bueno.

Fridays are my favorite. There's just something in the anticipation that they bring that makes the whole day pass faster than any other work day. I'll be spending some kwality time with my boys-Tom and Kyle tonight and should be getting my precious Grand Am back after a week in the shop. Tomorrow is NEXUS! I may even get to mow my yard (meadow) for the first time EVER-or change my oil-or clean out the gutters-or something. The possibilities. Either way, it's all goooooooood.

There is a certain beauty in storms.


It begins with a single drop of rain.
Then a chorus of bursting tears on the pavement.
The wind rushes in like a stampeding herd.
A bolt of lightning illuminates all the night keeps hidden for an instant-
The empty space between flash and thunder steals your breath-
Then air shatters...life shatters.


But in the aftermath…in the still quietness after the thunder fades and clouds part…a glimmer of hope and light on the horizon…
there is peace.
There is new life.

awakening

time. once spent, it cannot be reclaimed. to someone with moments left to live, each millisecond is priceless. to one serving a life sentence, days pass like months.
why is it that there are split moments in time that remain vivid and ageless in our minds, while the rest pass without a second thought? why are there things we can't remember and others we can't foget, regardless of how hard we try?

an instant change the course of history.
the hammer piercing the roar of the crowd as it drove the nails into His flesh...
the thunder of the stone being rolled away...
the revelation that He had returned...

more personally, there are moments that change our lives. each and every decision steers us. often blindly we make choices that could enhance our life or end it-"do I take the shortcut home?", "do i eat my steak rare tonight?"
How do we spend the time we've been given and who do we spend it with? relationships. if a relationship fails, how do we cope with the time lost in it? is it really lost???

i yearn for the day when time no longer matters. where there is always time for dessert. where the band keeps playing one more song. where neighbors have time to share a beer on the tailgate after mowing the lawn. where jobs, phones, tv, and taxes take a backseat to meaningful conversation and deepened relationships.

help me to make the right decision this TIME.

TGIH.

4.5 hours until the end of the work week! I can't wait for some much-needed time off (a dog the size of a small horse bit me on the arm yesterday, but I was wearing a coat so it didn't break the skin). I am really enjoying the new job, but I just need a break from everything. It's time for friends, family, and food!

Tomorrow will be a day of reflection, rest, and remembrance. I always cherish the Good Friday service at Northwoods. It is somber and moving. It is a great reminder of the price that has been paid. Maybe I'll watch "The Passion" again.




I'm also looking forward to watching my roommate sheer her cat, Jack. His long black hair has coated everything in my house. Cougar keeps coughing up black hair balls. sick.

searching....?

As of today, I am officially turned loose for food inspections. Woohoo! Only 6 weeks of training.
The last two weeks of life have been more than busy. Hectic. Even more over-whelming than usual. I go to sleep exhausted and wake up tired. I go to the gym and have no energy. I've just been in an all-together bad mood.
I think part of it is stress and strain from the 17.3 directions life is pulling me. The other is that I don't ever see Bri anymore. She works more hours than a clinical physician, and then when she's off, she sleeps for 2 days. Or goes to Chicago to fill-in at another store. So, we've spent an accumulated 4-6 hours together over the past 2 weeks.

i need clarity. or answers. or clear answers.

and rest.

before you go out to eat...

Check out this website: http://www.healthinspections.com/index.cfm. Unfortunately Peoria County doesn't post it's restaurant inspection scores and Tazewell County is only now considering posting theirs. However, the website gives you a glimpse of what we inspectors see on a regular basis, which should make you think twice about your next dining selection. It's pretty scary stuff! Most of the time you would have no idea what is going on in the kitchen by looking at the dining room. If you take a look at restaurant scores from other cities and counties, a trend between the type of restaurant (atmosphere and cuisine) and the scores they receive is evident. For instance, I don't think I will ever feel safe eating at a Chinese restaurant or a big buffet again unless I can see what goes on behind the swinging kitchen doors first. You never know who or what is touching your food! Good luck out there!

Hunter "The Punter" Smith

In honor of Northwoods' 17th anniversary, Hunter Smith of the Superbowl-winning Colts was the guest speaker this weekend. He is the starting punter, place kicking holder, and 3rd string quarterback. Most would who have accomplished all he has would be content just squandering wealth or indulging in worldly things in the down time, Hunter dedicates his life to God, leading worship at his church, in time with other teammates in bible study, and is currently touring with another musician in anticipation of an upcoming album recording in Nashville (and he's actually really good)!
Something he said struck a chord. From someone who has reached the pinacle of his profession and has been blessed with so many things here, he said "the institutions of man only create hunger. They cannot fulfill." How many times have we seen celebrities and altheletes who seem to hold the world in their hands fall from grace and loose it all? We can gather things and hoard wealth and build our kingdoms of sand, but they will all fall here. There is only one kingdom that will stand forever. Put your all into HIS game, and you will be filled to overflowing!

p.s. At one point, Hunter was throwing autographed balls into the crowd and I caught a direct pass in the numbers. sweet!

sobering.

I've only been in this job for 6 weeks (5 if i discount the vacation), and I've seen a lot of eye-opening things already. Yesterday was a reminder to be thankful for what I have been blessed with and that money cannot buy happiness. I conducted my first complaint investigation yesterday afternoon. A tenant had reported that the basement of the home they were renting had filled with sewage and that the landlord would not clean it up or fix the problem. It sounded bad.
It was worse than I imagined. When we arrived, the tenant was outside of the home (approximately 150 sq. feet) with the front door open. I could smell the problem as soon as we got out of the vehicle. The tenant was not who I expected to meet either. She was only 18 and seemed well educated. She was just starting out. She welcomed me and the other inspector in and guided us down the basement stairs, a straight-shot from the front door. The basement was comprised of two small rooms, which served as the sleeping quarters, and the only bathroom. The entire basement was flooded with approx 2 inches of gray septic water and sewage. There was 4 inches of the noxious fluid standing in the shower. It had been this way for over 5 weeks and the landlord had only come and ripped out the carpet. The foam pad was still in place, though saturated. Thick black mold had begun growing on the walls. Half of their belongings were ruined.
We had no choice but to post the house as "Unfit for Human Habitation" and ask them to leave immediately for their own health and safety. This is only the third time the county has had to post a building in the past 10 years. I must be lucky.
Both of the tenants have been ill since the problem began and went to the hospital today for testing. The landlord, who would not return the tenant's calls before, finally called us today in response to a call from the director. She denies everything. The girl's mom called me today and said the tenants have no friends or family in the area and nowhere else to go-no money for a hotel, etc. All I could do is give them a name of a local law firm that helps people with low-income and suggest they call a shelter.
Lord, thank you for a mortgage payment, bills, and the means to an end. Help me to remember that I don't "need" things.

standing up.

I was grateful to spend a few minutes with Charlie to catch up last night after lifegroup with my Reality guys. While our chat focused mostly on spiritual formation and the church, it got my mind churning over night. Life has become even more hectic and busied than before. Work...serving...more work...maintenance on the house, car...laundry...cleaning...grocery shopping...gym...etc. I'm lucky if I get to eat dinner before 9pm. Then it's lights out before I know it. I'm exhausted. While I dreaded being at the last job, at least I could use the hours of boredom to delve into The Word. Now that time has been replaced-filled. I miss that time. I've made excuses and filled my only free time (between dinner and sleep) with more busy-ness. It must change. I need to pause. To listen.

I've also decided that I MUST finish my Master's thesis. I've come too far and invested too much to put it off any further. Goodbye Saturdays (Wildlife Prairie Park and Reality already have my Sundays).

And therein lies the struggle. Maybe I should have gone into the physics program and invented a time machine.

However, as Charlie reminded me, "it will pass." And as long as there is no sudden world shortage of chocolate, I think I will survive.

"The good Lord gave us mountains so we can learn how to climb."

My Day in Court.

I spent the majority of today in the Tazewell County Courthouse, pleading with a variety of judges, detectives, officers, and the State's attorney. I am an innocent man! I just needed to install radon detectors in their offices. It was kind of cool to go "behind the scenes" into the judges' chambers, evidence rooms, court rooms and bowels of the courthouse. All we have to do is flash our badges and we go right in through the metal detectors without getting "wanded." I'm big time now. Watch it.

i "heart" mud.

Today, which would have been the 1 year anniversary of my starting date at the insurance company, I did something much more enjoyable. I spent the day auditing a local well driller, which means I stood there and watched them drill a hole and made sure everything was done correctly and legally. Interesting, considering I've had exactly ZERO training on wells. However, I had plenty of spare time to read the well codes while basking in the sun. I always wondered how they drilled with a bit 100's of feet below ground and how they kept it all from collapsing. It was kind of like an episode of "Dirty Jobs"! All I know is that water came out when they were done (9 hours later) and apparently that's a good thing. It sure beats sitting behind a desk waiting for angry McDonald's customers to call! All's well that ends well!

Catching up.

Tonight after New Community I was driving home and it dawned on me that it had been a long time since I'd spoken with some of my closest friends from the past.

First I called Mandi, who I was a naturalist with at Wildlife Prairie State Park for 4 years. She is now the outreach director for the Great Lakes Science Center with a $145,000 budget and an overnight camp counselor at the Cleveland Zoo. She has got it made and is in two positions that could not be any more perfectly designed for her personality! (i'm pretty jealous).

Then I spoke with my high school best friend, Jeff, who is an aborist (tree doctor) in Chicago. We speak more frequently, so we mostly discussed Microsoft Vista (because we're nerds like that).

Then Jason, who was the third "J" along with Jeff and I for JX3 Productions (our early college years video production attempt) returned my previous call. Jason has since moved on to bigger and better things. He is definitely the most famous Mendota-an, as he now appears on TV in 160 countries around the world on a little program called "American Chopper." He is the concept artist/designer for Orange County Choppers. Between the stories of world travel (he flew to Australia for the weekend and if taking a private jet to Colorado tomorrow) and celebrities (Bill Murray, Billy Joel, etc), we shared hunting stories and talked about our girlfriends and families. It is just so awesome to me that with all the fame and fortune (which he won't admit), that Jason is still the same crazy kid I grew up with. I can't wait to get out there and meet all the guys in the shop!

It's comforting that no matter how far away your friends go, they never really leave (and I can watch Jason on Discovery Channel or TLC whenever I turn on the TV)!

Cirque du AMAZING.

Bri and I were given free tickets to last night's performance of Cirque du Soleil's "Delirium" at the Civic Center. I can't even begin to describe it except to say "wow." If I had dreams like that, I would never want to wake up! It's just crazy. If you ever have the chance to go, DO IT!!!

The best trip ever...

Well, after 6 incredible days of hunting the woods of East Texas, the boar hunters have returned to frozen Illinois. The ride down was less than spectacular. We left last Friday night to try and beat the winter storm blowing in. The storm had other plans, however. The 17-hour drive was stretched to 23.5 hours due to a maximum speed of 35mph on the interstate all the way to St. Louis! Once we arrived, we could not have asked for better weather-upper 70's and sunny every day! We thought we were going to get slammed by the huge storm system on the way home yesterday, but we drove behind it the whole way.



Our goal this year was to beat the record of 36 confirmed hog kills. We hunted HARD every day and were out until 2am two nights in a row trying to get as many pigs as possible. Despite two opportunities where a herd of pigs got up in front of us, jammed guns prevented the record from being broken (i know it sounds like an excuse, but i have the video to prove it!). We ended up with 35 pigs, 5 of which were killed with a spear (also on video).



On the last day, we were hunting "the island," which has historically produced some very large boars. When we were about 200 yards from the end of the island, a herd of approximately 20 of the long-haired beasts got up in front of my uncle and ran right at me. My dad, my uncle, and I opened up on them. I picked out the first pig and fired. It dropped from view behind a small rise along the creek. Then my gun jammed. Then the herd turned and ran right through me. I had a stampeding rapid pack of tusked demons run past me within 5 yards. When the smoke and dust cleared, 3 enormous pigs lay on the ground around me. My dad shot two trophy boars and I shot a sow that was the biggest any of the guys had ever seen. We couldn't even drag the 400-500 pounder. I'm sure Bri was excited to hear I'll now have a monster wild boar to hang on the wall!



It was an incredible trip that I will never forget! The DVD will be done in a month or so if anyone wants to see it!

It's that time again!

In 14 hours I will be departing the frigid winter of Illinois for balmy Texas in hopes of sending a herd of wild hogs to their maker. If I have internet access while I'm there, I will upload some photos along the way. Last year we bagged 34 of the nasty beasts. Can we break the record of 37 in one week?! You betcha!

my life as an EHS...

So...
It's been a crazy past 1.5 weeks. Bri is now out of the hospital and feeling much better. She was diagnosed with Crohn's, but has adjusted well because she is amazing. Now if she can only get home from Chicago with all of this crazy, blizzardy, weather.
In the midst of all this, I started my new job at the health department. So far it has been fun. There is a lot of variety to the job, so it will be hard to get bored. That also means I have a TON to learn (which is also good). A lot of it is learned by going out with other Environmental Health Specialists and observing what they do. I've accompanied them on several food inspections, a couple of home inspections, and some septic system samplings (not as bad as it sounds-just dipping a cup into the water that flows out of the tank after being treated). Traveling to the different locations really breaks up the day, so it's usually over before I know it. It really beats sitting behind a desk for 8 hours, staring at the clock! My co-workers are fun and very helpful. I can't wait to get out on my own (maybe in a few months)!

bri update

Friends,
Bri is now feeling better and will most likely be released tomorrow if she keeps improving. She has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease and is coping very well. She's a strong girl and will adapt. Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

note:

when you ask someone to pick up their relative at "the airport" and "the airport" you are referring to is not the airport in the city you live in, you must inform them that "the airport" you are referring to is 180 miles away. because when the generous person who volunteers to pick up your mother has set aside 45 minutes for the trip and is informed that they are to make a 6 hour trip to O'Hare and back instead of Peoria Int'l while on their way out the door, they will not be happy. they will be pissed. very pissed.

thanks,
the management

Bri needs our prayers. She has been sick since last Monday with abdominal pains and all the stuff that accompany them. Tuesday night we went to the ER, where they diagnosed her with gastroenteritis, which basically could be anything that makes you nauseous. They have her a couple prescriptions for the pain and nausea, but it didn't do anything to treat her symptoms. Sunday night she went back to the ER because the pain was so extreme. They admitted her and she has been there ever since. After several tests, including a CAT scan, she still has been given no definite answers. The doctors think she may have Crohn's disease. Please pray that this is not the case, as it is a chronic and painful illness with no cure. Please pray that her pain subsides and to give her physicians wisdom.


For those that have been wondering, the new job is going well-much more exciting and interesting than claims.

Reflection.

10.5 months.

744 claims.





Broken teeth, foreign objects, food poisoning, slips, trips, falls, lacerations, car
accidents, storms, falling debris, coffee spills, torn pants, raw chicken, flies, worms, and cockroaches, mouse legs, chicken feet, rat brains, and human feces. I'll stop there.

I am not going to miss any of it!

While this job has been stressful, frustrating, and sometime infuriating, I've learned some important lessons here:

1. I've learned that people are extremely grateful when you extend a helping hand or lessen a financial burden, even when you don't necessarily owe them.
2. I've learned that you can't change someone else, only the way you respond to them.

4 hours until I graduate from this chapter of my life!