"Going green with The Greens"

For the summer I have decided to have a regular post of "Going green with The Greens". We've been trying to become more and more environmentally aware and responsible, so this is to hold me accountable to trying to add a new environmental thing into my routine each week.

Our first "Going green with The Greens"...Ryan installed a solar power clothes dryer...

Here's Ryan drilling away...


Drying in progress....!


Here in AZ, drying clothes outside is wayyyyy faster than using the conventional clothes dryer. I've done several loads now, and it has never taken more than 20-25 minutes per load to dry! For those who don't like to dry things outside because of the "crisp" feeling that clothes can get, just add a little fabric softener in with the wash. :)

My friend Mira from college went with a group to Oaxaca, Mexico to learn more about the circumstances in which people cross the border, ways in which we can help their economy so they don't need to cross (micro-loans, etc), and also the dangers of crossing. After a week in Oaxaca, they spent a week actually walking across the border and all the way up to Tucson (75 miles) in remembrance of those who have died crossing the border. We went to the ceremony that welcomed them into Tucson, which was very humbling to hear the stories of their experience and long days of walking. And then Mira and part of the group she walked with, came over for showers, dinner, and to spend the night. It was so great to have them here and to hear their stories while they were so fresh in their minds still. It sounds like it was a very powerful experience that has transformed them and will continue to transform then as they reflect more and more on it.

Here's the group that stayed with us...


If you're interested in learning more about border crossing, here are some things we read/watched before they stayed with us to educate ourselves...

Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, a true story about a group of individuals who crossed the border and the struggles that they were met with.


"Crossing Arizona", a documentary that discusses both sides of the situation when it comes to people crossing the Arizonan border.


And, just last night we saw the movie "Under the Same Moon", which is not a documentary, but is a movie about border crossing.


Last week we were in Chicago for a few days for shows. The first show, was truly one of a kind. Cameron's girlfriend is a teacher at a K-8 Catholic School and asked RH to come and play for their end of the year assembly. I've never seen so many hands waving in the air at a RH concert, or heard so many claps out of beat. :) Suprisingly the kids were really well-behaved, and afterwards there was a Q & A period, where most of the kids who had their hands raised, didn't even have questions...so fun to be around cute kids.

The second show was at Uncommon Ground. Several groups of friends came which was soo great to have their support!

The Albion crew...
(Abby, Ryan, Lewis, Jessie, Eric (mira's husband), and Mira (who was just in Tucson...and is now back in Chicago where she lives). :)


Melissa, my old roommate from Boston, and a group of her friends...


Tobi (on the far right) is a friend from Boston (that I know through Jill) who was in Chicago to visit her boyfriend Matt (on the far left).


During our downtime in Chicago, we went with Megan to visit my Albion roommate, Kelly, and her new baby!
Here's an action shot of Kelly rocking Kate in her arms...


Here's Callum, Megan's baby...


On Saturday morning before we drove to MI, we got to have breakfast with our friend Trish from Boston who recently wrote "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"...she was in Chicago for a writer's conference. To meet Trish...check out her website: www.trishryanonline.com or her blog: trishesdishes.blogspot.com ....or read her memoir! :) Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos...oops!

Our trip to the midwest, was also so that we could make it to my 10 year high school reunion! I've actually been "that person" who has been looking forward to going to my high school reunion pretty much since I graduated high school. I graduated with a small class, 88 to be exact, and most of us had been in school together since we were in kindergarten. As we arrived to the reunion, I realized I was a wee bit nervous...kind of the giggly nervous where you don't even realize why you are nervous...but just have little butterflies about something. Luckily, that all quickly passed as we walked into the room and I realized that the cool thing about gatherings such as this, is that everyone who is there wants to be there and chat just like me...no need for butterflies! It's funny how we all probably looked a little older, but at the same time all looked exactly the same. Quite a few were from out of state...I even learned that I lived soo close to one of my classmates the whole time I was in Boston, but somehow we never crossed paths or new each other was there. ...oh if only facebook had been as big as it is now then...sigh...j/k. :) Another cool thing I learned was that the people I wasn't close with in h.s. were people I could totally see myself being friends with today.

Here's some friends from the reunion...
Bill Westers and his girlfriend...


Me and April Burke...


Here's a partial group shot...


A lot of people asked me to report back on how my reunion was because they have one coming up as well. Here are a few tips (totally subjective, but nonetheless...here they are)...
1. GO! It's literally a once every 5-10 year event, it's worth the money to travel there and for the cost of the reunion.
2. I don't think I left with feeling like "I'm going to keep in regular touch with so-and-so now", but that's not the point...the point is to go and have a good time with friends that are part of your history.
3. Talk with the people you don't know as well, or didn't even know in h.s. -- for some reason, I think you have more interesting conversations b/c there isn't that relating back to expecting them to be who they were in h.s., it really let's you know people for who they are now.
Okay...that's it from me on pretending like I know all the ins and outs of class reunions. :)

Now for the part I was most looking forward to going to Michigan for....meeting Elizabeth Joy!!




And of course seeing all of the family...