Greg's New Job

I know I don't often write posts about anyone but Ely, (after all, he is why I started this blog in the first place!), but lately Greg is the one deserving of the accolades and attention!

Greg recently accepted his dream job with Severson Dells Nature Center, which is operated by the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District. I remember getting so emotional while looking over his cover letter because it truly is like "coming home" for him and for our family (which is exactly how his "new" co-workers put it on his welcome card his first day of work). Severson Dells has shaped both of our upbringings and has been a major factor in our adult lives as well. It would be the better part of a book to explain all the ways this place and its people have intertwined with our lives, but here are a few of the most notable.
-Both Greg and I began taking walks at Severson either before we were born, or shortly after in the comfort of a stroller.
-We spent many days as a child exploring its trails and visiting for school programs.
-When Greg was in high school, he volunteered there and even interned there during breaks from college.
-We almost always visited when we were home from college or Minnesota.
-When we moved back to IL, we both re-kindled our relationship with Severson by joining the Board of Directors.
-In January 2008, Greg, through his good relationship with many conservation organizations and the Severson director (who Ely has termed "Uncle Don"), Greg was allowed to take 4 sections of the signature Bur Oak that fell, one half of a "twin" set of trees on the Severson property. One sits in the education center at Severson, and another sits as our table in our living room. In December 2008, Greg purchased the photographs by Brad Nordlof of the twin oaks to proudly display above our couch. (See blog post here).
-When we bought our house in 2008, it's proximity to Severson was one of the main highlights.
-Ely's baby shower in January 2009 was at Severson Dells - its significance in his life started early.
-My stint on the board was short-lived; after I had Ely and went back to work, the particular job I had did not allow me to take time off for board meetings. Greg stayed on a bit longer until it became a conflict of interest at his job.
-Ely's first outdoor walk in his carrier was at Severson Dells on a particularly warm day in mid-March at 6 weeks old.
-Ely's first canoe trip - a short paddle down the Kish River - was presided over by none other than "Uncle" Don, who baptized him that day to nature. Don wrote about it in his published volume of canoeing stories, Life Afloat.
-Since he could walk, we've been on countless walks at Severson Dells with Ely, always throwing sticks and rocks into Hall Creek, picking grass in the prairie, and stopping to look for frogs in the pond. He saw his first deer there, heard his first owl there, and pelted me (and others) with his first snowball there. :) And maybe I shouldn't say this, but since it's quite a rite of passage for a guy, it's also the first place he took his first outdoor pee!

Every morning when we pass by on our way to daycare and work, Ely says "Good Morning See-Some Dells" and now, he says "Good Morning Dad!" We couldn't be prouder.