Our Big News!!!!

Just kidding.  We have no big news, I just felt like jumping on the bandwagon of several members of my family lately!  I did feel like I could share more about what has been going on (mostly just with me, not Pat!).  

 Today I legitimately began my new job.  Again?  Yes, again.  If you know me at all, you know how "well-rounded" I am.  Well, it is in this spirit of a new adventure, I began my job at a chemical manufacturing plant.  Sound familiar?  Yes, this is where my husband works as a manager.  And yes, this was instrumental in my finding and getting of the job.  We discussed many of the possible difficulties that this situation may incite, but since I quit my retail job a bit too soon, and it seems there are not throngs of greenhouses hiring in July or August, my options are limited, as are our funds!!

 I am taking the job of the illustrious labeler. I take bottles of all shapes and sizes, as well as 5-gallon buckets, and simply put the correct label or labels on it.  It is a breath of fresh air.  I find myself truly enjoying the mundane tasks of peeling the label off the machine which automatically holds the partially peeled label out for me, and affixing it to the bottle, as straight and smooth as possible, and as quickly as I can.  Did I mention I get to do this job all by myself, for the most part?!  I have little to no interruptions, I don't have to make small talk over and over again, and I get to mark off my to-do list!

 I realize how odd it must sound for me to be so excited about such an entry-level, blue-collar, J.O.B.  After working in a chaotic retail environment (even though I liked what I sold), it is just so refreshing to have such a quiet work space.

 You knew I was an introvert, right?  I love people, but it's just best when I have more control over when they can drain interact with me.  Labels just don't seem to need much from me.  It's kind-of nice.

 Now, don't get the idea that this will be a permanent position.  I have been clear that my intentions are to search out other greener (literally) pastures and find work at a greenhouse next year.  I have an idea of where I want to work, and I hope it will be a mutually beneficial situation.  We shall see.

For now, however, I will be content in my quiet little job, in my little corner of the warehouse where I can play my jazz music and quietly race the boys who are filling the containers that I prepare!

I don't want to give the impression that I am completely turned off by people right now, because that just is not the case.  I have had a delightful time investing my time with others.  I think I usually end up the primary beneficiary in these visits.  I spent about 2 1/2 hours one day with my neighbor across the street, Mrs. Bales.  She is the sweetest little gal I have known in a long time.  She's not afraid to tell you that she is 86 years old!  The first time I saw her, we were both outside, working in our yards, and she had on a magnificent straw garden hat!  I fell instantly in love with her.  I knew we would be great friends.  We are getting there!  We had lunch last week at Braums where they know her by name and start her order when they see her drive up.  I felt honored to be her guest.  I drove her (in her car of course) to Lowes and helped her buy a plumbing piece she needed, which due to the fact that she is not 5' tall, she would have never seen, I was again happy to be able to do something for her.  Did I mention she wouldn't let me pay for lunch?!  She is so special.  I will ask her soon if I can take a picture of us together.  She told me that she was "bashful" so I don't know if she will let me!

 I was also able to visit my grandparents last week with my sister-in-law and her children.  It was such a great visit!  I had been sorely neglectful of visiting, as I had not seen them since Christmas.  They are a whopping 45 minutes or maybe an hour away.  I definitely do not win the grandchild-of-the-year award.  I do find them to be very interesting people, and I regret not taking time to get to know them more.  I plan on doing what I can to connect with them now.  I learn so much from each opportunity.  For example, I did not know that my grandparents really love Chinese food!!

 I often take my dog for a walk in our neighborhood park, a block or so away.  We walk on the leash to the park, and then, depending on the level of abandonment there, we do away with the leash!  Oh freedom!  I find it fascinating that when Rowdy is on his leash, he struggles with the limit I have imposed, but when he has his freedom, he stays relatively close to me and the sidewalk.  Anyway, with all the rain we have had this summer, the mushrooms are in vast abundance.  I find them to be quite lovely.  Perhaps that is because of my Smurfy upbringing!

Finally, I also go to a Senior Living Facility where I read to several bed-bound ladies.  I am beginning to grow quite attached to them as well!  I read to Pauline who told me the other day that she was passing a baby, and to Margie who cannot speak but can communicate when you look into her eyes, and to Patty with whom I read the newspaper!  I bought a mystery/thriller to begin a book-club with Peggy.  I think she can read on her own, but wanted to get involved, and I just can't say no!  I stop and visit with several of the other ladies and gentlemen I see.  I leave every time with a feeling of gratitude.  What an opportunity I have to share in the sweet moments of these wonderful people.

Happy

Today at church I had a new friend of mine tell me that I seemed really happy.

I've been thinking about that all day.  I think I am happy!

The last few months have been a whirl of activity and change.  Most of it good, some of it hard.  We have moved into a house, I started working, and we have begun to reintegrate ourselves into our surroundings!  We have met several of our neighbors, and even bought a dog-barking deterrent (we haven't told the neighbor).  We are still working on furnishing the house, and though Dad just brought some of my stuff, we still have plenty to regather.  And we need to find the perfect chair for the living room.  I scour Craigslist regularly.  Important things like this have been keeping me busy.

I am also trying to be available for more family activities.  Right now is not my best showing, as I am working a lot of hours, sort of (8 hour days don't seem that tough since the oil-field experiences!).  I was able to go to my oldest niece's play this weekend, and it was so great!  I may have been a bit tired after going to a women's retreat and then to a sleep-over with my small group gals!  I have missed the spring soccer season of all the little N&N's, but I am hoping they do the fall season again!  I am thrilled to have been able to be at all family functions like Easter dinner!  I can't wait until we have our first BBQ with the fam at our place!

All this to say, I am doing pretty good and feel pretty happy!  Busyness suits me.  I am blessed, I recognize it, and that makes me happy.

If only I can get my internet connections to be solid...

Crossing Bridges

I took this picture on a long hike to Crescent Lake in Alaska.  It was a pretty hike, relatively easy with minimal elevation changes.  We took our dogs.  It was gorgeous.  

It was funny to watch our dog Rowdy try to cross this bridge.  He hated it.  It didn't make it better when Pat would shake the bridge!  Poor dog.  It was a little funny to see him squat down and slither across the bridge.  Bella was just fine.  She trotted across as if nothing were different.

We are crossing our bridge.  Pat has totally run across without any fear, but I feel the shaking and am the one squatting down and carefully placing each step.  

Pat has returned to work with gusto!  He is the Q.C. for his company and will be doing a lot of overseeing and integration of new procedures.  I'm very proud of him!  He will be a great mentor to the younger employees.  He is also hoping to be more involved with the Youth Horizons Boys Ranch.  I am excited to see Pat grow in this environment!

I too am busy.  I have been spending time with family as I can, discovering the joys of a local Asian Market (fabulous mangoes and coffee candy!), and I am currently trying to get back into exercising.  I have completed day 2 and can barely walk.  It seems my hamstrings have atrophied a bit.  A lot.  I am also doing a daily check on properties for sale outside of Wichita.  While I am a bit nervous about the prospect of "settling down," I realize the logic of having at the least a home base.  It might also be nice to watch some of the things that I plant develop into maturity.  

Maybe that's what this bridge is leading us into: a time of maturity.

Yeah, probably not!!

It's hot.

I am now in full regret for not having unlocked my phone when I was in Wichita.  I took a multitude of pictures as we entered Ghana as well as on our first tour yesterday.  Unfortunately, my locked phone will not give up it's holdings.  Fortunately, we have an old school camera that we brought as well, and Pat was on it.  

To start at the beginning, our trip to Africa was long.  As anyone who has done it will understand, the long hours on the plane as well as the inevitable layovers in foreign lands do take its toll.  We were pleasantly surprised at the level of entertainment on board (it's all free on international flights), as well as the food.  Pat was treated to his Gluten Free meal about 20 minutes prior to the rest of us, which only served to alienate him more based on the amount of glares coming our way after the aromas wafted past the hungry passengers!  His food was really delicious.  So was mine, eaten much after his!

One of the things that made it long for me was the lack of sleep, even after taking sleeping pills.  That was disappointing.  It made me groggy, but I just couldn't get past that stage into sleep.  My legs did not like the lack of room on our flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam.  When we deplaned in Amsterdam, I was out of it enough to leave my kindle and a book in the seat pocket in front of me.  Only after my 4 hour nap in the freezing airport (it was snowing and blowing outside) did I search and discover these missing items.  I was less than happy.  We asked about it, discovered it was not at the top-level lost-and-found, which meant it had been taken to the below level lost-and-found, or it had simply been taken.  I made an inquiry via email (one is not allowed to go to the below levels), and then talked to a very helpful flight attendant who personally made an inquiry to the below levels.  Finally we made our way to the extra security line before we boarded our plane to Accra.  We just passed security when I heard my name called.  I had to go back out of security, but I was told they found my items and were bringing them up to me!  I almost cried.  I was tired and emotional people.  I figured Jesus knew I needed a boost.  

So, we made it to Accra with all our belongings!  We were warned about the potential of aggressive "helpers" at the airport, but we must have looked extremely capable, because not a single person approached us to help us.  Ever.  We were not greeted with what I had read was to be an exuberantly friendly greeting, though there was the impressively humid wall of very warm air as we stepped off the plane.  I was impressed with the speed at which we moved through immigration and customs.  It reminded me a little of how we boarded and disembarked on our cruise.  It was clear, however, that there was no real system of processing people.  I didn't mind, though, as it made our trip through fairly smooth.

We made our way to our guest house with the help of the men of Vytrak and a Ghanaian driver, Abreham, who navigated the ridiculous roadways with ease.  Who needs rules of the road?  There may be rules, but no  one seems to follow them.  I'm not sure if there would be a time when I would be confident enough to drive here.  I was amused to discover that roads are often wherever one chooses to drive.  

Yesterday, after a surprisingly decent night's sleep, we all headed out to see the city.  We took a few stops along the way to check out various sights.  Below is a stand where one can "top off" with cell phone minutes/data.  It's mostly pre-paid, so when you get low or run out, you stop at any number of top-off booths and buy what you need.  

 Erin took an opportunity to sing a hand-slap/chant with a little girl who was super cute!

 We checked out different neighborhoods in areas that we may locate.  It was interesting to see the various stages of building.  We learned that many people build houses as a retirement investment, building a little at a time over decades.

 I'm sure you know there are goats in the area.  They alert us to the time of day with their braying (I have no idea if that is the right term).  They are pretty stinkin' cute out there!  We plan on naming them things like dinner, snack, and the like.

 This is our room!  I actually made the bed.  Sort-of.  It took me a few hours today to settle ourselves, since I put bits and pieces of everything in each piece of luggage.  Now I am organized and it feels much better!!

 Though there are water bottles, we mostly drink from bags of water.  It is an interesting form, but very common here. You have to drink it all in a pretty quick manner (which is not difficult), because you open the bag by biting off a corner.  I think the waste is much less by having small collapsible bags, though these are all over, too.  

 The guest house where we are staying is quite lovely. There are flowering bouganvillia over the entry with all sorts of other tropical trees and plants around.  No grass, which is a positive since that is where bugs nest.

 This is the window just outside our room.  It's really quite lovely to see the palm shadows!  I like the mother-in-law's tongue below the window - it's not a houseplant here!  This is why I won't know much of the plant material here; I did very poorly with houseplants and exotics.

 The water is piped in to these water-towers.  The city supply is opened somewhat randomly.  Today we checked the tanks as our water pressure was low, but it seemed we have enough for a bit.  Having so many in one house will make a difference!

 There are lizards, but I rarely run into them.  They scurry away quickly so we haven't had to come to a head.  We do have to be very careful with crumbs as the ants are quick to discover them.

So, here are a few pictures of what we've been up to for the last couple days.  I wish I had more, but this will have to do for now.  I hope that internet will keep up!  We did experience our first power outage last night, which made for an excessively hot evening (no fans or a.c.), but it came back on at 10pm, so we were spared an excessively sweaty night!  Today Pat is out with the guys checking out an ITV option and I took the day off to catch you up!  I thought I just heard thunder, but I am questioning the refreshment factor that it could bring! I'm thinking it may just make it muddy and more humid!  Oh, well.  The electricity is on, so I'm good!

Christmas Card 2012

Merry Christmas!

We have gone through quite a bit this last year.  At the start of the year, Melissa started a new job with an oilfield inspection company.  Pat worked long hours outdoors welding at a natural gas storage site in Kenai.  Our house was beginning its 3^rd year for sale.  We had no idea what was in store for us.

In the spring, we connected with a man named Don who was looking for help to begin a manufacturing company in Ghana, Africa building a 3-wheeled vehicle with a full ton payload capacity.  After praying about this heavily for a short period of time, Pat met with him in Pella, Iowa and we decided that we would join this venture.  Just a few short days later, our house sold!  In short, we gathered our belongings, much scaled down, and moved in with Melissa’s mom in Wichita.  We haven’t been there much, however, as we spent time with our new Vytrak Team in Missouri for a fun meet-and-greet, and then several weeks in Pella to build a 3-wheeled Intermediate Transportation Vehicle.  So, we have been a little busy this year with plans we never dreamed a year ago!

We have very fluid plans from here on out.  We hope to go to Ghana in January to build another I.T.V.  When this is complete, we will return to the States until further business building is completed; a few months give or take.  We will move to Ghana once this is wrapped up and begin our adventures in Accra (uh-‘craw)!  We anticipate learning so much as God takes us out of our comfort zones and into His purposes for us.

Keep up with us via our blog; www.teakells.blogspot.com.  If you want to keep up with our company, Vytrak, check out their site www.vytrak.com.  

So...

Pat has now returned from the idyllic town of Pella, Iowa.  As cute as it was, it had a bit of "The Truman Show" quality to it; too perfect!  We could not live there, but it looks like a darling place to visit!

So you may be wondering if I have any announcement to make.  Announcements are so formal and finite.  Again, not really us.  So instead I'm making you read all this fluff in order to share that we are indeed planning on moving with Vytrak to Ghana, Africa!

There are a billion or so questions and details that have yet to be ironed out, so feel free to ask, but I can't promise much in the way of answers.

Basically, this is the next step in order to make all the other steps.  One thing at a time.  Right now we are concentrating on selling this house (I know - I sound like a broken record), and I will probably begin making calls to set up vaccinations!  Fun, I know.  We are excited about this adventure, and will keep documenting it all here!  I may have to change the name of the blog, though...

California Furnace... seriously

 Just over a month ago, I left this (above) to go to this (below):

 I have taken a job as an Assistant Radiographer and was assigned to a Tesoro Turnaround in Concord California.  To state it simply, I use a source of radiation to take "X-Rays" of welds in various locations, as well as testing pipe/metal with magnetic energy, liquid sprays, and ultrasound equipment.  It sounds pretty complicated and, honestly, some of it is but most is pretty simple.  These tests are to see if there are any cracks or other problems in welds or the base metals, typically in oilfield related locations like refineries.  This technology is also utilized in aerospace and other construction.  A Turnaround is a scheduled shutdown of a refinery, or units in a refinery, for maintenance or construction.  Hope all that helps explain what I was doing!
This industry seems to move at a moment's notice.  I got a call and 22 hours or so later I was on a plane.  To say it was rushed would be an understatement.  I tried to plan ahead for warmer weather, but I still had to buy another T-shirt!  It was also thought that I would be gone from 3-4 weeks.  (Well, you know how that went!)  Anyway, after doing a fair amount of orientations and a bunch of badges, we had a day off, so I went out for a walk along one of the trails through town.  It was really beautiful!

 I'd like to say that my fluorescent skin is just a bad picture, but...!  I laid around this park for about an hour after walking 4 miles to get there.  I literally laid in the grass and soaked in the sunshine!

 All these blooms felt completely alien to me.  Refer to the first picture for my previous frame of reference!  Lavender was blooming, geraniums were showing off their pinks and reds, and Pear trees were in full bloom.  It was just crazy!  I don't even know what this tree below is!  It was huge and beautiful!

 My new home was comfortable enough, though I had to buy a microwave and toaster to make it work.  The maid service was extremely sporadic, and I even had to call down for toilet paper at one point.  That was disappointing.  It made it even more pressing to get back home!
 Below is the small airport behind my hotel.  It made me think of Pat!

 I'm wearing the ever-fashionable Fire-Retardant coveralls in dark blue, accessorized with an H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide) monitor on the lapel and the classic leather belt holding a pouch of radiation Personal Protective Equipment including a dosimeter, Rate Alarm, Radiation Badge, and paint pen!  It's sure to disfigure any size person!  Don't forget the ever-glamorous accessory to the accessory: side shields for the glasses!

 My welding beanie fooled many into thinking I was much more knowledgeable and experienced.  Oh, and they thought I was a welder.  I truly loved wearing the lovely non-breathable blue Tyvek suit (below), especially in the giant furnace (approximately 3X the size of our house) where it was warm and I had to wear a fall arrest system and half-face respirator to climb the 6 stories of scaffolding.  My favorite!  After about a week I was working the night shift, so the fabulous sunshine was down to a minimum, but it was probably best since I could handle the "cold" so much better!  It only got down into the low 40's most nights, so it was rare for me to wear a jacket.  Oh, since I was in the furnace, it didn't really matter anyway.

So all the while I got to have so much fun in furnaces, Pat was working hard here in Alaska!  Here he is doing a "brother-in-law" weld.  He was burning the candle on both ends trying to take care of all the house stuff as well as take care of his own 12 hour shifts in the -25 degree weather.

After all this exciting adventure, I have taken a transfer of sorts into a part-time position where I will continue to assist the certified technicians but only locally and probably much less often!  It will be a much better fit for us, as I have discovered that being home is much more valuable than I had realized!

Excessive June Photos!

O.K., here goes:  June in one post! I have a lofty goal!  

 June included a visit from Mom.  One of our "must-do's" is to go to Homer.  On the way down, we just had to stop and check out this Bald Eagle in it's nest.  Pretty cool.  On our way home, we stopped in Ninilchik (nin-IL'-chick) to visit the old Russian Orthodox Church.  I was sad it was closed, but the surrounding cemetery was fascinating.

We took Mom out one evening to go camping.  We drove to a campground, but then began to walk down a trail to another spot.  We walked about a half mile, much to Mom's confusion, and came upon this cabin.  Then we surprised her and told her THIS was our spot!!  Pat went back, loaded up the boat that was at the camp, and loaded all our gear to bring back.  Mom and Pat went out fishing that evening!  I don't think they had any bites, but it was a lovely evening for cast-practice!

 Then we had s'mores!  Yummy!

It was a little breezy outside so used the "inside fire" to roast the marshmallows!

 We did take a nice hike along the lakeside trail.  Rowdy loved it, and it was a lovely hike!

 Mom and I also went out to the beach.  It was a pretty blustery day, and high tide, so we didn't spend all day there but just enough to get some fresh salt air, pick up a few pretty rocks, and get our feet wet!!

(only one of us was wearing water-proof foot-wear!)

 While Mom and I were having fun, Pat was working hard.  The fence section above is the "security fence" that he had to install.  That panel is the entirety of the fence in that area.  Pretty secure, huh?!

 The 2nd weekend of June was the Kenai River Festival in Soldotna.  Teakell Design had a booth and we had an enjoyable time at the festival.  We also did pretty well in sales and orders.  It was well worth our time and investment.

 The River Festival was literally right beside the Kenai River (naturally), so Mom took a quick pic of the world famous waters!

 Just the other day, this robin adolescent perched itself on my deck and seemed to be demanding something from me.  Unfortunately, I do not speak chirp and was unable to assist it at this time.

On June 21st, the Summer Solstice, Pat helped a buddy out by playing drums in his band.  The Free Beer Band played last, and though that's not an ideal time slot (around midnight here), we were able to sit through the bands before us! (insert mass amounts of sarcasm here)  The Funny River Backwoods Group was the band just before Pat's and the name is very applicable.  Sadly, they sounded like a 5th grade band that just learned to play their fiddle, mandolin, guitar and washboard.  Oh, and they were all flying pretty high!  Anywho...Pat's group did pretty well and the few people who were still left enjoyed some nice parting music!

 Joy is fresh cherry tomatoes!

Did we mention, our house is still for sale?  All the fabulous activities could be yours!