Oh Canada!

I left the country this weekend. I had the honor of being a youth leader on a five-day round trip to Canada... and yes, I use the word 'honor' because these guys flippin ROCK! It's been a while since I had such uncanny amounts of fun. These kids seriously made me laugh like nobody's buisness and reminded me what it's like to feel like you can change the world.

We attended a conference in Edmonton and went to like twenty concerts and suddenly I'm a fan of all these punk little Christian bands like Stellar Kart, Thousand Foot Krutch and an artist known as Chris Tomlin (I was already a fan, but now I'm seriously in love). My favorite part was being crammed in a van choc-full of rowdy, sweaty, loud and obnoxious teenagers screaming and dancing and rocking the entire way back to the hotel after each night... then of course the wedgies, fart noises and freshman boys harrassing all the girls on the trip. It makes me so happy! I will be helping out with my youth group this entire summer, so I'm sure I'll have some other stories along the way... stay tuned.

Astaire way to Heaven

I just fell in love with Fred Astaire. I mean seriously the man was a genius. He may be everything I've ever looked for in a guy. Wealthy, well dressed, musical, hilarious and all importantly a phenominal tap dancer... too bad he's like eighty years my senior and passed away when I was three.

I think when I adopt a baby boy (from a nation south of the border) I will name him Diego. But then maybe his middle name will be Fred... Oh, scratch that. Freds are the guys you meet with handlebar mustaches in Flying J truck stops. I'd name him Astaire... Diego Astaire.
Maybe I'd call him Tairey for short.
Or As...oh, scratch that too. No child of mine will have profanity for a nickname.

Anyway, perhaps I will choose NOT to be one of those moms who was obsessed with a deceased movie star when they name their children so that my son won't bear the scars of trying to live up to the glamorous legend that was 'Astaire'. But it's fun to think about and it's fun to be in love...

Sexy Jessi

My friends are leaving for Slovakia tomorrow for a missions trip. I'm loosing my friend Jess to the nation for the entire summer. I'm going to miss her very much. In order to send her off properly I wanted to devote an entire 'blog' in her honor. So I looked up an old journal entry I had concerning her: here it goes...

"My friend, Jess is beautiful. I have never met anyone as quirky, cute, inspirational, sensitive, loving and thoughtful as this girl. I love her to death. She is always there for me, quick to listen, full of concern. I've never seen her be selfish or self righteous. I adore her completely. Even at times when she is desperately controversial. She has an opinion on everything and a very valid reason for liking/disliking/being freaked out by each possible topic of interest. It basically has changed my outlook on life and the humor that lies within. Tonight I had dinner with Jess and for the first time in two weeks I felt encouraged. I needed a friend like Jess tonight and I think that she may be a treasure and a gem that my life has lacked for sometime now. I don't know what I'd do without her. She's great. Anyway, this evening she talked about going on bike rides in the summer just to get herself lost. She'd ride around trailer parks just to feel like she was in Russia again. She just loved to ride until she got these 'feelings' and then she could go home. I was intrigued. The only time I have ever done that is never. I want to be the person who just goes and does whatever until it feels funny. Until it makes me feel new and refreshed. I don't take such vacations very often. Perhaps now I shall..."

Jess, have an amazing time in Slovakia. I hope you have the most amazing time EVER. But please know you'll be missed severely. You are loved!

Saddle up.

I think I've retorted once already how much I enjoy this hippy community called Missoula, but last week gave me another reason to celebrate it's unique culture. For the sixtieth time this year it was walk/bike/bus week. For those of you out-of-towners, this is where the entire city promotes alternative means of transportation and severely condones the use of any other vehicle besides the bio-bus that consumes old McDonald's fry-juice for fuel. Ordinarily I can't keep track of the frequency by which our city holds these events so I simply drive my car year round, regardless of the icy stares of pedestrians strewn about this activist town.

Last week however, I participated. I'd love to say it was because I saw the value a car-fast would have on the quality of the o-zone layer, but I unfortunately have to report it was simply because I couldn't afford gas. The ridiculous price of fuel forced me to pedal along with the thousands of unshaven bikers in a not-so-deliberate-participation-of-the-walk-bike-bus-run-slackrope-pogo stick-tie yourself to the back of a sea turtle (thanks Jamie Kelly) week.

The only thing that I discovered over the process was that bicycles are terribly dangerous. I think I was almost wiped out by two SUVs, one BIO-BUS, four Hondas and a rather portly professor on a Schwin. Perhaps the next time Missoula throws an alternative mode of transportation fiesta, they should teach non-participants how to drive. Or they should provide me with another kind of bike... a Harley-Davidson. Now that's the kind of activist week I could REALLY get into...