White Blaze, here we come!

I've been getting really excited about my upcoming AT hike through Maryland with a couple of my good friends.  I've got all my gear, all my clothes and am working today on detailing the menu.  I have last night's Lentils with Onions and Ajwain drying in the dehydrator to take with us this weekend on our practice hike at Mohican State Forest.  Yesterday, I took the Katadyn water purifier apart to familiarize myself with it again and cleaned the filter. I also took at 2.5 mile walk in the neighborhood with Alan in my hiking boots. Tomorrow I'm doing more shopping for trail food.

Two yeas ago, in June of 2011, Alan and I hiked 40 some miles through the Southern Virginia Highlands.  It was beautiful country, but the hike was difficult.  My boots were all wrong, I didn't bring a sleeping bag and we were not as conditioned as we should have been for that hike. I hurt for days afterward. Alan and I spent a couple days on the trail grouching at each other too, as we learned to hike and camp together. I swore I would never hike with him again!  We have talked and worked things out since then and have decided to hike on the AT again this year in August or Sept, picking up where we left off.

So, in 2013, I have TWO section hikes planned!  W00t!  Now I've added another goal to my Bucket List--to hike the whole Appalachian Trail, a section at a time. 

The D.Lab

Hi!  Welcome to my new professional blog.  My list of interests grows almost daily. This blog reflects my experiences with all the things I enjoy doing for work and play. 

I have a strong agricultural background.  I grew up on a small farm in North Central Indiana were we raised much of our own food. We butchered chickens in the summer, hogs and lambs in the fall.  I owned a few horses as a teen and participated in FFA and 4-H.

I have an AS in Recreation and Leisure Services. I served as Activities Director for the Warsaw Parks and Recreation Dept in Warsaw, Indiana for several years.  At this position, I gained experience with public relations, fund raising, staff supervision, event planning and organizing, community development, budgeting and business administration. 

I owned and operated a small organic farm in Central Ohio for several years. We sold eggs and meat in the Greater Columbus area. We participated in several farmer's markets. Even though I've had thousands of chickens in my life, I still enjoy being around chickens and a tasty chicken dinner!

I have done many other work in my life too, most of which I truly enjoyed.  I have been a camp counselor, a food server and service trainer, a spiritual workshop facilitator, a trail ride guide, a restaurant manager, office manager, and have held a few other interesting positions.

Life is great! I am looking for enjoyable employment, preferably in the leisure or agritourism field, which combines my strengths and knowledge in the areas of agriculture and event planning.