Great Saturday

We headed out in the morning to the Bike Swap at Magneson Park & I got some nice new gear for cheap. Then Bet, Levi & I biked the half-loop of Lake Washington, stopping for a yummy lunch in Leschi.
It was so nice to sit in the sun & eat our bagel sandwiches.

Gorgeous view, looking east across Lake Washington to downtown Bellevue & the Cascades.

Don't the boys look so cute in their argyle jerseys?

Not only did we get in a nice ride, but the boys finished putting in our new garage door opener,
& Boo & I started planning our Sante Fe trip (we leave in a month & are so excited!).
Hope everyone enjoyed the sunny weekend!

Spring is coming...

You can feel it in the air & man does it feel good.
I think every year I am very ready for spring, but this year I feel even more impatient for blue skies, warmer weather, & the evidence of new life all around.
Maybe this year I am more impatient & excited for the new season because I feel as though it is ushering in a new year, perhaps even a new era, of change. I am hopeful for the election of a new president, hopeful for the American (& global) people to focus on our similarities rather than our differences, hopeful that our country will take the lead on such monumental issues as human rights & environmental sustainability, & hopeful for the growth of my small role in creating positive change.
And I am hopeful for much simpler things as well. For blooming flowers & local produce, for a new home & yard for Levi & me, for more time with those I treasure most, for bike rides and backpacking, & for learning new ways in which I can live more simply so that others can simply live.

Ten on Ten

Friend & fellow blogger, Rebekah, started Ten on Ten, a photo journal in which one photo is taken per hour for ten consecutive hours on the 10th day of each month. It gives a wonderful glimpse into one another's lives & challenges photography skills (for those that had them to begin with!). Rebekah has started a blog for Ten on Ten & all are invited to join in the fun!

I took a little liberty with the Ten on Ten rules & am posting my ten for the entire weekend (& a couple I did not take). Not only did I forget on Sunday, but my ten from that day would have been very boring anyways, as I spent over eight hours either on airplanes or in airports & felt very sick the entire time! My weekend was on the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas, acting as "Dean" for the February Heifer University 101. We had a wonderful group. Not many of the photos are from the actual program, as I was busy running it!

1. A frosty morning hayride tour of the Ranch

2. Feeding Gobe, the female camel
Disclaimer: I did not take this photo

3. The Ranch's two water buffalos
Did you know that 5% of the world's milk is from water buffalos?
(people also drink camel milk!)

4. World Map Exercise

5. Raja, the male camel

6. The program graduates handing their diplomas to one another

7. Two wonderful women I met, Tamara & Ana

8. Petting the goats

Disclaimer: I did not take this photo

9. Feeding the goats

10. On my way to the airport to fly home
(in a spiffy 2009 rental car)

Airport Fun

I'm at Sea-Tac airport. I've been here since before 10am & it's now 2:30pm.
The original plan was for my plane to leave at 11am & I would get to have lunch with my cousin Rob in Denver on my lengthy layover. We just got an announcement that we'll be boarding soon! While I will miss seeing my cousin, I will hopefully make my connecting flight to Little Rock, where I am facilitating a Heifer University 101 for the weekend.
Blogging girls--have fun on Saturday at Casey's--I'm bummed I will miss it!

Happy Flying!

Birthday Party

My little sis turned 21 in January & we had a lovely family party on Saturday. While we did not have the boys (Albert was snow boarding & Levi was helping a friend work on a flooded-damaged house in Chehalis) Dad, Carolyn & my brother DJ came up, along with Poppa & Gandma & Auntie Mel.
Below, my sister's cat Sam even got into the party spirit with his face paint (he rubbed against a lily & painted war stripes with the pollen).

Tillie & her Grandpa
(I'm still adjusting to thinking of my Dad as a grandfather!)

Dinner
I even got Anthony in the photo!

Boo & Poppa

Tillie Bean!
17 months to the day from Saturday

Ems blowing out her candle.

And since it was her 21st, here's all the siblings, shooting tequila together.

Boo cuddling a wiggly Tillie.

My favorite photo from the night: a fire-haloed Tillie with her grandparents.