Bestest

Congratulations goes to my youngest nephew Craig, first for completing his "Master of Science, Civil Engineering, with concentrations in Structural and Geotechnical Engineering" from South Dakota School of Mining and Technology.....and shortly thereafter landing a job with Stanley Consultants, an international engineering consulting firm headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa (about a half hour from Davenport). http://www.stanleyconsultants.com/

Now, excuse me while I brag a bit, but indeed all his hard work and smarts deserve some accolades.

Only another engineer can fully understand/appreciate all the technical qualifications described in his resume, but its plain to see he likes to be productive. In his college years he worked four summer internships with Kokosing Construction in the heavy industrial division. In between undergraduate and graduate school he spent a year volunteering with Habitat for Humanity/Americorps as a construction staff member for the Metro Jackson Habitat for Humanity, in the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts. In his final summer before graduate school he worked for the city of Grand Haven creating a "GIS Geodatabase for public utilities," GIS = geographic information systems. For anyone who understands engineering qualifications here are all the letters behind his name: LEED AP, EIT, LSIT

In the few months between graduation and securing a job he finished a significant remodeling job at their home (partnering with his Dad), did more remodeling at a friend's house, dug a water line from the house to the garden (not good at judging distance but in my mind's eye its at least enough for a game of touch football), installed irrigation tubing in the garden, started some seedlings for several different vegetables all of which are enjoying a good start under a home-made green-house box, cut down a tree ready to fall (and prepared it for firewood) and finally (still in process) constructing a raised bed for raising blueberries. Whew! All that and keeping up a job search as well.

Word has it that his starting salary is more than his older brother, Brian who also has a Masters in civil engineering and has been working in the field awhile. So, stay tuned for another blog post about him, whose example, support and good-natured brotherly competition helped to pave the way. The summer that Brian was participating in the cross-country Habitat for Humanity Bike and Build trip, he challenged Craig to complete a one-day's leg of the trip, 100 miles and of course he met the challenge.

Now for the title of this blog. One time when Craig stopped at my parents' house and didn't find them home, he left a note and signed it "your bestest grandson." So the nickname has stuck, but as far as anyone in our family is concerned all three of my nephews are the "bestest."

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Here is Craig as a toddler looking out the front window to the wide expanse of fields beyond his front yard. Today he looks to a bright future.

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Congratulations, Craig!