Thursday, June 22, 2006

Busy Days

This week has been filled with a whirlwind of activities.

Yesterday I spent the day driving to three destinations and touring interesting sites: (1) Biomass burning facility in Lyonsdale, NY; (2) Willow biomass farm in Belleville, NY; and (3) Anaerobic digester farm in Belleville, NY. Can you guess what these three places have in common and why I would want to visit them?

These interesting field trips are part of the Fuel For the Future conference that I'm attending at Clarkson for the remainder of the week. The conference is looking at technologies for using alternative fuel supplies for creating energy. Using waste cooking oil to create biodiesel is the technology that I'm most interested in. This is a technology that I've been researching for the past year. Biodiesel can replace the diesel fuel used to run our garbage trucks. Advantages of biodiesel include it burns cleaner and is cheaper than diesel fuel. I worked on a proposal with Clarkson last week. If funded, the grant would provide money to build a biodiesel production system on the reservation. Sounds fun.

In my travels yesterday, I passed the new wind farm that is located near Lowville, NY. The wind farm has hundreds of newly installed winds mills that create enough energy to supply all the houses in Lewis County. I didn't mind the appearance of the gigantic wind mills (Nancy - this is my kind of museum). I actually thought that they added some unique beauty to the skyline. I would highly recommend to drive by them if you are traveling in that area. They are located on Route 177. Route 177 runs between Rt. 81 (Adams Center Exit) and Lowville, NY. The wind farm is located near the section of the road near Lowville, NY.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Unplanned Snack

I was able to enjoy an unplanned snack this evening. You are probably wondering how can a snack be unplanned?

I'm always planning the types and amounts of food that I eat in a day. My unplanned snack became a reality when I forgot to include one of my carb servings with my lunch today. I was disappointed to see that I had forgotten it when I opened my lunch bag up at noon, but I quickly thought "I'll just make it up later in the day."

I came home after work, ate dinner, and then mowed my lawn. As I was mowing, I planned for my unplanned snack: ice cold yogurt with a bit of cheerios on top; this has become one of my favorites. This unplanned snack sure hit the spot after mowing. I know it isn't ice cream, but I sure do enjoy it as much and appreciate that it is healthier for me to eat.

The best part of this story: I get to eat a planned snack later this evening. You guessed it - ice cold yogurt with cheerios on top. Twice in one day...doesn't get much better than this.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Father's Day


Nancy snapped this picture of my dad and me after we had breakfast this past Monday. My dad loves to ride his motorcycle.

I had the awesome privilege of spending time with my dad today to celebrate Father's Day. I treasure these times since my dad spends some Father's day taking other people out fishing - my dad operates a fishing charter business. I was glad to learn that he didn't have to go fishing today and I was able to spend time with him.

Farther's day is special for me since I spent 10 years not talking to my dad. The reasons why are not important. More importantly, is that God restored my relationship with dad. We have a great relationship now and I cherish my times with him.

As my friend Nancy says "your dad is a way cool guy." I agree with her and I love him very much.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Home

I am home and enjoying the cabin life; for those who don't know, I live in a 4 bedroom log cabin nestled in 20 acres of woods. I love the peace, quiet, and all the animals that roam across my yard.

Today I'll spend trying to weed my flower beds and plant flowers. My busy life and weather have not cooperated to allow me to get this done. One would think that I'm growing a forest of weeds since they have overtaken my flower beds. The weeds will get a surprise when I put on my new garden gloves and begin pulling them out. I just hope that the weather will cooperate. It has already rained this morning and the weather channel tells me that we will be getting more.

Other than weeding, I'll need to buy a father's day present and card. I hope to see my dad tomorrow if he is not out on the St. Lawrence fishing. He has a fishing charter business and this is the opening of bass season. He didn't have a charter booked for tomorrow the last time I spoke to him.

Captain Russ is my dad's name and I think he is pretty cool. He spends most of his days on the boat fishing. He has actually fished 21 days in a row. When you ask him if he ever gets sick of fishing, he tells you no. He also has a motorcycle that he got a couple years ago and rides that around when he doesn't have a fishing pole in his hand. He is cool and I love him very much.

The rain has subsided...I guess I should go attack those weeds. Have a good one.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Dining in Arlington, Va

This was a post that I wrote yesterday, but couldn't publish because of internet problems at the hotel in DC. I hope you enjoy reading about our dining adventure.


After working on my proposal all day, I was ready to eat some fine food. After discussing what would satisfy our taste-buds, we decided on Thai food. A Google search revealed that there was a Thai restaurant 5 miles from the hotel. A call to the restaurant showed that we didn’t need reservations and there was a parking lot – important thing to know when you trying to dine in a large city. We printed directions from Google and headed to the company Hybrid.

We got onto Crystal Drive as we departed the hotel parking garage. We found the next street that the directions indicated we needed to be on. As we continued on, we both began to realize that the next street to turn on was no where to be found. We had to make a snap decision and turned onto a road that we thought was the one that would lead us to the Thai restaurant. We quickly realized that it was the wrong road since we were on I-395 headed across a bridge in DC; this is the opposite direction that we needed to go. We could do nothing, but enjoy the rush hour traffic, which was moving slow, and the scenery along the way. After about 15 minutes of crossing the Potomac River, we finally found an exit to get off I-395. We were able to get off and get back on I-395 south headed back to Arlington, Va. A quick geography lesson: the Potomac River separates DC from Arlington, Va. We eventually found our way back to the hotel, parked the car, and walked to a nearby Thai restaurant.

We both laughed about our little driving adventure and made the best of it as we entered the Thai restaurant. The menu looked great and the prices were very reasonable. We both ordered and within minutes our food arrived at our table; for those of you who know Nancy she did take pictures of the food…so check her blog out since she’ll probably post them when she gets home. As we both were admiring our food, Nancy offered me a taste from her plate. I grabbed my fork and put some in my mouth. My mouth quickly let me know that Nancy’s dish was spicy; this was evident since my mouth felt like it was on fire. I don’t like spicy food. Nancy quickly informed me that her dish was spicy enough to “wake up my insides.” I certainly felt like my insides were being waked up to something that it didn’t like. I soon recovered though and enjoyed my chicken, broccoli, and noodle dish.

We did have an enjoyable dining experience out even though we didn’t end up going to the original Thai restaurant that we had plan on. Sometimes we have to make the best of it even when our plans don't work out the way we intended them to.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Arrival - Washington, DC

Nancy & I arrived in Washington, DC last evening about 6:30 pm. It was a good day for traveling.

I picked Nancy up at 6:30 am and we headed south. We made a stop in Watertown where we met my dad for breakfast. He rode his motorcycle and Nancy took our picture with us standing next to it - I imagine that you might see it on her weblog in the future. We were back on the road to continue our trip south. The nice thing about heading south is the weather improved the farther we went. It was sunny and in the mid 70's by the time we arrived in Washington.

After checking in at the hotel, Nancy went off to be a tourist and I went to a business dinner meeting. I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the room at 10pm.

I have an unstructured day ahead of me. I must complete a proposal that I've been working on. I guess I should go begin working on it. Perhaps I'll work on it when I'm sitting pool side enjoying the sun. I wonder how much I would get done if I did that? Check back and I'll let you know.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Destination - Washington, DC

Yes, you got it...I'm getting set for another trip. This time the trip is for work.

I sit on a committee that advises EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) about environmental issues. I'm the only Tribal representative and I'll be sitting in day long meetings from Tuesday-Thursday. I call them marathon meetings since they usually start at 8 or 9 am and go until 5 or 6 pm. My brain definitely needs a rest after these meetings.

I'm driving the office hybrid vehicle, which is a Toyota Highlander. It won't get as good gas mileage as my hybrid, but it will be interesting to see how it performs.

My good friend, Nancy, will be joining me for the trip. Nancy is an excellent travel companion. Nancy will see as many museums in DC as time permits while I'm in my meetings. I'm not a museum person and this is a good thing since Nancy likes to go off on her own and check things out.

We will leave bright and early tomorrow morning (6:30 am). I guess I better go to bed now so that I'll be awake for the drive.

Check back here for updates or click on the link for Nancy's blog under my links section since we both will be able to post during the trip.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Life At the Transfer Station

I arrived at the transfer station about 30 minutes ago.
I wonder what the day would bring as I stepped out of my car. I never know when I spend the day at the station. The normal routine is to sit at the desk waiting for loaded trucks of garbage or recyclables to roll across the scale. I get to weigh them and buzz them to move to the designated areas so that they can unload. I then get to re-weigh them after they unload everything and take their money: "that will be $10.00 sir". If the computer is working correctly, it will tell me how much change I need to give back to them. I take their money, give them their change and receipt, and close the cash drawer. "Have a good sir" is what I say when they leave. I then sit and wait for the next customer. I sometimes can sit for hours until the next customer. During these times, I occupy myself with doing paperwork that I bring with me from my main office, if I remember to bring it with me. Often times, customers will come in like a flood and the flurry of activities causes me to swith modes.

My work at the transfer station has taught me to adapt to whatever is happening. I find myself routinely switching modes depending on the given moment. This is a challenge since I am a person of balance and like routine. I have to adapt right now since my first customer has arrived; off to weighing I go.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

In January, I entered a new season in my life that I call healthier living for today and tomorrow. I entered the season knowing fully well that the decisions I make today impacts my life in the future.

Prior to January, I wasn't sowing good seeds with respect to my eating habits. I would eat anything that I wanted and as much as I wanted to. I began to realize that continuing to eat this way was having negative impacts on my spiritual, emotional, and physical health. I also came to a place of brokeness before God and asked Him to help me control my eating. This is when the healthier living for today and tomorrow season began for me.

The first part of the season was focused on weight loss. One of the first things I learned was that metabolism is the way my body uses calories from the food that I eat. If I eat more than my body needs, those extra calories get stored as fat. Eating less than my body needs causes weight loss.

Now that I had the basic understanding about metabolism, I began to learn about eating smaller more frequent meals while measuring the portions of food that I was eating. I bought measuring cups and a balance so that I could weigh my portion sizes. Measuring and weighing my food was a new concept for me, but it taught me about portion control and the importance of eating only what my body needed.

I also learned that eating breads, crackers, and pasta made from whole wheat has more fiber and nutrients and causes my body to use more energy to digest this type of food; the more energy needed means more calories are burned that helps lead to weight loss.

Eating whole grains in combination with the right amounts of proteins and fats also caused my body to loose weight. My body needs food from all the food groups in order to fire up my metabolism, which led to my weight loss.

Combining my new healthier eating with working out five times per week (3 days of strenth training, 2 days of aerobics) allowed me to loose between 1-3 pounds per week.

I reached my goal weight a few weeks ago and I'm now in the maintaining part of the season. This means that I have to eat more food in order to maintain my weight.

I thought eating more food would be great and easy to do, but I'm finding that it is a challenge. My stomach has shrunk and is very content with me eating at the level that I've been accustomed to. Nevertheless, I either need to eat more or reduce my active level in order to maintain my weight. I don't see my active level changing so eating more is the only option that I have.

Eating more is an unusual challenge for me to experience since I've never had a problem packing the food down. Matter of fact, there were periods in my life where eating was a favorite pass time and stuffing myself beyond the point of comfort was normal for me. I'm so glad that I don't do this anymore and I love eating in moderation now.

I've loss a total of 42 pounds since January 1. I sometimes pinch myself to see if it is really true. I've always heard about other people loosing this much weight and never thought that I could do it. Nevertheless, here I am 42 pounds lighter and with God's grace I was able to achieve my goal. Thank you Lord!!

Many people have asked me if I found it hard to do. Overall, I haven't found it hard. I've had God's grace. Another key for my success was realizing that what I reap in the future depends on what I sow today. I began to look at older members of my family and began asking myself “do I want to look and have the health problems that they do when I’m their age?” My answer was no and I realized that I needed to sow good eating and exercise habits today in order to be healthy in the future.

I am also successful since I had two wonderful people (Theresa & Blanche Smith) to help me stay on course and share in the fun of experiencing weight loss together. Blanche and Theresa have been a great support and inspiration to me and I probably wouldn’t have been able to accomplish my goal weight without them. I’m every so thankful for them and their support and love.

I'm glad that the weight loss season is behind me and I know that God's grace will be with me as I continue to eat more in the maintaining part of the season.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Family Photos

Tonight is the first night that I was able to download pictures that I snapped during my trip to Iowa trip. I've included family photos in this entry. Have a look and feel free to leave comments. Enjoy.
Introducing...my brother's family. From left to right: Hannah, me(Laura), Sarah, Clark (my brother), Russell, Susan (Clark's wife), Issac, and mom. See photos below to learn more.

Introducing ...mom. Mom was my travel partner-in-crime and navigator. We didn't get in too much trouble traveling across the country. I truly enjoyed our conversations and especially singing the old songs that we heard on the radio. Thanks for going mom. You're the best!! Love you bunches. P.S. Did your sneakers arrive and do you miss the winds of Iowa?

Introducing...me & my brother, Reverand Clark. Clark would tell everyone when he introduced me that he got all the brains and the good looks, and he wasn't sure what I got. I would always respond muscles since I used to beat him up when he was smaller than me. Hard to imagine that I used to knock my brother around, or least give it a good try. In any event, I love you and it was great to see you and the family. P.S. Has the wind stopped blowing in Iowa and is your meat smoker still cooking up a storm?

Introducing...Susan, my sister-in-law. I found out that Susan and I like many of the same things; especially lots of hot coffee and shopping. This was evident by the many cups coffee and shopping sprees that we had together. It is a wonder we didn't wear out your coffee pot. Even if we did, I'm sure that you could run down to manufacturing plant for the Bunn Coffee pot; I was truly amazed that the world's famous coffee pot is manufactured in the village that you live in. Thanks for the coffee and all the great conversations that went with it.
Introducing...Russell, the oldest nephew and now a high school graduate. Russell you are a young ambitious man. This is evident by the many jobs that you are working. This kind of work ethic will take you far. Keep close to God as you follow your dreams and God will richly bless you. P.s. Can you tie your tie?

Introducing...Sarah, the oldest niece. I admire Sarah's devotion to taking care of her grandparents, her mom's mother & dad. Sarah likes to have fun too as is evident from this picture. I truly enjoyed my time with you Sarah even though it was short. You are a fine young lady, keep your chin up, trust in the Lord, and He will take you far.

Introducing...Hannah, the youngest niece. Hannah loves animals and fun times. I truly enjoyed all our games that we played. My favorite was jumping and trying to touch the ceiling (oops, don't tell your dad). Keep trying and maybe someday you'll be tall enough to reach it. How are your hamsters, dogs, chickens, and horse?

Introducing....Isaac, the youngest nephew. He made me feel special by wrapping his arms around me, telling me how much he loved me and sharing many twinnie snacks with me. He especially liked warmed strawberries, yogurt, and cheerios. This is one of my favorites too. Love you Isaac. P.s. don't forget our secret high 5 hand shake.


And finally a picture of me. Any guesses how I snapped this photo of myself?