Sorrento

CSA

2008-08-09T21:00:00.002-05:00

CSA
Originally uploaded by natalieandtom

So we decided to join a CSA this year. I spent a little time researching it, and finally settled on the New Century CSA in Circleville, Ohio. Aside from the awesome variety of veggies, what sold me on the idea completely was that one of the owners graduated from Asbury too - so I knew we were getting into this with good folks! :)

This picture is one weeks haul (minus the onions and bananas hiding in the back). I have been utterly amazed all summer at the quality of produce, the amount of variety and the TASTINESS of it all! We've experimented with all different kinds of veggies that we'd never have just bought at the store (i.e. okra) - and have definitely settled into a good habit of eating lots and lots of veggies. I am going to be very sad when the season ends. Good thing there's like 8 weeks left!

The best part is that it ended up being like $14 a week - which is far less than we would have spent buying all these goodies at the store!!

Chaco's - YAY!

2008-08-08T11:32:00.002-05:00

I've had my Chaco Chong sandals since our honeymoon over 6 years ago. And as soon as the weather breaks every spring, they become my "worn-most-often" pair of shoes. I was saddened recently when I discovered that I was finally beginning to wear through the soles. I was, however, EXTREMELY happy to find that I could just ship them back to Chaco and have them resoled! The footbeds and the straps have plenty of life left in them, and now it's like I have a brand new pair!!! I am slightly sad that the company has moved all of its production to China, but they do their repairs at their facility in CO, which is pretty cool. So even though I'm wearing "made in China" soles on my "made in Colorado" Chaco's - I'm ok with it. I saved them from going into the landfill!!! And now that they're back from being repaired, I'm on the hunt for another pair on ebay to offer new life to them as well - so maybe I won't wear these out quite so quickly...not that 6 years is quick, but a girl's got to have options!

Awesome!

2008-07-10T06:39:00.001-05:00

And here is yet another reason to enjoy a little Makers and Coke:

http://greenbiz.com/news/2008/07/03/makers-mark-bourbon-waste

Please drink responsibly! (and now that has more than one meaning!)

Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics

2008-07-03T07:34:00.003-05:00

The new Death Cab song "I Will Possess Your Heart" is being played rather regularly here in C-bus (and no doubt will become "overplayed" to some). At first I thought it was a decent song, kept trying to place the guys voice (Postal Service, duh!), and then the other morning driving to work I heard it in an entirely different light. It was like God was saying to me "This is my song to you." It sounds so trivial when I type this out - but it really hit me hard in the car. So I started listening more closely to the lyrics. It's an amazing song....

I Will Possess Your Heart
Death Cab For Cutie

How I wish you could see the potential of you and me
It’s like a book elegently bound but in a language that you can’t read just yet

You gotta spend some time with me and I know that you’ll find love
I will possess your heart

There are days when outside your window I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective when we’ll be lovers, lovers at last

You gotta spend some time with me and I know that you’ll find love
I will possess your heart

You reject my advances and desparate pleas
I won’t let you let me down so easily
You gotta spend some time with me and I know that you'll find love
I will possess your heart

The War is Raging

2008-02-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted. And this is going to be a break from the usual eco-friendly battle I've been waging. I didn't want to post sooner, for fear of reprisals in the area to be discussed. If at any point I'm vague, and you want more details, please send me a message, and I'll see what I can do.

By now, hopefully, you've all heard about the violence that has and continues to erupt in Kenya. While the US media tends to brush this under the rug (don't get me started), it is very real, and many many lives are being lost, disrupted, and put in jeopardy. While I hold my own views as to why these events are not being covered daily, or even hourly, by our lovely media outlets - I think it's pretty much summed up in this - What does Kenya give to the US? What interests do we have there? There is no oil, they're not exporting "valuables" to us, and the long and the short of it is - they're poor.

The background for this post is this - I worked with someone in the late 90's who was from Kenya. He is a terrific man of God. We lost touch for a while, but a year or so ago I got back in touch with him. He is now married, has a beautiful 7 year old, and is serving at a mission through a recognized international mission agency. The project is geared towards AIDS orphans, as well as providing training and livlihoods for young adults in the region. This project is in the heart of where the violence is taking place, and while, so far, their losses have been material only, those serving there are putting themselves in harms way daily.

My friend risked his life to transport his wife and daughter into neighboring Uganda. I do not tell you this for the oohs and aahs about his bravery. I tell you this so you can understand the gravity of the situation there. So you can understand his heartache at being separated from his family to continue serving Jesus in a very troubled nation, and serving people that so desperately need Jesus. So you can see that this is not temporary - but that the violence continues, and people's lives are being drastically changed.

The point of this post is this - get on your knees and pray about this. Look up information for yourselves about what's going on there. I'm standing firmly with my friend in the belief that as Luke 18:27 says: And he said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” KJV. God is waiting to move in Kenya - in fact, I'm convinced He already is moving. We need to remain faithful to those who are putting themselves in the path of this destruction to continue to serve the weakest, those who need him most. We can not, like our media, brush this aside and pretend that it doesn't exist. IT DOES. The violence is real. The destruction is real. Those who are in the midst of it are real. Not just figments of our imagination, half a world away.

Now - for my "apology" - I, in no way, wish to detract from the many things that those of you are praying for. I, in no way, wish to minimize the plights of others in different parts of this world. Kenya is on my heart, and it's on my heart to get as many people as possible praying for the people there. So please do not be offended at my request.

Learn and Give

2007-12-17T09:10:00.001-05:00

What better way to donate, than to actually learn something while doing it! Click above and challenge your mind!

CFL pros vs. Mercury Cons

2007-08-08T10:33:00.000-05:00

I've actually heard a lot about this issue recently - from message boards, news radio, etc. So I found this editorial from Sierra Club very informative. The original can be found here:
http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200707/mrgreen_mailbag.asp

Hey Mr. Green,
My whole family had embraced the concept of compact fluorescent bulbs (because they are so efficient), but a negative report from Fox News about their mercury hazards has us a little confused. Can you respond to our concern?
--Carl in Center Moriches, New York

Hey Carl,Thank you for
calling my attention to this hatchet job, which I never would have noticed because I try to avoid the right-wing contrivances that Fox peddles as fair and balanced. The people at Fox News are either brain-damaged from huffing mercury (they do seem to have a fondness for the highly toxic) or they have unscrupulously cherry-picked their facts. (In their sniping about the rules to replace incandescents with compact fluorescents [CFLs] "either adopted or being considered in California, Canada, the European Union and Australia," it's surprising that they overlooked the bulb-replacement programs in Cuba and Venezuela. That would've given them a fine opportunity to present compact fluorescent bulbs as part of a communist takeover.)

This classic example of enviro-bashing is full of flaws. First, the Fox writer trots out one report of one environmental bureaucrat's overreaction to a bulb breakage to make it sound like a busted CFL will turn a house into a Superfund site. The fact is, CFLs do contain mercury, but nowhere near enough to provoke panic or evacuation. If you break a bulb, you can do the cleanup yourself, without renting a moon suit or contacting authorities.

The EPA advises the following treatment:
Open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes (to let the mercury vaporize). Remove all materials (i.e., the pieces of the broken bulb) without using a vacuum cleaner. You don't want even a small amount of mercury lurking in your vacuum.
To do so:
1. Wear disposable rubber gloves, if available. (Never touch the bulb pieces with your bare hands.)
2. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard (you don't want the stuff to get on your broom or dustpan either).
3. Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towel or disposable wet wipe. Sticky tape, such as duct tape (yet another use for the versatile material!), can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.
4. Place all cleanup materials in a plastic bag and seal it. If your state permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the CFL in two plastic bags and put into the outside trash (if no other disposal or recycling options are available). If your state doesn't allow this, consult the local hazardous-waste authority for safe-recycling information. Some hardware stores will also accept old bulbs; to find a recycler near you, try Earth 911, or (800) CLEAN-UP, for a location near you.
5. Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.
6. The first time you vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag once done cleaning the area (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag and/or vacuum debris, as well as the cleaning materials, in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.
So much for that part of Fox's story, but I'm not quite done with calling them on their hokum. So read on, if you wish. The Fox piece chides environmentalists for contradicting themselves by promoting fluorescent lightbulbs while having "whipped up so much fear of mercury among the public that many local governments have even launched mercury thermometer exchange programs" and going "berserk at the thought of mercury being emitted from power plants."
Yes, as Fox notes, a fluorescent bulb contains around 5 milligrams of mercury (although some brands, such as Philips Lighting, claim their bulbs have as little as 1.23 to 3 milligrams). What Fox conveniently doesn't bother to mention is that a thermometer can contain 140 times as much mercury as a fluorescent lightbulb, making concern about these instruments eminently reasonable. Nor is it exactly going "berserk" to worry about mercury from power plants. Coal-burning
power plants emit 50 tons of the stuff every year, around 40 percent of the total
mercury emissions in the United States.
Since residential lighting accounts for about 5.7 percent of our total national electricity consumption--about half of which is generated by coal--creating power for home lighting releases about 1.4 tons of mercury every year. And since incandescent bulbs account for about 88 percent of all bulbs, they are responsible for emitting around 1.2 tons of mercury a year.
Let's imagine for a moment that all 4 billion residential lightbulbs have become CFLs, each one with an average life span of 5.5 years (the minimum for EPA-approved bulbs). That means we'd have to change about 727 million fluorescent bulbs a year. At 5 grams of mercury per bulb, that adds up to about 4 tons of mercury. Since fluorescents use only 25 percent as much energy as incandescents, installing them in all houses would decrease mercury emissions from power plants by 0.9 tons a year.
So even in the incredibly unlikely scenario that every single dead bulb were smashed, and its contents released into the environment, switching to CFLs would yield a maximum 3.1 tons of mercury each year--the 4 tons in them minus the 0.9 tons of emissions they offset. (If all bulbs used were the longer-lived models, with a life span of nine years, the net emission would drop to 1.9 tons annually even if not a single bulb got recycled. And as lower-mercury bulbs came online, the net release would drop even more.)
Fox simply ignores the fact that people don't have to throw away all those burned-out fluorescents in the first place. About 25 percent are already being recycled, just because the government requires businesses to do so. If consumers were better educated about compact fluorescents, they would recycle more of them, as they have learned to do with other materials. If we created an economic incentive--a stiff deposit on CFLs, for example--recycling rates would vastly increase, just as they have with cans and bottles in states where container deposits are required.
Of course, by focusing on mercury, Fox also fails to note that even the shorter-lived fluorescents would eliminate about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants alone, and an equivalent amount of other pollutants. That's something to weigh heavily even against the heavy metal mercury.
Environmentally,
Mr. Green

This article concisely refutes some of the major issues against CFL's. I encourage you to continue educating yourself!

Personal DNA

2007-07-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

This was a fun little quiz I found on a friend's blog. It's pretty true:

Considerate Idealist

You are an Idealist

As an IDEALIST, you are distinctive for your integration of confidence, imagination, willingness to explore, and desire for competence over style.

You have a strong capacity to comprehend the inner workings of things, finding new ideas and innovative insights to feed your curious nature.

You are quite comfortable in the realm of abstract thought. You don't need a practical solution to every one of life's questions.

You are comfortable with the decisions you make in life. You don't need to second-guess yourself, or seek a lot of opinions before you make up your mind.

You enjoy the routines that you have created in your life, and don't feel the need to shake things up just for the sake of change.

You generally succeed at what you do, and others would describe you as successful.

It is important to you that products be efficient – looking good has to come second to working well.

You aren't the kind of person who needs to collect stylish items in an attempt to create an attractive environment – you know that what matters most is function, not style.

You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

If you want to be different:

You take time to explore your own thoughts and ideas, but this experience would only be heightened if you opened yourself up even more to others' ideas.

Your faith in yourself and your lifestyle is well-founded, but the occasional foray into the unknown might broaden your perspective and help you see things differently.

How you relate to others:

You are Considerate

You trust others, care about them, and are slow to judge them, making you CONSIDERATE.

You value your close relationships very much, and are more likely to spend time in small, tightly-knit groups of friends than in large crowds.

You enjoy exploring the world through observation, quietly watching others.

Relating to others so well, and understanding their emotions, leads you to trust people in general, even though you're somewhat shy and reserved at times.

Your belief that people are generally well-intentioned contributes to your sympathy regarding their problems.

Although you may not vocalize it often, you have an awareness of how society affects individuals, and you understand complex causes of people's behavior.

You like to look at all sides of a situation before making a judgment, particularly when that situation involves important things in other people's lives.

Your close friends know you as a good listener.

If you want to be different:

Because other people would benefit immensely from your understanding and insight, you should try to be more outgoing in social situations, even when they make you uncomfortable. Others will want to hear what you have to say!

Knitting

2007-07-28T18:11:00.000-05:00

I've learned how to knit in the round, using circular needles and using double point needles. My first project was a "one skein" hat using artful yarns candy yarn. I think it's a pretty good first effort!

Then I tried again with a yarn that's made from hemp, cotton and modal. It's called Hempathy. I used the same pattern, but knitted it holding two strands (one of each color):

Then, I altered the pattern a little bit, starting it smaller, still using Hempathy and this is what I came up with:

If you know anyone who's expecting and would like me to knit a hat for them, just comment on here, and we'll work out the details. Prices will vary depending on the yarn! :) I can also do baby blankets, "car seat" blankets (smaller blankets for travel), and other various items.

Ho hum thoughts and other musings

2007-07-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

OK - so the hybrid car idea is on hold. At least for now. We're finding ourselves in the position to pay off a large portion of our debt, and don't want to take on another car payment. OK, so maybe "pay off" is the wrong term. We're consolidating really, and in the long run we're going to be able to pay off this loan much faster than our current debts. And with a little hard work, this will enable us to put a good spending plan in place to not run that debt back up. Of course this is all in theory, but I think at this point we're really committed to making it work.

Our electric bill went up last month - as expected, since our A/C has been on more and more since our summer is heating up so nicely. My hope is to get back to the point where we were turning it off at night and opening up the house since it was getting down into the 60's, and then closing the house up in the morning before the heat really kicked in. That seemed to keep the A/C from running constantly, and seemed to actually keep the house cooler at night. The problem really is the humidity, but we can deal with that as long as the air is moving.

On a completely alternate thought path - I woke up this morning with a very fresh feeling, and a very high determination to start minimizing the amount of stuff in our house (I know, I've said this before). We walked through a house in Wilmore this past week that we really liked, and it's really gotten me to think about how much we have, and how much we could stand to get rid of. Not too mention the hope that at some point (hopefully sooner than later) we'll be downsizing our living arrangement and will need to get rid of a lot of the clutter. Cross your fingers!

Retail Angst

2007-06-04T11:59:00.000-05:00

So today starts the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale - something I have grown to look forward to since my obsession with their products started in high school. The problem is - aside from the compact - what is the point of spending $5.00 (on sale) for one bottle of shower gel that will last little more than a month?? And WHY on earth am I excited about this sale?? When I can rationally say that $5 is too much to spend on a chemical laden, fake smelling product, why is it that there's this intense desire to run up at lunch and buy something?? Then, there are the other items, like wallflowers and lotions and body sprays. All at well over $5 a piece. And all not good for me, or my household.

So - my resolve is being tested today. I haven't exactly been 100% compact friendly these past couple months - between travelling for work and needing a suitcase, to preparing for vacation and realizing that I have VERY few summer clothes. But I re-resolve myself. I will not go to B&BW today. I will not buy shower gels, and wall flowers, and body sprays - OH MY! :) Instead, I will concentrate on weeding those things out of my house and replacing them with good for me, all natural, REAL smelling alternatives!

Deep (all natural) breaths - this too shall pass....

Electric Bill

2007-05-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

I just got our electric bill from last month. And it's low! That’s right – it can be done!!! We have successfully lowered our energy usage in our home to its lowest point since 12/2005 (I can’t see back before then).

05/17/2007 - 343 KWH
04/17/2007 - 513 KWH
03/17/2007 - 556 KWH
02/17/2007 - 752 KWH
01/17/2007 - 645 KWH
12/17/2006 - 518 KWH
11/17/2006 - 558 KWH
10/17/2006 - 414 KWH
09/17/2006 - 440 KWH
08/17/2006 - 918 KWH
07/17/2006 - 686 KWH
06/17/2006 - 443 KWH
05/17/2006 - 517 KWH
04/17/2006 - 586 KWH
03/17/2006 - 565 KWH
02/17/2006 - 647 KWH
01/17/2006 - 751 KWH
12/17/2005 - 539 KWH

Now - I'm hoping this trend will continue. We've switched out 90% of our lights to CFLs. I'm line drying as much of our laundry as I can without the DH protesting, and the stuff I can't line dry I'm combining into one load, using dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, and have lowered the temp from high to medium. Suprisingly the drying time is about the same, even at a lower heat level.

Obviously we haven't switched the air on yet, and we've had the fans running at night, so next month may see a jump again- but I was super excited to see this decrease!

Hybrids

2007-05-24T15:46:00.000-05:00

Ok - so I've been toying with the idea of trading in my relatively new Saturn Ion for a hybrid. While the Ion gets incredible gas mileage (around 32 highway from what I can tell), I’m interested in a hybrid because I spend so much time in stop and go traffic, that I’m hoping it will be better all around. **If anyone knows anything about hybrids and stop/go traffic, any input would be appreciated.**

The rub with all this is that I’m really torn between getting something like a Prius – well known for it’s mileage, etc. – and a Saturn hybrid. The indecision lies in the whole mess of not wanting our car payment to go up. If we go with a GM or Ford hybrid we’ll get some kind of discount because of where Tom works. Which is awesome – add that to the tax credit for buying a hybrid, and it sounds great. Here’s where it gets sticky – the Saturn hybrid I like is an SUV. Having a hybrid SUV seems like an oxymoron. Especially when the whole premise behind getting a hybrid is to get better mileage, but having the hybrid Vue keeps me at about the mileage we have now with the Ion.

Which brings me right back to being interested in the Prius because it has SUCH high gas mileage… oh the indecision.

I’m trying to set an appointment for Friday to talk with someone at Saturn. We’ll see how that goes.

Hmmm...

2007-03-20T14:14:00.001-05:00

I've been on a little bit of a retail therapy bender this past week. While I'd like to attribute it to the stress of losing a friend, I'm mostly just sick of not having the ability to buy the things we've been thinking about buying for a long time and haven't. So this week I used the money my dad sent me for Christmas to buy a refurbished Dyson (refurbished is compact friendly right??) , a used Vera Bradley bag (used = compact friendly too!), a book off amazon (used) and 2 things of Bare Escentuals eye shadow/liner (new, but still compact friendly in that I'm going to be getting rid of all the PILES of make up that I never use). So it's not horrible, but it's not great.

Compact Update

2007-02-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day...hmm...

Ok - so I haven't been exactly perfect Compact wise. Here's the run down of purchases this year:

- 2 new litter boxes (chronicled before)
- 2 new cat food containers (see above)
- Refurbished Cuisinart rice cooker
- Used Braun Electric Water Kettle (which I'm in love with by the way!)
- 1 New pair Lane Bryant jeans (I went down a size!!)
- Pre-Ordered new Lindsey Davis book to be released in May 2007
- Pre-Ordered new Harry Potter book to be released this summer
- Arm band for my iPod shuffle - it was on clearance since they're not making
the style I have anymore
- New Maxtor 160gb external hard drive to back up our computer (We've
been considering this purchase for a long time)

So all in all - I think we're doing ok....not great....but ok. I am more committed to buckling down and not buying anything else, especially seeing as it's almost March and I'm proving more and more to myself that there are very few things I need. Now if we can only stop eating out so much!!!

More on the bag front

2007-02-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

First I'd just like to say GO IKEA!!! Starting March 15th, Ikea stores will begin charging a five cent fee to customers for disposable plastic bags. Additionally, they're dropping the cost of their reusable bags from 99 cents to 59 cents. They're also donating the 5 cents they collect from each bag sale to American Forests - a conservation group.

I'm not sure how long this link will work, but here's the link to the article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2131088920070221?src=022107_1433_ARTICLE_PROMO_also_on_reuters

Additionally - I just read that Ireland is increasing it's tax on plastic bags from 15 euro cents to 22 euro cents. The tax is being raised in an effort to stem the rising apathy and continue it's success as a litter deterrent. The article is here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2122163820070221

Now - if only the mass American population would grab on to these ideas and run with them!!!

Disposable Clothes

2007-01-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to an interesting article regarding clothing and how quickly styles change:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/24/business/clothing.php

It's unfortunate that our culture has gotten to the point where dispensable clothing is something that we are proud of, excited about, and willing to buy into. Personally, I know for a fact that I have clothes that are as old as or older than my little sister (she's 14). I'm not particularly rough on clothing (minus my never ending battle to get food into my mouth and not on my shirt), but I would like to think that purchases I make are going to be sound decisions, eco-friendly, and long lasting. That is, when/if I start purchasing new again....

Oh yea - Compact update - still haven't bought anything. But going to the grocery store has turned into quite the exciting event!

Letter to my Representatives

2007-01-13T10:43:00.000-05:00

I sent the following letter this morning via e-mail to my State Representatives. I would encourage you to read up on this issue and approach your State and Federal Legislature if you feel called to do so.

Each year the world consumes approximately 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags, over 380 billion of which are consumed annually here in the US (http://www.reusuablebags.com/facts.php ). While the convenience level is high, the detrimental rate at which these bags are consumed poses a big problem environmentally.

California state assemblyman Lloyd Levine has recently introduced a bill that was signed in to law requiring supermarkets and large stores to implement not only a recycling/take-back program, but to launch an educational campaign about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. Additionally, stores are to offer sturdy reusable bags (for sale) to help curb this ever growing trend. The text of the bill can be found at: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=70127420860+1+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve.

In light of the new political atmosphere that has enveloped Ohio, I wanted to encourage you, my representatives, to research this law that has been passed in California. Please look at the problematic usage of plastic bags, the over abundance of garbage streaming into our already over-taxed landfills, and the severe lack of community recycling programs in Ohio. Curbside recycling programs are one of the most effective tools to help consumers curb the amount of waste their families are producing.

Additionally - another sensible approach to this problem is to model a tax (I know, a dirty word), after Ireland's extremely successful PlasTax. In cooperation with retailers, the Irish government introduced PlasTax last year that has slashed consumption over 90% and raised $9.6 million for environmental and waste management projects. Another benefit is that stores save money on bag purchases and improve their public image. For example, Superquinn, one of the largest Irish grocery chains, says the number of bags it distributes for free has dropped by 97.5%

Thank you for your time and your consideration of this issue. I realize it may seem trivial in the grand scheme of Government today, but if we have no planet to live on, there's nothing to govern.

Ecological Footprint

2007-01-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

I went to http://myfootprint.org/ today. We scored 24 acres - which is pretty much on par with the rest of America. We would need 5.4 planets the size of Earth for everyone to live in the lifestyle that we're living in. The biggest things we can do to minimize our impact have to do with our Shelter and our Goods/Services.

There's not much I can do about our house right now - other than continue to make energy efficient changes. BTW - if every household replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 7.5 million cars off the road! (Information from- http://simplereduce.blogspot.com/2007/01/light-bulbs-and-more.html) So I'm going to take steps to replace our regular bulbs with CFL bulbs, and am considering adding insulation to our attic.

We can, however, do a lot about the Goods/Services, and particularly food. I want to try and reduce the amount of meat we eat to one meal a week, and limit the amount of eggs/dairy we consume as well. I never realized how much energy, etc. go in to raising animals in a commercial manner. I'm sure the reading I've done is just the tip of the ice berg as far as this is concerned, but it's enough to make me want to make some changes in our food choices. I also want to pay closer attention to how much we're paying for produce - how much can a farmer really be making off those oranges that are 8 for $1.00?? Especially considering they've been trucked in from Florida - or worse - California! But that's more research for another day.

**Compact update - I passed up purchasing a pair of my favorite jeans that were on sale for cheaper than I can get them on my discount from my part-time job. You know I'm serious about something when I can pass up that kind of bargain! On a spending note - I did purchase 2 containers for our cats food, and 2 new litter boxes. The old ones will be cleaned and either recycled, or donated to a shelter.

Rules of Engagement

2007-01-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

Ok - I'm borrowing from my friends post about her Compact. We're hoping to support each other, so I'm going to use her format to help me outline my rules.

My goals in doing my Compact will be to:

Eliminate unnecessary purchases with the goals of saving money, reducing clutter, and being satisfied with what I already have. (Thanks RW for the perfect wording)
Reduce (or eliminate) the amount of new goods I consume, thus reducing the amount of negative impact on the world in terms of the environment as well as not contributing to companies that use sweatshop labor to make millions (or billions). (Thanks again RW!)
Learn patience by waiting to see if I truly need an item by taking the time to look for a used item first.
To enrich my life with something other than buying things. I tend to shop out of emotional strife, boredom or frustration, so I hope to learn to deal with these things in a healthier fashion.
Begin to utilize "homemade" cleaning products, and substitute all cleaning/household products with earth-friendly products.

My guidelines for my Compact will be:

Don't buy stuff - Borrow, barter, trade, beg, etc. for things :o)
If there is something that needs to be purchased, I will first buy a used, local, sustainable, "green," or fair-trade item.
Eating out will be limited, and not a regular occurrence (which ought to help with the weight loss goals too!).

Exceptions:

Food and health-related items.
Books and other necessary items for the DH's school
Items for a friends wedding that I'm going to be in (will minimize the damage as much as possible!)
Pictures - I'm going to *finally* put together our wedding album, and our Tahoe scrapbook and will need to order prints for those.
Items that are necessary for the house. **Now, I realize that this could be a VERY slippery slope to be on, but the point of this exception is that in the midst of this Compact we may find ourselves in a position to try and sell our house (again), which means repairs, etc. will need to be made. I will attempt to do this within the "confines" of the Compact, but there will most likely be purchases that need to be made. Additionally, organization, etc. has been a great point of stress for myself and my DH, so if something needs to be purchased to allow us to get more organized, the guidelines above will be followed, but if something has to be purchased it will be.

The guidelines and goals section of this are flexible - if there are more constraints or more reasons to do this, I will add them as appropriate. I do not want to add to any of the exceptions though. There is not a thing in this world that I am truly in want or in need of, and there is no reason to keep spending, spending, spending just for the fun of it.

I have been contemplating this for quite some time and feel fully capable of doing this. My every hope is that within this year, I will learn more about myself, more about this world, and more about the impact I have on it. I truly want to do this, not as a statement, but as a study. I want to use the "extra time" to do the things I've been saying I'm going to do and don't, to be with the people I need to spend time with, and to alter my ecological foot print.

I'm 6 days in, and so far so good.

The Compact

2007-01-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

I'll be posting more about my Compact "rules" later - but this was on yahoo today!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_re_us/shopping_sabbatical

January 2nd

2007-01-02T14:17:00.000-05:00

Well it's January 2nd. And while my goal had been to get my "resolutions" in writing this weekend, trying to fix my parents computer got in the way. So the 2nd of January will have to do. Of course the generic ideals of my resolutions have been in place for a while. Things like loose weight, save money, etc. etc. But I want to put the nitty gritty down so I can involve myself in them more fully.

1 - Eat More Vegetables - This is more than just the commitment to eating my 5-9 recommended servings a day. This is about substituting vegetables for meat in my meals. I'm not going to commit to becoming a vegetarian. I am, however, going to modify my eating and cooking habits to allow for a greater variety of vegetation in our diets, and to (hopefully) limit the amount of meats we eat to 1-2 meals per week. Along with this goes my intense passion for purchasing organic, locally grown, in season produce, and watching (carefully) all other products we purchse.

2 - Compact- I've been thinking about it and talking about it, and I'm going to have a stab at it. I am committing to not purchasing anything new, within reason, for a year. Things like socks and underwear don't count - but the binge bra-buying sprees are over! :o) I am going to do everything within my power to borrow, barter or buy used whenever we need something. So those of you who are close enough to me to get birthday presents, etc. – get ready for gift cards, or homemade things! There truly is not one single thing I can think of that I need. So for a year, I’m going to live with what I have, be thankful for it’s abundance, oh, and get rid of everything that is just laying around collecting dust!

3 – Loose Weight (finally!) - The plan is in place, the motivation is lined up, and now all that’s left to do is apply all the things that I’ve known for so long and actually get this body in shape! I realized the other day that I’m past the weight I swore I’d never get to, a good friend is getting married in Oct. and wants us to wear strapless dresses (maybe), and I want to have a healthy and happy pregnancy some day - all of these motivators are the driving force. Drinking more water, exercising and eating appropriately are wrapped up in this one. So long apathy!

4 – Off With Debts Head - We have one credit card left right now with a balance. I commit to having that card paid off by July of this year. It’s going to be a stretch to get that done, and it’s a lot of money a month to do it, but between not eating out as much and not buying anything unnecessary (see #2), it should be doable. Or at least we’ll be able to get very close to paying it off. The next step will be doubling up payments for one of the cars and starting to pay back the DH’s parents.

5 - 26 out of 24 hours – I have stepped down the amount of time that I’m going to be working my part time job. With my “extra” time – I want to reconnect with my DH, work on reading my Bible daily (as well as reading the whole thing this year), finish reading the Lindsey Davis Falco series (I’ve only been working on this since high school), and clean something in our house daily (a room, a load of laundry, you get the idea…).

Ok – so this isn’t quite as in depth as I’d hoped, but it’s the best I can do on my lunch hour at work! :o)

On Canvas Bags, Reusable Mugs, and The Compact

2006-12-19T12:47:00.000-05:00

I had my first victory this past weekend with remembering to take my canvas bag to the grocery store! Granted, I was just running in for a few baking items to go to Cincinnati to bake with a friend, but I remembered to grab the bag on the way out the door, and wasn't ashamed one bit to put my few purchases in it at the self-check out. Of course, it probably would've taken more nerve to actually go through a line and have someone else ring up my purchase, but I was in a hurry, and the line was short. My DH is going shopping today, though, so I'm sure there will be more plastic bags in the house. We will still have to get some every now and then though, because I use them when I clean out the cat litter boxes.

I've also started carrying a stainless steel mug for tea with me. It's one that the DHs job gave him. I had to go through our cabinet carefully to find one that wasn't lined with plastic. The lid on this one is plastic, but the entire interior is stainless steel. So far I've done pretty good with taking it with me from home and using it at work. I've even started using a real spoon at work instead of the plastic-ware that our office supplies. It's all about small steps.

Speaking of small steps - I'm thinking of taking a great big one. My baking buddy mentioned that she and her husband were thinking of starting The Compact on Jan. 1st. I'm thinking I might just join her. I'm going to spend some time next week (when I'm off from work) evaluating my options, and looking at what we need to lay as ground work and rules for this adventure. The DH is skeptical, but I'm on board. We'll see if I can convince him or not.

Deep Breaths - it's not too late....

2006-12-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

OK - I've started finding myself in the panic over what I'm going to get for everyone for Christmas. Even though I've already managed to get gifts for most everyone on my list. It's really a bizarre feeling - like what I've got planned isn't going to be enough, so I need to buy more, more, more... I definitely do not like this feeling.

I feel like my hope of "making a statement" with my Christmas gifts is slowly fading in the bright and shiny light of consumerism run amok. My plans of making everyone a soy candle have now blossomed into a soy candle paired with this, or that, or that other thing. Most of what I'm thinking of pairing the soy candle with is pretty cool - OK even better - it's really neat. I got coffee from Grounds for Change and some of their canvas bags, so a couple people will be getting some GREAT coffee with their candle, packaged in a reusable bag. Now if I can only get them to actually use the bag... And as for the rest of them, they'll be getting their gifts wrapped in Wrap Sacks. But somehow, I'm feeling a little guilty for buying all of this - even in it's reusable, good for the earth, sustainable shininess.

Hmm.... This is definitely a dilemma to ponder.

Recycled Clothing Triumph

2006-11-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

I did it! I successfully managed to find a Christmas party outfit that is 100% pre-worn. The cute pinkish colored sweater set is awesome, and has a few sequins to make it a little more dressy. I'm still waiting on the velvet skirt, but that should be here shortly. And I already have black dress shoes.

Not only that, I found an almost new Wool pea coat on ebay that fits perfectly, is absolutely adorable on, and is "used." I spent a little more for this than I originally wanted to, but it's worth it. I haven't had a "new" winter coat in years, and the one I've been wearing for the past few years is huge on me. So this is quite the happy thing.

Now - onto coming up with appropriate and useful Christmas gifts... Not exactly sure I'll manage to get everyone something that isn't "new", but I'm going to try. I've bought a soy candle making kit, and am going to use containers from the thrift store to make them in. Hopefully people will like them.

The Compact, consumerism, and curbing my buying desires...

2006-10-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

I've been reading a couple different blogs recently - which isn't a new development in and of itself. The interesting component is that a group of them have recently centered around The Compact. I'm still researching and reading just about anything I can find about it. But from what I've read, it sounds like an admirable project that can range anywhere from the strictest rules against purchasing anything, to a slightly looser version that encourages you to moderate your purchases.

I get this kind of rush when I think about downsizing our current living situation. And the more I dwell on it, the more I feel downright disgusted with the fact that there are only two of us living in a four bedroom house (which still hasn't sold), and that we've managed in our almost 5 years of marriage to completely fill EVERY room in that house (and the basement) with stuff! Some of it most definitely has sentimental value, and would most likely be kept in the event that we downsize. Most of it, however, is the kind of crap that accumulates due to the fact that I'm a pack-rat, that I can't convince myself to pass up a "good deal," and are items that have stuck around long past their "expiration" date. Can someone please tell me why I'm still holding on to 2 corsages from high school prom?!??

My hope is to come up with some sort of moderated "rules" from The Compact to begin a cleansing of sorts. Obviously my first goal in this will be to not add stress to our already insane lives - which means that any implementation will have to wait until after Nov. 1, and can not be disruptive to Tom and his school schedule/needs. Stay tuned for more as I contemplate this lifestyle alteration.

Turn the Light On!

2006-09-26T15:05:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent me the following e-mail as a sort of grassroots effort to motivate people to purchase Compact Flourescent bulbs for their homes, etc. **Disclaimer - I did not verify his numbers, facts, etc., however I have heard this sort of information from multiple sources and do believe in the abilities of CF bulbs to lessen our use of electricity.

How Many Light Bulbs Does it Take To Change The World? ONE.

For years, compact fluorescent bulbs have promised dramatic energysavings - yet they remain a mere curiosity. Compact fluorescents emit the same light as classic incandescents but use 75% or 80% less electricity. What that means is that if every one of 110 million American households bought just one ice-cream-cone bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people or is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars of the roads. That's the law of large numbers - a small action multiplied by 110 million.

The single greatest source of greenhouse gases in the United States is power plants. One bulb swapped out: enough electricity saved to turn off two entire power plants - or skip building the next two. The typical U.S. house has between 50 and 100 sockets. Last year, U.S. consumers spent about $1 billion to buy 2 billion light bulbs - 5.5 million every day. Just 5%, 100 million, were compact fluorescents. The compact fluorescents that GE, Philips, and Sylvania are putting on shelves are rated for 8,000, 10,000 or 12,000 hours. Every CFL has the life span of 6, or 8, or 10 equivalent incandescent bulbs. If 100 million CFL light bulbs are sold next year, it does away with the need for 100 million old-fashioned bulbs to be manufactured, packaged, shipped, bought and discarded next year - and every year until 2012 or beyond. It also promises that a 60-watt CFL saves $38.00 in energy. Spend $2.60 (or less), earn $38.00. These days, that's a great return.

To read more, this article can be found in Fast Company, September 2006.

Additionally, Grist published readers questions about CFL lights at: http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003/01/16/umbra-mercury/index.html and http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2006/06/21/replacing/index.html

Oil

2006-08-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

Ok - Rachel was encouraging me to write something impassioned – and here it is.

http://www.zki.dlr.de/applications/2006/lebanon/lebanon_2006_en.html

The first map (with the yellow colors) shows the extent of the oil spill off Lebanon’s coast. And, yes, I agree that the main concern right now should be a lasting cease fire to stop the loss of life. However, the fact that this spill has gained little to no American media attention is VERY disturbing. And what little attention it has gained is dismissive, at best.

For a country that is so entrenched in our oil-guzzling ways, I would think that a spill of this magnitude (30,000 TONS of heavy fuel oil) would spark some kind of response – if nothing more than to say “hey – that’s oil we could’ve used!” It seems, however, that the greater disaster of essentially poisoning that portion of the Mediterranean Sea, the destruction of a fragile ecosystem and the largely dismissed “where to place blame” game, has failed to capture most of the American populations attention.

Greenpeace has posted on their website the following:

(http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/we-have-a-message-for-peace/oil-slick)

Oil slick and environmental consequences of conflict in the Middle East

While our immediate concern and sympathy lies with the injured, the displaced and the families of the victims of this conflict, long term environmental damage is an inevitable consequence of war.Greenpeace is calling for an immediate cease fire and an end to the violence and environmental destruction.

We also call for efforts to establish long lasting regional stability and peace. This would also allow urgent and needed humanitarian aid to reach all parts of Lebanon, and for the UN Environment Programme, the World Health Organization and others to begin assessing the environmental damage caused by the bombing.

In the case of the heavy oil flowing into the sea from the bombed storage tanks at the Jiyyeh power station, 30 km south of Beirut, the most important priority is to prevent any further leakage and destruction and which could potentially spread to the entire east Mediterranean coastline.View maps of the current oil pollution.

In the short term the Lebanese authorities are in urgent need of assistance to stem and control the flow of the oil onto its beaches and into its fishing grounds. In the longer term it could take between 6 and 12 months to clean up the oil from some 100 km of Lebanon's coastline. The spill is especially threatening since fish spawn and sea turtles nest on Lebanon's coast, including the green turtle which is endangered in the Mediterranean.

Greenpeace urges the international community to work to bring an immediate end to the human suffering and the environmental destruction.

I whole-heartedly agree that the International Community should work to help Lebanon in this time of crisis. I realize that our allegiances (as America) fall with Israel – but pollution is not a nation by nation issue. This is a global environmental crisis that needs to be handled as such. 30,000 TONS of oil into a body of water should not qualify as an after thought. The shooting has stopped. The attacks between Lebanon and Israel have stopped (hopefully for good) – now it’s time to get someone in there to stop the attack on the environment!

ho-hum

2006-08-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

There have been quite a few things recently that I've thought I should write about...but that's not seemed to have happened. There are so many things that I've found myself passionately enraged over, but none of have managed to formulate themselves into coherent thought. I'm still not sure how coherent this will be. I really need to just get in the habit of writing it all out when it occurs to me - because for the life of me I can't remember what on earth I was wanting to write about!

Whoa! Where did time go?

2006-07-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

Ok - so apparently, you blink and almost 2 months flies by. I can't believe I haven't posted since May, let alone the fact that I'm another year older. This year is seriously flying by, and I'm not feeling like I have a whole lot to show for it. There has been a constant barrage of stressors in my life the past few weeks. And I kind of feel like I'm constantly trying to discerne what I should be truly stressed about.

We went back to Asbury for my 5 year reunion, which was really really fun. It made me miss all my old friends, and really made me want to live in that area some day. It's so beautiful, and has so much to offer. Pretty much anywhere you live is within quick drive time of downtown Lex., and you can always get far enough out to have animals on your property. Now if only our house would sell and Tom were out of school! :)

I'm trying to keep an optimistic attitude about my job at Heart. I'm praying that when all is said and done, that not only will there be a position for me, but that I will actually enjoy what I'm doing. I've almost been there 5 years now, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm really of the old-fashioned mindset that you pick one company/organization, and devote your lifelong career to it. I'm not saying I'll be with Heart for the rest of my life, but I'm not a person who can lightly switch jobs every three months.

Well - things are still boring like in May...hmmm...guess I didn't miss too much by not posting.

Updates

2006-05-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

Well we’re heading toward the last half of May, so I thought I’d check our progress on my Springtime Resolution. We’ve spent some money on eating out this month. But we’re hovering right around $160 for the month, whereas last month we were at about $430. So I definitely feel like we’ve made HUGE strides at decreasing that expenditure in our budget. I think if we just keep on the track we’re on, we’ll make it through this month and be able to head into June with the goal of knocking that amount down even more.

The hubby and I are doing much better than my last post too. I think that we’re both learning to start living for the here and now, not CONSTANTLY looking for what’s next up on our road. There’s room for improvement, but we’re getting there. I think we’re actually getting along better now than we ever have.

The house is still up for sale which is rather depressing to me, as is the fact that the house we want has now officially been priced out of what we can afford. So we’re trying to examine our options. We thought about seeing if we could rent the house we want for a year to pay down some of our debt, etc., but I’m not sure if that’s going to work because we would have to pay less than market value for rent, and I don’t feel ok about that. I’ve started looking at other houses that are on the market, but since our house appears to not be going anywhere anytime soon, I’m not really getting my hopes up. I’ve even gotten to the point where I’m looking at those places that say they’ll buy any house in any condition for a fair price. Actually, I e-mailed one today, so we’ll see if they respond. I’m starting to wonder if this is God telling us that moving right now isn’t a good idea. I thought that everything was going to just line up and fall into place, and it’s far from having done that. Guess we’ll wait and see.

So true!

2006-05-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

I read this the other day in some email I get from MomsTown Reality Radio (don't know how I got on the mailing list) - but I absolutely loved this persons perspective on what's popular and approved of in our culture. All comments welcome:

TIRED OF POP TARTS?

Out of respect for our daughters, future daughter-in-laws and women in general we feel compelled to take a stand against pop tarts. What's a 'pop tart?' you might be wondering. They are the girls (we hesitate to call them women due to a lack of maturity) we see in the media every day. They are thegirls our girls are exposed to on television, online, in magazines, and on the radio. They are the young women who, even born with a silver spoon, choose to behave badly on a regular basis for the return of fame and more money. They are dripping in couture, accessory dogs, and 'look at me' attitudes. What message are they sending to our young girls and boys? Do we want our girls to aspire to these shallow depths and our boys to date (and God forbid) marry a pop tart?

We believe, and correct us please if we're wrong, that it's better to be known by 10 people as a woman of quality and substance than to be known by millions as a pop tart. Now you might be thinking this is the ranting of a couple of feminist women, prudish moms, and what-have-you. Whatever we might be labeled we believe it's time someone takes a stand on the side of integrity, and on the side of women and girls who don't want to be force-fed unhealthy pastries.
True beauty is smart, confident, poised, and articulate. True beauty is as unique as each individual. It is our belief that there is a beautiful woman growing inside each girl. It is up to us to protect them and teach them the difference between smart and tart. It's okay to voice your opinion, take a stand, and have your own style. Following the latest craze, the fad, and posting unkind words or inappropriate pictures in MySpace.com is not the way to achieve long-lasting beauty or the kind of attention they might really be wanting.

Now that we've stated the problem, how do we, as a society, fix it? We hear from moms and dads about the pressures being put on our youngsters. It's the kind of peer pressure we never experienced. First, would be to teach our children they are better than that behavior, not that they're better than someone else. As Grandpa used to say, "You ain't better than nobody, and ain't nobody better than you."

As a parent, watch the trends. We don't want our kids to get caught up in the bling of tart culture. Be aware, be educated, and know what is going on in your kids' world.

This is in no way an attempt to stifle creativity or take away the right to express, however, a Chihuahua is a pet, not a brooch, and deserves to be treated as a loved member of the family, not an accessory. We're not going PETA on you, but come on let's get real, let's celebrate smart girls withstyle not stupid girls with an "I'm better than you" attitude.

Springtime Resolutions

2006-04-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

I was reading on my friend Rachel's blog and found it hilarious that she and Adam are taking the same challenge that Tom and I are for the month of May - spending no money except on groceries and bills! :) Apparently great minds think a like!

We've started clearing out a lot of the junk in our house, and have come up with PILES of garbage to get rid of. I've got about 5 bags of clothing to donate, and a few select items that I've been putting up on ebay and giving to friends. So far, so good. It's rather cathartic to get rid of all this crap that's litterally clouded our entire home. At this point, even if it doesn't sell, our house will be a much better place to live! Even our animals are behaving better - knock on every piece of wood I can find! We even found a way to re-hang our storm door on the other side, so that it's firmly attached to the door frame and if the wind catches it, it will be closing it, not breaking the hinges! So that saved us quite a bit of money.

I'm still terrified that our house isn't going to sell. Our realtor e-mailed me yesterday and said that the houses in our neighborhood are averaging 6 months to sell. That's not bad in the grand scheme of things, but considering that we know where we want to go, and I don't want to make Gret's dad wait that long, it's not very good news. I talked to one of our neighbors last night and she said that theirs has been on the market for over a year. I personally think it's priced too high, but it does have a finished basement and a really nice deck, so who knows. I'm trying very hard to just have the faith that God will bring us the right buyer at the right time with the right amount of money!

YAY!

2006-04-19T12:35:00.000-05:00

Our house is officially up for sale! :) We still have a lot of cleaning and organizing to do, but for the most part, we're ready to go. There's a little "New Listing" sign in our front yard. I'm really excited - extremely nervous, but really excited. I hope that it sells quickly and for what we're asking, so that we can get out of it without owing anything, and I hope that we will qualify for a new loan to get the house we’re looking at.

I know that if we don’t get the house we want, we’ll find something, but this house would be perfect. It’s my best friend’s dad’s house, and it’s about 10 minutes from where both of us work. It’s closer to all our friends and all the places we go to hang out, grocery shop, etc. Plus the bike trail is less than a block away, so we could go ride a lot. I’ll post pictures of our house soon.

Personality Test

2006-03-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

My friend Rachel had this test on her blog - so I took it. Here are my results:

Advanced Global Personality Test Results

Extraversion		43%
Stability		50%
Orderliness		46%
Accommodation		50%
Interdependence		70%
Intellectual		23%
Mystical		16%
Artistic		56%
Religious		90%
Hedonism		43%
Materialism		30%
Narcissism		30%
Adventurousness		10%
Work ethic		76%
Self absorbed		36%
Conflict seeking		30%
Need to dominate		30%

Romantic		36%
Avoidant		23%
Anti-authority		70%
Wealth		56%
Dependency		23%
Change averse		56%
Cautiousness		63%
Individuality		56%
Sexuality		56%
Peter pan complex		36%
Physical security		90%
Physical Fitness		17%
Histrionic		23%
Paranoia		36%
Vanity		10%
Hypersensitivity		50%
Female cliche		30%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

New Year's Resolutions

2006-01-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a page out of my friend Rachel's blog and attempting to document my New Year's Resolutions. They're nothing much really, but I'm hoping that by at least putting them in writing that it will serve as motivation when the year starts to lag.

1. Spend more time devoted to God, going to church, and in a quiet time.

2. Keep the rooms clean that are already clean, and clean the rooms that need cleaned - then keep them all cleaned!

3. Find a new job - at least to the extent that I have any control over it.

4. Diminish our debt load as much as possible and make smart shopping/spending decisions.

5. Continue learning about organic food and healthy lifestyle decisions.

6. Continue to eat healthy and get back into the habit of working out daily.

7. Keep working on building my relationship with my husband, and working to be a Godly wife for him.

So that's definitely plenty I think. All of them are important, and I truly hope that by the end of the year I've made a successful attempt at all of them.

Turkey Day Follow Up

2005-12-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

So Turkey day was a wonderful success. We had so much fun this past weekend. Being down in Kentucky really made me realize how much I miss that area, and how much I miss our friends that are down there. Adam and Rachel’s baby Jude has grown so much. And he’s so fun to be around. I would give just about anything to find a job down there for me and Tom, move and start over. Not that the bad things would all go away, but it would be awesome to live down there again. Part of me feels like I’m just trying to run away from everything. But I also remember how much I enjoyed living down there, the people that live down there and I know how much I miss my friends. It seemed like Tom enjoyed being down there too, and I know he has some good friends there that he’d like to be able to see more often. Sometimes the whole “just four more years” thing is a little daunting and makes it feel like being in Columbus is a prison sentence.

It begins again

2005-11-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

A blog again. I used to have an online journal of sorts, long before blogs became the rage. It documented most of my freshman year of college before I pulled it down. So I've jumped back onto the online bandwagon and am trying this again. I don't have a direction at this point. My desire is to express the thoughts, emotions, etc. that I experience daily, and to delve into my dreams, ideals, and hopes for the future.