I am just writing to catch you all up on the last few months (that long??) of my life! It seems that the last time I wrote was... JuLy!!! *gulp* But the reason being was that I just got so swept up in this new job! Literally, as soon as I got home, I was working again and I've barely had a moment to breathe since then. It's been a lot of working on the weekends, taking working lunches, back-to-back meetings, trainings, etc. But it's been really great so far! I'm getting to do a lot of things that make me happy, and I'm also getting to learn a lot of things that I didn't know about before and that will surely help me in future endeavors, like accounting and leading meetings.
I'd like to say that things are finally calming down at work.. but they're not lol but that's ok, because I really thrive on having too much to do :) There's only three of us at work and we all have our strengths so we're kind of just sticking to them for now in order to get the most done, which is working out well so far :)
Some things that I've been up to?.. well, a few weeks ago a private day school came over from Tulsa wanting an impromptu education day from us. Well alright! we said, and so Grady, the manager, and Jared the other assistant manager did their little education hours with them, but first, I got to take them on a hike on one of our trails and we did a nature scavenger hunt and mini-plant talk. I think I loved it more than they did :) I'd post pictures, buuuuut my co-workers didn't get any pictures of me teaching, even though I managed to take a million of them during their teaching time!!! Grr
Anyway, I'm really excited because I am also on a committee for our future... nature center!! Yippee!!! We have dreams for it, oh do we have dreams! Like that fact that it'll be LEED certified, that it will have permanent and rotating exhibits, that it will be a marvelous, beautiful place for groups to meet and families to learn.. We already have a fantastic architect on board to help with the design and we are slowly moving forward with the other 99% of the things that need to be done to get a nature center built! :)
I also got the exciting opportunity of being on one of our local TV stations for an interview about the lake last month! I was really happy to do this, I love outreach and talking to people and this was a great way to do it! I really want people to know about Lake McMurtry and all the beauty and serenity it has to offer! I recently did an interview with our local newspaper as well, which I was again very happy about.. so many people have misconceptions about what our non-profit is trying to do out at the lake and I just really wanted to dispel a lot of that.
I'm coordinating several trash clean ups at the lake too, which have been just great. I love meeting the new people that come out to the lake and hearing why they're here, why they want to be at this clean up. So far, we've had really good turn outs, but maybe that's just because I've give them a yummy lunch afterwards.. but whatever works right?! This lake is getting cleaned up, and it needs it! :)
Moving on from work and into the land of my personal life.. baby chicks are finally starting to lay eggs, as of about a week ago!!!! Well, Ivy is; we aren't sure about Fern, and Lily definitely isn't laying any yet.. she's what you'd call, a "special chicken" lol Scott is super busy with school, as always but is doing amazingly-well in it, as expected :) I am so proud of him for how hard he works and for how devoted he is. He really is someone spectacular to look to for motivation when I need it. Because of both of our crazy-busy schedules though, we've yet to do much traveling in and around the state. Last weekend, we went to Foss State Park for a not-too-awesome Bioblitz. The park itself wasn't too awesome either. Oklahoma just has different standards here, and it's just really hard to get used to the fact that there are hundreds of bodies of water here, but that none of them are lakes; they are ALL RESERVOIRS. :(
Anyway, this weekend, we're going to Great Salt Plains State Park, where we are hopefully going to find some crystals that are unique to Oklahoma! Fingers crossed for a better state park experience this go around.
 |
| Scott and I at our not-so-awesome Bioblitz - the wind was ridiculous, if you couldn't tell from my hair :) |
Scott and I have taken a great liking to Tulsa and have been there a few times now. It's almost like you're not in Oklahoma anymore! (almost) There is good beer, amazing food, parks, nature centers, actual healthy grocery stores.. and it's just more natural, I guess. We've also been to Oklahoma City and it holds some of the same things, but it's just not as.. pretty. It's so much more built up and unnatural, we definitely like Tulsa a lot and have already got a list of places that we are slowly checking off as we go :)
 |
| Anne Hathaway Municipal Herb Garden - Tulsa |
 |
| A snazzy little bike shop in Tulsa |
 |
| Oxley Nature Center, Tulsa |
 |
| Oxley Nature Center :) |
 |
| Practicing fish seining at a training in Tulsa |
I've gotten to go out in field with Scott a couple times now to his Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's) where he's conducting his research. It's been nice to have a whole day with him and to help him with his work - and to actually get out into some real woods, like 'no-one-can-find-you' woods! :)
The only kind of bad thing really, is that I am missing Oregon. Really. Bad. I think of it daily and am getting to the point of tears when I do so.. I just don't know if I can go another 15 months without my home.. I've started begging Scott to go back with me for a visit, but he's just too busy with school and also says that he'd rather just stay here and visit these areas since he knows he won't be back to again after he leaves it. He and I are on different scales though. He's lived in Oregon pretty much his whole life, so he has plenty of Oregon in his gas tank to tide him over 'til he gets back. I - I was still falling in love with Oregon when I left it.. I have only been there for about three and a half years. I miss my friends, my volunteer opportunities, my plants, the fog, the food, the rain, the conifers and the elevation change.. I really miss Oregon.
But alas, I am here, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with no elevation change to speak of, one health food store and practically no public land that I can go roam around and get lost botanizing in. Scott says that there are places I need to visit, like the hills in the SE and SW, so we'll see. If we get the time and if I can muster up the excitement.. lol I'll fill you in on what comes of it all.
Thank you to whoever still reads this blog, I will try to write more in the future, as I really want to keep you all informed of what I'm doing at work and in Oklahoma in general. I hope you all are doing well and welcome any comments you may have. Talk to you soon! (Promise!)
L&V,
Rachel
