Smoke on the water...

Fire in the sky!

Somewhere over the rainbow

It's been a long time since I've seen one of Mother Nature's wonders. I was driving through Hazelhurst on my way to Lac du Flambeau for a training when I look out the passenger window and see this...

Cycropia Aerial Dance

On a muggy Friday in August, while standing on a folding chair, I was entertained by Cycropia Aerial Dance. Orton Park hosted their annual neighborhood festival. I went for the food and music but stayed because of these aerial dance performers. It was an all ages show with hundreds of others, sitting on the ground, circling the performer's stage. The show as a combination of juggling, joke telling and aerial dance. For having a much smaller budget than Cirque du Soleil, they had a charming way about them. Rather than putting on a show in a controlled theater, Cycropia performed right in the park. Their equipment fashioned to a large tree and the performers using the park as their stage. I was entertained but the beauty of the aerial dance and the overwhelming sense of community that I felt in this near east side Madison community.

Kenosha...the gateway to Illinois

This past week I've been back and forth to the American Lung Association office in Brookfield conducting interviews for a newly created position (FACT Field Specialist) with the Movement I work for, FACT. Yesterday, I met my good friend Nicole and her cousin Dave for dinner at Mangia in Kenosha. Here are some of the photos from that brief trip.

Fountain in the kid's play area

Nicole with her birthday piece of Tiramisu

Me and the birthday girl

Rich people's boats in the Kenosha harbor

Pull back of the rich people's boats

A lot of rocks

Practice using my camera remote

Aloha Wisconsin

If you were hosting a friend from Hawaii where would you take her? Did a dairy farm come to mind? Well...it did for me. That's the first place I thought of when I knew my friend Nicole would be making a visit to Madison, for a few days, before her and I attended a work conference in Chicago. You see, Nicole and I have the same job (managing a statewide youth movement), except she gets to do her work on a beautiful island. We met at a nationwide youth event four years ago and have been friends ever since.

Back to the farm festivities. After she landed we quickly loaded up her luggage and headed to Cambridge for a guided tour of a working dairy farm. There we were taken on a three hour journey into "another world." A world that many urban dwellers, like Nicole and I, don't get to see and often take for granted. Tina, our tour guide, opened our eyes to what it's like to be a dairy farmer in 2008. From living off the land, to extreme debt, to balancing family life, the ups and downs of this profession and lifestyle is what being a farmer is all about.

In the end we both were glad we took the tour and now have an appreciation for the dairy industry and the plight of local farmers. Along the way, I snapped some photos to capture the moments on the farm and around town. To see all of the shots from the weekend click here.

Here's Nicole getting close and personal with a dairy cow

Some of the female cows hanging out in a cool-indoor climate

Sharing the Hawaiian spirit on State Street

Fun with a OPTRIXX lens attachment

All of that touring and siteseeing wore Nicole out

The boys of summer

From an early age, those who knew Kevin Sullivan knew he was destined for sporting glory. Kevin started out playing the typical myriad of sports we all grow up playing (or at least some of us played). He was the star running back on the football team and the point guard on our high school basketball team. But there was one sport that Kevin excelled in, baseball. There was something about baseball that combined all of the elements of Kevin's superior athletic ability and meshed them into one sport. It was plain to all of his friends and to a couple of major league baseball teams that Kevin had what it took to make it to the "Bigs."

Drafted out of high school Kevin deferred this chance to play Major League Baseball and instead took some time to develop his craft and get a degree from Carthage College in Kenosha. With his diploma in hand and four more year of practice, Kevin was now ready for his dream to come true. However, chasing this dream proved a much more difficult road than anticipated.

After a handful of years being bounced around different farm clubs, Kevin was faced with a choice. Continue to pursue baseball or "settle down" and start a career outside of the diamond. For Kevin it was an easy choice, he chose to keep playing baseball and keep doing what he loved to do.

This year Kevin is the starting catcher for the St. Paul Saints, a member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Not knowing how long Kevin would be playing pro ball, some high school classmates and I took a road trip to see "Sully" play.

After seeing Kevin play and hearing firsthand accounts about what baseball means to him, I'm convinced Kevin is doing exactly what he should be doing in life. In Kevin I see a man who isn't afraid to fight, day in and day out, to accomplish his dream. In today's world that a rarity. Often we give up too soon when the going gets tough. For Kevin, who plays over 90 games in a 5 month period from St. Paul all the way down to Shreveport, LA, he hasn't lost that fire. Whether or not he ever sees a Big League game, Kevin will have remained true to himself and to the sport that has given so much to him. He's an inspiration to many, including me. I'm proud to call him my friend!

Here's Kevin warming up before the game

Warming up his throwing arm

Kevin, behind the plate "earning a living"

Kevin, locked and loaded ready to unleash that energy on the ball

My high school friends (from left to right): Nick, Dan, Kevin and me

Check out more photos from the game by clicking on this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58716515@N00/sets/72157606559312513/

Can you hear it?

Can you hear it? I can...it's the sound of my life's calling. Well, to be honest I didn't hear it at first. On January 14, 2002 I became the FACT Field Guru for the FACT Movement. FACT is Wisconsin't youth led movement empowering Wisconsin teens to use their voice and take a stand against corporate tobacco. FACT took a risk and hired a 23 year old "kid" straight out of college to "run" this statewide Movement. What they got was a loyal, hard working and sometimes quarky guy from Stevens Point named Luke. What I got was way more than the job description indicated.

I got a fresh look at a new generation. Today's teens are fearless and ready to take on corporate America. They are passionate about the things they believe and can convince any adult when they set their mind to it. As some things have changed since I was a teenager (which is now over 11 years ago) many things remain the same. Teens still quesiton athority. The very athority that rule their lives. Most teens are willing to learn and are open to new things. On the other hand, their willingness to learn is dependent on the concept of WIIFM..."What's In It For Me."

Most teens, at one time or another, make poor choices. For example, one teen that I worked with a few years back decided it would be a great idea to hold onto another teen's passport. We were half way to the airport when I got a call from that teen's chaperone asking if my teen had her passport. I asked and he said no, then a long pause..........yes he has it. So, back we went (1 hour out of our way) to return the passport. This caused a series of events that almost made us miss our flight home. See what I mean?

For all of the times where I swear I'm going prematurely grey, I get back 10 fold in an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment when I sit back and reflect on the impact I've made on the lives of these teens. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is when I hear that one of the teens I've worked with has chosen a field related to their experience they gained in FACT. The very first generation of FACT members have now graduated from college and some are still in contact with me on a regular basis.

For all of the long hours I work, the sleepless nights and even the grey hairs, I wouldn't trade my experience with FACT for any other job. There will be a time where I won't be the FACT Field Guru, but when that day comes, I'll look back and think of the positive mark I've made on the Movement and on hundreds of teen's lives. I can finally hear it...it's my calling.