Bitone Beds!

We received a wonderful package in the mail yesterday from Bitone (the children's home in Uganda that we volunteered at in January). It was a letter accompanied by a disc of photos of them installing their beds, hanging their mosquito nets, and making their home a little cozier!













Ryan and I were discussing last night how seeing those photos and picturing all of those kids now having an actual bed to sleep in just feels so good. We recently got a new shower in our master bedroom, which cost 2X the amount of money that it did for the beds. And while we do love our new shower, especially since it is free of mushroom growthage, giving to Bitone and places like that is where we'd rather spend our money. The ripple effect is so much more gratifying. It's hard to always keep that perspective, so if you see us slipping, please give us a gentle reminder. :)

Seasons...

Life has been feeling quite busy here lately. And to be honest, I don't like to feel busy. I love to be able to have time at home to hang dry my clothes, lay in bed and read, cook yummy dinners, etc. Whereas the truth right now, is that there are clothes hanging on the clothesline that have been there for at least 3 days, and every morning I just walk outside, get what I need, and then continue getting ready for work...so eventually they will all come off the line...it might just be a while. Not to mention the fact that there are 'clean' clothes in the wash that have been there since last night that need to be dried, but I just don't have the will power right now to get up and hang them (nor is there room on the line). I haven't gone grocery shopping in over a week...all we have in the fridge is eggs, tortillas, cheese, and lettuce...good thing I get free food at work! :)

Despite the busyness though, I do love my job. I was telling Ryan today that it feels like I'm doing exactly what I am meant to be doing for this season in my life. The trainees are wonderful people for me to learn from and grow with.

And, it is soo exciting to see Ryan working so hard in preparation for the cd release show. I love the passion and motivation that is springing out of him.

I'm just missing the downtime of playing boardgames, making dinner, drinking tea, and talking that we are so used to having together. Hopefully that time is just around the corner for us though.

On a random note, I feel like I'm going through the awkward middle school phase with growing out my bangs again. I got many compliments on the "Halle Berry" wanna-be hair cut, but when it came down to it, it just didn't feel "me"...so the bangs are going and I'm wearing scarfs in my hair everyday to hold the bangs back. Luckily this time around, my hair is much shorter so the process should be quicker!

The World Awaits!

Three years and two months in the making...we finally have Ryanhood's latest album in our hands!! As many of you know, this process was very long and painful at times. Thank you so much for all of your support during the ups and downs along the way...it really has meant more to us than words could say! The good news is, we are really happy with how the album came out! Not only is the packaging all made from recycled cardboard and vegetable dyes...it sounds GREAT too! :)

You can pre-order a copy of the cd here.

If you are in Tucson...
We will be having the cd release at The Rialto Theatre on April 4th! You can buy tickets here.
All tickets come with a copy of the new album, The World Awaits. We really hope you can join us!!

If you are in Boston...
We will be having a cd release at Cafe 939 (located in Back Bay) on May 29th! Stay tuned to Ryanhood's website for more details.

And, if you are located elsewhere, we hope to schedule a show near you soon!! :)

The unveiling of the album...

Life at the Garden

We are back in Tucson for a while, so I decided to look back into working at Cafe 54 in the Botanical Gardens...and YEAH...they just so happened to be looking for a job coach!

For those of you who may not be familiar with Cafe 54, here is the text from a blog I wrote a couple of years ago while working there...

There is an incredible organization in Tucson called Cafe 54 (www.cafe54.org). It's a unique cafe that hires and trains individuals with mental illness to work at the cafe to gain job skills and confidence with customer service, food prep, serving food, counting money, etc. Whenever the trainees are not working, they can spend time at the Clubhouse, which is a day center located nextdoor to the cafe, and work on their resumes, coverletters, check email, attend meetings, etc. Once they are feeling confident and ready, we then encourage them and assist them in applying for jobs out in the community and then coach them through the interviewing process, etc.

Well, to make a long story short, the Tucson Botanical Gardens has a horticulture therapy program for individuals with any sort of mental or physical illnesses, where they garden for therapy. The Botanical Gardens love that Cafe 54 is a like-minded non-profit, so they asked us to start a Garden Cafe in the Fall of 2006.

It's a little adobe cottage set in the most beautiful surroundings. Right now there is a huge butterfly exhibit going on, so everyday I go over and check out what stages they are in and also see many butterflies just fluttering around the gardens.

It's a really tasty menu with prickly pear and raspberry hibiscus iced teas, goat cheese tarts, salads, mediterranean plates, pesto/mozarella/tomato sandwiches, etc...oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention the carrot cake and whole wheat brownies! All of their plates, silverware, etc is 100% compostable, and any food scraps that are able to be, are composted and re-used right there in the garden.

Here's the front of the cafe...there are tables out in front, but they are hard to see in the picture...


Here is the ramada area where a lot of people sit to eat...

Rodeo!!

Many of you may remember our devastating trip to the rodeo two years ago. We were determined to not let that happen again, so we bought our tickets in advance this year. Unfortunately, I forgot to borrow boots this time, but I had a pretty rockin' belt buckle to wear...and Ryan wore his cowboy shirt. Our attempts were nothing though compared to how decked out the kids were...


I'm not too sure of what I think about rodeos to be honest. I can have fun at them and see how it all stemmed from practicalities of ranching...but watching the calf roping is a little much for my taste. I much prefer the barrel racing and bareback riding.


Well, we skipped past spring and summer is here...it's in the upper 80s already! I'm not really complaining though, it's nice to be outside in the sunshine. My morning adventure for this week was the Douglass Spring Trail at the end of Speedway. Rumor has it there is a waterfall somewhere on the trail, but I must not have gone far enough...perhaps next week!