Lessons from Congo

I just got home from an absolutely wonderful 3 hour visit with our friends from the Congo. I love that every time we go over there, no matter what time of day, it is as if they are just waiting for our visit. They are not pre-occupied with other things that they need to get done, they are not worried about how clean or dirty their house is, they are not concerned if they are in their pajamas or newest clothes, they are just so thankful to have company to sit and visit with. They live totally in the present...such a great reminder for me today!

Bad News Blues...

Yesterday morning I had my 6-month check-up at the dentist office. I am one of those that actually likes going to the dentist. I think this is because as a child I had a funny hygienist that always joked around, and at the end of the appointment I would always get my photo taken for the "No Cavity Kid" wall after I picked out my toy from the treasure chest.

Yesterday's appointment once again started out with smiles and laughs. My hygienist told me it looked like I had been doing a great job brushing and flossing. Then my dentist came in, took a look at my x-rays, told me I had perfect teeth and that I should thank my parents for those genes (thanks mom and dad!). One look and two pokes with the sharp metal thing in my mouth though, and the mood changed. The dentist told me that I have not one, but TWO cavities!! I felt like I was such a disappointment to both the hygienist and dentist since they had just been praising me...I guess looks really don't tell a person anything. Now, these cavities might not seem like a big deal to many, but these are my first cavities in my adult teeth! I guess if I hadn't reached adulthood before, this is officially my entrance into this next stage of life.

Home!

We have made it back to Tucson safe and sound. From 9 degrees in Fargo, ND to 80 degrees in Tucson, we don't have too much to complain about. :)

Our last couple of tour days were spent in Boston and NYC! We finally got to meet Ellen Mueller, and spend some time visiting with her parents, our friends, Claire and Peter. Claire is from France and only speaks in French to Ellen, and Peter is from Germany and only speaks in German to Ellen...and we only spoke to her in English...tri-lingual baby, watch out! :)


It was great to see other friends in the area...as always we wish our visit could have been longer and we could have seen EVERYONE we love in the area, but I guess there will be a next time.

My roadtrip home to Tucson was made wonderful with the company of my friend Heather from Tucson! Who knew we had 50+ hours of conversation stored up? Sure enough, we did! and the entire trip home was filled with chatter and laughter...thanks for turning what could have been a long exhausting drive into such a great roadtrip Heather!


Visiting Heather's family along the way...
Grandparents and family friends in Indiana:


In-laws in Missouri:


Heather's brother-in-law's farm (where we got hormone/antibiotic-free, free-range, local, fresh meat from for dinner!):

Back in Beantown

We are back in Boston for a few days before Ryanhood's shows on Thursday and Friday. Just a quick plug...if you are in Boston and free on Friday night, Ryanhood is playing with Owen Plant at Club Passim, 7pm and 10pm, tickets available at the venue or online, www.clubpassim.com. Without a question, Club Passim is by far the coolest venue that I've seen Ryanhood play at, or have seen any concert at for that matter. It's a 50+ year old folk club and vegetarian restaurant. People who go there love music, and are ready to go along for the ride and laugh, listen, sing,...it's great...you should come. :)

Or, if you are in NYC, Saturday night at The Underground Cafe, 20 Murray St. at 8pm is the place to be. :)

Okay...onto being back in Boston. I LOVE this city! It's starting to get cold and when taking public transportation and walking everywhere, there is definitely the need to wear a hat, scarf, mittens, etc...but I love it! I love walking past cute shops and restaurants, I love waiting for the T, riding the T, reading The Metro on the T, I love the eclectic assortment of people on the sidewalks, I love the recycling containers on the sidewalks, I love how big the natural & organic section is at the grocery store, I love the memories we have from living and visiting here, I love the friendships we have here, ... Visiting Boston puts me on a bit of an emotional overload I suppose you could say. :)

We are staying with our friends, Lisa and Stace, and their kids, Abby and Cameron (fun pick of names, eh?) in Porter Square. Last night we had a wonderful dinner by candlelight, and then this morning the house was bustling with their friends over for breakfast. Ryan and I went to the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art) in the South End, and for lunch at Flour Bakery and Cafe (YUM!). Ryan and I have determined that Contemporary Art is definitely our favorite art to see in a museum. There was a great exhibit going on by Tara Donovan using all common materials in large quantities...have a look...


Paper plates folded:


Toothpicks that were in a large crate and emptied out...not glue or adhesive used:


Foil paper:


And, my favorite...Styrofoam cups!

Working with a couple of hotties...

I am in a very fun position to work full-time with my husband. I do the booking, mail out the promo, and do all of that fun stuff months before the show, and then at the actual show, I sell their merchandise: cds, shirts, posters, etc. It is a very humorous position because most of the concert-goers have no idea that I have any connection with the band, let alone that I am married to one of the band members.

Some fun moments have included:

**(said to friend also at the merch table while looking at posters), "Oh my gosh, they are so hot...who do you think is cuter, Ryan or Cameron?" ... "I'm totally going to hang this [poster] over my bed."

**(said to me by two effeminate gentleman after a show), "Are you their manager?" Me:"I do their tour managing and booking." Them: "The guy who stands on the leftside of the stage [Ryan] is soo hot!" Me (unable to keep a straight face): "I think so too...he's my husband." Them (said while giving me high fives and hugs in celebration): "Oh giiiiirrlll...you get him...you get him...girrrlll!"

**(said at merch table before a show to a girl buying a ridiculous amount of merchandise before even seeing them play), Me: "Have you heard Ryanhood play before?" Girl: "Ummm...my friend like knows them personally." (I had no response to this one...I wish I knew who her friend was so I could have an in with the band too.)

**(At a past NACA conference while handing out neckties to students in our expo booth, a girl was asking Ryan for his personal necktie when I interrupted), Me: "Wow, he's going to give you his own tie?" Ryan: "Well, she said she'd bring it back to me by the end of the conference." College girl: "It's because he's totally in love with me". (Ryan and I then look at each other with a laugh in our eyes...if only she knew..). :)

More embarrassing moments...

We are in Hartford, CT this weekend for another NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) conference. Once again, thousands of college students in a small space where no embarrassing moment goes unnoticed. This time though, it was Ryan blushing instead of myself. We were all on the "up" escalator going to the ballroom for dinner, when Ryan decided to have a fun childhood-like moment and sit on the moving handrail...a fun balancing game of sorts, I suppose. Although, the game did not last more than 2 seconds, as the escalator started beeping and jerked to a halt...with everyone turning around to look at us to say, "Who did that? Who just got on and made it stop?" We followed suit and turned around to look who was behind us that could have possibly made is stop...the only problem is that there wasn't anyone behind us to pass the blame off to, so we just looked dumbfounded as if we had no idea why the escalator stopped. So, we all had to climb the escalator stairs, which by the way, why is it so much harder to climb escalator stairs than normal stairs?? After dinner, as we were on the "down" escalator we noticed that the "up" was still out of order with someone working to fix it...oops!

Yes We Can!

I've grown to absolutely love the above slogan. It has so much hope. So much positivity. So much enthusiasm. Watching the news as the polls closed and then Obama's acceptance speech last night was absolutely moving. I'm so excited and hopeful to be apart of a country where any child can dream of being the president, where I can go to another country and not be embarrassed to say that I'm an American, where I can afford to have health insurance, where there is an end to war, where I--and hopefully others--have a little less fear to bring a child into this world because of the previous two reasons, where poverty is addressed, where our children's education is valued...the list goes on.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

One Home Many Hopes

'One Home Many Hopes' is a home for abandoned and orphaned street girls in Kenya that was founded by a friend of mine from Boston, Thomas Keown. He saw the need for such a home when he visited Kenya and was shocked by the sight of children foraging through trash piles for food just to stay alive.

Today, One Home Many Hopes is providing shelter and education for 35 young Kenyan street girls. Thirty-five girls who once ate flea-ridden scraps from trash piles, will today have cooked meals. Girls who once slept cold in the mud of Mtwapa's streets, will tonight curl up in clean sheets. Girls who had no hope and no future will spend nine hours in school tomorrow. These 35 girls who were once known to nobody, right now know that they are loved.

One Home Many Hopes was selected as 1 of 2 small non-profits to be filmed raising $20,000 in 30 days for a documentary. They have someone who is willing to match up to $10,000...so their personal goal is to have 1,000 people give $10...the need now, is to find 1,000 people to give $10...in the next 20 days! If you are interested in learning more about One Home Many Hopes, please click here. If you are interested in giving $10 to go directly toward OHMH, and also achieving the goal for $20,000, please click here.

Yooper Time!

Flat Stanley traveled with me from Tucson to Wisconsin last week to join back up with the guys on tour.


We had one show in Oshkosh, WI and then headed north to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we stayed with my friend Megan's mom, and Megan and her kids who came up from Chicago for a vacation! I had been to the Upper Peninsula before, but the last time I was there, it was February and I was so cold, that I don't remember too much. This time was different though. The fallen fall leaves, the lake, the sunrises...it was GORGEOUS! I just love the stillness and peace that comes with life lived surrounded by nature. The smell of the bonfire, the sound of the leaves crunching beneath our feet, children laughing as they breathe in the crisp air, and the taste of home cooked meals. It was a wonderful time spent with friends!

Gifts Galore!

Our friend Heather from Tucson made Ryan and Cameron "tie t-shirts"...the amount of time and intricacy blows me away. The letter boxes are all attached to the shirt still...she only cut away where you see the stripes sticking through. Ryan's shirt reads, "The Maestro" and Cameron's reads, "Mr. Passion" (sorry, Cameron was unavailable for the photo)...


Cameron gifted Ryan with Super Scrabble for his birthday! Now our games can be twice as long, and our point totals reach the 800s! For those of you into Scrabble, Super Scrabble has more triple word score squares as well as added quadruple letter and quadruple word squares! There are also twice as many tiles...now you can play those words that have two z's, etc!


And, Ryan's new pull-up bar that rests over doorways...you may have seen the infomercial for it, THE IRON GYM. That's right ladies and gentleman, we no longer need to leave our hotel room to get super fit! In all honesty, it's pretty great actually. You can do pull-ups while it's in the door way, or if you put it on the ground you can do dips or sit-ups with it.

bedtime notes

We are staying with Cameron's grandparents in Bloomington, IL for a few days. They are absolutely wonderful to stay with...as we try to come by whenever we are in the area. They are totally with it, love to hang out and talk, and also give us as much space as we like to do whatever we want, as well as come and go as we please. Their 10 year old granddaughter, Meredith, spent two of the nights while we were here. She's an only child, and acts like a small adult. For example, the first time that I came with Ryan and Cameron to visit his grandparents, Meredith took Ryan aside on her own to say (please read in your best old lady accent), "Ryan, I can't believe you are married...when did this happen?" She's an absolute riot to have around. To her dismay, we had to spend the entire next day at the conference...but when we got home at 12:30am that night, she had this cute note waiting for us...

It was so sweet to read, knowing that she'd be up at 7am waiting for us, yet she was willing to write "take as long as you like".

Embarrassing Moments...

This past weekend we were in Peoria, IL at a NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) conference for midwest colleges to book their spring entertainment. Ryan and Cameron were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the first 2 days of the conference, so I was there on my own to represent. Thousands of college students were in attendance, and hundreds of performers were there to woo them in. The showcases all took place in a gorgeous theater. I had my "usual place to sit" in the theater, and afterwards I would usually go directly across the hall to the Ladies room before returning to the expo center. Well, for one of the showcases someone was in my "usual seat" so I ended up going down two rows and finding a seat there. After the showcase ended, I continued my routine of going across the hall to the bathroom before returning to the expo center. However, this time I entered the bathroom and was hit by an overwhelming smell of urine..."that's funny, I don't remember that from before...", I thought to myself as I ventured in. I also pondered that I had remembered the bathroom being much cuter...you know, the little couch and mirror in the "foyer" to the actual bathroom area, but I just blew it off thinking that I had been in a lot of different bathrooms over the past week's adventures of hotels, colleges, etc. and that I must be thinking of the wrong place. It wasn't until I was ALL THE WAY into the bathroom that I realized that there were very few stalls, and a whole wall of urinals!! ACK...moving a couple of rows down in the theater meant coming out there door directly across from the MENS bathroom! Luckily, there were no men IN the bathroom, but because I waited until the showcase was over to go to the bathroom, it meant that THOUSANDS of college students were streaming out the doors directly across from the mens bathroom, and I would for sure be seen exiting. So, I walked out quickly, head down, cheeks reddening, as I walked up three short stairs to the ladies room...where it smelled of potpourri and had it's cute little sofa waiting for me.

Evening in Tucson...

Ryan left last Tuesday to resume the tour, and I will join him come Monday. I must say that it is definitely easier to be home while he is away, than in a random state while he is away. At least while I'm here I can busy myself by doing random household things, visit with friends and family, etc.

Today though, was kind of my breaking point...all I wanted to do was figure out a way to teleport myself to Wisconsin to be with him! But, alas, I remained in Tucson...and it turned out to be a pretty good day!

This morning Grammie came over for lunch. We had soup and salad on the back patio. Although it is still hot in the sun here, the shade provides a great breeze. And, since it starts getting hot later in the day, I hadn't really planned my laundry duty too well, and well, the clothes were still drying on the line while we ate lunch...which might not seem like a big deal, until you see where our clothes line is in our backyard...we were pretty much "fenced" in on the patio with clothes blocking our mountain view. Oh well, the company was great, and anything to make Grammie give a belly laugh is worth it. :)

Then, I went to Ginger's funeral at the pet cemetery. Ginger was Gary, Mary, and Rachel's dog for the past 12 years, but died a couple of weeks ago from cancer. And, it just so happens that there is a pet cemetery right next to where Gary is buried. Originally Mary just planned on having Ginger buried there with a little headstone, but a funeral service comes with the package...so 6 of us went this afternoon to share our memories of Ginger. It was actually a cool ceremony. The woman leading it, read a children's book which she then gave to Rachel, recited a poem about pets, and also read an obituary that they wrote up about Ginger. All in all it was about 15 minutes long. I couldn't help but noticing on my way out that there were "family plots". At first I thought, "Gosh they have lost a lot of pets"...in my head thinking cats, dogs, etc. But then I read closer and they were for fish, gerbils, rats, etc...I kind of wish I could've met that family. :)

I often eat pretty random stuff when Ryan is gone (a can of soup, tuna out of the can, cheese, ...no real meal ever), but tonight was great!! Carne asada, salad, and leftover soup from lunch this afternoon.


After dinner, I took a great bike ride out Old Spanish Trail, and finished heading west looking out at the gorgeous sunset! I wish I would've brought my camera with me! But I thought the responsible thing to do was bring my cell phone, and well, I didn't have room to carry both. But here is a pre-ride photo...


And, the tail end of the sunset...


Goodnight!

I might be your pet peeve

A friend of mine just wrote a blog post with "pet peeve" in the title, and it reminded me of a post I had thought to do a while ago, but never got around to it...

So, apparently I am often "that person" who does what it is that soo annoys you! This has only become known to me recently when I've been part of discussions where people are stating their pet peeves, and I realize, that I do what they are talking about!! Only, I never realized anyone was annoyed by it...oops! When in these conversations, I never know if I should sheepishly admit to it, or be defensive that clearly there is nothing wrong with the action that has taken place. If you know me well, I usually just start laughing in awkward situations, so luckily that has taken care of the problem both times this has occurred.

Pet Peeve Confessions:

#1--I love getting on the plane, waiting until it takes off and I can once again lower my tray table, and then pulling out my dinner (usually with some sort of strong aroma) and eating it. I view this as waiting until I can really enjoy the meal and not be stressed out about making my connection, etc. Apparently though, this is really annoying to have to smell someone else's dinner in such a confined space...sorry!

#2--Well, I never realized that the reason why there is frequently paper towel all ready to tear is because someone took the time to do that before they washed there hands as to not re-contaminate with germs. I on the other hand see a lingering paper towel ready to be torn from the dispenser and use it...and then I'm out the door and on my merry way, totally oblivious to the fact that someone was probably giving me dirty looks the whole time I was drying my hands...oops!

Those are the only two I can think of right now...but I'm sure you will all post comments now and remind me of the gagillion other things I do that annoy you...please forgive me! :)

The deal just got better....

Ryan just said that we'd even help pay for your travel (home or to meet up with me) if you are interested in joining me for a little roadtrippin'! :)

roadtrip anyone?

I haven't done a whole lot of RH work since we arrived home a week and a half ago. In fact, I think the only RH work I've done is email a few schools and make a deposit at the bank (unfortunately our bank is hard to come by in the midwest). So, today I decided to spend some time mapping out the last month of the tour, since the ideal time to buy flights was a month ago...and the prices are only going to increase...oops...I made myself book all the remaining flights today instead of cringing each day as I re-check the prices. The last week of the tour involves RH flying in to do shows in Montana and North Dakota before returning home...and during that time The Green Machine and I will be making our cross-country trek from NYC to Tucson. Anyone up for a road trip? Or perhaps you need to get to point b. from point a. but didn't know how you were going to get there? (Given that points a and b are between NYC and Tucson.) The dates I'll be driving are November 16-21st. Please feel free to join me for the whole trip, or just a portion...seriously...this is an honest to goodness invite...I'd love the company!! :)

New Favorite Website Finds

Remember that magazine I was talking about a while back, Relevant? Well, I'm still loving it and requesting Chris and Melissa's back issues after they finish reading. Relevant recently turned me onto a website called Rosa Loves. It's a website that sells custom designed t-shirts to raise money for specific people or causes.

I know I don't have children yet, but I am one of those people who like to plan ahead and do research, and recently was introduced by Eileen to gdiapers. They are a hybrid between cloth and disposable diapers. You can flush them down the toilet, compost them, or throw them in the trash because they totally break down in about 90 days. And, they have really cute diaper covers with a little "g" on the butt...perfect for the last name "Green"! :)

I guess there are only two new website favorite finds...I thought I was going to have a list of them. Oh well...there they are. Have a great night!

Savoring Sunday

This past Sunday was just one of those days where I felt so much love pouring in and pouring out. I couldn't have smiled more, cried more (joyful tears, of course), or felt more like we were living right where we are supposed to be. (This last one is a good reminder for me as I am often longing for the Boston T.)

The morning started out with arriving at church and seeing our Congo friends (whom didn't know we were in town visiting, and also whom don't normally go to the same church as us). They were seated right by the door and immediately there was a huge hugging fest, with bright smiles and laughter. It was honestly the best "welcome home" anyone could have ever given or received. I am not going to write it off as impossible, but I don't think Americans could have given the same greeting...it's as if they have an innocence about them that we don't have...their range of emotions are just so much greater and they aren't afraid to jump up and down even when they are "grown-ups" because they are so excited to see someone or share some news! The room was just filled with so much joy because of their presence.

After church we had lunch with Ryan's mom, sister, step-mom, and half-sister. I feel so lucky to be part of a blended family that is truly blended and love each other and spend time together.

We met up with our friends Ben and Heather for a mid-afternoon coffee date to chat and share what has been going on in life.

And then we topped the evening off hanging out with our friends David, Eileen and Kaia for more chatting and gaming (p.s. my new favorite game might be Portrayal).

I guess the day could have been looked at as booked to the brim, or even as mundane hanging out with people...but it wasn't either of those...it was just totally filled with smiles and feeling loved.

Birthday Party at the State Fair!

I am not a very good birthday person. In fact, I'm not a very good gift person. Gifts are not my "love language" I guess you could say. Ryan always comes up with fun and creative things, such as Little House on the Prairie themed dinner party, mountain biking excursions, etc. So when it came to "planning" Ryan's birthday this year, I got very excited when I had an idea of what "the perfect gift" would be, as well as a surprise date to go on! It just so happened that Weezer was playing at the Arizona State Fair the night of his birthday!


One of my favorite parts about the concert was that for their last two songs, they had winners of a local radio station contest "Who can jam with Weezer" join them on the stage to play whatever instrument they brought. 35 people joined them and jammed out on everything from the flute to a xylophone to a didgerydoo (sp??)...it was awesome!


Perhaps I should have thought more about the fact that I am totally scared of roller coaster/fair rides, and Ryan loves them, before taking him to a concert at a massive state fair where the temptation to go on a ride would be very likely. I couldn't make him go on a ride by himself...so the Mega Drop it was! The good thing about the Mega Drop is that a.) they harness you in, so there is no changing your mind once you are on and b.) it is over pretty fast, so I didn't totally lose my voice from screaming since it was only about 15 seconds worth of "falling".


It was great night with lots of fun memories! Happy Birthday Ryan!

Tucson!

Our time in Tucson has gone by fast, as expected, but definitely worth the trip.

We've gotten to have some fun time with Ryan's sisters...


See Melissa's growing belly...


Celebrate Ryan's birthday with his family...



Hike with "Flat Stanley" and my friend Lori... (Flat Stanley is a paper cut-out that my nephew, Roger, mailed me...his class is trying to learn about all the places Flat Stanley goes, so he'll be making frequent appearances on my blog for a while...