.....Is underrated. Everybody laughs at it, makes it seem like a dark closet we all go to so we can indulge in an imaginary fairy tale life and ignore the real world outside. Sorry, folks, but the Happy Place is REAL!
There's an amazing song by the band Skillet where the singer addresses God with a desperate need to return to an intimate relationship with Him. The song is called Forgiven and the chorus says, "I'm in our secret place, alone in your embrace, where all my wrongs have been erased, you have forgiven." Driving home from work, I heard that song and I thought about me and God's secret place.
Do we have one?
I couldn't remember.
When was the last time I went there?
Couldn't remember that either.
But I did remember Caitlin telling me that Spearfish is, in fact, only about 10 miles from the Wyoming border, so after work, I took a detour out of town to get a picture of the Welcome to Wyoming sign, just to say I did. Somewhere between Spearfish and Beulah, some more amazing lyrics came streaming through my speakers: Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere. Wow! Looking around, I knew I was in Jesus's courts. The mountains, the sunset, the trees, the utter beauty! Suddenly it all looked different. It all looked SPECTACULAR!!!!!
Where was me and Jesus special place?
RIGHT HERE. In the car. With the music. In the mountains.
Naturally, I did not want to give up this amazing feeling I've been missing for the past few weeks. Talking with God at work and in my apartment has been kind of like trying to breathe in a balloon: it gets very stale after awhile, doesn't revive you, and eventually you just quit because there's fresher air to breathe somewhere else. But driving through the mountains, I had a hard time keeping both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road because I just wanted to DANCE!!!!!!
Took me another hour to get back to my apartment. I drove back down the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway to Savoy. It was even more beautiful the second time, especially with my Praise and Worship music blaring in the background.
Let me digress for a moment....in other words, let me tell you where I'm going with this.
Happy places can move, but they are real.
I've been reading some great books lately and having some really great conversations, and it's become very obvious to me that Satan's influence in the world is very real and very normal. He's pretty good at being sneaky. Now, I'm not saying that Spearfish is a corrupt, demon-infested town drowning me in some crazy inability to pray or worship, but I can feel an obvious difference between driving the hills and sitting on the couch when it comes to chatting with God. I firmly believe this applies to every place we go or visit....it is very possible that our ability to communicate with God varies with our geography.
In the book of Genesis, chapter 29, Jacob is camping out under a tree in Beersheba. He's kind of on the run, a man with a warrant on his head because his brother Esau isn't his biggest fan. And while Jacob's sleeping under this tree, God gives him a vision. Jacob's ladder....I'm sure you've heard of it. After Jacob catches a glimpse of this heavenly escalator, he takes his pillow, which happened to be a rock, pours oil on it, and calls it Bethel, which means the House of God. It's a pillar, an altar, a geographical bookmark for Jacob to remind himself "I saw God HERE!"
A few years and a few chapters later, Jacob goes back to Bethel. After a little family drama with his father-in-law, a reunion with Esau, and wrestling with God, Jacob's still feeling a little down and all of his kids are suddenly worshiping idols. The solution....He goes back to him and God's Happy Place. Jacob and his family mount up, throw out the idols, and return to the altar Jacob built under the tree. And it's on that journey that God gives Jacob the name we know him best as: ISRAEL.
Now.....you can't read that story and NOT tell me that Happy Places are real.
What does all this have to do with my mentorship?
I'm not sure yet. But I figured while I have your attention, I'll Carpe Diem....or something like that.
Each of us has a special place where we feel God's presence most. Lucky for me, mine moves with me....but it still involves a bit of searching because the beauty of union with God is the journey towards connection.
Traveling here has taught me so much about working in the museum field and what I do and do not want to pursue in my next mentorship, but I think most of all, I've learned the importance of being someplace where God is totally tangible. Yes, he's everywhere, I know. But just because a place has a great offer, or a great view, or a great salary doesn't mean it's a great Happy Place.
And I'm finding that the ability to find a Happy Place is becoming more and more of a priority as I travel this journey towards a career.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Night on the Town?
So I have really enjoyed doing nothing the last few nights in a row, but it's time for some night air.
Went to church on Sunday, then crashed on the couch and didn't get up until dinner time...which was somewhere around 9:00 pm.
Busy the last couple of days. Knocked out another 50 blueprints on Monday despite the 1 hour staff meeting at 9:00. Sad face. My last staff meeting.
Today there were angels helping me in the basement....I mowed through 63 blueprints!!! That's a personal record. The more sorting I do, the more duplicates I find. Today there were 5 different blueprints or copies that I recognized and went looking for the original. I like to do little victory dances when I find matches like that.
The rehousing process is taking up more and more of my time as the blueprints I'm working with are getting more and more deteriorated. If all I had to do was catalog these things, I'd have the project done by now, but by the time I leave, Randi and I have realized the project will only be about half-way finished. Every now and then I'll get one in good shape, but there's always something to consider...size, heat damage, water damage, etc.
Randi introduced me to a couple new kinds of tissue paper to place between each blueprint and linen print before they go into their respective storage folders. This kind of complicates things. Before, I focused mostly on cataloging each document, then making a basic decision about which storage folder and cabinet it should go into based solely on its size. Pretty simple. Now the linens are getting one kind of tissue paper and folder and the blueprints are getting a different kind of tissue paper and folder. And now that we have a wider variety of tissue papers, I also have to consider the extend of damage to the piece, how big it is and what kind of folder it can go into. Hence, there are a lot of combinations of tissue papers, folders, and cabinets to choose from when one wants to rehouse a blueprint or linen. Small or large? Buffered or non-buffered paper? If Non-buffered, thin or thick? Most of the tissue paper is pre-cut in snowy white sheets, but if you want the non buffered and the print is bigger than 60 cm wide, I get to hunt down the huge role and cut a sheet myself. Needless to say, I feel a lot like a butcher with all this tissue paper floating around.
Towards the end of the day, I got to talking with Randi and Caitlin (another intern) about where I'm headed after Spearfish. Both of them have been in museums for awhile, even though Caitlin's focus is in media and she does more advertising than cataloging. After a bit of a chat, Caitlin asked if I wanted to go out with some of her friends tonight for dinner at Lucky's, the local pub. Should be fun. Even if it is my last week in South Dakota, I still have 4 days to meet some new friends.
Also, got in touch with an old friend of mine, Alyssa Lee, who moved out here and got married back when I was in high school. Haven't seen her in awhile, but after some hard core phone tag, it sounds like I'll get to have dinner with her on Friday night before I go to pick up Austin at the airport.
From there, it's rodeo weekend in Mitchell and then homeward bound.
Went to church on Sunday, then crashed on the couch and didn't get up until dinner time...which was somewhere around 9:00 pm.
Busy the last couple of days. Knocked out another 50 blueprints on Monday despite the 1 hour staff meeting at 9:00. Sad face. My last staff meeting.
Today there were angels helping me in the basement....I mowed through 63 blueprints!!! That's a personal record. The more sorting I do, the more duplicates I find. Today there were 5 different blueprints or copies that I recognized and went looking for the original. I like to do little victory dances when I find matches like that.
The rehousing process is taking up more and more of my time as the blueprints I'm working with are getting more and more deteriorated. If all I had to do was catalog these things, I'd have the project done by now, but by the time I leave, Randi and I have realized the project will only be about half-way finished. Every now and then I'll get one in good shape, but there's always something to consider...size, heat damage, water damage, etc.
Randi introduced me to a couple new kinds of tissue paper to place between each blueprint and linen print before they go into their respective storage folders. This kind of complicates things. Before, I focused mostly on cataloging each document, then making a basic decision about which storage folder and cabinet it should go into based solely on its size. Pretty simple. Now the linens are getting one kind of tissue paper and folder and the blueprints are getting a different kind of tissue paper and folder. And now that we have a wider variety of tissue papers, I also have to consider the extend of damage to the piece, how big it is and what kind of folder it can go into. Hence, there are a lot of combinations of tissue papers, folders, and cabinets to choose from when one wants to rehouse a blueprint or linen. Small or large? Buffered or non-buffered paper? If Non-buffered, thin or thick? Most of the tissue paper is pre-cut in snowy white sheets, but if you want the non buffered and the print is bigger than 60 cm wide, I get to hunt down the huge role and cut a sheet myself. Needless to say, I feel a lot like a butcher with all this tissue paper floating around.
Towards the end of the day, I got to talking with Randi and Caitlin (another intern) about where I'm headed after Spearfish. Both of them have been in museums for awhile, even though Caitlin's focus is in media and she does more advertising than cataloging. After a bit of a chat, Caitlin asked if I wanted to go out with some of her friends tonight for dinner at Lucky's, the local pub. Should be fun. Even if it is my last week in South Dakota, I still have 4 days to meet some new friends.
Also, got in touch with an old friend of mine, Alyssa Lee, who moved out here and got married back when I was in high school. Haven't seen her in awhile, but after some hard core phone tag, it sounds like I'll get to have dinner with her on Friday night before I go to pick up Austin at the airport.
From there, it's rodeo weekend in Mitchell and then homeward bound.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
"Wherever people go, sooner or later there's the law, and sooner or later they find that God's already been there." -- John Wayne
Short week.
I was all alone on Thursday (Randi had a doctor’s appointment and Nick was upstairs on the computer) so I snuck some pictures in the basement. I had Friday off as well since Randi gets every other Friday off.
Me....all day long.
Some of my victims. hahahaha!!!
Thursday evening was lovely....got to catch up on some reading, choreograph some dance stuff, watched the Prince of Persia, then slept in Friday morning. Kay, Jon, Molly and Jackson were arriving a little later than planned, but I got to fudge the day cleaning the apartment and doing nothing very important. Left about 2:00 to meet them them in Keystone, where I parked my car at the Travelodge so we would only have to pay for one car load. Rushmore was very fun because I hadn’t been there in 10 years or so, Kay hadn’t been there in....longer, and Molly and Jackson had never seen it. Took some really fun pictures (including a jumping shot!) and walked the boardwalk at the base of the mountain....of course the entire time Jackson and I were debating the inaccuracies of National Treasure II. Don't even get me started!
Best Schumacher cousins EVER!
When we got back to Keystone, Molly got in the car with me and we all caravanned to Deadwood for dinner. A very nice little town but we couldn’t figure out why it was so busy and crowded. We went to a huge new building that was supposed to be a restaurant, but was apparently also a hotel and casino. It was PACKED! So we walked 3 or 4 blocks to this little hole-in-the-wall bar to get some dinner and then we saw the huge sign advertising the Big and Rich and Gretchen Wilson concert at the casino downtown. Ahh. That explains a few things.
Because of the concert, the bar was really backed up on food orders, but we didn’t mind the hour wait for our food because the bar was also a hotel and a 3-story antique shop. Molly, Jackson, and I had a great time ‘treasure book’ hunting....and found some really great old texts. I found a 500 page history of England, France, and Germany from 1715-1789. Only $9 so I HAD to have it. Jackson found an old chemistry text book for $4 and I bet he could make a bomb out of it. Hahahaha! Molly found one of the old Great Illustrated Classics copies of Little Women. Without going into too much detail, there is a huge historic relationship between my childhood and that exact book, so I bought it for her. Gosh she reminds me of me.....she didn’t put it down until she finished it about 11:30 last night!
We took a different road back to Spearfish that was VERY scenic. Molly read her new book out loud to me and took some great pictures while I drove. Once we were back at the apartment, it was WONDERFUL to have people in it! It was almost crowded with all 5 of us. We crashed on the couch with some brownies and cookies Grandma had sent with them and chilled until we all fell asleep.
Breakfast was exciting this morning. Kay and I were about the only 2 that could fit in the kitchen and we made eggs to order, bacon, and toast for everyone. Trying to find enough plates, silverware, and glasses for the 5 of us was a challenge, but made the morning interesting....along with trying to get us all through one bathroom.
I showed them around the Hatchery after breakfast. Everything was open except the office where I work, but we got to see the grounds, the ponds, and the museum. Plus it was a gorgeous day! About 11:00 they all piled into their car and headed out. A sad goodbye, but goodness I got to see my cousins three weekends in a row without even being home! I’m feeling pretty blessed to have such an awesome family.I’m really thankful for they’re willingness to come and see me and fill my little apartment with the sound of people.
The office building I work in....
Our totally awesome underwater viewing area.....p.s. they're rainbow trout
If you feed them, they will come.....
In the park, there was a wedding in the gazebo and two different family reunions in pavilions. My own Schumacher family reunion is currently underway back home at the lake this weekend, and I realized this was only the 2nd Schumacher Reunion I’ve ever missed. The first was 4 years ago when I went on my first trip abroad to England as a sophomore in high school. Feeling a tad more courageous than usual, I approached some of the ladies cutting up watermelon under the pavilion and asked whose family reunion they were hosting. They responded “Novey....are you a Novey?” Must be a big family. I answered that no I was not, but I was a Schumacher, and I told them about missing my own reunion back home. I felt kind of awkward because I teared up a little when I mentioned home. I think they understood where I was coming from because they kindly invited me to join them for their reunion. “After all,” one of them said, “Only half of us our Noveys, the rest are Deiber’s, which is just as German as Schumacher so we’re practically related!” It was a kind offer, but it was just too much and I couldn’t accept. I wished them a wonderful day and they wished me a blessed last week here in Spearfish....and I’m pretty sure it will be. :)
Not much else to do with the day, so I decided to drive through Spearfish Canyon. I didn’t really know anything about it except that there are signs for it everywhere and it’s somewhere on highway 14A. Turns out, the Canyon is a 20 mile scenic drive through the Black Hills down 14A....and the speed limit is 35 mph. Adding in a stop every 3 or 4 miles for a photo opportunity and some hiking, and my drive to the other end took about an hour and a half. At the end of the 20 miles, there was a sign for the filming location for Dances With Wolves....so naturally I kept going. Found some really cool gravel roads that took me about 3 miles up into the Hills and right past some amazing waterfalls. Locked the car and started on a hike, but about a half mile in, a sneaky little snake slithered across the path in front of me. No rattle on the end, but it did remind me that rattlesnakes are not uncommon out here, and I’d rather have someone with me, or at least within 100 yards of me, if I’m going to hike through rocky terrain with snakes. Yes, I had my knife with me, but a knife in your hand doesn’t do you much good when a rattler gets you in the ankle.
The drive back to town went by much faster than the drive out of town. Went back to the city park and parked myself on a bench with my book for awhile. About the time my skin started to turn too red for comfort, I began hearing the faint calling of my apartment’s air conditioning, so I decided to head back to my little cave and share some of my weekend adventures with you. :) Happy Weekend ya'll!
.....God's already been there.
I was all alone on Thursday (Randi had a doctor’s appointment and Nick was upstairs on the computer) so I snuck some pictures in the basement. I had Friday off as well since Randi gets every other Friday off.
Thursday evening was lovely....got to catch up on some reading, choreograph some dance stuff, watched the Prince of Persia, then slept in Friday morning. Kay, Jon, Molly and Jackson were arriving a little later than planned, but I got to fudge the day cleaning the apartment and doing nothing very important. Left about 2:00 to meet them them in Keystone, where I parked my car at the Travelodge so we would only have to pay for one car load. Rushmore was very fun because I hadn’t been there in 10 years or so, Kay hadn’t been there in....longer, and Molly and Jackson had never seen it. Took some really fun pictures (including a jumping shot!) and walked the boardwalk at the base of the mountain....of course the entire time Jackson and I were debating the inaccuracies of National Treasure II. Don't even get me started!
When we got back to Keystone, Molly got in the car with me and we all caravanned to Deadwood for dinner. A very nice little town but we couldn’t figure out why it was so busy and crowded. We went to a huge new building that was supposed to be a restaurant, but was apparently also a hotel and casino. It was PACKED! So we walked 3 or 4 blocks to this little hole-in-the-wall bar to get some dinner and then we saw the huge sign advertising the Big and Rich and Gretchen Wilson concert at the casino downtown. Ahh. That explains a few things.
Because of the concert, the bar was really backed up on food orders, but we didn’t mind the hour wait for our food because the bar was also a hotel and a 3-story antique shop. Molly, Jackson, and I had a great time ‘treasure book’ hunting....and found some really great old texts. I found a 500 page history of England, France, and Germany from 1715-1789. Only $9 so I HAD to have it. Jackson found an old chemistry text book for $4 and I bet he could make a bomb out of it. Hahahaha! Molly found one of the old Great Illustrated Classics copies of Little Women. Without going into too much detail, there is a huge historic relationship between my childhood and that exact book, so I bought it for her. Gosh she reminds me of me.....she didn’t put it down until she finished it about 11:30 last night!
We took a different road back to Spearfish that was VERY scenic. Molly read her new book out loud to me and took some great pictures while I drove. Once we were back at the apartment, it was WONDERFUL to have people in it! It was almost crowded with all 5 of us. We crashed on the couch with some brownies and cookies Grandma had sent with them and chilled until we all fell asleep.
Breakfast was exciting this morning. Kay and I were about the only 2 that could fit in the kitchen and we made eggs to order, bacon, and toast for everyone. Trying to find enough plates, silverware, and glasses for the 5 of us was a challenge, but made the morning interesting....along with trying to get us all through one bathroom.
I showed them around the Hatchery after breakfast. Everything was open except the office where I work, but we got to see the grounds, the ponds, and the museum. Plus it was a gorgeous day! About 11:00 they all piled into their car and headed out. A sad goodbye, but goodness I got to see my cousins three weekends in a row without even being home! I’m feeling pretty blessed to have such an awesome family.I’m really thankful for they’re willingness to come and see me and fill my little apartment with the sound of people.
In the park, there was a wedding in the gazebo and two different family reunions in pavilions. My own Schumacher family reunion is currently underway back home at the lake this weekend, and I realized this was only the 2nd Schumacher Reunion I’ve ever missed. The first was 4 years ago when I went on my first trip abroad to England as a sophomore in high school. Feeling a tad more courageous than usual, I approached some of the ladies cutting up watermelon under the pavilion and asked whose family reunion they were hosting. They responded “Novey....are you a Novey?” Must be a big family. I answered that no I was not, but I was a Schumacher, and I told them about missing my own reunion back home. I felt kind of awkward because I teared up a little when I mentioned home. I think they understood where I was coming from because they kindly invited me to join them for their reunion. “After all,” one of them said, “Only half of us our Noveys, the rest are Deiber’s, which is just as German as Schumacher so we’re practically related!” It was a kind offer, but it was just too much and I couldn’t accept. I wished them a wonderful day and they wished me a blessed last week here in Spearfish....and I’m pretty sure it will be. :)
Not much else to do with the day, so I decided to drive through Spearfish Canyon. I didn’t really know anything about it except that there are signs for it everywhere and it’s somewhere on highway 14A. Turns out, the Canyon is a 20 mile scenic drive through the Black Hills down 14A....and the speed limit is 35 mph. Adding in a stop every 3 or 4 miles for a photo opportunity and some hiking, and my drive to the other end took about an hour and a half. At the end of the 20 miles, there was a sign for the filming location for Dances With Wolves....so naturally I kept going. Found some really cool gravel roads that took me about 3 miles up into the Hills and right past some amazing waterfalls. Locked the car and started on a hike, but about a half mile in, a sneaky little snake slithered across the path in front of me. No rattle on the end, but it did remind me that rattlesnakes are not uncommon out here, and I’d rather have someone with me, or at least within 100 yards of me, if I’m going to hike through rocky terrain with snakes. Yes, I had my knife with me, but a knife in your hand doesn’t do you much good when a rattler gets you in the ankle.
The drive back to town went by much faster than the drive out of town. Went back to the city park and parked myself on a bench with my book for awhile. About the time my skin started to turn too red for comfort, I began hearing the faint calling of my apartment’s air conditioning, so I decided to head back to my little cave and share some of my weekend adventures with you. :) Happy Weekend ya'll!
.....God's already been there.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Eureka!....well, sort of
Today was a crazy day. I woke up with the mind set that I was going to cream that drawer of blueprints and get as much done as my brain and body would let me. I rearranged my attack strategy a bit, tweaked my motivation and got to work. I thought I cataloged a lot of blueprints yesterday...til I counted today's.
FIFTY.
That's insane.
That's crazy.
That's too many.
Somewhere around blueprint #40 I realized exactly what I was doing. Yes I was cranking out blueprints like a mad woman, but was I having any fun? Ummm...not really, I was tired, grouchy, and I had a headache. Not a great way to go about the day. Yes, you get a lot done when you don't think long enough to breath, but eventually you run out of air and realize what you got done was NOT worth O2 lost.
Interestingly, this ties in a bit with the biggest difference I see between government-operated museums and non-profits. This is a VERY general statement, but there's a bit of a trend to these institutions: the former is run by people who are doing their job while the later is successful because of volunteers who work because they care.
I think I'd rather work in the later.
Don't get me wrong, any kind of educational institution that can get our government to support it deserves a certain amount of credit. But at Mitchell, I worked with people who came in at 9 a.m. because they wanted to, not because they were getting paid to. Sure, government funded museum employees do enjoy their jobs, or they wouldn't be doing it, but it really is a completely different atmosphere at a non-profit institution.
So there's one question answered...if I do decide to stay in the museum field, I'd prefer a non-profit institution I think. And even if I don't stay in the museum field, I have a huge respect for non-profit organizations and while that opens up some more doors for inspection, at least it's a direction, right?
I forgot to mention yesterday that on my flight back from Peoria on Monday, I sat next to a Baptist preacher (of some sort). We had a really great conversation and he introduced me to a few Christian-based political groups he had been doing some research with. Pretty interesting. May have to check some of them out...
As it stands at the moment...it takes a really special person to screw up Mac n Cheese. Guess I'm special. Plan B for Dinner: Mint Chocolate Ice Cream!!! :D
FIFTY.
That's insane.
That's crazy.
That's too many.
Somewhere around blueprint #40 I realized exactly what I was doing. Yes I was cranking out blueprints like a mad woman, but was I having any fun? Ummm...not really, I was tired, grouchy, and I had a headache. Not a great way to go about the day. Yes, you get a lot done when you don't think long enough to breath, but eventually you run out of air and realize what you got done was NOT worth O2 lost.
Interestingly, this ties in a bit with the biggest difference I see between government-operated museums and non-profits. This is a VERY general statement, but there's a bit of a trend to these institutions: the former is run by people who are doing their job while the later is successful because of volunteers who work because they care.
I think I'd rather work in the later.
Don't get me wrong, any kind of educational institution that can get our government to support it deserves a certain amount of credit. But at Mitchell, I worked with people who came in at 9 a.m. because they wanted to, not because they were getting paid to. Sure, government funded museum employees do enjoy their jobs, or they wouldn't be doing it, but it really is a completely different atmosphere at a non-profit institution.
So there's one question answered...if I do decide to stay in the museum field, I'd prefer a non-profit institution I think. And even if I don't stay in the museum field, I have a huge respect for non-profit organizations and while that opens up some more doors for inspection, at least it's a direction, right?
I forgot to mention yesterday that on my flight back from Peoria on Monday, I sat next to a Baptist preacher (of some sort). We had a really great conversation and he introduced me to a few Christian-based political groups he had been doing some research with. Pretty interesting. May have to check some of them out...
As it stands at the moment...it takes a really special person to screw up Mac n Cheese. Guess I'm special. Plan B for Dinner: Mint Chocolate Ice Cream!!! :D
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
PICTURES!!! :)
So I don't have any official wedding pictures, nor do I have any pictures from the lake since the camera was still packed at the farm, but I thought I'd share some of the craziness that was my weekend. Out of respect for Hannah and RJ, I'm gonna hold of posting pictures of them until they have official wedding photos out...my action shots just don't do them justice!!
In more recent news, I felt like I got absolutely nothing accomplished today, but at 5:00 I had achieved record numbers. After a three day weekend, the Fish and Wildlife Service staff returned to the Hatchery office and a broken air conditioner. Needless to say, it was a very sluggish day all the way around. I was even more thrilled than usual to hide in the nice, comfortable, cool basement all day. :)
Jo is a computer-savvy volunteer and she tried deciphering my hieroglyphics on the catalog records I've been keeping the last few days. Lucky for both of us, she was able to follow them pretty well so I can stay in the basement and try to crank out 30-40 blueprints a day while she enters all my data into the computer. I'm relieved about this because it means I can get more blueprints cataloged and somebody else can enter them into the computer even after I go back to Illinois.
Today I discovered the importance of having one person in charge of a cataloging project. I was examining a blueprint of the Hatchery Superintendent's Residence and Office in Cortland, NY and recognized it. I knew I'd seen it before. Nick, who does inventory in the basement and guards me from all sorts of horrible basement boogie men with his pencil and clipboard, laughed because I've cataloged over a hundred blueprints that all look the same so how could I be so sure I'd seen that one before. After about 10 minutes of searching, I proved myself right. Last week I had cataloged a the exact same blueprint, but rather than the typical blueprint process with white lines on Prussian blue dyed drafting paper, the one I had handled last week was hand drawn black and red ink on emulsioned linen, which is linen that has been coated in a liquid that makes the ink stick longer. In other words, I had found an original architectural drawing and the blue print that had been made from it. Randi and Jo were impressed, and that's why Jo started entering my info into the computer for me...if she's doing the entering, I can stick to being the only person doing the cataloging. Thank God for a photographic memory! :)
Did laundry after work...Gonna take care of some dishes and finish unpacking, then nestle into the couch with some num nums and a really great Louis L'Amour book recommended by my awesome bro. Enjoy the pictures!!!!!!
Too bad taking photos while driving is dangerous...I'd take more of these. Golly, I wish I was on a motorcycle!
Hannah had a lady who does hair for Renaissance fairs do hair for the bridesmaids and family of the bride. With our light blue dresses and day lily bouquets, we felt like fairies! :)
90 degrees in the shade....the bridesmaid and bride spent a lot of the time in the only thing even close to AC on the campgrounds....the mess hall's walk-in fridge!
After the wedding, me and my dear Eureka College girlies took a 'hike'. Laura, Betsy, Emily, and I found a deer path to a creek so we kicked off our shoes and walked around the campground in ankle-deep water. Probably the best part of the reception! :)
Phoebe (maid-of-honor and sister of the bride) Myself, and Emily (best friend of the bride) had homemade matching tie-die T-shirts to wear after dinner. Yup, two new amazing great friends! :)
These are from the Black Hills National Cemetery. You can't miss it as you drive east on I-90. It's the Black Hills own version of Arlington. It was the 4th of July, and I simply couldn't help stopping to pay tribute to the flags and headstones.
In more recent news, I felt like I got absolutely nothing accomplished today, but at 5:00 I had achieved record numbers. After a three day weekend, the Fish and Wildlife Service staff returned to the Hatchery office and a broken air conditioner. Needless to say, it was a very sluggish day all the way around. I was even more thrilled than usual to hide in the nice, comfortable, cool basement all day. :)
Jo is a computer-savvy volunteer and she tried deciphering my hieroglyphics on the catalog records I've been keeping the last few days. Lucky for both of us, she was able to follow them pretty well so I can stay in the basement and try to crank out 30-40 blueprints a day while she enters all my data into the computer. I'm relieved about this because it means I can get more blueprints cataloged and somebody else can enter them into the computer even after I go back to Illinois.
Today I discovered the importance of having one person in charge of a cataloging project. I was examining a blueprint of the Hatchery Superintendent's Residence and Office in Cortland, NY and recognized it. I knew I'd seen it before. Nick, who does inventory in the basement and guards me from all sorts of horrible basement boogie men with his pencil and clipboard, laughed because I've cataloged over a hundred blueprints that all look the same so how could I be so sure I'd seen that one before. After about 10 minutes of searching, I proved myself right. Last week I had cataloged a the exact same blueprint, but rather than the typical blueprint process with white lines on Prussian blue dyed drafting paper, the one I had handled last week was hand drawn black and red ink on emulsioned linen, which is linen that has been coated in a liquid that makes the ink stick longer. In other words, I had found an original architectural drawing and the blue print that had been made from it. Randi and Jo were impressed, and that's why Jo started entering my info into the computer for me...if she's doing the entering, I can stick to being the only person doing the cataloging. Thank God for a photographic memory! :)
Did laundry after work...Gonna take care of some dishes and finish unpacking, then nestle into the couch with some num nums and a really great Louis L'Amour book recommended by my awesome bro. Enjoy the pictures!!!!!!
Monday, July 4, 2011
A quick trip home...
I took Friday off to fly home to celebrate the marriage of two of my most dear friends, Hannah Huebner and R.J. McHenry, at Camp Wokanda. I got up at 2:00 a.m. on Friday to catch my early flight in Rapid City, changed planes in Minneapolis, and arrived in good old Peoria, IL by lunchtime. The wedding was on Saturday at 2:00, and the hot weather showed no mercy whatsoever. Still, she was absolutely GORGEOUS and everybody in attendance said awwwwww, cried, or some embarrassing combination thereof. A very long, hot, humid, night, but I was so excited to see my friends from Eureka. Right after the ceremony, Betsy Snobeck, Emily Marvin, Laura Punke and I took off our shoes and took a walk in the creek behind the campsites. Lots of very cool pictures and laughs! :)
Found myself awake at 6:30 Sunday morning and decided to make an early drive home to surprise my family. I returned to Buckley about 9:00 and had plenty of time to shower and go to church with my family. Soooo glad to go back to Grace Bible. I didn't realize how much I would miss my home church until I went without it for 5 weeks. I have an amazing church family there and it was wonderful to see them all.
After church, we headed out to Grandma and Grandpa's lake for some camping, swimming, fishing, and shooting. Rode with Austin on his new motorcycle (Suzuki 550, black and the third bike our family has bought in the last 2 years!) Had one unfortunate incident where the back of my leg kissed the blazing hot exhaust pipe. Still pretty red, but no blisters yet. On a much funnier note, Uncle Rob shot a water snake with a pellet gun while it was swimming past the dock. Yup, one shot. Got it in the head. Pretty sure that will go down in the family history book of amazing camping trips. Just a great day to be in the water!
Also got to see my amazing friend Becca, who I haven't seen in over a year. She's expecting a baby in October, so it was very nice to laugh, cry, dance, and just talk with her for a couple hours. It was really a God thing that she happened to be in Illinois the same weekend I came home for Hannah's wedding.
Ended Sunday evening with square dancing in Onarga, our own family fireworks at the lake, some fishin in the dark, and a couple hands of cards. Up relatively early this morning to catch my flight back to Rapid City, and successfully arrived back at the apartment about and hour ago.
I'm exhausted and I'm starving, but I'm sooo happy. I really needed that little excursion home and even though it was crazy busy and I crammed a lot into just 72 hours, it was TOTALLY worth it.
Planning to celebrate the 4th of July with The Patriot. No fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, so I'm going to hold off on that side trip until my cousins come visit me this weekend on their way back to Montana. Have a great Fourth of July!!!! <3
Found myself awake at 6:30 Sunday morning and decided to make an early drive home to surprise my family. I returned to Buckley about 9:00 and had plenty of time to shower and go to church with my family. Soooo glad to go back to Grace Bible. I didn't realize how much I would miss my home church until I went without it for 5 weeks. I have an amazing church family there and it was wonderful to see them all.
After church, we headed out to Grandma and Grandpa's lake for some camping, swimming, fishing, and shooting. Rode with Austin on his new motorcycle (Suzuki 550, black and the third bike our family has bought in the last 2 years!) Had one unfortunate incident where the back of my leg kissed the blazing hot exhaust pipe. Still pretty red, but no blisters yet. On a much funnier note, Uncle Rob shot a water snake with a pellet gun while it was swimming past the dock. Yup, one shot. Got it in the head. Pretty sure that will go down in the family history book of amazing camping trips. Just a great day to be in the water!
Also got to see my amazing friend Becca, who I haven't seen in over a year. She's expecting a baby in October, so it was very nice to laugh, cry, dance, and just talk with her for a couple hours. It was really a God thing that she happened to be in Illinois the same weekend I came home for Hannah's wedding.
Ended Sunday evening with square dancing in Onarga, our own family fireworks at the lake, some fishin in the dark, and a couple hands of cards. Up relatively early this morning to catch my flight back to Rapid City, and successfully arrived back at the apartment about and hour ago.
I'm exhausted and I'm starving, but I'm sooo happy. I really needed that little excursion home and even though it was crazy busy and I crammed a lot into just 72 hours, it was TOTALLY worth it.
Planning to celebrate the 4th of July with The Patriot. No fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, so I'm going to hold off on that side trip until my cousins come visit me this weekend on their way back to Montana. Have a great Fourth of July!!!! <3
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Me vs. Storms, Smoke, and Sweet Tooth
Wow! It's already Thursday! Yikes!
Lots of storms blowing through SD these days, but they're nothing like Illinois storms....just tons of wind and a little rain. Seriously guys, a storm is not a storm without a decent lightening and thunder show to go with it. :) Last night the gusts were up to 60 mph and I'm on the end of my apartment building, so my night was pretty much all noise and no sleep.
I mention smoke because all the blueprints I'm working with at the Hatchery are the special project that they are because they were exposed to an extreme amount of smoke and heat during a Hatchery fire. Each one is very soot and smoke-stained so it needs special attention for cataloguing and rehousing. Hence, my job. :)
And sweet tooth, well I finished up my first week here, so I'm ending the day with Oreo's, peanut butter, and a Monster! Man, I feel good! Tonight I plan on packing for my flight home tomorrow and cleaning out my fridge of highly-perishable foods so they don't green up my kitchen while I'm gone.
Sorry, you're not gonna get a short post tonight. Hahahaha. Thought you could get away with a short read...come on guys, this is MY blog you're reading. *wink!*
I've been thinking a lot about the implications of this mentorship and a lot of the people I've met here (and talked to back home) are asking...What do I plan to do with the information I learn here? What's the next step after South Dakota museums?
And the big answer is: I don't know yet.
Hey, you asked, so I'm being honest.
The big tie-up is in a strange mix of hobbies....no, passions. That's a better word. I've heard several wise people say "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Ok...so....I ask myself....how does locking myself in a basement glorify God? Still trying to figure that out...but I want to share a bit of my thoughts here..
Mamma lent me this amazing book by Max Lucado called "You Can Be Anything God Wants You To Be". Great read! And short. I highly recommend it whether you like reading or not, or even whether you like God or not. Anywho, after reading that book, I’m getting used to the idea that God made me the way I am on purpose. That even though I don’t know why I feel the way I do or why I enjoy the things I enjoy, He does. And He made me feel them and enjoy them for a reason. I step back from this mentorship experience and I'm reminded of the $50 question when I started: “Ok God, I’m currently torn between entering the ministry and working in a museum. Now what?"
Being here in South Dakota has opened my eyes to some kind of strange inner fascination I have with historic items and documents and the inner workings of the Department of the Interior.
Question No. 1: Where did that COME from?
Question No. 2: What in the WORLD am I supposed to do with it?
Seriously, how many people in the world are torn between these two kinds of careers? I’ve got this aching, longing, almost crawling, desperate need to read the Word of God and understand it. It’s somewhere so deep inside me that even though it’s a loud, blaring, symphonic orchestra in my soul, my head can only hear a faint, whispering melody. And then when I open my heart to God’s Word and the message it has to share and the ridiculous love He has for me, I want more! Kind of like that song, Your Love is My Drug. Only literally. I can’t shake it. I need to be in the Word.
And then there’s this crazy obsession with white cotton gloves, dark basements full of very old things that nobody wants anymore, and mountains of paperwork that some guy behind a desk in D.C. wants me to fill out.
Again, where did these fascinations come from and what do I do with them?
I think I’ve found the answer to the first question...and it’s God.
Do I get it? Not even close. I stopped trying to understand His deep, dark complexities somewhere in the middle of Christian Thought with Dr. Wright. But I think even more important than understanding that they came from God, is accepting that He had a reason for giving them to me.
I haven’t the faintest idea what’s going to happen or where my life is going to lead me that my love for God’s Word and museum work happen to collide, but I know that eventually they will, because God wouldn’t put these feelings inside me if they weren’t going to help me glorify Him...somehow. God gave me these passions, which means eventually they’re going to come in handy.
And that, folks, is my justification for being here. Sitting in the basement of the Hatchery, I’m starting to consider where I want to go next. The Smithsonian or the British museum sounds AMAZING! I think I want to give that a try.
But I also wanted to go to seminary in Australia my senior year. So which do I go for?
At this point, both. And maybe somewhere between here and Australia, God will show me how I’m supposed to combine His Word and museum work. And if He doesn’t...well...then...I just keep doing what I love...because if I didn’t do what I love...I wouldn’t be accepting the passions God gave me...and I wouldn’t be glorifying His awesome power and control in my life.
Lots of storms blowing through SD these days, but they're nothing like Illinois storms....just tons of wind and a little rain. Seriously guys, a storm is not a storm without a decent lightening and thunder show to go with it. :) Last night the gusts were up to 60 mph and I'm on the end of my apartment building, so my night was pretty much all noise and no sleep.
I mention smoke because all the blueprints I'm working with at the Hatchery are the special project that they are because they were exposed to an extreme amount of smoke and heat during a Hatchery fire. Each one is very soot and smoke-stained so it needs special attention for cataloguing and rehousing. Hence, my job. :)
And sweet tooth, well I finished up my first week here, so I'm ending the day with Oreo's, peanut butter, and a Monster! Man, I feel good! Tonight I plan on packing for my flight home tomorrow and cleaning out my fridge of highly-perishable foods so they don't green up my kitchen while I'm gone.
Sorry, you're not gonna get a short post tonight. Hahahaha. Thought you could get away with a short read...come on guys, this is MY blog you're reading. *wink!*
I've been thinking a lot about the implications of this mentorship and a lot of the people I've met here (and talked to back home) are asking...What do I plan to do with the information I learn here? What's the next step after South Dakota museums?
And the big answer is: I don't know yet.
Hey, you asked, so I'm being honest.
The big tie-up is in a strange mix of hobbies....no, passions. That's a better word. I've heard several wise people say "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Ok...so....I ask myself....how does locking myself in a basement glorify God? Still trying to figure that out...but I want to share a bit of my thoughts here..
Mamma lent me this amazing book by Max Lucado called "You Can Be Anything God Wants You To Be". Great read! And short. I highly recommend it whether you like reading or not, or even whether you like God or not. Anywho, after reading that book, I’m getting used to the idea that God made me the way I am on purpose. That even though I don’t know why I feel the way I do or why I enjoy the things I enjoy, He does. And He made me feel them and enjoy them for a reason. I step back from this mentorship experience and I'm reminded of the $50 question when I started: “Ok God, I’m currently torn between entering the ministry and working in a museum. Now what?"
Being here in South Dakota has opened my eyes to some kind of strange inner fascination I have with historic items and documents and the inner workings of the Department of the Interior.
Question No. 1: Where did that COME from?
Question No. 2: What in the WORLD am I supposed to do with it?
Seriously, how many people in the world are torn between these two kinds of careers? I’ve got this aching, longing, almost crawling, desperate need to read the Word of God and understand it. It’s somewhere so deep inside me that even though it’s a loud, blaring, symphonic orchestra in my soul, my head can only hear a faint, whispering melody. And then when I open my heart to God’s Word and the message it has to share and the ridiculous love He has for me, I want more! Kind of like that song, Your Love is My Drug. Only literally. I can’t shake it. I need to be in the Word.
And then there’s this crazy obsession with white cotton gloves, dark basements full of very old things that nobody wants anymore, and mountains of paperwork that some guy behind a desk in D.C. wants me to fill out.
Again, where did these fascinations come from and what do I do with them?
I think I’ve found the answer to the first question...and it’s God.
Do I get it? Not even close. I stopped trying to understand His deep, dark complexities somewhere in the middle of Christian Thought with Dr. Wright. But I think even more important than understanding that they came from God, is accepting that He had a reason for giving them to me.
I haven’t the faintest idea what’s going to happen or where my life is going to lead me that my love for God’s Word and museum work happen to collide, but I know that eventually they will, because God wouldn’t put these feelings inside me if they weren’t going to help me glorify Him...somehow. God gave me these passions, which means eventually they’re going to come in handy.
And that, folks, is my justification for being here. Sitting in the basement of the Hatchery, I’m starting to consider where I want to go next. The Smithsonian or the British museum sounds AMAZING! I think I want to give that a try.
But I also wanted to go to seminary in Australia my senior year. So which do I go for?
At this point, both. And maybe somewhere between here and Australia, God will show me how I’m supposed to combine His Word and museum work. And if He doesn’t...well...then...I just keep doing what I love...because if I didn’t do what I love...I wouldn’t be accepting the passions God gave me...and I wouldn’t be glorifying His awesome power and control in my life.
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