Update:

I just realized that it's be a week since I last posted. Sheesh... Well, I have been rather busy. I've been trying to work hard and earn some money (which has been going well) and develop my own identity (website etc.) as a designer (which has NOT been going well.)

I've been struggling since the beginning with trying to represent my talents as a designer, mostly because I'm still a little unsure of what my specialty is and what my personal style is. I'm slowly starting to figure it out, but having my portfolio up is still a ways off.

This afternoon, Gillian and I are going to see the matinee showing of "Spamalot". You'll remember that I first saw this play in NYC two years ago and it was hilarious... I'm really looking forward to seeing it again.

Last night Tim planned a fun night out for us and took me to the Aquarium. While I get the "tourist trap" feeling of the place, I really do enjoy all the displays. We had a wonderful time. We ate dinner at the restaurant there (not something I recommend, very pricey and not that delicious) it was really cool to be next to the giant fish tank (150,000 gallons) and as we're sitting there, Tim goes "Oh Erin, look a SHARK!". Naturally I'd only seen little fish up until that point and I thought he was joking, I turn and there is this GIANT shark looking right at me. I almost fell out of my chair. Tim thought it was pretty funny.... Anyway, we had a great night.

For the last month or so I've been steadily accumulating little items here and there for my Halloween Party. The party is now less than a month away and I am going into full on Halloween mode. I plan on putting up most of my house decorations starting this weekend. I can't wait! It's such a magical time of year to me. Especially now, we're closer to downtown and all the lovely old trees on our street are starting to change color, that brisk fall smell in the air.... Oh, it's TRULY my favorite time of year. It's a lovely morning out today, and I think I'm going to pop down to St. Marks and get some hot cider!

The Wind: A different point of view...

The Anniversary of my Divorce...

I don't mean to confuse, the divorce that I speak of wasn't from a person. A divorce from an organization that you've heard me mention before. An organization with strict policies about everything from belief, dress, activities of every kind and a framework that encourages mindless obedience to dated rituals.

About 2 years ago this month was when I separated from the Air Force. I remember being so terrified of the choice and suffered from insomnia almost every night that lead up to the end. Everyone did their best to comfort me and remind me that I wasn't alone, but as much as I hated the military and everything it stood for, I still felt a loyalty to the cause that I couldn't quite explain.

Perhaps it's the same way for women in abusive relationships. I knew that my survival depended on exiting but I was full of guilt and felt disloyal to the units that had supported and cared for me all those years. I still feel guilty about not deploying, and I still feel a twinge of regret when I see a person in uniform. The confidence and self-importance the military way of life bestows upon even it's lowest ranking individuals is a boon to anyone who suffers from low self esteem.

But it also encourages bad habits, and it provides an ideal climate for youthful misadventures to continue unabated for extended periods of time. The lack of connection between the constantly rotating casts of friends and cohorts in your life makes it easy to treat people badly and rarely to be faced with the consequences, since either you or your victim will transfer out eventually, apologies are rarely required.

Most girls from a sheltered and religious background (such as mine) are swallowed up by the filth that masquerades as "life" while on duty. Far away from parents and positive role models, it's easy to assume that the whole world operates on some other sort of moral parallel. Even the people who were supposed to looking out for us were too busy exploiting us for their own desires.

I could say that I learned a lot while I was in, and it would be true. I learned that I can be strong, and control my own life and make good choices. But I also learned that everyone has their own agenda, and you can't depend on the world to care about you. There is something so transient about that military lifestyle, and you couldn't pay me to ever go back. I think that having family and a solid set of friends requires you to be responsible and accountable for your actions.

My life has changed drastically in the past 2 years since I left the Air Force, and I continue to learn valuable life lessons. More importantly though, is the freedom I have now.

~erin

The Colorado English Motoring Conclave

Gillian, Alison and I all went up to the Colorado English Motoring Conclave this morning for a "vintage" photoshoot. Joe & Megan took pictures with their fancy new Pentax and Tim took a few snapshots on our little camera. This photo is one that he took, and I'll upload the rest on Flickr sometime this afternoon.

It was LOADS of fun. The girls and I were all dressed up and lots of sweet little old ladies and men stopped us to get photos in front of all the wonderful old cars. Tim met some people that had a cream colored Morris Minor very similar to his first car, so he got to "talk shop" with them for a while.

It was a beautiful day and wonderful experience. It was nice to test run one of my vintage outfits before we pack up everything for Viva Las Vegas next spring. Thanks to Joe & Megan, we had a great time!

EAT YOUR BELIEFS!

If you are in my circle of friends, then you've probably heard me talk about The Omnivores Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. This is an amazing book that is all about the anatomy of a meal, whether it be from a Supermarket, a "Big" Organic market (i.e. Whole Foods), Sustainable Markets (local farms and food Co-ops) and the Hunted/Gathered meal. It is a phenomenally interesting read and I highly recommend it to everyone.

I've already mailed a copy to my father, who, by the way, is ahead of the curve by growing his own fruits and vegetables in his garden and raising free-range, worm-eating, grass-pecking, happy, little, chickens for their delicious eggs. Incidentally, they do not eat the chickens because they are my mom's pets and that sort of thing is NOT allowed. ;)

Tim and I first read this book last year and although we were already planning to do what we could about shrinking our eco-footprint, through reading this book we realized that there was much more to be done in terms of what we consume on a daily basis. Gas, (which we have managed to limit to about a tank a month now that I'm not commuting on a daily basis.) Energy, and Food are the immediate things we are trying to affect.

I have done a lot of research about our local area and we have been hitting up our local farmers markets for our weekly produce and sometimes even meats every Saturday and Sunday. I shop for other things at the regular supermarket but I am making a huge effort to limit consumption of landfill items. Our building doesn't do recycling but it has occurred to us that if we sort out our recycling, the bums that frequent our alley will pick that stuff up and turn it in. Curbside service! What a symbiosis! ;)
We also discovered just this past week that both of us were using a face wash that has tiny little exfoliants that are made from polymers. These things are washing down the drain every day and ending up in the water. It can make you crazy thinking about all the ways in which we are failing the environment every day. That being said, my dad put it to me this way once; You can only do the best with what you've been given. If you make the right choice as often as you can, then you can feel good knowing that you're doing more than most people.

Hence the spreading of this knowledge. I am trying to share my desire with everyone I know, and I realize this is a relatively un-funny, slightly boring post (so if you've read this far, I thank you) but I can say that making the extra effort to find and serve locally grown organic foods makes our day to day lives WAY more interesting.

Using things in season creatively requires research. Riding our bikes across town to find organic local mushrooms (instead of going just down the street for organic ones that are flown in from California) may not seem like fun, but actually it was a gorgeous day and we both relished the idea that we were spending our own energy to do the right thing. (If this was the South Park show, this is the part where we'd sniff our own farts and pat each other on the back saying "Good for yeeeewwww!")

Long story short, I've done some searching for ways to help our local organic farms. I have a few links that might be helpful to anyone reading this who is interested in getting involved:

http://www.eatwellguide.org/
This will help you find all the local farms, restaurants, and markets who sell organic produce.

http://www.localharvest.org/
This is also a great site to connect with local farmers and markets.

So, see if your friends want to go in a locally grown side of beef, or buy a share in a local farm...

Oh and don't forget to read The Omnivores Dilemma, it explains this whole picture far more eloquently then I ever could.

Thanks for listening,
~erin

Ah memories...

I did some computer house cleaning and came across the rest of the photos of Tim's birthday LAST summer. We all went camping at Rocky Mountain National Park and went hiking. More photos here...

Top 5 Albums (right now)

John Mayer - Room For Squares (Aware Records Version)
Beck - Sea Change
Pink Martini - Hang On Little Tomato
Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
Jeff Buckley - Grace

(coming soon: Top 5 Soundtrack Albums... oooh, that'll be hard!)

Is it fair?

I've held off on posting my feelings on this particular subject because I didn't want to be seen as gloating or self-righteous, but I can't hold it in anymore.

My whole life (while it has had some bright spots) has been mostly about trying to make the most of a bad situation... A job I didn't like, a location that was less then fabulous, a relationship that was going nowhere. Since I married Tim, almost everything in my life improved immensely. I mean, he changed my life in a radical way that turned me around on almost every level.

So, here I am... Living the life I've always wanted. Nothing too extravagant... a nice apartment in a great neighborhood, wonderful places to ride my bike, terrific company in the form of my husband and friends... I feel like I'm learning more every day about the world, and I'm even going to get to go to Paris in the Spring. Working from home... busy enough to keep me entertained, but not so swamped I'm losing my mind. Cooking wonderful dinners, enjoying my kitties....

I don't want to be struck by lightening for saying this, but DAMN, my life is GRAND. I am so grateful for everything! I swear this post sounds like I'm high or something... hahahaha.... It's just a gorgeous fall day, and we had a terrific ride to the farmer's market to pick up from produce for dinner and I'm just overwhelmed with appreciation for this time and space that I find myself.

That's all for now.... Hope you're all having a lovely weekend.
~erin

Yay! We're fabulous...

Those are candy cigarettes, I swear!

This is not a political blog...

That being said, I keep seeing things and reading things that irrevocably set my mind to the future of this country. I care about my current home, Colorado, but the problems we face here pale in comparison to the social and economic dilemmas facing Oregonians.

I am constantly reminded of my home state and the epic battle being waged on cheap drugs and joblessness. Beyond that, there is also the troubling disappearance of forests in the coastal range, which have long been considered the crown jewel of Oregon's natural beauty.

One of my friends, Karim Shumaker, recently forwarded me a link to an article that talks about the trouble with timber in the Northwest. Click here to read it... I think this article is thought provoking and sheds some light on this important issue.

* WE NOW RETURN TO THE ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED BROADCAST OF "PHOTOS OF MY CATS" *

Back to the Grind...

Well, we made it back from OKC in one piece with only a few setbacks. The biggest one was that I lost my wedding ring. :( I have looked high and low... I took it off at the Lake House (I've been getting little itchy bumps on my finger under the ring...) and I can't find it now. My sister-in-law is going to go check the Lake House for it, so hopefully it will turn up. I feel awful. I am usually very good about keeping track of things...

UPDATE: I found my ring! It was inside my box of business cards. I have NO IDEA how that happened, but I suspect there was Gin involved. Whew! What a relief!

Anyway, so other than that dark spot, the rest of the trip was lots of fun. Click here for photos...

We fly home tomorrow. More pictures to come... See you all soon!