Lot's O' News

Well, there's really a lot going on right now... we just got back from Northern California, visiting my mom and her friend Marion. Marion has a beautiful house in Pleasant Hill, surrounded by trees and woodsy creatures. While there, I took the family to see my first drum corps show in 15 years! Went to the Pacific Procession in San Jose. It wasn't exactly the greatest show, out of about 10 corps, only two were really worth seeing, Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara Vanguard. But, seeing SCV perform "Russian Christmas Music" live was incredible. They performed that piece in 1987 when I was in the Blue Knights, and that show has always been my favorite. When they played it last week in San Jose I got goosebumps - Patti said I was grinning like a little kid. I think the girls enjoyed it, too. They got Phantom Regiment T-shirts.

Patti and I have been doing some reading and studying about "healthy" living, and are trying to make some positive changes in our diets. I have been concerned for a long time about the toxicity of our food and environment, and Patti, since losing her mom to cancer recently, has become increasingly aware of these same issues.

So, we decided to make a gradual switch to a more "organic" diet. A trip to Trader Joe's the other day proved one thing: eating "better" is expensive! Oh, and another thing... kids are less receptive to healthier eating, especially after being innundated with sugars and chemicals since birth. The girls requested a "healthy" peanut butter cereal, and Hannah hated it. Eva, a bagel lover, took one bite of a sprouted wheat cinnamon/raisin bagel (with organic cream cheese) and complained about all the "nuts and stuff" in the bread. Ah well... I guess these things are an aquired taste.