Last Day in California

Yesterday was our last day in California. We went here for church. After church, I went out to lunch with the Pastor and his wife at the Mission Inn. The rest of my family also went to the Mission Inn, but to a different restaurant that is located in the Inn. Afterwards, my family and I went shopping for a winter coat for my brother. He is traveling to Minneapolis, MN next month and needed a winter coat for the trip. Our shopping travels too us to the Burlington Coat Factory at the Ontario Mills Mall. We also visited the Rainforest Cafe. I had never been to a Rainforest Cafe. It was a lot of fun. I couldn't resist sitting on one of the animal chairs and play with its tail; picture above. The day was completed by going back to my brother's house and just hanging out.

My mom and I boarded a plane at 12:30 AM PST and flew home today. I got about 2.5 hours of sleep. This is why I'm signing off now - sleep. I'm glad to be home and am looking forward to getting back to my routine.

Adventures in Santa Barbara

Our travels yesterday took us to the Santa Barbara area. Our first stop was at the Cold Spring Tavern for lunch. This is one of those places that you wouldn't expect to find in southern California, but here it is. It reminded me of a rustic restaurant that I would find in the Adirondacks. We walked in and it was cold. I mean so cold that we all kept our jackets on and I even asked my brother to get the blanket out of the car for me. I've come learned that places in southern California don't heat their businesses even when the temperatures are in the 40's. Yes, I wrote right, the 40's. I'm surprised that it gets this cold too. The food was great and we had a wonderful time at the Cold Spring Tavern.

Our next adventure took us to places north of Santa Barbara. It is pretty countryside with lots of rolling hills and mountains. We stopped at several shops and just enjoyed our time walking around. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Mom and me outside the Cold Spring Tavern.

I couldn't refuse this picture because of the sign.

A red peppercorn tree. I never knew peppercorns came from a tree.

Red peppercorns on the ground. They are slippery to walk on.

A gigantic Christmas tree. Mom and Irene are standing next it.

They do have cows in California.

A nice prickly pear cactus plant.

A prickly pear cactus. You can eat them.

Can you see the object of interest in this photo?

A Visit to the Huntington Library

Our travels yesterday took us the Huntington Library. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Mom & Adam

Pictures from the Japanese Garden

My brother (Wayne) and my nephew's wife (Cami)

Cami in action.

A beautiful flower in the rose garden

Adam & Cami

Christmas in CA

I must admit that spending Christmas in CA was nice. I like the weather - sunny and highs in the 60's. Jiwon and I treated ourselves to a late night visit to the outdoor hot tub on Christmas Eve since it was so beautiful out.



I spent the afternoon outside participating in a new Christmas family tradition. This new tradition is throwing knifes into a pumpkin. I never have thrown a knife before, but it was fun and I actually hit the pumpkin several times. We had a tournament with the girls challenging the guys. There were Jiwon, Cami (my nephew's wife), and me against my nephew (Adam), brother (Wayne) and Jong. It came down to sudden death and the guys beat the girls by 2 points.



We also spent time singing Christmas carols around the piano. Jiwon played for us and we all sang. Everyone truly enjoyed Jiwon's musical gift and she truly blessed us.



The evening was ended by making a ginger bread house. When I left my brother's house to return to Jong and Jiwon's, the glue on the house was drying. It will be interesting to see the finish product when I return tomorrow.



Tonight is my last night at Jong & Jiwon's. I have truly enjoyed staying with them and their company. They are great hosts if you ever want to visit southern CA.



Here are some pictures.

My nephew (Adam) & sister-in-law (Irene)

California - Here We Come

I'll be leaving in about an hour. My final destination is Los Angeles, CA. In route, I'll be stopping by my mom's house since she is going with me too.

We are both excited to be spending Christmas with my brother and his family, in addition to leaving the snow and cold of NNY. The forecast for the LA area is sunny and temperatures in the 60's. I can handle that.

For the family of CFC, I will also be spending time with Jong & Jiwon during my visit. I'm actually staying at their place for a few days since there is no room at my brother's house. In addition to mom and me, one of my nephews and his wife are visiting too. My options for sleeping were a nice room and bed at Jong & Jiwon's or an air mattress in the middle of the living room floor at my brother's. I opted for the nice room with a bed. Jong & Jiwon live about 30 minutes from my brother's house. Jong & Jiwon will be spending Christmas with us too.

Jiwon and I are looking forward to having nice long talks over many cups of coffee. When she lived in Potsdam, we would spend hours at Scoops drinking coffee and talking. I really miss Jiwon and am looking forward to seeing her.

Because He Loves Me

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-12)

As I reflect about the birth of Jesus this Christmas Season, I realize more and more of His love for me. Yes, Jesus was born because God so loved me that He sent Jesus so that I may not parish and have eternal life with God (John 3:16). Spending eternity with God is something that will occur when I die. But, what about now...here and now as I walk through the journey of my life? There must be more about the birth of Jesus than just spending eternity with God after I die.

Isaiah 61 describes the year of the Lord's favor. Throughout this chapter, I read about an exchange process that God wants me to experience: instead of ashes..bestow a crown of beauty; instead of mourning... give me the oil of gladness; instead of a spirit of despair..give me a garment of praise; instead of shame..give me a double portion; instead of disgrace...give me my inheritance so that I will inherit a double portion and everlasting joy will be mine.

God has taken me through many trials and tribulations this year. Through it all, I have come to realize and experience more of God's love for me. I also recognize that God took me through these experiences because He loves me too much to have allowed me to remain captive to the prison chains that bound me. In some cases, I didn't even know that I was being held captive, but God in His ever gentle way, revealed truth to me and I was set free (John 8:32). I experienced God's exchange process as described in Isaiah 61.

This Christmas season I will not only celebrate the birth of Jesus as it relates to my eternal destiny, but also as it relates to my journey in my life. Thank you Lord for loving me so much that I can experience the very riches of You on this side of heaven.

Snow Bound

This Sunday has been unusual since a winter storm blew in last night and has dumped about 14 inches of snow. Church was cancelled and I've had the day to myself. What does one do when snow bound? Here is a list of things that I did:

• watched football - this is the first time all year that I watched a game
• ate some good food
• caught up on sleep by taking two naps
• paid my bills
• completed some paperwork that I've been avoiding to do
• prayed and spend time reading my Bible
• made chicken soup, which I'll definitely enjoy throughout the week

It is nice to be snow bound every once in awhile, but I am looking forward to venturing out tomorrow. Of course, this is after I shovel all the snow off my porch and my plow man comes to clear my driveway.

Traveling Observations

I have a habit when I travel - I watch people in the airport and on the airplane. I don't know why I do this, but I do chuckle at some of the observations that I see.



On my flight home on Monday, I was amused by this couple that traveled on the same plane as me. The flight was delayed by about 30 minutes. When the call came to begin boarding the plane, I observe this couple, probably in their 40's, begin to approach the gate. The man ran as quickly as he could to the front of the line while leaving the woman behind. When he got to the front, I might add by barging in, he looked back at the woman. He motioned her to get in line with him. She did. Before I knew it, they were walking down the Jetway and they were gone. I didn't really think too much about them until I boarded the plane and realized that I would be sitting across the isle from them. I cozy up in my seat for the 2 hour plane ride home.



The gentleman was reading a newspaper the whole flight. He would flip through the pages and ripped some ads out and place them into his pant side leg pocket. He must have done this more than 20 times. I began to wonder what the ads were and how many could he fit in his pocket. I also wondered what he was going to do with all those ads.

The plane landed and everyone was waiting to deboard. I was standing in the isle minding my own business when the gentleman began rising from his seat in front of me. Without a word, he nudged himself into the isle and I had to step back or he would have been standing on top of my toes. He opened up the overhead compartment and took another newspaper out. I thought "oh, no he is going to rip out more ads and stuff them in his pocket." He didn't, though. The couple ran off the plane as quickly as they ran on. I didn't see them again. I do wonder what he did with all those ads. Do you have any ideas of what he did with them?

I'm Traveling

I'm sitting at the Syracuse Airport waiting to board a plane to Dallas, TX. This is a personal trip to visit friends and to help them plan for future expansion with their ministry.

I'm excited about this trip. The last time I checked the weather will be sunny and in the 70's. This is a far cry from the -2 temperature that occurred in NNY last night and the blinding snow storm (lake effect) that I drove through 2 hours earlier. I'm also excited since God is leading me to help out with the ministry in Texas. This is one of my dreams to come true - to be able to use my administrative gifts to help expand God's work through a ministry.

I'm typing this post on my new laptop that I just picked up this morning. So far, so good. I like the feel of the keys and the smooth operation of the system. I was brave and am using Windows Vista. I use it at the office and like it. All my coworkers think I'm nuts because I like Vista.

Okay that is all for now from the airport.

Its Not a Good Day

Yesterday started out as a normal day at the office, but ended very differently.

My driver called me shortly after lunch and I could tell that something was drastically wrong. He proclaimed "it is not a good day!!" I said "why, what is up?" He then proceeded to tell me that the tire studs came off. "Tire studs," I thought, "we don't have studded snow tires." I then realized he was talking about the studs that hold the tires to the truck. I now understood why it wasn't a good day. After making sure that he wasn't in accident and that he was okay, we began to make plans of how to handle this situation. He was okay and fortunately he noticed that something wasn't right and pulled over before the wheels fell off. Yes, that is right. When the wheel studs shear off, the tires fall off. Not a good situation when the truck is moving down the highway.

Upon arriving at the scene, the driver had the right side rear wheels off and sure enough not one wheel stud was there. We then agreed that I would relieve the worker at the transfer station so that he could bring the new truck (wheels fell off our old truck) so that driver could finish his collection route and the other guy could stay with the old truck waiting for the tow truck.

I went to the transfer station and monitored the rescue operation via two-way radio communication. All was going well at the transfer station until I stepped outside to close our main gate at closing time. After hearing the door slammed behind me, I realized that my keys were inside and I was locked out. I went to the gate and the gate was frozen. I couldn't move it. My driver's comment "its not a good day" was coming back to me. I hoped that I hadn't locked the window to the scale house. Upon checking it, it was unlocked and I was able to open it from the outside and jump back in the office; this was only after I placed a couple of tires underneath the window to give me height to jump through the window. I called the guys at the truck and told them that I couldn't close the gate because it was frozen. One of them came to my rescue 15 minutes later. We closed up the facility and went back to the truck.

The truck was not looking good. They had just got it on the flatbed. It was sitting lopsided without rear wheels on the right side. They couldn't raise the flatbed to its horizontal position since it was too much weight for the hydraulic system; did I mention that the truck was full of garbage? They got another tow truck to help raise the flatbed. It took a few minutes, but they finally got it to the horizontal position.

The whole rescue mission took about 2 hours and occurred in a snow storm on Route 37. My driver and transfer station worker then had to finish the collection route with the new truck. They are dedicated since they worked until 6 PM.

Lesson learned: beware when your garbage truck driver calls and says "its not a good day." This means that it probably is not a good day in the wonderful world of garbage.

Garbage Truck Arrives

I know you probably think I'm a little crazy getting excited about the delivery of our new garbage truck, but for a garbage guru like me this is exciting!!

The addition of this truck to our fleet means that our program continues to expand and we can now offer more services to the community. Believe or not, the box that you see on the back can come off and we can put a roll-off box on it. A roll-off box is an open top container that allows you to throw all your junk in; comes in handy for special cleanup projects around the house.

I guess I'm so excited because 13 years ago when I began working for the Tribe, the Tribe offered no solid waste management services. They hired me to put their entire program together and here I am today managing a transfer station and curbside collection program for them. God has and continues to bless me in my job and for that I'm thankful for. I give all the credit to Him, because without Him, I wouldn't be here marveling at the accomplishments and enjoying my new toy - the blue/white garbage truck.

Office Decorating Contest

Several weeks ago the staff at the Environment Division agreed that we would hold an office decorating contest. The winner gets a day off with pay and the runner up gets half a day.

Since I like having time off, I decided to seek some creative ideas from my mother. I told her that I wanted to do something that reflected the work I do at the Tribe. She came up with the suggestion of making a wreath from a garbage bag. So here are some pictures of what I came up with. Thanks mom - all the people in the office thinks it is a cool idea.

Today is also an exciting day for the solid waste program. We get our new garbage truck!! I've already seen it this morning and it is sharp. Check back later for pictures.

I'm Here

I'm here learning about this. Sounds fun, right? It is.

On the way home tonight I'll be making stops at Wegman's and Wal Mart Super Store since we don't have these stores in the north country.

Break is over...back to training.

My Day At Work

To the surprise of some, I do work. This may be surprising because I'm blessed with a job that allows me much flexibility and a lot of time off. I guess this comes with being at the same job for 12 years.

I am working at the transfer station today. What does one do at a transfer station? Answer: weigh vehicles as they come in and as they leave, and then receive money from the customers. The scale is interfaced with a computer and there is a computer program that computes the difference in weight, which determines the price that is charge. Of course, the operator (me) needs to enter the correct information into the program in order for the right price to be charge based on the material that the customer brings in. So far, I haven't made any mistakes.

For the most part, the computer and scale work great. I did experience one glitch this morning with my first customer. When he came to be weighed out, the computer froze up; none of you have probably ever experienced this, right? I had to reboot, which seemed to take forever. The customer was very patient as the computer went through all that it goes through to wake back up. I was finally able to get back on the system and weigh the customer out and take his money.

Well that is all from the helm of the transfer station scale house. It is not exactly like being at the helm of the Enterprise, but it will do for me.

Signed, Captain Laura.

Cold Water Swimming

Yes, I've taken up a new sport - cold water swimming. No, I'm not swimming in any of the rivers that are located in NNY, but rather than the pool at Clarkson University.

I've been swimming there for about a month now and it seems the water gets colder each time that I go. When I initially dangle my feet over the side of the pool, I ask myself "why do I do this?" The water literally feels like ice and it sends chills all the way up my spine. It reminds me when I was at 4-H camp in my younger years and I would go swimming at 6 AM so that I could be part of the polar bear club; come to think about it I would ask myself the same question "why do I do this?"

I guess I do it because swimming is such a good exercise and I enjoy the invigorating feeling I experience afterwards as I sit in the hot tub and then the sauna. These (hot tub and sauna) remove any of the chill from my body and make the bone chilling experience worthwhiled. I just hope I can remember this when I go swimming when it is -30 this winter. At -30, maybe the water will feel warm to me. I'll let you know.

Waste Is Revealing

I get to read some interesting articles in my monthly waste journals. One of the most recent article was titled "Something in the water - science detects drugs abuse patterns in wastewater." Source: Waste News, September 17. Researchers at Oregon State University have shown that less than a teaspoon of untreated wastewater can provide a wealth of information about a community's drug use - both illicit and legitimate. If we think about, any drug that we ingest eventually ends up leaving the body...so it makes sense that these drugs would end up in untreated wastewater. This same principle applies to solid wastes too.

I've performed numerous garbage container inspections (we call this "dumpster diving" in the garbology field) in my career and I'm always amazed at how the garbage tells me information about the generators: (1) do they drink-evident by the number beer or liquor bottles found; (2) do they have young children-evident by the presence of diapers; (3) are they on prescription medicine - evident by the number of prescription bottles in their wastes; (4) what types of foods do they like - evident by the food containers and wastes; (5) are they large or small people - evident by the size of clothing in their wastes. I think you get the picture of how much information you can collect about generators of garbage.

I've also come across personal confidential information during some of my dumpster dives. I'm talking about people's ss#, bank account #'s, addresses, name - everything needed for someone to perform an identity theft. The lesson learned from this is that we all need to shred our documents that contain our personal confidential information. Many people think that their garbage and recyclables magically disappear once they put their garbage out to the curb for collection. This is not true and on the average 2 or 3 people will see it before it finds its final resting place. The question is: what are you revealing about yourself and is it information that you want other people to have access to?

Fall Time

I'm amazed out how fast the fall is passing by. This is evident since I haven't posted since before the WIM retreat at my church. My lack of posting isn't because I haven't wanted to, but more to finding the time to get on the computer and do it. I spend so much time on the computer at work that the last thing I want to do is get on the computer at home; you'll notice that I'm writing this post during my lunch hour.

Two words can sum up the WIM retreat: Wow!! Wow!! That has become the favorite saying among the ladies that attended. Susan Brown, guest speaker of the retreat, asked me what I thought after the first session. My comment: "Wow!" She then asked me the same question again after the Saturday morning session. My comment: "Wow! Wow!"

You are probably wondering what happened to invoke such comments from me. God used Susan to minister life into the ladies that were present. Ladies went home transformed and the testimonies that I'm hearing still today show that God truly cares about His handmaidens and our well-being. Thank you Lord!

Getting Back Into a Routine

I returned yesterday from a week of spending time with family, many of which I hadn't seen in a long time. It was good to catch up with my brothers, sister, and cousins. We shared many stories, laughs, and tears as we memorialized our grandma. She was quite a lady and I will surely miss her.

The next few days I'll try to get back into my routine of working, going to the fitness center, cooking, etc. etc. I'm off today and will return to work tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll be heading to the fitness center today since I've been battling a cold for 7 days.

On Wednesday, I'll be picking up the guest speaker, Susan Brown, for our women's retreat, which is this weekend. We are looking forward to having Susan with us and ministering to our ladies.

House of Mourning

Ecclesiastes 7: 1-4 states:

A good name is better than precious ointment,
And the day of death than the day of one's birth;
Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

I've been in the house of mourning for the past few weeks. My grandmother had been in failing health since the end of August and she passed away this past Saturday.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-3 was confusing to me. How could I understand statements like "sorrow is better than laughter" or "the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning"? My sorrow sure doesn't feel better than laughter and I certainly don't feel any wiser. Nevertheless, I purposed in my heart to believe God's word since it is the truth and began to read commentaries about this scripture. This is what I've learned:

1. House mourning is a place where I may see the hand of God and learn to examine my life; and
2. Sadness often makes the heart better.

I must admit I have examined my life a lot in the past couple of weeks and I have seen the hand of God move in my life and in my grandmother's life too. I was able to lead her to the Lord two weeks before she died. Upon leaving the hospital room that day, I asked her the question "where will you go when you die grandma?" She responded with a childlike smile "heaven." I'll never forgot that smile and the way she said heaven - it was a precious God given moment. I was also able to understand how much grandmother meant to me and with tears in eyes share with her my thoughts and feelings about her. I had never done that before.

Although I don't particularly like being in the house of mourning or experiencing the sorrow that grips my heart, I do have a better understanding of how God uses times like this to refine me and reveal Himself to me in new fresh ways.

More Pictures From My Trip

Here is a sample of pictures from my trip last week.

Double Rainbow
View from Mossy Bank - Village is Bath,NY
An interesting picture
The calm after a storm
Blue skies
You get to guess what this is
A lonely plant in a field

Birthday Celebration

This past weekend I spent my birthday with a special family who took me here to dinner:


They had Mickey and the "Fat Man" sing me happy birthday.



Since I don't eat birthday cake, I got coffee with whipped creme; I'm not sure what function the straws played, but it was interesting to see them holding my whipped creme.

So who were these special people that treated me to a wonderful outing on my birthday: the Kelloggs. Thanks for the fun time. I had a blast!!

Travel Week

I just returned from Manchester, NH last night. I was there for a meeting to discuss upgrading the software that operates the scales at the transfer station - oh yes, there is a lot more that goes into managing garbage other than throwing it into bags and have it magically disappear.

I drove through Vermont to get to Manchester. What a beautiful drive!! The mountains, I think they were the Green Mountains, were magnificent. It makes me want to go back there in the fall to take in some of the colors.

Later today I head to Bath, NY I had a trip scheduled to visit friends who are vacationing there, but my friend's sister died over the weekend and so now the trip is a combination of leisure and being there to support her and her family.

As you can see, my days are filled with driving. I'm glad that I own a Prius - the 50-55 mpg mileage is wonderful.

Oops

Here is another story from my Coffee Break Devotions: Latte book. I hope you find it funny as I did.

Bill received his copy of the newsletter at the office. The mail room had sent out eight hundred thousand, and Bill was feeling good about it. He had only been at the pharmaceutical company for a month, and the newsletter was his first big assignment. As he looked at the front page, he broke into a cold sweat. The headline was to read, "A Letter from Our President, Don T. Hinkle." Instead the CEO's name read "Tinkle"-the H being mistyped as a T. And the subject of Mr. "Tinkle's" letter? A break-through medication to aid in bladder control.

Bill knew he had to tell his boss but was especially apprehensive since he was new to the job. The boss was also responsible for proofreading the newsletter, but ultimately it was Bill's responsibility. He approached his boss, handed him the newsletter, then braced for the fallout.

The boss pondered the error. Then he looked up at Bill and began to laugh. "Guess we both missed that one," he said. "I'll apologize to Mr. Tinkle."

"I'm really sorry about this," Bill said.

"Hey, mistakes happen; I should have caught it too," his boss said. "I'm sure we'll both be more careful next time.

The point of the story is to admit mistakes, forgive mistakes, and then move on.

Family Visit

Tomorrow I'll be traveling to visit family here and hopefully going to this. I'm also planning on going fishing with my favorite guide who runs this charter. For those who don't know, Captain Russell Finehout is my dad and he taught me everything that I know about fishing. The weekend promises to be a good one.

Fabulous Fettuccino Alfredo

I'm always looking for new recipes that are healthy and taste good. I came across one that uses yogurt to make Alfredo sauce. Since Alfredo sauce is one of my favorites, I decided to give this a try. To my surprise, it is pretty good, especially if you let it sit a couple of days after you make it. I got the recipe from Stonyfield; check out www.stonyfield.com.

Here is the recipe.

1.5 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound of whole wheat pasta or other pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, pressed
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Regglano cheese
1 cup Stonyfield Farm organic milk
1 cup Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste and garnish

Cook pasta al dente in salted water for 4-5 minutes then drain. Add olive oil and garlic in large skillet for about 1 minute. Add pasta and 1/2 cup of cheese and toss well. Add milk, stir and raise heat to medium-high for about 2 minutes. To prevent curdling, mix yogurt with 1/2 cup pasta mixture in a separate bowl. Return mixture to skillet and mix well. Turn off heat and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and pepper. Cover and allow pasta to absorb all the liquid for 12 to 15 minutes.

Yields: 6 servings (approx. 1 cup of pasta per serving)

Coffee Break Devotions-latte

I recently picked up a book entitled "Coffee Break Devotions-latte" I couldn't resist this book since I'm always taking coffee breaks and spending time with God. Of course, the book grabbed my attention and I couldn't wait to pop open the cover and begin having my "coffee devotion" time with the Lord.

The scripture for the first devotion is Isaiah 65:24: Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I hear. The first devotion is titled "No Waiting."

No Waiting

When we've made a telephone call, many of us have had to punch our way through the maze of unfathomable pathways, only to be put on hold while listening to an inane repeating message. What if it were like this to reach God?

We might hear something like this:

Thank you for calling Heaven. Listen carefully-our options may have changed.

Press 1 for requests.

Press 2 for thanks.

Press 3 for questions of faith.

For all other matters, press 4.

Next you might hear:

I'm sorry, but God is busy helping other people. Your call is important to us, so please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received. Estimated wait time: two hours and twenty minutes.

Most of us would hang up in utter frustration, but those facing crisis might hang on. Thankfully, we don't have to endure telephone bureaucracy in order to reach God. Yet some of us approach God as if we do. The truth is, God is ready to hear you-anytime, anyplace, regardless of the frame of mind you happen to be in. Talk to Him. It's easier than picking up the phone and much less aggravating. God is waiting to take your call, no waiting required.

I'm so thankful that God is waiting to take my call and that He is available 24/7. I know that there have been times in my life where I needed to talk to someone and because of either the time of day or other circumstances, God was the only one available. In retrospect, these were the toughest times of my life, but God was there and saw me through them no matter what. I think He orchestrated for no one to be available so that I would be totally dependent upon Him. I'm thankful for this because my faith increased and my relationship with God is much deeper now.

Eel Ladder

I must admit that my job offers me many different learning opportunities in the environmental field. Last week I got to visit an eel ladder. You're probably thinking "eel ladder, what is that?" Check here to learn more.

The eel ladder is located at the New York Power Authority dam, which is located in Massena, NY. The ladder spans over a 100 feet and allows the eels safe passage over the dam's turbines into upstream waters in the St. Lawrence River.

Our tour began with us climbing down a 20 foot vertical ladder. At the bottom of this ladder were stairs that we took to two more 20-foot ladders, which eventually put us at the bottom of the dam near the water's surface. The eel ladder is enclosed and runs along the side of the stairs. Our tour guide opened the lids on the eel ladder at several different points along the way, but no eels were found. He explained that most eels use the ladder at night. After our 15 or 20 minute conversation at the bottom of the dam, we all had to make the journey back up the ladders and stairs. We were 100 feet down and had to go back up. It was a good fitness test for us all.

We weren't able to take pictures due to security reasons, otherwise I would have some pictures to share.

When we got back to the top, I looked across the top of the dam and noticed the American and Canadian flags flying in the center of the dam. This signifies the US-Canadian border; yes the border bisects the dam - half in the US and half in Canada.

Happenings

I had time off last week and got to do many things that I enjoy. July 4 I ended up going to a friend's house that is located on Higley Flow. We went boating, fishing, and swimming. These were all done with thunderstorms/showers threatening on the horizon. Fortunately, these storms held off most of the day and we were able to enjoy our outside adventures.

On Thursday, I went to Cornwall, Ontario with other friends to go shopping; it wasn't exactly my usual shopping trip since my friends needed to pick up fencing supplies at the Tractor Supply Store. We also went to Canadian Tire and I ended buying a new tackle box and tackle. I introduced my friends to the atmosphere of East Side Mario's for lunch. They were all excited about my stories of eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor. Little did I know that East Mario's discontinued this practice some time ago-I guess I need to go more often to be up to date. We all had fun and even got to tease the waiter when he called us all ladies; he overlooked the 11 year old lad that was with us.

I traveled to Utica, NY on Friday to help another friend decorate for a wedding that was held on Saturday. I truly enjoyed the fellowship and the work too. I got to see some old friends at the wedding and socialize with people that I see on a weekly basis. The wedding was beautiful and the food was great! Here are some pictures from the wedding.

The newly married - Colin & Ann. Looking forward to seeing you when you return from your honeymoon.

My Cats

I recently found my cats napping together in my recliner. Here are some pictures of their lazy time; Shadow is the black cat and Angel is the white cat.

Restoring

God continues to restore things that once were lost in my life. I don't always understand what the Lord is doing at the time, but I know that He is touching the deepest parts of my soul and restoring them.

This past week I felt God's presence like I never have before. He opened my eyes more to the fact that He created me to be a joyful, loving, and caring person; He deposited a deep joy, love, and care in my heart as a child. Satan tried so hard to steal these things from me, but was unsuccessful at stomping out God's flame that kindles deep in my soul; a flame that keeps growing and gaining momentum as God continues to restore my soul.

Wildlife in the Cabin

I've had a few wildlife vistors to the cabin over the past few weeks.

A week ago my cats were going frantic early in the morning. They were running up and down the hall and jumping over my bed. Initially, I thought that they were very playful early in the morning, but then I sooned realized I had an unwanted visitor in my house: a bat.

The bat was flying through my hall and then around my bedroom and back down the hall. I'm not sure why the bat was interested in keeping this flight pattern, but he sure was persistent in staying on course.

I finally made my way downstairs after dodging the bat a few times. I promptly got my broom from the bathroom and headed out to find my little flying vistor. My flying vistor was no where to be found. My one cat (Angel) was laying on the floor in the living room, but my other cat (Shadow) had disappeared too. I concluded that if I found Shadow I would find the bat. I began to venture back upstairs and sure enough the bat was hanging on my wall. Shadow was sitting on my dresser and staring the bat down. One whack with the broom caused the bat to fly around again. The bat made the mistake, though, of landing on my bed. I hit him again, flopped on the floor, and laid there motionless. I wrapped him up and threw him outside for his next adventure.

A couple nights later my cats acted up again. This time there was a small mouse running around my bedroom floor. My cats chased it downstairs and corned it. I was able to nab it with a paper towel and threw it out where the bat was; I hope they kept each other company.

Dreaming

Last weekend I attended the Women of Faith Pre-conference and conference. The theme for the pre-conference was God has a dream for your life. The speakers were Shelia Walsh and Dr. Henry Cloud.



The words that Sheila and Dr. Cloud shared pierced through my soul and God spoke to me about it is time for me dream about my life. Dreaming about my life was a foreign concept since life circumstances in my childhood prevented me from dreaming about my future; I had all I could do to survive from one day to the next, let alone think about my future.

I've been doing a lot of dreaming in the past week. I must admit that I've had fun thinking about my future and seeking God's dreams for my life.



God spoke to me in 2000 that "the book on yesterday is closed and I will live in the grace and refreshing of the Lord your God." Through my dreaming, I've come to realize the freedom that I have in Christ and I truly feel that the book on yesterday is closed for me; meaning that my identity is no longer rooted in past events of my life and I'm free to live to be the person that God created me to be and do the things that He designed me for. This is a place that I've dreamed about being, but never thought that I could get here. I'm so thankful to the Lord for His healing work in my life and praise Him everyday.

Women of Faith

Later this afternoon I'll be leaving with three precious friends and traveling to Rochester, NY. We will be attending the Women of Faith Conference. I'm looking forward to the trip, the conference, and spending time with my friends.

I usually go to conferences with no idea what the Lord will do in me, but I always come back with a testimony of God's furthering work in my life.

I remember the very first conference that I attended: September 1996, CFC WIM Fall Retreat. I went not knowing that my life would be transformed and changed forever. You are probably wondering what happened - right? I can share: I became born again and surrendered my life to the Lord. I've never been the same and God has healed me from past hurts and wounds that I never thought I could be set free from. Thank you, Lord.

What will happen to me this weekend? I'm not sure, but I know that my God has a plan and purpose and I'll rest in His loving arms, continuing to enjoy His work in my life.

Back to Balance

My favorite expression for the past few days has been "back to balance." The expression describes my life as it is today.

My life hasn't been balanced since April 1. Traveling was the primary reason that it wasn't balanced. Since April 1, I've been to California, New Mexico, Lake George, and made many trips to Syracuse. Most of the traveling was work related with the exception of the California trip. Although I like to travel, I must say that I'm glad I only have one more trip planned and it is a personal one to a Women of Faith conference next weekend. I'll be traveling with special friends from church and get to see other friends (the Neville's) that I truly enjoy being with. I am looking forward to the trip.

I requested the assistance from my brother, who happens to be a professional photogragher, to help me purchase a digital camera when I was in California. He took me shopping and checked out the new Nikon Coolpix camera for me. It passed all of his tests and recommended that I buy it. I did and he now has one too since he liked mine so much. Here are some of my first photos.

Enjoy and I hope to post more often now that my life is back to balance.

My brother taking advantage of a photo opportunity with a mother goose and daddy goose.

Mommy with little ones. Before our photo shoot was over, I was feeding the mother goose bread from my hand.

Practicing taking close up shots. I took this picture with the flash on and liked how the camera picked up the detail of the sky. It was the middle of the day when I took the photo.

Going Home

I'm sitting at the airport waiting to board my plane. I've enjoyed my time in New Mexico, but I'm glad to be going home.

In the past month, I've traveled west twice. Once to California by car and then this trip to New Mexico by plane.

I like to travel, but I think I'm approaching my traveling limit. This is unfortunate since I have another trip next week to Lake George, NY.

I'm glad that I can sleep on airplanes. I see the gate attendant is getting ready to call passengers to the plane. I guess I need to sign off for now.

See you when I get home.

Going West Again

In a few hours, I'll be packing for another trip west. I will be flying this time and my destination is Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I'll be speaking at this conference.

I'll be returning home on Thursday night, will be home until Sunday, and then I'm off again on another adventure to this conference.

Life in the garbage business is certainly interesting and never dull.

Signs that Spring has Arrived

How does one actually tell if spring has arrived in NNY? Here are some signs to look for:

1. You spend the whole day raking your lawn and work up a sweat;
2. The temperature is above 50 degrees;
3. The snow banks are gone;
4. Flocks of geese fly overhead in the North direction;
5. You can open your windows to get fresh air blowing through the house without the worry of your furnace turning on;
6. The sun comes up before 7 AM and sets later than 8 PM; and
7. One goes kayaking for the first time since last fall; this was me yesterday.

I'm glad that spring has finally arrived in NNY and replaced the 8 inches of snow that I had in my yard last weekend. I just hope spring stays around until the hot days of summer come.

What will be My Next Adventure?

I returned home last night after helping friends (Jong & Jiwon) drive to California. I'm glad to be home and truly enjoyed my trip. I miss my friends already, but I know that we'll stay in touch through emails and frequent phone calls.

We spent 52 hours driving across the country last week in reaching our destination. I have a great sense of accomplishment for this achievement. I wonder what my next adventure will be: perhaps a road trip to Alaska. Anyone want to join me? If so, here are some tips that will help you along the journey:

1. Pray & ask God to before you and with you;
2. Don't give up the goal even during times that you think you can't make it;
3. Be willing to sleep in any position that the car you're travelling in allows;
4. Schedule regular bathroom breaks and don't try to hold it too long;
5. Travel with people who'll accept you even after spending 52 hours with you in the car;
6. Compose music even though you're not a musician - makes the journey more interesting;
7. Stay in touch with family and friends through instant messaging on your Blackberry; this makes the trip more fun.

Okay. That is all from this one adventurous traveler.

We Made It to California

We crossed the AZ/CA state line about 6:15 PM and arrived at my brother's house at 11:45 PM. Other than being tired, we are well.

The moving company will be delivering Jong & Jiwon's household items tomorrow morning. They are both excited to see their new apartment in the morning. I'm excited too, but I'm going to sleep in and catch up with them later in the day.

The drive across NM and AZ was beautiful. I recommend doing the drive if you ever get the opportunity since the mountain views will take your breath away.

I'm off to bed now.

California - Our Next Stop

We are at my sister's house in Albuquerque, NM getting ready for our next leg of the journey. We arrived here after 13 hours of driving from Joplin, MO. The drive was great and we drove through Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. The drive through Texas was the most uninteresting since it was flat and you could see for miles. We did come across some tumbleweed along the highway in Oklahoma.

We are planning on departing for California around 8 AM Mountain Time with an expected time of arrival in CA around 8 PM Pacific Time.

For those of you in NY, the temperature here is 71. It was nice getting out of the car and feel the warm breeze and not the cold winds that we've had in NY.

Marathon Driving

After 26 hours of driving and riding in the car, we've arrived in Joplin, MO. This city is located on the MO and OK state line and is about 1.5 hours east of Tulsa, OK. We originally wanted to reach Tulsa, but decided to call it a night and check-in to a lovely Hampton Inn. We plan on leaving at 7am and head to my sister's house in New Mexico. Tomorrow's drive will be a mere 10-12 hours; this is nothing compared to the 26 hour marathon that we just completed. I'm off for a shower and catch some sleep.

Road Trip

This evening I'll be leaving with two dear friends and heading west. I'm helping my friends drive to southern CA.

The plan is that we'll depart this evening around 8 and drive all night and tomorrow. We hope to be in the Tulsa, OK area by tomorrow night. Thursday we'll be spending the night in Albuquerque, NM with my sister and then arrive at my brother's on Friday night. My brother leaves near where my friends are moving to.

Please pray for our safe travels and that our travel plans go smoothly. I'll post when I can to give you updates.

Grocery Bargains

I'm always shopping for a bargain and I found an ad tonight that caught my eye. It read: "Yes, here is the catch of the season. At Loblaws" Here are some of the prices:

1. White bread: 2-1lb, 2oz loafs for $0.15
2. Bananas: 5 lbs for $0.25 (sure beats the $0.59/lb I paid earlier in the week)
3. Beef roast: $0.17/pound
4. Del Monte coffee: $0.19/pound (I wonder if this coffee will ever be served at CFC's canteen?)

Now these are bargains that seem too good to be true. They are since they were advertised in a 1940 paper that I saw at the 1844 House restrauant tonight. Check the ladies room out if you every dine at this establishment and you'll find lots of interesting information from the 1940's. The information is contained in newspapers that serve as wallpaper in the ladies room. I wonder what wallpaper is in the men's room?

Snapshot of my Life for the Past Month

Wow, I can't believe that my last post was on March 5. Here is a summary of what I've been up to since then.

1. My mom became ill on March 8. She wasn't aware, but she had gallstones and was hospitalized for a week. She had her gallbladder removed on March 14 and then came home with me the next day. She is still staying with me for RR. She has a Dr's appointment on April 3 and I'm sure that she will receive a good report. Until then, she is enjoying her time at the cabin with me and my cats. I love having her around and will miss her when she goes.
2. In between driving back and forth to the hospital and going to work, I got my first head cold since last year. I took advantage of having mom around the house and asked her if she would make me her secret cold remedy that she used to give to me as kid. She did and I was back in action two days later. Thanks mom.
3. I'm also preparing for my cross country drive to California. I'll be leaving next Wednesday and driving across the country with two friends that are moving there. I'm looking forward to the trip, but will miss my two friends when I return from California on April 10.
4. I've been watching the ice melt from the rivers in anticipation of the upcoming kayaking season. I can't wait to get back out paddling. I bought a wet suit this past fall and I'm sure I'll try it out when I return from California.
5. I've been coaching a girls basketball team. The team is part of the Upward Basketball program that is held at church. This is the third year that I've coached and I experience great enjoyment working with the girls. We have our last practice tomorrow night with our last game on Saturday.

These are the things that have occuppied my life for the past month. I hope to be able to post more often now and especially as I travel across the country next week.

Travel Plans

Some good friends of mine got a job in the LA area and I will be helping them move from NY to CA.

This means that I'll be making a road trip next month. It will be the longest road trip that I've been on since we'll be driving from NY to CA. We estimate that it can be done in 3 days; I'll keep you posted as to how we do.

I don't mind driving cross country and am looking forward to it. I will get to see my sister and brother too as we make our journey west. We are planning on spending one night with my sister; she lives in Albuquerque, NM. My brother, who lives in the LA area, is helping my friends find an apartment. My brother and his wife have had dinner with my friends when they were in the LA area interviewing for the job.

After arriving and staying a few days, I'll be flying back to NY.

I will miss my dear friends when I return to NY, but I'm happy for them that they found a job and I know that they will enjoy living in southern CA.

Channel 7 News Broadcast

I had another interview yesterday with John Friot, Channel 7 News. See here to view the interview.

News10Now Appearance

Visit the News10Now website to view my interview with them about the Tribe's biodiesel project.

More Media Opportunities

The Tribe and Clarkson University released a press release about our biodiesel project. Since then, I've been flooded with phone calls from local newspapers and TV stations.

I was interviewed by a local CBS station from Burlington, VT earlier this week. They also shot footage of our garbage truck in operation. News 10 Now and Channel 7 news have also been in contact with me. They both want to interview me and shoot footage of our truck and transfer station sometime next week.

Who said that the garbage business wasn't exciting? One of the aspects that I like most about my job is the variety of duties that I get to perform. One day I find myself being interviewed for a TV show and the next day I could be tossing garbage bags into the truck. It doesn't get any better than this!

Shopping Fun

I spent part of yesterday shopping for a garbage truck.

This is exciting for me and my staff. There are so many options to choose from, but I think we've narrowed it down: 4x4 a must; Chevy chasis-yes; dual steering wheels-absolutely; 21 cubic yard box-you bet; and power everything-most definitely. Color-who cares as long as we can pack as much garbage in as we can.

Film Making "Building me the Future!"

I spent three days this past week with Rich (camera man) and Drew (sound man) filming footage for a documentary that will possibly appear on PBS and the Discovery Channel. The documentary is about the biodiesel project that I manage for the Tribe.

What is biodiesel? It is alternative fuel that is made from used vegetable oil (UVO) that can be used in engines that use conventional diesel fuel. The Tribe is working with Clarkson University in designing and manufacturing a biodiesel production system that will make biodiesel from UVO from the Tribe’s casino. The intent is to use the biodiesel to fuel the Tribe’s garbage trucks and other diesel operated equipment at the Tribe’s transfer station.

The project is partially funded by Engineer Without Borders (EWB). EWB is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. EWB is currently providing funding for 30 projects worldwide and selected a total of 3 projects to be filmed for the documentary. The Tribe’s project is the only one in the United States that was selected to be part of the documentary.
Spending three days with Rich and Drew was exciting, exhausting, and interesting. Rich and Drew have been in the film making business a long time and have many film making stories. They have worked with some well-known actors: Anthony Hopkins and Donald Sutherland to name a few. They have spent nine weeks living in tents on Devon Island in the High Canadian Artic filming a picture about life on Mars; Rich brings a polar bear tooth with him on all his filming assignments that he got on this trip. I must admit the tooth is impressive and larger than I ever thought a polar bear tooth would be. Rich has won an Academy-Award for filming “A Story of Healing”, a documentary about doctors of Interplast who volunteer their time and skills to change the lives of children with deformities.
Rich and Drew were fun to be around and I truly enjoyed hanging out with them. They sure know their business and I felt very comfortable having a camera in my face many times throughout the three days of filming. They will be back at least two more times in the next year to get more footage.

I am honored and humbled that the Tribe’s project was selected to be part of the documentary. I am truly thankful to God for all the recent media opportunities that have been opened to me. Who knows what God has next for me….maybe an appearance on Oprah :).

Acts of Kindness

I decided to stop at one of my favorite dining establishments on the way home from a friend's house last night.

I pulled my car into the parking lot and noticed that a man was laying in a snow bank with other people hovering over him. I parked my car and quickly grabbed my wool blanket that I keep in the car and placed it over the man. The man in the snow bank was large in stature and I quickly learned from the others that he had slipped and fell on some ice. One of the waitresses from the restrauant was cutting his pant leg and I surmised that she was a also a member of a rescue squad since she had an EMT bag with her. I noticed that cold snow was holding the man's head and thought that must be cold on his head. I walked back to my car, grabbed my spare work pants, and walked back to the man. I said "lift your head up and I'll place these pants under your head so that your head won't be so cold." He looked up at me and said "who are you and you're so nice to care." His eyes told me how shocked he was that a total stranger would care enough to make sure that he was warm as he laid there. The ambulance came and off to the hospital he went.

In situations like I found myself in last night, I often ask "how would I like to be treated if I were in the same situation and what would Jesus have me do?" This question always leads me to show acts of kindness and help someone in need if I have the means to. After all, isn't this what Jesus did when he walked the earth and wouldn't He want me to do the same?

Fire Up Club Report

The Fire Up Club has been meeting for the past four weeks. The membership continues to grow every week; there are now 32 ladies making lifestyle changes in order to live healthy today and in the future.

A couple nights ago I received a call from a member. She was excited to share with me a testimony about what God is doing in her life through the Fire Up Club. This member agreed to write about it so that I could post it to the Fire Up Club blog.

I posted her testimony just a few minutes ago. Click on the Fire Up Club link above or to the right to read about it. Check it out since I think that you'll be inspired by her story.

Close Calls

I spend about 50% of my time traveling the highways of the north country in my Toyota Prius. My defensive driving classes have taught me to always expect the unexpected to happen when driving. I'm glad that I had this knowledge this morning.
I was traveling back from the transfer station to my main office. I was about to go around a curve in the road when something caught my eye. On the bend of the road, there was a truck pulling a trailer and another car pulled over on the opposite shoulder of the road. My initial thoughts "strange place to be pulled over, they are not completely off the road, I better slow down." I began applying gentle pressure on my brakes when all of sudden I saw another vehicle passing them in my lane. It was an tractor-trailer heading straight for me. I quickly applied more pressure on my brakes and began to map out my escape route to avoid a head-on collision. After a few seconds, I determined that the tractor-trailer would get by me without hitting me and it did; sigh of relief!!

I'd be lying to say that I didn't have a few thoughts like "this is it for me, good bye world, and hello Jesus." I'm so thankful that it didn't turn out this way, but it brought me comfort knowing where I'm going to spend eternity when my time does come to depart this world. How do I know? I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ His son. The Bible promises me that I'll spend eternity in heaven because of my faith in Jesus.

I thank God everyday for giving me Jesus so that I can spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus you're the best gift that I've ever received and I look forward to seeing You one day in heaven.

Featured Reader - Nutrition Twins Newsletter

The Nutrition Twins have published their most recent newsletter. My weight loss story is featured in their newsletter and on their website.

Check here to see the story.

Eating & Wearing Your Cake

My office held an open house this past week since we moved into a new building. All of the staff brought in food to serve our guests.

One staff member brought in a traditional strawberry filled cake. This is a cake that is loaded in the center with strawberry filling and is covered with a layers of white frosting. The cake was beautifully decorated for the occasion.

I was making my way around the table to put all those healthy snacks on my plate. I admired the cake with no intention of having a piece since I choose not to eat any desserts. As I was making my way around the table, I heard one of my colleagues say "Laura, you need a napkin since you wearing some of the cake." I looked down and my pants were covered with some of that delicious looking white frosting. I also got some on the bottom of my jacket. I quickly grabbed a napkin and began to remove the frosting my clothes. I also made a trip to the ladies room in hopes that some water would help to remove the frosting.

The lesson learned is that although I didn't eat the cake, I can still wear it whether I choose to or not. I told my co-workers this and they all laughed with me. It was a good laugh.

Going Shopping

I admit it...I like to shop. In particular, I love to shop for new clothes and I've shopped a lot this past year since I dropped by 5 sizes . It is fun to shop!

This year I also get to go shopping, but it is for something entirely different than clothes. I get to shop for a new garbage truck. You are probably saying "that doesn't sound exciting, who would want to do that?" My answer is a seasoned garbage professional like me.

There are so many options for me to consider: front-loading; rear-loading; side-loading; single versus multi compartment; dual steering versus single steering; engine size; etc. etc.

Perhaps when I'm shopping for a garbage truck this year, I'll come across some nice clothes that I can buy too. After all, a garbage professional like me needs to have matching clothes for my new garbage truck.

Fire Up Club

The birthing of the Fire Up Club came with the New Year.

What is the Fire Up Club? Simply put: it is a group to help ladies make lifestyle changes that allow them to live healthy today and in the future. I decided to create the group after several ladies in my church requested help regarding their weight.

To learn more, click on the link that is shown to the right under my links section.

Enjoy.