images

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

wow.

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.

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.

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)

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

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.

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...

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

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)

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.

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...

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!

what did you think i meant?

Cougar Quiz

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

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.

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!