My witness is the open sky

Here's something that's worth a chuckle: Stay married, it's better for the planet. Or, you know, couples could just live together in sin to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. I'll never understand the compulsion to marry. I only did it to appease the S.O. and I swear, I see no difference in being married vs. living together. Apparently, we're more ecologically conscious, so go us. In California, land of the grow-op, they want to tax pot. If that idea comes to B.C., we'll be in big trouble. We already pay an exorbitant amount of taxes. Our astronomical property taxes are due this month and it makes me want to become a libertarian. Just kidding.

It's Mardi Gras season, break out your beads and get ready for some fun. I shall be posting fattening recipes for you to enjoy soon.

I've been busy as a bee lately. The wee one's birthday is tomorrow so I've been on Mommy overdrive. He's going to be five! Holy hell! I feel like I've stepped into a time warp and everyone has gotten older except for me. I still feel 25, although I know I don't look it. Time, time, time... It slips away if you're not careful.

On a much belated note, here are some pics from Road Trip '08. They are mostly landscapes taken from the RV. The family pics are up at flickr. I'm proud of myself: it only took me a month to post them. Ha!

The first place we hit was Seattle. We naively thought we were leaving behind the chilly weather, only to be faced with a snowstorm.

We could hear laughter and screams as kids (and adults too) sledded down the street.

It was beautiful, although not too much fun to drive through. I was very thankful that we owned a vehicle with four-wheel drive. I also thanked the genius who came up with such an invention.

We then made our way through Oregon and into Nevada, land of the kitschy wedding ceremony. Every time we go there, I have an urge to get hitched again in as tacky a way as possible. Hey, if you're going to get married you might as well have fun doing it.


This was taken outside The Luxor on The Strip. Snow on the Vegas Strip. Ha! It was funny, most people there were shocked by the weather. It's Vegas! You don't see snow there very often.



It wasn't all floor shows and gambling. We actually did some holiday things while were we there. They had a public menorah lighting. It had a distinctive Vegas feel to it. They had dancing Rabbis and fireworks. It was definitely unique.


After Vegas, We made our way to Arizona. They had snow there too, but it melted very quickly. Yay for that Southwestern warmth.



We took the kids to another menorah lighting, this one was much more traditional. It was serene and peaceful. No fireworks or dancing Rabbis, thankfully.


We took the boys to a puppet show. Elisabeth declared she was too old for such things. Good grief. It was fun to watch and the puppets were visually very beautiful. It made me wonder who was responsible for painting their faces.


We also went to a tree lighting ceremony, followed by a train ride. They had a replica of the Polar Express, which Ian gleefully rode (3 times).

Then we were on our way to New Mexico to holiday with friends. What a great and surprising trip it was. Much preferable to the regular holiday stress I'm usually prone to. For the first year in many, I've had no holiday depression. It's easier when I'm away from all the insistent holiday cheer. It's much easier when I'm just with family.


Despite the crazy weather, it was a wonderful trip. I'm reminded of a Steinbeck quote: "A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it."