My little Diva

I bought Eighty this jacket today, I know- I agree.. I never thought that I'd be the owner of a jacket wearing dog either, but it was 5 dollars at Walmart, and the only reason that I was at Walmart was because buying toilet paper was #1 on my 'to do' list and going to the bank was #2 and, well, Walmart happens to be located right next to the bank. It's the convenience factor- Mr. Walmart was brilliant and he got my $5 plus $7.50 for toilit paper because I'm lazy. Yes I am ashamed. Can you tell?

Anyways, I bought Eighty this jacket because he gets cold and shivers. I put it one him and now he won't let me take it off. He loves it and has been prancing around as if he owns the runway.
I'm thinking he's a little diva.

Merry Day Of Over Eating!

a little morsel from my heart

For that past couple of years, I've been doing a lot of learning about myself and about my beliefs of why we were all put on this earth together. Although his transcends far beyond politics- Thank God... come on, I know that's what you were thinking... it does explain some of my 'quirks'.

Even though I was raised on a healthy diet of 'The Lord', I'm not sure that I would claim that I'm a religious person, at least not in the sense that is related to organized religion. I will say that I am definitely a spiritual person, and that I live very true to my beliefs of what is right and what is wrong- every day. I haven't figured out exactly where those beliefs fit into the rest of the mainstream of beliefs, or if they even need to fit in, because really, how boring would that be.

So here it is: I think that everyone is a angle of sort, and that everyone has a unique purpose for being here on earth. And that when we come face to face with that purpose, large or small, life long or just an exhale, if we are leading with our hearts, then we know that we must serve at that moment, because we and it have aligned in time and space, and there we are, in that moment. How lame would it be to turn and walk away?

I don't think that we should be driven to do 'acts of kindness' with the hopes of praise of even a 'thank you'. We don't do them because we're obligated by our congregation, or to give thanks on a day of celebration of the birth of a deity, or of our nation. Nor do we do them out of pity, because in my mind, we are only people living side by side on this earth, all under different circumstances.

We do acts of kindness because we are here, on earth, alongside others who are also here on earth. It is our obligation as humans beings, plain and simple.

Take this as you wish, but do think about why you are here, and what drives you to act in the ways that you do. I really believe that this is important stuff, and that understanding our own unique gifts clarifies our often times muddled journey.

A friend sent an article to me yesterday, and it made me beyond grateful. Not because the content has to do with saving valuable open space, but because of the humble attitude of the person who led with his heart, knowing that it was the right thing to do.

Here's my favorite line:

"I got in there and saw the opportunity to make the difference and then realized that, seeing that opportunity, I couldn’t ethically justify not taking it. I knew that as bad as this could possibly turn out, if I ended up going to prison, then I could live with that. But if I saw an opportunity to protect the land of southern Utah and I saw an opportunity to keep some oil in the ground and give us a better chance for a livable future and I passed up that opportunity, then I wouldn’t be able to live with that. And so, I just had to make that choice on my own."

-Democracy Now. Tim DeChristopher, University of Utah student and environmental activist.

Hmm. So upper crust

Sarah: "Where does the apostrophe go in the word 'Aren't'?"

Chris: "Contractions are soo trashy."

I Am My Mother's Daughter

The Galli Family, now a family of 7.

Meet Eighty, the Galli family's newest member. Yes, he is the runt of the bunch- remember Baby, well now he's Eighty, after Highway I-80 on which he was found.

So far so good. Dyggs is loving him and they play and they play and play, which is good because it's still colder than the cold version of Hell here in Fort Collins. The one time that we took Eighty out to show him off he cried and shivered. Good thing that I'm learning to knit- yes knit, crazy cat spinster now knits- I need to refine my skills and craft him a Super Dog sweater. Uh-hu, crazy cat spinster who knits her animals sweaters. Good thing I'm happy- or I'd be crazy.

We're in Fort Collins

Chris: "I can't believe that there's a city this far north."

This is Ice, on the inside of the window. I'll be in bed until the end of March.

I feel like a success story

I completed my Yoga Training Certification this past weekend! Yeah for Sarah!

I haven't talked about it much because, well honestly it hasn't been easy for me to spend so much time around 15 other women. It's all very hokey poky and foo-foo, I'll just say that my anxiety meds came in very handy throughout the past couple months- and I made some incredible friends along the way.

It's funny how we find growth in the most unexpected ways.

The end of an era

They're heading to the next stop on the journey of their life. Thank God.

It's funny though, only 1/2 of me feels happy to have my life back, the other half will miss them. I've talked myself in and out and in and out, of adopting one of them, but the sane side of my brain is much louder than the exhausted side, and the sane side is screaming:

"No Way In Hell! You need to sleep! And you just bought new furniture not even 2 years ago! And your other babies need love too. Not to mention that you'll never be able to travel again because as it is, you already spend more money on dog hotel and cat sitter fee's than you do your own accommodation's while vacationing!"

Yes, sane side of my brain. You are right. They go. Let them exhaust some other fool with a bleeding- no hemorrhaging heart. I, I am going to go take a shower, clean the puppy poop from the walls, do some laundry and go on a date with my husband to a movie.....hopefully we won't snore too loud.

come again?

This morning

Chris: (smiling) "Chasing puppies around right out of bed, before you even have coffee...that's kinda fun! They sure are cute little guys."

Me: (In my head) "Wait (pause) did you really just say that?"

Puppy, puppy, puppy

Am I driving you guys crazy yet with non stop talk about puppies? Just when you thought that I couldn't surpass the crazy cat lady status... Honestly, I really don't have anything interesting to write about, given my brain is mush. Is this what the first 3 years of parenting feels like?

There has been some talk of people wanting to adopt my babies, so I'm posting some more pictures of them. I'm turning them over to the Animal House on Friday at 12 noon, so those of you who are interested better call in sick and come get some puppy love.

Once they are under the jurisdiction of the Animal House, they won't be adopted out until they're eight weeks old, and I'm guessing that they're 6 weeks now. I think that for the right people, they would be fine going to a family now, as long as the family kept their expectations low and remembered that puppies are really monsters at heart- at least until they reach about 5 years of age.

I'm falling for him

This is 'baby', the only name that I will let myself call him. He's the runt of the four and we almost didn't find him. He had been split up from the rest, about a mile away. We doubled back to where he was for the third time because the momma seemed to be telling us that someone was missing. All that I can say is that I'm so thankful that we went back.

Someone needs to take this pup who is close to me, either a freind or family. If I can't have him, I at least need visiting rights.

Bleary eyed

They wake up in the middle of the night in the form of hairy piranhas. It's dangerous if you happen the have bare feet.

I ran out of soft baby food during the second feeding frenzy of last night, so I gave them hard puppy food. Big mistake. There is now a diarrhea overload in the Galli house. This morning, I got up early and ran out for puppy milk before the monster family woke up. I stopped to do some dumpster diving for newspaper on the way home-I knew that being mindful of the earth would bite me in the butt at some point, I could so use a shed full of the unread news.

Someone asked me if I needed help...being in my pajamas and all, hanging over the side of the news recycling bin with one foot on top of the truck that I had strategically placed for more climbing leverage. Pretty soon I'm going to be known as the 'crazy lady of Fort Collins', If I'm not already. I hope that they at least say that as crazy as I seem, I'm still pretty.

Thanksgiving Story

These are the thanks that Chris and I received this Thanksgiving holiday. Four loud, peeing, pooping, biting, beautiful little puppies, along with their mother.

They were on the side of I-80 on our way back from Thanksgiving in Salt Lake. The mom was barking at the trucks, including us because we drove the big @$$ truck to take advantage of the gas price- just like the environmentalists we claim to be. We pulled over and backed up to see if she was an apparition caused by too much hormone enhanced turkey. Two hours later we had collected four pups and the mom. Thank god for our gas guzzling truck because the front seat is big enough to carry all of the puppies, the mom and me. Contrary to our vehicle of choice, we keep our trashiness under wraps by allowing our animals first class amenities: the front seat, and that rest of our lunch.

The Galli estate is now a puppy estate and this parenting thing is giving me circles under my eyes.

Luckily, they all seem to be healthy, although the mother was pretty sketched out. Her milk was dried up and I assume that by the looks of the five of them, it had been dry for a while.

She left today with a new family and hasn't looked back. The couple who took her called me to say that they had to coax her into the house because it seems that she has never been inside of one. They made her 'safe zone' their bed- she's liven in style after one hard life. The babies are doing great, I'm going to keep them for a week or so to make sure that they're good and fat, and then they're out of here- just in time to break my heart.

My old friends

Do you know the feeling that you get when you've just finish reading a book and you realize that the characters are gone..that they are now closed within the pages- destined to the dusty shelve, and that your relationship with them, one that was so deep and colorful yesterday, today, is finished, over.. kaput.

Well, this is how I feel about the staff of NPR, National Public Radio. I love them, maybe too much. There's a slight obsession in the power of my emotions that might teeter my love to the side of unhealthy.

NPR acts as the morning alarm clock in our house. The first alarm is set for an hour before we have to get up, allowing for an entire hour of blissful listening. The second goes off an hour later, and by then- hopefully, morning addition is on it's second round and we are, or at least, I am ready to face the world.

Yesterday, in the wee hours of the morning , somewhere around 8:30- don't hate us because we have no children, Steve Inskeep was telling us that Barack has been deep in the process of choosing his cabinet.

This was Chris's response, remember, these are his first words of the day:

"Hmm, I'm thinking that he should go with a Knotty Pine, or maybe something a little more exotic.... like a nice Brazilian Cherry.."

Who do I love more, my old friends in the radio... or my wonderful husband? Can they tie? Maybe that's too weird.

No. You don't seem to be understanding this situation. I was just being polite.

This morning I taught my very fist yoga class- ever. (The experience deserves it's own post, I'll just say that Chris attended, and he 'rocked Dancer pose', among other things.) In preparation, I spent an hour in the bathtub going over 'the flow' out loud until I had every cue and voice inflection perfect. I had even come up with some funny tidbits to throw in at the precise moment when students inevitably question why it is that they came to class that morning, and conclude, hopefully to themselves, that they really, really hate chaturangas.

As I opened my front door to leave for class, I came face to face with a man; his hand extended towards my mailbox and in his fingers was an envelope with the word: Sara printed on the front in cursive.

I immediately recognize this man as the owner of the yellow lab that Dyggs, the day before at the dog park, had unsuccessfully tried to mount - a yellow lab that is 13 years old and has arthritis and probably shouldn't be at the dog park in the first place. A dog who now has a bone chip in his elbow, because Dyggs hasn't grasped the subtle technique of "Hey cowboy, can I buy you a doggy biscuit?" Instead, he prefers a running start and well, I'll leave the rest out.

When the humping incident occurred, the yellow lab had made a sound not unlike one that I could imagine resulting in say, pulling a dogs legs off one by one, similar to what my stepbrother used to administer to flies on family road trips and as the yellow lab is sprawled out on the ground, screaming, the owner starts talking about the dog being is 13 years old and having severe arthritis. And I'm thinking, inside of my head of course, that the dog park is probably not the optimal place for this dog to be hanging. Really, would you drop your frail grandmother onto a roller derby rink? Probably not.

As I'm preoccupied with my thoughts, the owner bends down and picks up the dog- because the dog cannot walk, and he carries it to his car. When he comes back for his other dog, a frisky black lab, I tell him that I hope his dog makes out o.k, but by this point he looks so distressed over the whole situation that I blurt out, "I live in that house (pointing to my house) and if the dog turns out not to be o.k. please come over and tell me so that I can help you pay the vet bill." Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

And now, as I'm standing in the threshold of my front door looking at this man, all my cues and funny tidbits for my class fall out of my brain and onto the porch floor, they roll under the railing, over the edge and land in the shriveled up Day Lilleys. All that is left is a bill for 216 dollars.

I opened my mouth with the intention of saying something along the line of, "You idiot! Your dog is 117 years old in human years, and you brought him to the rowdiest dog park in Fort Collins?"

Unexpectedly though, as I was gathering enough air in my lungs to catapult the entire sentence at him in one breath- I stopped, and I had two thoughts. The first was: Having a dog park enemy would not be a good thing. No, it would be really bad thing. It would cause anxiety and stress and in short, it would suck. The second was: Oh my God. This is exactly what parents must go through when their fellow playgroup parents are complete idiots. They force a smile, and quite possibly, they undergo the equivalent of 216 dollars worth of "You're not serious, are you? No, of coarse you're joking- funny stuff. Oh my God, wait. You are serious.. and I just made plans to spend every Wednesday afternoon with you for the next 3 months because both of our children have peanut allergies?"

See, what I should have said to the owner of the yellow lab was, "No. You don't seem to be understanding this situation. I was just being polite."

But instead, I wrote a check for 108 dollars and 0 cents.

Team Galli. World Reigning Ping Pong Champions from 1979-1985

Who said thirty-somethings can't still get down? He fell asleep spooning Dyggs while whispering in his ear about how much he loves him. It was perfect.

November

It's a blustery November day.

I never would have expected that I'd use a word like 'blustery' as a descriptor for anything within my own life. The fact that the address on my voter registration is located in a climate in which the word 'bluster' is the first and last word that comes to mind.. Well, I didn't see that coming. I thought that I had learned my lesson- turns out that I'm not such a fast learner.

So here I am, and it's blustery out there. I expect that Edgar Allan Poe would have written something along line lines of, "It's a blustery November day, the rain is falling in sheets and the rats are loose, climbing the stairs..." The difference is that there are no rats in my world, and it is not raining. Just blustery.

Life is Beautiful

This morning over coffee Chris was telling me that story line of the Italian movie 'Life is Beautiful'. Without giving the story away, I'll just say that it's a tale of love and compassion for life. Part of the story takes place in a concentration camp, and..well, you'll just have to watch the movie for yourself.

As Chris was re-living the story, and as he got to the part about the Germans and the Jews, I realized that Oh My God- this was happening in the 1940's, just 70 years ago, when my grandparents were old enough to remember. People were dying in mass quantities, not because of some rampant drug resistant infection, but at the hands of fellow humans! Here in America, it wasn't for another 23 years that the 24th amendment abolished the pole tax giving black people same same voting rights as the white people.

And today, in November of 2008, open on my dining room table is the Commemorative Issue of 'Time Magazine'. On the cover is the face of Barack Obama, our next American president. I can't relate my feelings to words. All that I can say is that I'm in awe.

Whether Democrat, Republican or Tea Party, Jew, Catholic or Mormon or Muslim, the fact is that as a human race, we are evolving for the better. Thank God! That is, thank which ever version of God that you hold in your heart.

Faith

All along, I've said that we have to have faith that the right thing will happen. I truly believe that everything that happens in life, happens for a reason. Whether good or bad, what we're presented with comes to us for a reason. Maybe to make us stronger, possibly to help us to become more flexible in our minds and actions. And oftentimes, I think that we're presented with certain situations in order to help us to perceive the world from a perspective that we would not have been capable of beforehand.

The past few years have been the later for me. I've been presented with more life altering situations that I can recall, both of the positive and the negative. I've found myself feeling completely helpless and crushed; I've thrown my hands up in the air deciding that I no longer have the energy or the will to care. And I've had moments that all I could do is stare blankly- searching for any emotion at all.

Don't get me wrong, there have been many moments of greatness that have shown themselves to me, and this is where the moral of this entry lays:

If not for the bad, we would not have the good. More appropriately, If not for the bad, we would not be as appreciative of the good. You cannot have love without hate, light without dark, war without peace.

I'm thankful for the many experiences that I've lived through -both the good and the bad.

Right now as I sit here on my couch writing this entry, my heart is so full that I think at any moment it may burst and I am so grateful for this feeling. Most of all though, I find enormous gratitude in the opportunity to have traveled upon a road that has permitted me the full appreciation of this feeling in my heart.

Thank You to my faith. For if there is nothing else left to life, there is always the faith that we are on a path which will lead to a better place.

Only because this is so funny..

Now, I'll for-real put politics to rest... right after you see this:

Click on Mrs. Palin, then click on objects in the room.

I'm loving this

Tobias Froberg

I have SO MUCH HOPE!

Obama came to Fort Collins today and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see him speak.

What an incredible experience- to be in a crowd that reaches further than the eye can see, filled with people who feel passionate about a subject that is close to their hearts. I was proud even of the hecklers, who don't carry beliefs similar to mine. Thank God for option of Free speech, and the power of Choice. I feel so lucky.

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!

Is it for real? Obama is coming here!!! I can't believe that I'm this excited!!

He's coming HERE!! Even IF I didn't go, I could still stand on my roof and see him!!!
I thought that my meds are supposed to keep me from feeling these sorts of feelings- by heart is beating like a tamborine!

Undecided

David Sedaris is one of my most loved authors.

His descriptions of life never fail to make my life feel as though it's a little closer to the side of 'normal', in comparison to his. I'm not sure if this is a positive exercise- weighing my daily thoughts and activities as a justification towards 'normalcy'- or at least surviving on a day to day basis... without landing in the loony bin, against a man who is known for his 'oddity' as a human.

This is an excerpt from a piece titled 'Undecided' that David Sedaris wrote for the New Yorker. It's about the inevitable 'Undecided Voter'.

"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

-The New Yorker

a little bit scary

I hope someone checked his reserve...twice.

This is perfect

Every blade of grass has it's angel that bends over it and whispers,
"Grow, grow."
-The Telmud

girls fart too, wait no- they fluff

God do I love him

Chris from the shower: "Uh-oh. Black hairs- above my belly button."

Somebody...Please explain.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch the last debate between Obama and McCain because I had class, and it seems that yogi's are not political enough to call off a teacher training- not even for something as important as domestic policy.

I did however, listen to my fair share of NPR sound clips. And I thought that I had captured the gist of the debate: McCain in a tizzy and Obama showing grace. But....obviously, I missed something that sound bites just couldn't capture..and I'm not really sure how to comprehend this:

Source: Yahoo Reuters.

Feel the sun on my face

It's been raining here the past week, and worse than that, it's been threatening to snow.

This being my first fall experience within the climate of Colorado- I'm not sure what to expect. My fingers are crossed in the hopes that it doesn't drop below 40 until January, allowing for time to save my pennies and head south to bask in the vitamin D rays of the sun- a true sign of God.

Today, the sun is shining through the windows, giving the illusion that I should shed 2 of my 3 layers... but I know better. Instead, I'll say goodbye to my tanned skin, and hello to my wool socks.

Goodbye beautiful skin. The next time I'll see you will be 7 months from now. You'll be white and and little too tender, but that's o.k., I'll remember you at your best, and hopefully- if God hasn't forgotten how fragile I am- we will meet again on a sandy beach in the southern hemisphere. I'll bring the Coco Butter and you, bring a smile.

In hindsight

Now here's a blog that I wish I can claim as my own work. Unfortunately though, I made the mistake of telling my entire family that I have a blog, and I gave them all the URL so that they can read it everyday.

Me, being a relatively opinionated person, -o.k., maybe more than relatively- fairly opinionated person, I have a lot to say about many issues. But, I choose not to write about most of these subjects that move me in such deep ways because of concern that my much of my family and friends may take offense to my opinions, or better yet, think that I am crazier than I really am.

A friend sent me a link to a fantastic blog- disclosure: another of my opinions. The author of the blog below as hilarious! I've only had time to read through the first few entries and thus far I've laughed enough to aggravate by back injury- Here's a teaser:

"You just can’t teach an old dog a new trick… even if you put lipstick on it. Change is needed. I know because I am a fat, old dog. For too many years I’ve been eating more pie than I should. Jenny Craig had me doing pretty good for a few years but eventually I started eating pie again. John McCain has been part of the Republican party in Washington for 26 years. It doesn’t matter what he has been saying the last few months, eventually he’s going to eat the party pie again. He’s old. I’m old. That’s what we do. We don’t suddenly switch to salad ."

I see now that being an 'Elder' in the family has it's benefits. One can really speak from their heart- or gut and they've already put in their many years of being polite and prim. I'm quickly learning that those virtues are highly overrated and make for an extremely boring person, although well dressed with fantastic table manners.

Can we make the ripe old age of 31 considered 'Elder' status? How about 32? Or should I just risk offending the people closest to me and just write it how I feel it- from the gut?

Better idea: I'll just start another blog that no one knows about; although you might have to collect me from Canada after I've been black-listed by the government... no wait, leave me up there...just get me a really good snow suit, with some -50 moon boots...oh, and a mosquito suit.

Here it is. Enjoy her, she won't be around forever:
Margaret and Helen

Thanks for sharing Hanni- Awesome find!

Super Star!

"Leah IS a Kenyan. A very happy 3:37! Saa-weeet!"

This is my Big sister. A woman with 3 boys, not including her husband. And no, she's not crazy yet- at least not in the bad way.

She ran in the twin Cities Marathon yesterday and got her best time ever! 3:37! Can you believe it? I'm thinking that she started running at about my current age, so if I can get my butt in gear now- where did I last see my running shoes? In the truck? the basement? I'd better just stick to yoga, you don't need shoes for that.

Leah's very first debut as a Running Super Star was it the Twin Cities marathon way back when- maybe 4 years ago? I'm not sure, if you haven't figured me out yet I'm not a girl of time keeping. Living in the present is what I dedicate my energy to. Fore example: am I wearing underwear? Did I remember to put my glasses on and wait, where was I going?

Since the first 'Twin Cities' of her career she's run her way up to the Boston- still kicking @$$- or butt! She really is The Man! I'm so proud of her!

Great job Big Sis!!! You are the 1 and only Super Star!

This morning I woke up at 7 a.m. This is very unlike me as I greatly depend on an ample amount of beauty sleep. 7 a.m. just doesn't cut it. I guess I'll have to wear my sunglasses all day.

I'm in the midst of building a garden bed, and am so excited about it that I couldn't sleep. The bed consists of a multitude of layers. The layers will be transformed into magnificent soil that will be ready to plant in the spring- so that when the world ends and the economy busts, I will at least have greens to eat, and less grass to water.

One of the pivotal ingredients is newspaper, and it seems that no one actually purchases the newspaper these days- me included. I assume that we all read the news via our computer screens- assuming that we, as first world nation, are still reading the news.

So at 7 a.m., this morning, it dawns on me that it is garbage day- which means recycling! I jump out of bed, put on my sweats and take a walk with Dyggs and Frankenstein down the back allay in search of newspaper. I get to the end of the block with one measly press in my hand and there is my neighbor, one that I have yet to formally meet. As she's getting into her car she gives me a odd look. I smile at her, look through her garbage can- nope, no paper, and continue on my journey with Dyggs and Frankenstein in tow.

Hmm. Didd'nt think that one through. Next time I scavenge for supplies I'll make sure to wear my Manolo Blahniks and carry my Louis Vuitton clutch, for the Galli image- if anything.

I'm proud to be me

Chris's parents headed home yesterday after spending the weekend with us.

I'm wondering just how crazy they really think that we are. It's hard to hold it together for a whole weekend after finally letting loose the last 7 years of attempting 'normalcy' in Utah. I'd consider myself borderline nutty, not enough though, to warrant Chris dropping me off at the big brick institution in Evanston that we pass on our way to Utah- the one that I always beg Chris never to send me to.

Here are some photo's of the Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Shining- remember?

Chris say's that I'm helping to shape the world..

by posting this

Have you registered yet?

I'm not trying to sway you- I promise......well, maybe a little, only a tiny bit....

Caroline E. Crawford's Notes

Getting things straight on Sarah Palin

Monday, September 15, 2008 at 1:06pm

I had this passed on to me today--I did NOT write this myself but felt like it was worth passing on. Considering who my Facebook friends are, this is preaching to the choir BUT...

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're
' exotic, different.'

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive t hat registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people,then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

If you have been married to t he same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

real life

So, would it really be that weird to set up my tent in the living room? I'm actually thinking of doing this- just to keep the smell of vacation around. I'd probably lose most of my 'adult status' though, and god knows it's taken me about 20 years to reach my current level of respect in the grown up world.

Maybe I'll do it antways and just not let anyone come visit- so if you were planning on coming over in the next couple of days, either post pone or be prepared.

Here are a couple of photos that I've been working on:

More of the ghost town

Salt Flats





Randoms

on with it

Bishop is in our rear view mirror. We've made a pit-stop in Salt Lake where it's cold and raining. I'm already wondering if I have it in me to make it through the upcoming winter. Here's my mantra: Please keep air travel affordable and Thank god I'm not in Minnesota. (sorry guys, it's just that you're a little crazier than me, and not in the good way).

We had 2 good fly days out of 7. I tell you, Bishop is a windy place. This means lots of disappointment for the competitors, as well as a whole lot of free time on our hands.

I'm not complaining though, I had a blast and was really sad to leave. It was great to see our flying friends. These are people that we only see on the road, sometimes in foreign countries, other times in the deserts of a bumble-hick town. These are special friendships. No frills, no sparkles. We bask in each others B.O., and wake up with two tasks: Coffee, fly and the occasional clean skivvies.

There were no catastrophes. One reserve toss and a day hike out of the mountains, one sprained ankle involving the flight of an unmanned wing, some fingers crushed in a car door, and a spilled margarita-pretty good, given humans aren't (yet) born with wings.

Pilot Favela- or Shanty Town.

This is an example of just how cheap paraglider pilots are. Too cheap to pay the 10 bucks for a camp site, so they fit 8 tents to each site, costing each person $1.25, more $$ to drink with... I guess.

Bishop, or Mars.

4 people in the front seat, 4 in the back and a 85 pound dog. 9 gliders in the bed with 3 more people holding them down. 4-wheel low, 40 minutes up to an 8,300 foot launch. Note, we're still smiling. (Kansas- the one in the green hat has a 3 week old with him on the trip- proving to me that you're life doesn't have to stop because of kids)

Melanie feeling some happiness- she's on my back-up list.



This is Bodie Ghost Town. One of the craziest places I've been to yet.













Chair Crater, Nevada.