The Painting And Finish Of The Fish! And The Answer To The Call...

 A loaded week of activity and blog-worthy events!  Ah,  where to start...

How about the stuff I that has pictures?   

  I have finally finished the fish!  I put the last coat of clear coat on him tonight and he is now officially DONE!   Whew!  That seemed to take forever.  And at some point, I think I was ready to just call it done no matter how the final painting went.  But now that I evaluate the pictures,  I think it turned out pretty good.   ( All things considered!)   Sure, it may not look as realistic as the original inspiration photo,  but no two fish look exactly alike anyway,  so I think I'm in the clear. 

So now I have a little free time to begin a new project:  The folding of another Oriental Dragon!   

It is the year of the dragon, after all.   And I have not folded a really complex model in a while.   Tonight,  I worked on some foil paper to perhaps begin the initial "pre-creasing".  

It could take several days to complete... or maybe longer!  ( Depending on how I feel after work each day.) Hopefully, it will not take as long as this last fish did.   

Oh!  I got a promotion to VAS at the Zebra today!   ( Valued added Services)  VAS is the department that takes the printers apart and adds components for certain customers.  Sometimes it is a cord for a European country.  Other times it is software for certain stores.   Either way, 

I get to be a part of it beginning in March!  With an increase in pay!  ( A nice cherry on top.) The extra bucks will come in handy and I might not be tempted to work so many overtime Saturdays in the future. 

I actually have a full weekend to myself this weekend.   I should clarify and say that I really mean an open Saturday.   No work,  No Cheryl...   Just me with the ability to do what ever I want.  

 Long run?   Possible! 

 Folding paper?  Most likely.  

Uninterrupted laundry and basement cleanup?   Sounds pretty good to me.  I know with so many options,  the day will fly by,  but I will try to enjoy it as long as I can. I may even sleep in!

And finally,  I accepted the Call to Shoreland Lutheran Highschool.  

It's kind of a big deal.

Now I know what you may be thinking!  "Why did he not lead with such an important development?"   Well,  had I started with the acceptance to Shoreland,   Everything that followed would have sounded small and insignificant.   And I have all of those pictures for the blog!  

But seriously,   I am going to become a teacher again.   After many years of basically giving that life path up! And yet, here I am....

I took Wednesday off to visit the school and meet the people who called me.  Not only was I blown away with the facilities,   but they were very interested in my experience in Limnology.    It appears that there is a section of land that floods every year and, in an effort to control the forces of nature,  they are going to work with nature instead of against it.  Meaning:  They are creating a wetland environment to help control the water  variability.  A series of small ponds leading to a marsh with larger settling ponds.  Throw in some prairie restoration along the way.   All of this to keep the baseball field and future building projects high and dry!  Sounds like a Win/Win to me!

Best of all,  the project offers a real-life ecosystem teaching tool right outside their back door!  A classroom custom made for nature... BY nature!  And for all of the students that want to get their feet wet ( literally!) Add in the bonus of getting funds donated to them by various special interest groups that would love wetland restoration in urban settings.  Non-Government schools are always short on cash, since they rely on tuition and donations rather than government tax hikes. With this financial help,  instead of the flood control costing money,  it could actually pay for itself!

And right in the middle of all of that... is me!  I get to be a part of that!  UNBELIEVABLE! I still think I am dreaming.   My mind is already racing with all of the activities that we could do in that area.   Plant identification and studies,  live animal captures, small aquatic invertebrates capture and catalogs, water qualities charts, fish  and amphibian identification.  seasonal observation of the changing water temps and habitats.  Just to name a few!  There are so many things to do that I feel I should begin working on them all now!    It will be like working in my own personal playground.

Did I mention that this offers a unique pairing of my two polar opposite skills?   Teaching and Fish and Wildlife!   I thought I had left the classroom for good and would instead, pursue a career away from kids and towards trees, fish and animals.  And here I am with the almost perfect marrying of the two.   Did I mention that I think I am dreaming?  How is this possible outside of a dream? 

There are no coincidences.   Only God's hand guiding us through life.  God has made this possible for me.
Through some of the darkest moments and some of the most depressing situations,

God has given me everything to lead me back into the light.  And I am so humbled and grateful for it all.  

I think it is a cliché to quote "Amazing Grace"   But I find the lyrics fitting at this point in my life.   

"I once was lost, but now am found.   Was blind, but now I see." 

God has called me back.  And I hope and pray to give back as much as I can to everyone around me.   Because every second counts.

Another Weekend With Cheryl

 Is there a trend starting?   Maybe.   Hopefully?   I don't know.   Bu I do know that I spent a lovely weekend with Cheryl and it was fun.   

What did we do?   Well,  pretty much what we did last time she was here.   We ran,  beach combed, and went out to a pub and grill.    The only difference was that we did not waste time at IKEA waiting to eat meatballs.  Call it a "slimming down" of the last visit.  

I didn't take may photos of this trip though.   It was VERY cold in Milwaukee and I spent most of my time trying to keep my hands warm.   Not to mention I had to let my phone recharge several times and missed taking it out.   Ah well...  Can't take a picture of everything all the time.  

Saturday morning,   we braved the cold and ran by the Lake just like last time.  I figured that the single digits would keep people away from the lake shore trail, but I was wrong!   Not only were there a number of runners and walkers...   There was also a man running without a shirt on!   

That guy was beet red but he did not seem to mind the cold as much as I was.  I guess there are those people who want to take things to the extreme.   And here I am thinking simply running was a challenge enough...   Add in the cold makes it even more of a challenge.   But Shirtless?!!?!?   Rock on my friend!  Rock on!

The sun came out while we were beach combing,  but that was off set by the bone chilling wind.    And the beach was covered in ice this time... so finding beach glass was far more challenging.   regardless,  we did manage to find several items of note... and some rather colorful rocks.  

What else is there to say?   I did my Taxes last week.  ( Hence the lack of blogging...)  And we had a Superbowl watch party. ( No one seemed to actually care who won the game... and we left before the end )  

Oh!   And I got a Call to Shoreland Lutheran Highschool....   As a Science Teacher!  

Kind of a big deal....   I'm still waiting to wake up and find out it is all just a dream.   Seriously!  That is how it is effecting me.   I'm dreaming and I'm going to wake up any moment now.     But...  apparently,   I'm still in dream land.   

Odd that this is happening.   Every time I try to explain it to the people I share this with...  It is like trying to explain a miracle!   One that I barely believe.   And it is happening to ME!

The Lord works in Mysterious ways.   I was looking for the Bible passage that says this... and there are a few that "suggest" this phrase.   But this one I know for sure:   For we know that All things work for the good of those who love God....  And God has been good to me in so many ways.   My heart can barely stand it without exploding.  If you had asked me two years ago if this were possible,  I would have said it was not.   But here I am!     

 Here I am.  

So now I have to begin the process of dusting off the old teaching podium and brushing up on my lesson planning.   My hope is that it is like riding a bike and it will all come back  with ease.   (Without the scraped knees and dislocated shoulder part!)  I find myself praying now more than ever for even more assistance.    But God has gotten me this far already.   An IMPOSSIBLE feat!   So how much more would it be to ask for a few more crumbs of wisdom and knowledge to help me be the teacher He wants me to be?  

 I am humbled and grateful for everything He has done for me thus far.   Nothing is impossible for him. And I believe he will continue to bless me well on into the future.   Because every second counts. 

A Free Friday From The Zebra.

 Today was a good day.   In fact!  This entire week has been pretty good!  One of those weeks that seem to fly by as you wonder where the time goes.   Having an active schedule seems to do that sometimes.   But enough about that....  get to the good stuff!

Tuesday, a group of us from INBOUND volunteered to help the Habitat for Humanity chapter here in Kenosha.   This was the first time I ever volunteered for such a thing, so I was pretty excited about it.   Zebra gave us the day off with pay as one of our "volunteer days".  In addition to the 4 of us from INBOUND,    VAS contributed several people as well as the head honcho!  Marco! ( He is the Manager of the entire Warehouse!)  

 It was fun!   I got to sleep in,   play with explosives and eat pizza!   There were also several assembly projects Dave and I got to do while others were pulled to different houses and tasks.   I would definitely do it again because the site is only 6 miles away and we were able to save drive time and they bought us lunch!   Zebra likes to give back to the community, so
I'm thinking there will be more opportunities in the future.  We shall see. 

I did a quick overview of my PTO and discovered that I have too many hours that will not transfer over after this month.   So... I have to use them.   For this reason,  I scheduled today and Monday off....  Even though I plan on working tomorrow.   ( Overtime! Baby!)   I did not realize that this Sunday is the Superbowl and have been asked to attend a Superbowl watch party on Sunday.   This will make Monday's time off much appreciated.  I really don't care about the game much, but I will watch the commercials and sample the food.   Then again... I really should watch just how much I consume, as the winter months are quickly disappearing.  

Which brings me to the next topic.... Running!    I ran Monday and my legs were very sore and tight from the previous weekend.   I ran today to "Dust off the cobwebs."  so to say.  6.25 miles!   Nothing fast...  but I should probably begin my spring training if I plan on running any major races later on.    And it would not hurt if I lost a few of those Christmas pounds I gained over the holidays.   

I also discovered I need new shoes. ( the running kind.) my shoes currently are past their life expectancy and are slightly worn on the heels.  I also felt a little pain in my arch... so I want to get that taken care of before it becomes a problem.  

And finally,   Last night was fun!   I went out to the Bar with John and Marrion decided to join us.  And although my stories might not have been as entertaining as John's Mighty Mcdonald's Adventures!   I did enjoy hearing other peoples stories as we got to know each other a little better.  The beer and food was good and the Bar was not as crowded as it has been previously.   And best of all.... I had today off!  So I could sleep in if I wanted to.   

I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and painting the fish.   The fish painting was bothering me, so I started over completely.   I would show pics, but what is the point if I get discouraged and start over yet again?  It probably best if I simply show the finished product rather than all of the (Mis-) steps.

So that is all....  Time for bed now as I prepare to help OUTBOUND with their Saturday work day. I'll be there for as long as they will have me... so another 8 hours of overtime I'm expecting.   At least I wont' have to do laundry tomorrow night... or Sunday.   Having a day off that was not planned was rather nice.   I should do that more often.  Because every second counts!

A Weekend With Cheryl.

Cheryl came up to Wisconsin this weekend.   And even though there was no race to run,  we still managed to have fun.   

I know what you are thinking...  I do!   Honest!   Because I have the same questions.   But,  I have simply stopped asking the confusing questions about life and now just roll with it.   I find that the simpler I keep things,  the happier I seem to be.   

It was more like a date than anything else.    And that was nice.    Luckily Cheryl is a rather cheap date...  Choosing to go to the beach for beach-combing for beach glass.    An activity that is totally FREE!   And I like free.   

However...   There is a price...  ( There is always a price!)  The monetary savings you may find are made up for in environmental suffering. Namely:  It was cold!      Cold and windy along the beach.   That made for some exciting activities while we searched for broken beer bottles and shards of old windows.   And that is what makes it a challenge.    It already is an Easter Egg hunt with the brightly colored gems hidden in the "Goodie Line" of the surf.   But add in the wind and the possibility of getting  soaked from the waves and you have an adventure!  

And that is about the time Cheryl gets her feet wet.   She is always pushing the limits of what she can get away with and Mother Nature is not as forgiving.   She was searching in the wash zone when a wave swashed over her shoe and up her pant leg.   Brrr  Chilly!  

As for me,  I know my limitations.    And therefore, I do not have to prove to myself where they are in everything I do.    Thus....   Keeping my feet safe, dry and warm!   Call me a coward!  I would like to think that knowing your limits and limiting the distance you get to them is an act of wisdom.   It's all about perspective.  

Did I mention we went running?   Even though there was no race,  we still went out for a short run near the shores of Lake Michigan.  And as a result,  my legs are killing me!   I have not run since the Jinglebell hustle....  so I might be a little out of shape at the moment.   But perhaps it is time to start tuning up this machine I call a body and get it ready for some spring running events.    Because... you never know....    

Oh!   And we saw some turkeys. 

We ended the day by visiting IKEA and a local brewery.   I now remember why I do not frequent family dining much anymore.    Everything was rather expensive.   Normally,  when I go out to the Clubhouse with John on Thursday,  we have a good time talking about, work, sports and politics and do not spend an arm and a leg in the process.   But a Brewhouse in Oak Creek is a different matter entirely!  Good thing I limit the "dates" to one every two months! ( or longer!) 

I'm off to attempt to paint a fish.   Something I have been derelict in doing this last week.   I still have to finish folding my laundry and prepping for tomorrow.    This weekend was way too short.   And every second counts!