Five on Friday

Featuring Liz Gray, help desk technician

1. What have you enjoyed most about your job?
Hmmm, that's a tough question. At first I would have to say that it was hard to get used to having my phone number on everyone's speed dial, but I guess I would have to say my favorite part about my job is simply just meeting new people and being able to help them with their computer problems. I have made a lot of friends here at Olivet simply by just being patient and helping them out with their questions and computer issues. While I am by no means a computer genius, I just love helping people in general.

2. What's one of the most frequent questions you get at the help desk?
Outside of normal "chaos control" for large outages, I would have to say the top questions we receive at the help desk are pertaining to password resets. Usually Network accounts, Blackboard, OASIS and Datatel. Next I would have to say would be questions regarding software utilization and how to's on a very wide variety of software, mainly Microsoft Office, GroupWise, Blackboard etc. A lot of the other issues are able to be resolved by just simply restarting the computer. We do, however; get a few funny questions once in awhile that should be directed to other departments like:

- "The power is out, and my computer will not turn on."
- "Our golf cart is not charging. Can one of your guys come over and look at it?"
- " Is Google's website down?"
- "Can you reset my facebook password?"

It's always great to get those -- it makes you laugh and it helps you try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. So much is related to technology that people often call without even realizing what the actual problem is. :)

3. Your family makes pure maple syrup. Can you tell us a little about that process?
Yes, my family has made Pure Michigan Maple Syrup for at least five generations. People who make maple syrup are often referred to as "sugarmakers." Each year in early spring, we go out to the woods for the start of maple syrup season, which generally lasts from mid-February (just before the snow melts) to early April depending on how well the weather cooperates. We "tap," or drill a small hole into the trunk of a tree (this does not hurt the tree and can't be drilled within a 3 inch radius of the hole from the year before or it will suck air) and then insert a spile to catch the sap that begins to collect in the hole. The spout is then connected to a bucket or to plastic tubing, which is what we use. The tubing stretches through the woods, to collect the dripping sap. Sap straight from the sugar maple tree is about 98 percent water and two percent sugar. Other sap starts to "run" or flow out of the holes when the weather is just right. The sap runs best when there are cold nights (with temperatures below freezing) and warm days (with temperatures above freezing). Once the sap is collected, it needs to be boiled to get rid of the excess water right away to make the maple syrup. Maple syrup as its finished product is approximately 33 percent water and 67 percent sugar.

We use an evaporator fueled by fuel oil along with a reverse osmosis machine so it heats the sap more consistently than wood heat. The reverse osmosis helps to speed up the process and use less resources at the same time. An evaporator consists of two or more large, specially designed pans that are filled with sap. It kind of works like the float system in the back of your toilet. These pans sit over a fire of burning wood or fuel, which heats the sap and causes it to boil. As it boils, some of the water in the sap turns to steam, which rises out of the syrup shack. It makes the air smell so good outside! The sap becomes thicker and sweeter as it boils.

We know the maple syrup is ready when its temperature reaches seven degrees Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water. This process requires a lot of time and energy, because it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup! Once the maple syrup is thick enough, it is filtered to take out "sugar sand," which accumulates as sap boils. Sugar sand is just minerals and nutrients that concentrate as the excess water is boiled away. If it is not filtered out, the maple syrup will appear cloudy and taste gritty.

After the maple syrup is filtered, it is put into containers for sale. From there it can be made into other tasty maple treats like maple sugar, maple syrup candy, maple cream, and even maple jelly. Pure maple syrup is great on pancakes, waffles, french toast, baked beans, steamed rice and veggies, and other foods. My favorite is on vanilla ice cream!

4. What would a perfect afternoon with your boys include?
Since we are originally from Michigan, we were surrounded by outdoor activities. Not that Bourbonnais is not a great place, but we used to live where many people vacation. After moving here I quickly realized that we were very spoiled in growing up in Michigan. I would have to say that I have missed the beaches there, so a perfect afternoon would be spent at the beach, 78 degrees, a small breeze, a picnic snack, maybe a sand castle or two, no cell phones, and lots of fun photos to scrapbook and look back on later. As a side note, I mentioned to Ethan that we could go to the beach when we visit Nina and Papa, and he corrected me saying, "Mommy, you did say the wrong thing. That's silly, we don't say beaches, we only can go in pools, and tub-tubs." While it was funny to me that he would say that, I realized, he has never really been to a beach to swim. The whole idea was just foreign to him and totally caught me off guard.

5. Your husband recently accepted a church position in Michigan - Congrats! How would you ask people to pray for you during this time of transition?
Yes, the church we have accepted is located in Elmdale or Clarksville, Michigan, in which we are very excited and thankful about because it is just a few hours from both sets of family, hooray! We have seen how God has worked through this whole situation and as each day gets closer, we see His appearance in each day all the more. Things seem to be happening pretty quickly as far as our timeline goes and it seems rushed at times.

We would most likely be moving sometime in June -- just as Nate is finishing up a class and starting another, which is foreseeably going to be a little stressful. There are a few details that we are still waiting to hear back on so I guess I would ask for prayer for the rest of the details to fall into place as the Lord would have them to, for safety in our move, that the last month will be as stress-free as possible, and that this move would not be too tough on our children. I don't expect it will be too hard on them because they are pretty young yet (Ethan will be 4 on June 16, and Aiden will be 1 on July 15), and we are planning on getting Ethan and Aiden a puppy for their birthdays. I think Nate is more excited about the puppy than the kids will be, but we don't have a lot of worries in this. We know 100% that this is where God is leading us and we are constantly reminded through Romans 8:28-39 that God is with us and He will take care of us, if we are faithful to carry out His calling. I know we will miss our friends and jobs here at Olivet very much but are very excited to start this new chapter in our lives.