So, Gary came in for his birthday this weekend. We camped in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect and we got to see the elk. They bugled all night long. We had a lovely hike out to Emerald Lake and saw lots of fall color. It was great. Sunday night we went to an Italian dinner fundraiser for the Central City Opera House. It was actually quite fun. We had a nice al fresco five course dinner and met several interesting people including the property manager for the Belmar development and the Vice President from the Denver Tourism bureau. As a souvenir, each guest got to take home a lovely Italian handpainted dish. Two of our dinner companions gave us theirs to take home as a gift so we ended up with four. It was such a lovely spontaneous generous gesture. And now we have four plates to entertain with. They look like the dish above...
What a nice weekend.

I'm not entirely sure this fits me because I could have put multiple answers. But it's fun...

You Belong in Paris Stylish and a little sassy, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine, the men! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth What City Do You Belong in? Take This Quiz :-) Find the Love of Your Life (and More Love Quizzes) at Your New Romance.

So, I got this quiz from a friend that listed 237 different movies. You were supposed to make a mark next to each movie that you had seen. If you had seen more than 70, then you classified as a "movie whore." Well, I had seen 170 out of 237. My friend Greg says that makes me a "movie whoreHOUSE."

I have this new game that I have started playing called "bumper sticker culture." When Gary and I are driving around and we see a car with bumper stickers on it, we try to draw inferences about the owner of the car. Of course, this is stereotyping, but I think you can still be pretty accurate. This is a very bad case of stereotyping but if I see a large SUV with yellow ribbons etc all over it, then I think "Republican Soccer Mom." If I see a Volkswagon Beetle with environmental stickers on it I think "Boulder hippie." It's really quite fun. Some people are more difficult than others. Such as the car that has pro-environment and pro-choice stickers on it but then has a "Re-elect Bush" sticker as well. Hmmm...

Next time you are driving around, try it. It's pretty fun.

I haven't had time to check in lately. Before I offer my thoughts for today, I'd like to make a brief comment about the whole Roberts situation.

While it is not unusual for a Supreme Court candidate to have his/her own agendas, I think Roberts agenda in targeting Roe v. Wade is very clear. He has always been very vocal about this. Anyone who follows the news at all knows that Roberts is the nominee for Supreme Court Justice replacing Rehnquist. And it is correct that it will be an ultra-conservative replacing another conservative. What makes this difficult is that O'Connor also left. So, it is also correct that the next nomination will be key. However, it is highly unlikely that the President will nominate a moderate candidate. So, we have one candidate with a very clear agenda in place and the potential of another very conservative candidate. I would personally not want an entirely liberal Supreme Court just as I do not want an entirely conservative one. I think it is important to have a variety of opinions in there to give more balanced and representative decisions. I just wish we could get some more moderate people in there.

So, it appears that Hurricane Rita will touch down near Galveston on Tuesday. I'm glad to see that it seems people are learning from Katrina and making better preparations. I know there have been many complaints about the handling of situations surrounding the lastest tragedy from the government to the aid organizations. Some people have said they will no longer support the Red Cross because of the problems that have occurred with their system. I am of the opinion that we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. I feel the same way about government. Sure, if you are unhappy with a system you can go participate in another one. Or move to another country. But why not work to effect change from within? Isn't it better to learn from our mistakes and try to improve things in the future? Kind of like what they do with software. Red Cross version 4.5 Or better yet, the United States of America version 17.76 I think we can do it. We just have to keep working and not give up. Don't get disillusioned. This is still a great country. And if we get involved, it can get even better.

I was listening to NPR this morning and I'm getting more and more anxious about the prospect of John Roberts becoming the next Supreme Court Justice. He is going to roll right in and reverse Roe v Wade. I just know it. And I'm not sure that people really understand the consequences of that.

First of all, I am NOT a proponent of abortion. I'm not sure anyone is. I am adopted so the idea of abortion is very difficult for me. It's not something that I could ever do. I am a big supporter of sex education as a preventative measure. Of course, most conservatives won't let us have that either. The main problem with saying that a woman does not have the right to decide what to do with her own body is that is sets a dangerous precedent. We could slide down that slippery slope to things like not being able to decide whether or not you can die with dignity. Or, in an extreme case, in Guatemala the government has been systematically sterilizing indigenous women. That is a perfect example of the government being able to decide what women can or cannot do with their own bodies. Do we really want to go down that road? How much personal autonomy does an individual have when it comes it his/her own body?

And do we want John Roberts to decide that for us?

So, the wedding planning continues. This is quite an undertaking as I knew it would be. But I just really want the chance to stand up with Gary in front of God and those dearest to us and make our vows to each other. I like the idea of having witnesses to that. Plus, it includes your loved ones in the whole process. I think we are going to make sure and have a part of the ceremony that asks our guests to make a vow with us. After all, you look to the people in your life to support and encourage you in everything you do, right?

We finally found a photographer and I'm pretty happy about it. If we can just get a florist and, most importantly, an officiant by the end of the year, then I will feel like we are in a good place. The officiant is kind of tough. We both really want an ordained minister but we need a ceremony that will reflect both of our beliefs. I think we can do it. It's just a matter of finding the time to interview all of these people. We found one woman we liked but she wanted $650 and that was just out of the question. There seems to be a real business in this whole officiant thing. Maybe that can be my new job. I'll get ordained online and start performing wedding ceremonies for $500 a pop. Sounds like fun.

Another baby arrival! My friends Dave and Lora just had their baby girl on Sept. 7.

Welcome to the world Grace Elizabeth! I can't wait to meet you!

Wow, Gary and I better jump on the baby wagon quick to keep up with the rest of you!

So, some days I work at the library when it is closed to catch up on some work and I love it. It's quiet and I can listen to NPR while I work. (I love NPR! You can learn so much from it. Especially on Science Fridays) Anyway, today I'm working on delivery and I just saw this CD called "Veggie Rocks!" Now, if you are familiar with VeggieTales you are going to love this. This CD has rockin' reinterpretations of famous VeggieTales song. Like one of my personal favorites, "I Love My Lips!" If you don't listen to the words, they almost sound like rock songs you would hear on the radio.

My friend Frank introduced me to VeggieTales in college and it caught on in our little group. I know it sounds crazy that a bunch of college students sat around watching VeggieTales but, hey, we were a unique group and VeggieTales are pretty great. Anyway, if you are a fan, definitely check out "Veggie Rocks!"

So, my uncle, who is right of conservative, sent me today not one...not two...but FOUR e-mails about how the President is getting a bad rap and he's doing a great job. Steam shot out of my head. But not why you think...

My uncle is the type of person to stick a yellow "Support Our Troops" ribbon on his SUV and be done with it. That, to him, is supporting our troops. There is nothing about sending them care packages or helping them to get home. Just driving around with a yellow ribbon on his car is enough. Just to say, "Hey, what a good patriot am I!"

Now, it appears that his idea of hurricane relief is to send out mass e-mails supporting the President. And it pisses me off. Instead of playing some political game about whose fault this is, why not concentrate on efforts to help the thousands of people and animals affected by this natural disaster? Do I think the President is doing a lousy job? Yes, I do. But then, I thought he did a lousy job with 9/11 too. HOWEVER, if the shoe were on the other foot and a Democrat were in office, the same game would be played. My uncle would be spending all of his time demonstrating how the President IS responsible and IS doing a terrible job. So, I choose not to play this ridiculous blame game.

My mother is a lifelong Democrat and she isn't out with a picket sign complaining about the President. She is out working 8 and 10 hour days at the Red Cross and Humane Society trying to help people. And I think that is an example we can all get behind no matter what side of the political fence we stand on.

So, I'm going to the Children's Hospital tonight for my new and improved storytime. We'll be having a theme for each month with stories and a craft. Tonight, we'll be doing "Reading is Fun!" with books about...books and a then a make-your-own bookmark craft. I hope the kids like it. This is part of my efforts as the Volunteer Opportunities Coordinator for the Board of Directors of the Young Fund. It's going pretty well and I'll be sorry to leave it in January. But I'm sure there will be more opportunities in California.

I leave tomorrow morning for California and I will return Monday night. Gary and I will be meeting with photographers and officiants. Hopefully, we'll be able to find an officiant that we both like. I am most concerned about finding an officiant right now. But I know it will all come together. Gary cleaned out the guest bedroom for me so now I have my own room and I can start organizing and outfitting it. That will be fun. I'm looking forward to starting to create my "nest" in CA. I'll let you know how the visit went when I return. Have a great Labor Day!