up. nutzo.

What I do for fun...

2008-03-18T11:50:00.002-05:00

While Cougar was at home looking over some files...
I was out sampling some septic system effluent. Now there are two basic methods for taking a sample: either there is a horizontal PVC line buried beneath the surface with a vertical sample port line that stands in the yard, or there is a horizontal pipe that discharges onto the ground surface on a slope (ditch or ravine). The first method requires using a stick with a cup on the end to reach down through the vertical sample port to collect effluent running through the horizontal line. This is a pain, because you have to bring a sample stick with you and make sure it doesn't touch anything to contaminate it before the sample is taken.

Yeah, that's correct, don't "contaminate" the poo stick. gross.

So, I prefer sampling the surface discharging systems because you just stick a bottle under the pipe and collect some water. Simple.
usually.

Yesterday, I had to hang from a tree branch with one hand, while holding the bottle in the other to reach out over an 8-foot sheer drop into a ravine and collect a sample.
Today, I found this little beauty.

That's about 12 feet to the bottom. And everything was wet and muddy.

I braced myself with one hand on the top of the pipe and leaned out ever-so-cautiously over the edge.
I love my life.

Food for thought.

2008-03-13T16:03:00.003-05:00

Just some fun little items I came across in the past week of food inspections...

This is supposedly a bucket of sanitizer. hmm...doesn't look very sanitary to me.

Recognize the buckets? Now they're being used to scoop out flour and breading. So whose grubby little hands are going to be digging in the food to get ahold of the rim?

I found this primordial ooze under the only dishsink in the facility (the logos have been blurred to protect the business's identity).

Looks tasty, huh? Don't order the pea soup.

Here Goes!

2008-03-13T15:21:00.002-05:00

Well, it official. It has been announced.
I have joined the high school ministry staff at Nwoods, part-time.
Saturday will be my first day as the "high school associate."
I am eager to dive in! My duties will include managing the band's schedule, rehearsals, etc., creating stuff (graphics, video), room and stage design, heading up a ministry team (probably Worship), and leading a lifegroup. Some of the stuff I've already been doing and the others I greatly look forward to.

This job is an answer to much prayer, searching, and pleading.
For the past year (or several), I have been stretched to the financial limit. On one hand this has been a good thing. I've become much more responsible with the pesos I'm dealt and have taken ahold of my debt. If it can't be paid for in cash, it is not necessary. All that being said, I've still been left with empty pockets, piggy banks, and savings accounts at the end of the pay period. And "the man" still requires more. It had come to the point where another job was necessary. I'd have to quit serving at Northwoods to work elsewhere. This is the current view of my dashboard. It would be nice to be able to afford to fix things (and fill the gas tank = $456,000/week).

And then a position was posted. And here we are.
So thank you for all who were praying for my financial situation! Who knows where this road might lead. Maybe to a career that is actually fulfilling, not draining. Exciting, not mundain. Uplifting, not degrading...

mental wandering

2008-03-11T13:42:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure where my mind will go with this post, but I'm going to let loose of the reins and ride.

Our small group started reading Brian McLaren's book, "A New Kind of Christian" last week. It is a fictional dialogue between a pastor questioning if he should be a pastor anymore and his daughter's high school science teacher, who is a philosopher and a Christian.

While we only discussed the first two chapters Sunday night, the conversation was good, and it wandered into other territories which have sparked a flame of intrigue in my little brain.

Firstly: Our current "revision" of what it means to be a Christian stems from Martin Luther and the birth of Protestantism in the 1500's. While there have been changes in the way it has been conveyed, the message is the same: that the "salvation was attainable only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith unmediated by the church." (thank you wikipedia). Of course, this is still concurrent with our post-modern beliefs. However, our generation no longer must have concrete reasons on which to solidify our faith.

We don't REQUIRE an answer to the evolution vs. creation debate. It doesn't matter how many days or eons it took for the earth to become what it is today. We can stop searching for the "missing link" and still be able to sleep at night. We don't know all the answers, we can't have all the answers, and that's cool with us. What we do know is that God knows, and in that we can rest.

The conversation also took a tangent (thank you Charlie) into why certain cultures have developed along with the industrial revolution, age of technology, etc. while others remain "primitive." There are many philosophical suggestions, ecological equations and social theories that may shed light on this, but a recurring conversation with my friend Joe came to mind. In Genesis 11, all the people of the world spoke one language and some of them got together and decided to build a tower to the heavens. And they began to do so. The built and built, higher and higher, until they got God's attention...
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [c] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

God himself admitted "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them," so he confused the people, to which Joe lends the superhero psyches. He believes that's why we only use a small percentage of our brain and that there are areas of the brain that medicine has found no practical use for. However, I find it fascinating that our modern studies have discovered ancient civilizations that were building pyramids (towers) in all parts of the world. The Mayans, the Egyptians, the Native Americans all spoke different languages and build with different materials and in different styles but they were all trying to get closer to the heavens. Even our modern engineers cannot determine how they accomplished such a feat without heavy equipment.

Did God hit the reset button on the early, superhuman brain?

tangent complete.

that was much longer than i intended. sorry.

just look at that face!

2008-03-11T12:43:00.003-05:00

To all the cat lovers recently spurned by misguided small group comments, I give you the Cougar Collection, via the cellphone.

new life in old words.

2008-03-04T14:34:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I received "The Complete Bible Experience" from Amazon. Over 400 actors, singers, personalities, "perform" the bible as never before on 79 cds. I popped in the cd corresponding with my daily reading plan, which was in Genesis. I expected each actor would be reading a book of the bible. But it is more like a movie soundtrack, with the dialogue of each "character" spoken by a different person. The background sound effects and music add to the experience. I followed along in my study bible as I heard "God" speak.
It's just different than reading a page. There is inflection. There are dramatic pauses that are otherwise missed. It just brings it to life and keeps my mind from wandering. love it.
This morning I put the first cd in on the way to the gym to catch up on what I've already read.
Some points of interest:
In Genesis 1, God created creatures of the sea, birds of the air, and then animals of the land, then man. Science teaches that organisms evolved in this same order.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Who is "us"? God & Jesus? God & the Holy Spirit? All three? God and the angels? Was God talking to his reflection in the water? Hmm...

In Genesis 3, after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve hide from God when they hear him coming. He asks, "Where are you?". Does he seriously not know? He's GOD!

In Genesis 8 when the flood water recede from the earth, where did they go? Formation of polar caps? Back into the atmosphere? cool.

Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
Holy cow. What do you say to that? God APPEARED to him. Was it kind of like when Morgan Freeman showed up in Steve Carell's driveway in "Evan Almighty"? They chat. Then in verse 22, "When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him."
I'm just trying to picture this. God appears out of nowhere, tells Abraham to "nip the tip" and then up, up, and away's back to his holy throne.
18: 1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
How cool is this relationship? You're sipping some lemonade on your front porch and God comes strolling up the sidewalk. The next thing Abe knows, he's bargaining with the LORD over saving Sodom from destruction. And GOD gives. WOW.

Maybe Abraham had it easier than the rest of us.
He didn't have to rely on faith that his prayers would be heard.
Or that God even existed.
He could ask his LORD face to face.
Kind of a "Deal or No Deal" situation.
The Howie Mandel God.
At what point did he decide to stop coming to earth in flesh? Or was this Jesus?
No, it couldn't be.
Jesus is played by a different actor.

2008-02-27T16:05:00.002-06:00

I have a friend.
I talk with my friend on a regular basis.
We discuss what is going on in our lives.
We talk about the good stuff.
And the tough stuff.
And for him, life is a lot tougher than it is good most weeks.
He has been through things I can't imagine and others that I find myself in on a regular basis.
Often, he believes God has left him, forgotten him.
Things seem to be getting deeper and darker for him.
And yet, when I ask if he has been praying over these things or spending time in the Word, he says, "no."
He understands that he NEEDS God.
He knows God.
And yet in his greatest hour of need, he puts all the burden on himself.

It's kind of like sitting in front of the tv, eating a gallon of ice cream and saying, I really need to get in shape.
Then downing a bottle of Mountain Dew and chasing it with a shot of maple syrup.

How can we expect to grow, heal, and thrive without excercising our faith?
You don't have to benchpress, squat, lunge, or curl anything.
Just get on your knees, fold your hands, and bow your head before the one who knows your deepest hurts and needs.

Until he realizes this, please join me in standing in the gap for my friend...

Back in the Saddle.

2008-02-25T14:51:00.002-06:00

Well, I've oiled the guns and put them back in their cases, hung up the spurs, and boxed up the camo. While we didn't bag nearly as many pigs as in years past, we still managed to have an awesome adventure. There's just something about Texas, that would make a hailstorm enjoyable.

So today I'm back in the office and by 2:54pm, I've got the desk cleared off and the voicemail box emptied. Not too bad. I expected much worse. Maybe it's the grotesque boar skull I brought back to sit on my desk that is keeping the secretaries away. (it is a BIT creepy).

Last night I attended Gina's lifegroup meeting for the first time. Although they have invited me to parties and events in the past, this was the first weekly meeting. To be perfectly honest, I was a bit apprehensive at first, as it's another thing to add to the schedule each week. But it's much more than that. It's people that truly care about one another, who choose to become involved in one another's lives. It is a blessing. And I am grateful to be a part of it.

It's good to be back (but I miss my gun).

Truly Amazing.

2008-02-25T14:48:00.002-06:00

Thank you Don for this video.

After seeing this, I had to order the Bible Experience. How can you listen to that passion and not be moved? A new way to experience the Word...

What a hog!

2008-02-21T17:59:00.003-06:00

So, I haven't killed anything of the swine variety, but I did shot a hog last night! We went bowfishing on Richland Chambers Lake last night, which is a 41,000 acre man-made lake near Fairfield. Crossing the bridge, the thing looked like an ocean. It was huge!
The weather was iffy all day and it was supposed to rain during the night (when we were to be on the lake). It started misting just as we arrived at the marina, but when the boats showed up, it stopped and was still in the mid-60's when we pulled back into the dock at 2:30am.
The fishing was absolutely amazing! There were three of us on each of two boats. We were all standing on the bow, which was lit with floodlights. Some of the fish were clearly visible, but for the most part, you could only determine a fish's presence by a slightly lighter color in the sandy-colored water.

In all, we shot over 35 carp, drum, buffalo, and gar. I shot the biggest fish (some would argue the small ones are tougher targets), which was a 15lb buffalo.
I think I've discovered a new hobby! (sorry, Gina).

Big Boar Adventure 2008

2008-02-19T22:47:00.003-06:00

So I've been here since Saturday afternoon and just now discovered I have wireless internet.

We've been having a blast in East Texas, but the boars are hard to come by this year. I have yet to even SEE a hog. My uncle and Kurt each shot a boar and Kurt also bagged a big bobcat, which I caught on film.

This afternoon we took some time off to fish a small pond on the property we hunt. I caught a 2-2.5lb bass on the first cast. The guys are out fileting the haul right now. We bowhunted tonight and all I saw were 2 skunks. Kurt shot two racoons with one arrow. He's the next Annie Oakley.

So, with the trip half-over now, I hope that by the end of Friday, I will have at least fired my new gun at something.

And from what I hear from the folks back home, it's a bit warmer here than there. Sorry!

My Balentime.

2008-02-15T15:33:00.002-06:00

Since we are old and crotchety, Gina Bean and I went to The Riverstation on Tuesday night at 8pm, thus beating the Valentine's Day crowd by two full days. It was a lovely night. Our waiter was awesome and recommended a couple of wines and entrees. He was right on. I had a ribeye fromage, which was quite possibly the best meal I have ever consumed. It would even give Charlie and Ryan's New Year's smorgasboard a run for its money.

But more importantly, it was a chance to sit for an hour and just enjoy each other without a nagging cat prowling around or other distractions. and I didn't have to do the dishes.

We spent our first Valentine's Day doing what we usually do. We made chili, talked to Cougar, and then went to Bergener's to get a wedding shower gift. Not exciting, but nice. and quiet.

I'm going to miss you next week, Miss Gina! Please take good care of Cougar! Don't shoot him if he destroys your house. We love you!

The Time Has Come.

2008-02-15T14:55:00.002-06:00

I can't believe that in 7 hours we'll be on the road for another boar hunt. On monday, I thought today would never come, and now it's here too soon. I haven't begun packing yet or even had time to make a list. Oh well, all I need is cameras, film, socks, and bullets.

While this is a "hunting" trip, it's so much more than chasing animals. It's a chance to spend time with my dad, which I cherish more each year, and my crazy uncles and the great people we've met in Texas over the years. Once we're down there, we're all treated as family. They cook for us, invite their friends to meet us, take us on guided hunts, etc. It's things like that that money can't buy. That's what we look forward to.

So as you drift off to slumber tonight, say a prayer for 4 guys in a big red Chevy, pulling a trailer full of 4-wheelers, camo, guns, bows, and ammo. Pray that nothing eats us and that the bullets hit their targets.

I'm kidding. well, kind of.

Until next time...

Pranksters.

2008-02-15T14:43:00.002-06:00

It's been a regular episode of "The Office" around here lately. And I'm ashamed (not really) to say that I may have started it all.

Last Friday, one of the inspectors cleaned out our lab and set a big box of styrofoam packing peanuts in the kitchen. Ryan, a fellow prankster and culprit of covering the earpiece of my phone with lotion (try that one sometime), was working in the conference room all afternoon. I saw a target of opportunity. I ran back to our cubicle jungle and asked Melissa if she'd like to assist me in getting Ryan back. Grinning, she jumped up and followed me to retrieve the supplies. We opened all of his desk drawers and filled them until overflowing. Then we waited anxiously for Ryan to return. While he came back to his desk several times, he didn't open any drawers. The day ended and the surprise was still not found out. Monday passed and still nothing. Then Tuesday he discovered our gift and instantly started questioning people. With all involved playing it cool, he pinned it on our supervisor, Jerry, who was oblivious to the whole situation.
Ryan found a cardboard box and filled it with the peanuts and then perched it precariously on a ruler above his office door. Apparently Jerry has bat-like hearing though, and spied the trap before becoming the next victim. Ryan still has no idea who got him and has publicly declared a cease fire.

Today I filled our secretary's coat pocket with approximately 200 rubber bands. She didn't find it until she got home for lunch and took the dog out. Then she came back and put them in Ryan's coat pocket, thinking he was the guilty party.

I'm kind of scared to leave my desk unprotected next week. Maybe I'll set up a laser.

Bonus!!

2008-02-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

I was just informed we are most likely going here http://www.fishstickerbowfishing.com/ on our trip!
We decided not to do the dog/spear hunting this year, so this will be something new and different. We attempted to shoot some flying carp on the Illinois River this summer, but this looks like more fun!

Mounting Excitement.

2008-02-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

I spent five hours in the lab at Springfield on Saturday, which is twice as long as the procedure should have taken. However, this is par for the course in my world. Everything went well, as far as I know. We didn't actually read the results, because that would have taken another 50 minutes. So the data should be sent to me today.
In other news, I started preparing for the Texas safari by modifying the camera mount for my rifle. Last year, my buddy Kyle fabricated an aluminum "T" (sideways) that attached to the side of my gun. It worked well. But this year I have a new weapon of mass destruction, and the camera needs to hang below the gun. So this is what I came up with:

It consists of the original mount, which the camera attaches to, a nail plate (so height is adjustable), two shelf hangers, and a switch plate.

On top of the switch plate is a conventional scope mount, which attaches to a rail on the rifle. I also included a pen light as a spacer and as an accessory.

The whole contraption is 12" high and it a big weightier that I would like when the camera is attached. The only way to fix this would be to buy a lighter camera, which I obviously can't do right now.

This is what it will look like on the rail. It can be easily removed from the gun with a thumb screw. Beneath the camera, you can see the quick-release thumb lever to remove the camera from the mount. This is essential, because you can't point the camera to film people while it's on the gun, only targets!
While it still needs a couple slight modifications, I'm quite pleased with the results. It's going to be another great hunt and another exciting video!

Thesis update.

2008-02-08T09:47:00.000-06:00

My Master's degree was orgininally supposed to be completed on November 30th. Obviously that didn't happen, and it turned out to be a good thing. I had run myself into the ground working on the thesis day and night. My advisors had the first paper for a month before I got their revisions back. It has now been edited and updated and is only missing one crucial piece of data that I will acquire at SIU-Springfield tomorrow.
The second paper is almost ready to be resent to them, but that missing data point will change all the results for the second paper. Therefore, I have to redo all the graphs, charts, tables, etc. It won't be difficult, just tedious and time consuming. Hopefully it won't take another month for them to edit paper #2 or the revised paper #1.
Once they are satisfied with both papers of the thesis, I have to make a public announcement of my presentation and defense, wait 30 days and finally put an end to this 5-year ordeal.
What will I do without this gorilla on my back?!

1 year.

2008-02-06T13:25:00.000-06:00

Today, February 6th, is my one-year anniversary at TCHD. To celebrate, I inspected three of the diners on the main drag of Tremont. Since getting back to the office, 4 different people have complimented me on my smell (i've been deep fried).

One place was so smokey from the grill that clouds of grease were visible in the dining room. I asked the owner if she had an exhaust fan. She then shouted, "anybody bothered by the smoke?," to the customers. They said no. So she decided the exhaust fan was not necessary. I guess they have to have something to inhale since the smoking ban went into effect.

I guess this is a good thing, as I only lasted 10 months at the the insurance company. And things are looking up. I am now the one in charge of testing everyone's poo water for the county. So, here's to 365 days as an inspector!

And remember, chew carefully.

It's about that time again...

2008-02-05T15:44:00.000-06:00

11 days until we once again pack the trailer full of rifles, pistols, assault vests, ammo boxes, 4-wheelers, and all the associated gear required to do our part in assisting the Texas Department of Parks and Natural Resources control the wild hog population.
Needless to say, it's hard to not get excited. Last year was the best trip I've been on and we harvested 34 nasty beasts. This year, we hope to break the record of 36. I know we can do it!
The video below is from the final day of last year's hunt. WARNING: Do not view if you are easily offended. My attempts at censoring were sub-par. Those boys get a "bit" excited when the bullets start flying and the hogs start charging.

Enjoy.

P.S. I'm fighting with youtube. For some reason, the video quality is terrible, no matter what format I upload video in.

Super Weekend.

2008-02-04T15:40:00.000-06:00

Snow days are not JUST for kids! I got the call at 5:15 on Friday morning that the health dept. was closed due to the weather. So I slept for a few more minutes and then got up and got to work. I had been wanting to paint the big room in the basement since I moved in, but it had been put on the back burner. Gina and I began painting at 8:30 and after finishing that room, we painted the hallway to the room and the stairway leading up to the theater. What an amazing difference a little paint makes! The problem is now I want to replace the basement ceiling, lights, etc. maybe some day...

Saturday night we had dinner with Josh and Trina at Olive Garden to give them their wedding video gift (the wedding was in June, but these things take time). Here's the opening clip:

Yesterday at Northwoods we had a high school/jr. high not-a-superbowl-party (due to legal restrictions imposed by the NFL). The game was on 6 or 7 screens so you could watch wherever you went, but the highlight was definitely the dodgeball games going on in the activity center. The half-time high vs. jr. high game could only be described as Braveheart-esque.
After dashing through the snow, I got to watch the second half at the Sletten's. Great end to the game, great end to the weekend.

What blows me away...

2008-01-30T14:39:00.000-06:00

Last night I arrived early for rehearsal at Northwoods. As I sat in the empty auditorium and listened the wind pounding on the walls and ceiling, I couldn't help but be still in awe of the power of what God sent spinning those millions (or billions) of years ago.

Wind.

It can be a gentle summer breeze that sweeps away the heat of a humid night. Or it can be an arctic blast that screams through your goose down jacket and penetrates to the marrow of your bones.

It is unseen, yet is power is undeniable. It can topple buildings, toss heavy equipment around like they are tonka trucks, send ocean waves over seawalls, and drive pine needles through tree trunks. No one doubts its existence or its potential and yet it is unseen.

Is God not the same? We can't see him, yet we can feel his power. The warmth of his presence and the cold of his absence when we turn away. He has the power to heal, to right wrongs, to destroy the temple and rebuild it. How He works is beyond comprehension, but we know He is there.

Thank You for the wind and for the "nature" You created...

Did I really sign up for THIS?

2008-01-29T15:53:00.000-06:00

At the Health Department, there are several other offices that operate on the same property. The highway department, animal control, ESDA, and Tazewell County Resource Center all share the compound. However, the facility is not on a city sewer or septic system. Instead, the waste from all the buildings drains directly into a lagoon, which is regulated by the EPA. For some reason, though, we are responsible for sampling the influent "water" every month. Since the guy that usually does this glamorous task is on medical leave, I was somehow charged with doing it. I took two of the other guys down with me. After all, someone had to hold the bottle while I scooped out a "sample" with a 5-foot pole. and it was windy.

The procedure requires a morning, noon, and afternoon sample (1 liter), which all have to be mixed into a composite sample at the end of the day.
This morning it was fairly pleasant (temperature wise) and the water in the 6-foot deep sample well was mostly clear.

By noon, the temperature had dropped a little and we could clearly see what everyone ate for dinner last night floating in the well. disgusting. I let Nick wield the sample stick this time while I made little gagging noises to cheer him on. Just what you want to be doing before lunch.

The afternoon sample was bone-chillingly brutal. Arctic winds on hands covered with latex gloves are a recipe for frostbite. I won't mention the vegetable medley we discovered in the waters below.

Apparently the inspector who does this routinely gets a bonus for doing so. He deserves every penny.

Life as of late...

2008-01-29T15:36:00.000-06:00

Where to begin?
Me vida loca hasn't stopped to catch its breath since we arrived home from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin last Monday. And it seems the weather has followed us. A delightful 50F Monday and a balmy Tuesday morning have now given way to Icelandic conditions. Ah, such is an Illinois winter.

Work has been (for the 1st time since my February, '06 start here) crazy busy. I am now in charge of two programs within Environmental Health, which has increased my work load more than 2-fold. It IS better than being bored, but I don't like coming back to the office after spending a day doing food inspections to see my desk completely covered in paperwork. It takes an average of 2 hours each morning just to get things back in order before I can begin chipping away at everything else. Oh well. They hired a new inspector that is starting Thursday, so maybe that will take some pressure off. Another inspector had brain surgery two weeks ago, so he will mostly likely be gone another couple of months.

In other news, more progress on the thesis revision has been made. I had an encouraging meeting for the first time in a loooooong time with the profs on Friday. I was to have the first paper revised and back to them by the end of last weekend, but hit another snag. Apparently, when we ran the radioactive trials at SIU, one component of the protocol was not run without a sample present, which has to be done to determine efficiency. So I have to go back to Springfield Saturday for that little number. Then paper #1 will go back to the profs for revision #2. They haven't looked at my second paper, which has now been in their hands for 10 weeks. ah, the frustration. maybe i'll get my PhD after this.
or not.

Life has been weird lately. I feel a tension in what I'm doing (professionally, at church, etc.). I don't know if it's because of what people around me are doing and telling me I should be doing, or if it's a higher calling. I am just aware of it. It feels like something big is on the horizon, but I've had that feeling before and then didn't see anything happen. Who knows, maybe I'm just weird.

What it's all about.

2008-01-23T16:12:00.000-06:00

So we had fun at "The Fort." Lots of fun. And I think that's important-it builds and strengthens relationships within the ministry.

but that's not the reason for a retreat.

Jeff Eagan, also known as "Ol' Redbeard," and a former member of the band, "Boulder, CO," was our speaker for the weekend. It's always good to hear the message from someone outside the walls of the church to get a fresh perspective.

Jeff's teaching focused on Matthew 22:
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

He also questioned what it looks like to worship God. So many times when we hear "it's time to worship," or "i'm going to 9am worship," we think about singing songs or attending a church service. Romans 12 calls us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices as a "spiritual act of worship." With every breath and every word we speak, in every interaction with co-workers, people on the street or the idiot in traffic, worship HIM.

On Saturday night, Chris invited us to take 10 minutes and just go outside and LOOK. The moonlight shining off the snow on the bowing evergreen branches, the stars like a thousand headlights in the sky, the air so incredibly clean and brisk it almost hurts to inhale it. How can anyone look at this world and not see HIM?! Even in the frigid north in the middle of winter when everything is dormant, I felt soooo alive. and there it is.
worship is not about ME. it's not about how it makes ME feel. it's not about MY song or MY sacrifice. it's all about being passionately consumed by HIM.

back to love.
Jeff read a story about a guy who couldn't sleep one night so he walked to the local doughnut shop at 3am. There were a couple of "ladies of the night" there talking about business. One mentioned to the other that the next day was her birthday. The other sarcastically said, "what do you want me to do about it? buy you a cake, throw you a party?" She replied, "why should you? i'm going to be 38 and have never had a birthday party." He got an idea. He asked the store owner if these women came into the store every night. They did. So he conspired with the owner to throw the woman a surprise party the following night. They put up decorations and got her a cake with her name in the icing. When she walked in, the was completely overcome by the love of these strangers. She asked through her tears if instead of cutting the cake, she could take it home to savor the moment. After she left, the store owner asked what kind of a church the man came from. He replied, "a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3 in the morning." The man said, "I don't believe you. If there were such a church, I'd go."

I want to be a part of THAT church too. I want to love others more than myself. I want to stop talking and start doing. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself."

We retreated and now we've returned. Let's change the world one life at a time...

Fort Wilderness.

2008-01-22T19:44:00.000-06:00

This weekend, Reality headed north. WAY north. 8 hours north, to Fort Wilderness. The first morning it was -21F. Sunday it was -22F. At that temperature, when you step outside, your nose hair instantly freezes and the condensation from your breath turns to miniature icicles on your eyelashes. it's good.

There were plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained, such as broomball (like hockey, but with a ball and sticks and no skates or pads), ice skating, snow tubing, and cross-country skiing. They also have horses for trail riding and sleigh rides, but it was too cold even for the horses to go out.

Broomball was a blast, and several of us bare the bruises to prove it. It's much harder than the natives made it look. I went down the tubing hill once, but it was more work than fun lugging the tube back up the hill. And then there was skiing...

Chris, Jeff, Samantha, Max, and I headed out on the trails at 2:30. Approximately 200 yards down the trail, we came to the first hill. It was actually just a slight dip compared to what was to come. And all 5 of us bit it. Sam and Max decided to take off their skis at that point and walk. So we continued on. On the next hill, I went first and got up the other side and waited for the next victim, Chris. I saw him come down the hill and then disappear in a cloud of powder. All that made it up the other side was one of his poles that went flying in the collision. hilarious! There were several other comical crashes along the way, but nothing could prepare Jeff and I for what lie beyond the "y" intersection we happened upon after crossing the frozen lake. The trial we started on was 3.9 miles. That sounded doable. BUT, 3.9 miles is 3.9 miles from the camp. Then you have to take another 3 mile trail back. CRAZY.
By this point we had lost the other 3 skiers. They had turned back apparently, because after waiting 10 minutes at the top of a hill that required climbing on my hands and knees, there was no sign of them. So we sullied on. And climbing up requires coming back down the other side. fast. and curving. Jeff went first. and faceplanted. BIG time. I laughed hard and then stopped, realizing it was now my turn to rocket down the narrow trail. I waited for Jeff to collect himself and I thought he was far enough down the trail. i was incorrect. I somehow managed to keep my balance all the way down the hill and a collision was immanent. so with no room to get out of the way, I fell back on my skis, landing on my tailbone and hitting my head. and then i laid there tingling in areas that shouldn't tingle.
After several minutes, I got up and we continued on. On the very next hill Jeff crashed again and hurt his knee badly. He was on his back, trying to get his skis off because he said he couldn't go any further. After struggling several minutes without removing them, the throbbing went away and he got up. After a couple more miles, we ran into some kids on the trail who said we were almost back to the camp. We were honestly beginning to wonder if we'd make it back before the sun set.
As we trudged up the last hill to the ski house, we saw Chris and Sam walking down the road. jerks had found a shortcut.
The next morning, we were told that we had inadvertently taken the "expert" trail. I suggest labeling their trails.

What an awesome weekend in a place that boasts God's handiwork in every snow-laden pine tree and ice-covered lake. I hope I see it again sometime soon...

It's a Cinch!

2008-01-15T13:26:00.000-06:00

It's January. The gyms and fitness classes are packed. 2008 resolutions are still going strong...or are they?

Every year it's the same. There's no where to park in the gym lot at 5pm from January 1 to approximately April. And then the determined many become few. Why? It's hard. Pounds are hard to lose, whether you spend 60 minutes on a treadmill or pumping iron. And the most important part to weight loss is often over-looked-maintaining a healthy diet while striving toward your goal.

So many times, people yo-yo back and forth with fad diets, skipping meals, etc. The reason is when you starve your body of its necessary caloric intake, it metabolizes lean muscle tissue for energy. So, you may see weight loss, but you're losing the good stuff! Then when you "relapse" and start eating the unhealthy foods again, the weight comes back as more fat and you have less muscle tissue to burn it!

Enter, Shaklee's "Cinch" program. There are some great videos on my website: http://www.cinchplan.com/green4life/home. The Cinch program is based on the amino acid, leucine, which is essential for muscle growth and preservation. The kit comes with an assortment of meal shakes, delicious meal bars, energy tea, and metabolism boosting vitamins. Also included are meal plans, calorie counters, a pedometer, and a success guide.

As always, Cinch comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. People on the program have seen dramatic reductions in their hip-to-waist ratio, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and blood pressure. You've got nothing to loose but inches and pounds and the only side-effect is a healthier you! There are no medications or chemicals to take, no empty promises made. The science and personal testimonies to back up Shaklee's claims are available on the website.

I would love it if a friend of mine would make the decision to become healthier in 2008 with this program. I'd love to be right there with them through the journey to cheer them on and see the results. And remember, "it's not about being beautiful, it's about being healthy!"

Don's Blog

2008-01-15T10:06:00.000-06:00

Don Bowen has set up a blog with his story, his surgery, and updates on what you can pray for. http://wizidm.wordpress.com/ There is also a link on my sidebar.

Presidential Match-o-Matic

2008-01-14T09:03:00.000-06:00

Take this online questionaire, which matches your responses to the presidential candidate's positions:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/page?id=3623346
Not surprisingly, my #1 was Huckabee, followed by Romney and Gulianni.

Ashleyisms

2008-01-09T13:38:00.000-06:00

Our dear secretary says the "funniest" things some times. She blames it on the "Ashley Bubble," in which she lives. For instance, she coined these intellectual gems just this week:

"O.J. Simpson? Who is that? Oh, is he the guy with the white truck like yours, Claire? All I know is there was something about a glove."
wow. had no idea about the murders, trial, nothing.

"I ate at McDonald's in Mexico and I couldn't believe they had hamburgers." We asked why. "Because they don't have any cows in Mexico. I mean, come on, it's an Ocean."
i couldn't make this stuff up.
I asked her where she went in Mexico. She replied, "Cancun." So if you went to New York City, you'd expect to see cows? "Yeah, I see them when we're driving around here all the time." But you were at a resort. "But we still drove!" Where? "Down the strip."
she was serious.

Today she was running around telling everyone the director granted her permission to get a Chameleon to keep at her desk. I asked her when she was getting the lizard, to which she replied, "I'm not getting a lizard, I'm getting a chameleon."

at least she keeps things interesting.

In the Maker's hands...

2008-01-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

Many of you who attend Northwoods know Don Bowen, whether you've met him or not. He's the fireball that sings the high tenor part on all the southern gospel songs Cal mananges to sneak into the services.
A few days before the Christmas program took the stage, Don visited a neurologist for an MRI due to blurred vision and chronic headaches. What the MRI revealed was serious and scary, to say the very least. There was a large tumor growing in the occipital lobe of his brain. The surgeon removed as much as he safely could on monday. The cancer type is a glioblastoma, which is very aggressive and difficult to treat. Needless to say, without divine intervention, the outlook is bleak.

But Don has a power on his side that the statistics don't take into consideration. He is under the care of the ultimate physician, the very one who crafted each of his cells. And while it is impossible for us to understand His ways, we remain faithful and pray that His will be done in Don's life. Please pray that His awesome and undeniable work would be unleashed on the cancer and that the doctors would have no medical explanation for the results...that science would stand mystified...that there will be no doubt that the Maker was responsible for healing that which man could not...

Thank you Ben, for sharing Psalm 34: "I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt His name together. I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy! No shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation, I prayed and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; He surrounds and defends all who fear Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him! Fear the Lord, you His godly people. for those who fear Him will have all they need."

My Name is John Daker.

2008-01-08T14:51:00.000-06:00

This is amazing. What a voice. What an entertainer. He's listed as one of Peoria's famous people. And it's all because of this video. It gets better every time I watch it!

enjoy.

He's got my vote!

2008-01-04T14:19:00.000-06:00

Mike Huckabee is the only candidate I trust with our country's future. Check out www.mikehuckabee.com

Smoke-Free Illinois!

2008-01-03T17:27:00.000-06:00

While I am sooooooo sick and tired of hearing about the new law on the news, in the paper, and from every bar owner and restrauteur I run into, and how it is going to destroy all commerce in the state and send it into poverty, I rejoice in it!

I headed back into the field today for some food inspections and visited one of my smokiest establishments. The front door bore a large "no smoking" sign. When I entered, the entire place looked cleaner and brighter than ever before. And when I left, I didn't smell like an ashtray or have the usual headache that was typical after such a visit.

I guess Rod Blago will have ONE redeeming piece of legislation.

And to all the bar owners and restrauteurs, rest assured. People are still hungry and thirsty, despite the fact that they have to walk 15 feet from the door to light up.

New Years, '08

2008-01-02T20:21:00.000-06:00

New Years Eve was a great evening of food, revelry, and laughter with Gina's smallgroup. I was thankful to be invited for the 3rd annual event. Charlie and Ryan prepared an extravagant 6-course meal. Here's a visual sampler of the festivities!

A slate of various cheeses, apparently made from goats and "sweet" goats. I don't know how they tell the difference.

Two men in their element. Here Ryan and ChuckDean are preparing the salt beds for the oysters Rockefeller. Check out his blog for the complete menu!

The ladies set up a beautiful table presentation of crystal and red rose petals.

Myself with the new senior pastor of Imago Dei Church, Peoria.

Gina, calling geese.

Ahhhh, the oysters. Much better than "Rocky Mountain Oysters." Dad, I will never forgive you for telling me they were chicken nuggets. Trauma to a young boy...

Now look at that pile of sexy.

Here's to a great '08!

New Website!

2008-01-02T14:50:00.000-06:00

My very own Shaklee website is up and running!
Please visit http://www.shaklee.net/green4life to check out what Shaklee can do to change your health, nutrition, workout, and household.

Shaklee specializes in vitamins and dietary supplements that actually DO what they claim. 2,000 product quality assurance tests annually. Over 100 published peer-reviewed scientific studies. One vitamin product alone has 12 patends! The stuff is pure gold.

Shaklee specializes in household cleaning products that are biodegradable, non-toxic, and effective. Eliminate the poisons under the kitchen sink and replace them with something safe for you and the earth. Oprah loves Shaklee, why shouldn't you?!

Give Shaklee a chance. If you aren't completely satisfied, there is always a 100% money-back guarantee. If you have any questions, I'd love to chat!

Thanks,
Justin

poopsicle.

2008-01-02T14:28:00.000-06:00

This morning I learned what is worse than doing a septic inspection in the rain:
doing a septic inspection on the coldest day of the year when everything has been covered with 2 inches of snow.

When my boss called at 8:35 and asked if I could do an inspection ASAP, I honestly thought she was kidding. What contractor in their right mind would be out in 1 degree weather putting in a system? But kidding, she was not. So I went back out to the car and pulled out my coveralls and boots, which were starched stiff with frost.

I went to the "big house" to check out a 4x4 and when I got to the blazer, there was no ice scraper to clear off the windshield or windows. So I used my hand. (Joy is overflowing from my heart at this point).

It took 45 minutes to get to the location, which was literally at the farthest point in the county you can be from the health department. When I pulled into the driveway, I could see no excavating equipment or even fresh footprints in the snow. The back yard looked like a war zone, covered in snow. I knew there were old tanks that had to be abandoned and could see jagged concrete and rebar emerging from drifts here and there, but couldn't be certain where was solid ground and where immanent, smelly danger lurked. The weirdest part was that the contractor was no where to be seen.

So I made my drawing and took all the measurements while stumbling awkwardly over mounds of dirt and concrete. As I was taking the last notes, I noticed a Lexus parked with the motor running in the cornfield on the other side of the fence. The driver's seat was reclined and the bill of a hat could be seen peaking over the back window. The old codger was passed out. I knocked on the window, which startled the poor fella. After several seconds, he rolled down the window and said he couldn't be much help because he hurt his back. I informed him I was already finished, but he was over 100 square feet short of the required square footage for the system. I think it's time to retire. maybe we both should.

2007 in Review.

2007-12-31T11:23:00.000-06:00

Wow, where did the year go? Blogging is a great way to keep track of all that occurs over the past year, as I don't write in a journal. I feel the end of the year is as great a time as any to reflect on where you've been, where you are now and how God answered prayers along the way. So, as I skimmed through this year's posts, a few stood out...
Jan. As I was at the end of my professional rope, I was seeking a new job with every ounce of my strength and about to snap. I was offered a job at the Tazewell County Health Dept., where I am currently employed. Vast improvement from where I was to where I am! I was also seeking roommates to help pay the mortgage, and I had two show up within days of each other. Definitely answered prayers. They both were great!

Feb. The best boar hunting trip to date! The trip ended with running into a herd of monster hogs, one of which was between 400-500 pounds. It should be hanging on my office wall in a few weeks. That trip will be hard to top, but we'll give it a shot in two short months from now.

March. A relationship ended. Thank you GOD! I can't imagine where I'd be or what I'd be doing if we had not parted ways. For new things to begin, old things must end.

April. I met Gina. There's not much else to say, except all I said in the many posts about how incredibly great she is and how much better my life is with her in it!

May. Softball season. And rain. LOTS of rain. I think I did 5 septic installations in torrential downpours this month. I also starting spending time with my buddy, Joe. We destroy, remodel, build, and talk about life. It is good.

June. Some idiot ran into my car while it was parked at the office. Apparently that's all that happened that month.

July. Bow fishing on the Illinois River. I wish it was legal to fish with shotguns.

August. Completion of the Mendota High School Football dvd's. 9 hours of video. Much bigger project than I anticipated, but it was the first project for $$$. I also got a new 61" TV. booyah.

Sept. Gina's birthday. What could top that?

Oct. The Lifehouse "Everything" skit at Northwoods. I still run into people, who I don't know, but stop me to say that it was powerful and memorable.

Nov. Tragedy was avoided while removing a squirrel from the Hayes's chimney. I believe I wrote 4 posts involving squirrels in the past year. weird.
Thesis was supposed to be done by November 30th. what a joke. Still in the revision process. Maybe by January 30th?

Dec. The Northwoods Christmas Program. The rest of the month is a blur. Had a great Christmas with Gina and our families. Recieved some awesome news about my friend, Randy, and some scary news about another, Don.

And that brings us to today. What will 2008 bring? I am hopeful for new beginnings. I yearn for the day when a paycheck will cover the bills entirely. Or when two incomes (wink, wink) become enough so we can afford to go to the movies or out to dinner, etc. I am hopeful I find a career that I am passionate about. But mostly, that it will be a year of continued health and happiness and growth.

Happy New Year to you all!

CHRISTmas

2007-12-27T16:04:00.000-06:00

8 services, 5 family gatherings and a tank of gas later, Christmas 2007 has come to a close.

Northwoods goes all-out for the Christmas program every year. After seeing the past two years' performances, I HAD to volunteer this season. It was such a great experience that I will definitely being doing more in the future. When you spend that much time together, relationships are deepened and friendships are formed. And the best part, the reason we serve-246 people took "Yes packets," indicating they committed their lives to Christ after the services. awesome. Even if it were only for one person, it would have been worth it.

Family time was wonderful, but a bit rushed. Christmas shoudln't be spend driving all over the state to spend a couple of hours here and there, stuffing as many carbs into our gullets as possible. We will rethink this next year!

Now it's back to reality. Tonight I will begin revising the first of my thesis papers. Goal is still to be finished by the end of January-depending on how long it takes to get each draft back after being turned in for review. Then I can forget everything about it. forever.

places!!

2007-12-21T11:07:00.000-06:00

Tonight's the big night. Premiere of the 2007 Northwoods Christmas Program.

tired. excited. anticipation mounting.

I forgot to add that the other night, my "daughter," who is about 7 years old, looked up at me as we were waiting to go on stage and said, "So are you like a REAL adult?". Then she asked her "mom" when the wedding was and why she wasn't invited. kids say the darndest things.