A Lucky Run.

 I spent another weekend in Milwaukee with Cheryl.   But this time... we actually ran a race.   In celebration of St. Patricks day,  we ran a "Lucky" run and drank green beer.   It was the first time I have ever ran a 7K race.   Or drank green beer!  

The race was pretty much the highlight of the weekend.   Too bad it was windy and cold!   And it rained the previous night... all night!   They had predicted snow at some point, so I'm very grateful that didn't happen.  Otherwise...   I managed to pull off a decent time for me. 
  ( Being out of shape and all....)  Any time that is a sub-nine minute mile is good enough for me.  

On the down side... (other than the weather.)   The location of the race was in a strange place for us and we were unfamiliar with the area and local happenings.   This made for a limited experience outside of the hotel room.  In fact, we pretty much traveled to the south side of Milwaukee and repeated the same things we did previously.  ( mostly.) 

We did manage to do a little beach combing without the snow and ice this time.   And we actually found a few nice pieces of glass and colored rocks.  It was unfortunate that the cold and wind eventually drove us from the beach as well.   But,  the fact that we even had the opportunity was good enough.  

Other than that...  the weekend was kind of  "Meh!"  for me.  I did like seeing Cheryl again,   but with the weather limiting activities,  it was a repeat of the same.  ( Mostly) We couldn't even linger at the race after-party just because of the coldWe hovered around the two heating stoves for warmth and marshmallow roasting.  ( Which was kind of fun...)  But even that gets a little old after a while.  ( Especially when I was the only one doing it.)  

Today's weather was a little better. But Cheryl left early and I headed to Church...  Thus signalling the weekend's end.   Dave and I did manage to do a little hiking in the forest to see of any mushrooms might be pushing up.  ( They aren't.   Too early or too cold for them just yet.) Otherwise, we simply scouted out a new potential spot for future searches.  

And that was that.   I folded a little this afternoon.   I'm a little disappointed on how things turned out but I did complete a pretty good elephant.  Hopefully Jane will like it.  

The next month we are on "mandatory Overtime" at the Zebra.   Meaning I will not have the luxury of weekend festivities as I have previously.   I don't see Cheryl trekking up here in that time, so It may be a full month before we see each other again.  ( For the Lincoln Half Marathon in April.)  In the mean time.... I will have to work on my running and increase my distance so I do not bonk out or hurt myself for a 13.1 mile run.  That means I will have to find time to run when I can.   And I'm not going to be able to rely on Saturday's as I did before.   Time will be at a premium... Because every second counts.

The KIA Window...

The KIA window arrived last Saturday night and I decided to put it in on Sunday.   I actually thought it was going to arrive Thursday,  and Friday was going to be the day... but Amazon surpassed our expectations once again.   

I figured it would be a simple job.  And it was...   Mostly.   But it did take longer than I had first anticipated.   ( About 2.5 hours.)  And it could have taken longer had Dave not stepped in to help me several times.   You would be amazed what an extra set of hands is worth when doing a project solo.  

And even with the right tools,   a you tube video,  and Dave's extra hands...  We STILL needed a pat on the back from a retired mechanic that Dave called.   HE told us pretty much what we were doing was on track and we just had to persist.   And be careful with the glass edges....   His cheer leading was well appreciated

And do we got the window in and Joey is not back on the road without the draft and rain messing up the back seat.   BY the way... it rained Tuesday!   Good timing on our part, getting the window in before the weather turned bad.  

Other than that,  I have entered the Cages of VAS at the zebra Warehouse.  I started Monday and it is a little weird to be in one place for so long.   But I think I'm getting the hang of things and hopefully will find my rhythm. The job is fairly easy and I know most of the folks in the cage from way back... so there is an air of familiarity that is comforting.  

However,  the uneasiness I think I'm feeling is the missing inbound team and the late break schedule with my lunch buddies.   It is funny how a simple move to a different part of the building could have such and impact with your schedule and routine. Even though I can see inbound right outside the fence!   ( I sometimes wave at them...) 

Ah well,  no one ever said change was going to be easy.   And I have an even BIGGER change coming up in a couple of months.  With that looming on the horizon,  this will seem like a walk in the park by comparison.    So perhaps this is simply practice for my major life changing event in July.  We shall see

And that is it.   It is Wednesday already.   I have Friday off and plans for a Lucky Race in Milwaukee. Something to look forward to!   And tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday with John.  ( Maybe Marion and Dylan again... who knows? )  It will be fun hearing about Inbound from the outside this time.   I can hardly wait!  Because every second counts...

The Parking Wars At Zebra

 Over the last few weeks, I have been privileged to witness the ongoing drama that is early morning parking at Zebra technologies. With the influx of new employees,  our normal parking lot has now become crowded.   And all of the familiar "territories" or parking spots are now up for grabs for whoever arrives earliest.  This has led to a number of "entertaining" squabbles among the seasoned veterans who have staked out their claim and now find their claim being claimed by squatters!  Fun and hilarity ensues...

Well,  fun for me.   I am one of the few folks who arrive insanely early because I have a phobia against being late.  So... while sitting in my warm Subaru...   I get to watch Oscar take Jason's spot.  Some  new guy take Allison's spot..  Or Paul's.   And finally....  Veronica has been taking Marion's spot near he median.  Hat's off to Marion,  who has been arriving earlier and earlier to make sure she gets there ahead of Veronica.   IN fact,  the other day  she barely beat her by one car length!   Good times! 

The thing is... I don't think Veronica even thinks about it.   She just parks where ever she can.  And if the median spot is available,  she takes it.   Sometimes she even parks in my spot!  ( I'm not as possessive as some people....  but I understand the mindset.)  
For Paul,  there is no argument.   He arrives late and his spot is close to the door.   First come,  first serve!   You snooze, Paul...  prepare to park one slot over. 

But Marion arrives plenty early.   So I can empathize when she loses her spot by a few minutes due to traffic or weather. I'm sure the issue will only become worse as more and more new employees arrive through out the year.   but as long as I continue to arrive earlier than everyone else,  I think my spot is safe.  

Other than that,   I worked on some Origami this weekend.   The Oriental Dragon "Shilong" has been quite a handful.   I bought more paper so I can finish him now.. but today I spent three hours on the tail alone! And I did not even finish the scales! 

The foil paper does not work well for the scale folding, so I may just leave it as it is for the main body sections.  The idea is that it looks like an elegant folded piece of art instead of a crumpled piece of paper. 

But while taking a break from the dragon,  I wet folded a bird out of  one of those slip sheets that I acquired from the Warehouse.  The paper is VERY thick and it took several hours just for the water to penetrate the thick layers.   At one point, I thought it was going to be a lost cause... but eventually it turned out.   I will bring it to work on Monday.   Mostly because I get odd looks when I bring these huge sheets home.   People wonder what I do with them...  This will provide a visual answer. 

Not much else going on here in Kenosha.   Dave's son's car was broken into a few days ago and the would-be thieves broke the rear window, but did not steal the car.   (This is Milwaukee... no Kenosha.) So I offered to repair the window when the replacement glass arrived.  It arrived tonight!   So I will have something to do tomorrow.  I already have the door disassembled, so it hopefully will not take too long.   And if I have the forethought,  I might be able to take pics of the process and blog about it!   Wouldn't that be fun! We shall see if I have the time.  Because every second counts!

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.