kidless halloween

Happy Halloween! We were boring this year and have no costumes to show for it.....but here's a few festive shots.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday! Pete and I took a spin this morning before work and thought we'd post a few pics of my new bike. For those of you who haven't met Ruby, here she is in all her beauty:


good form!


unlock those elbows!

cheeeese!


and this is me after my first week of riding: my poor bum!

i like my bike

Here is my new baby (thanks, Dan!). We call her Ruby. I have been looking at getting a road bike for about 8 years now and finally took the plunge. Pete took me on my first ride this morning and I almost biffed it when I got sucked in to a crack in the road (I forgot how skinny my tires are). Luckily my super-power balance skills came in handy.


And this is what happens when you ride clipless for the first time and lean the wrong way while stopping because you are stupid enough to forget which foot you unclipped.


I'm an idiot.

Don't worry.....Ruby's fine.

Out with the old, in with the new(er)!!

So this week Michelle decided that it was time that we get a new(er) vehicle. Of course it was a group decision, but Michelle is the only one with a job so she gets the ultimate say! The 1998 Accord has been having transmission problems ever since my brother Dan drove it (Wonder why?) I have been babying the transmission for about 3 years but it was finally time to let it go!
I posted the car on craigslist. 3 minutes after posting the car I got the first call about it, the guy on the other end said that he wanted to come over right away. He was at our house 15 minutes later, payed me cash, I signed the title over and made him sign a bill of sale stating that the car was being sold "AS IS" ( I am sure that it will not pass inspection or registration here in Arizona) and he left. All in all about 25 minutes, give or take a few. During this 25 minute time period and the 10 minutes following I had received about 40 phone calls. I was not able to answer them fast enough. As I was speaking to one person about it, I would miss 2-3 calls in the process. It was 30 minutes of MAYHEM. I think it was some sort of craigslist record! Good-bye 1998 Accord, you will be missed!Craigslist treated us well on both ends of the deal. Michelle is really good at researching on the internet, and was able to find us a great deal on a NEW(ER) car. Here "IT" is the newest member or the (Arizona) Dalton Gang! We are accepting "Name" and "Gender" options.
DONT CALL US-- WE ARE ON A DRIVE!

A Hand Up for Haiti

Hi Everyone.

I recently got back home from a medical relief mission to Haiti, to assist with the great medical needs of that country. I am very humbled by the situation down there. These people are in need of major help.

The medical group was a Christian group from North Carolina called "A Hand Up For Haiti" this group was founded by an Orthopedic Surgeon named Dr. Jerry Barron. There were many doctors, nurses, pharmacist, and other workers. I was very grateful to be counted among those chosen to join this group on their maiden voyage to this devastated country. We worked in Les Cayes Haiti which was not hit heavily by the earth quake but was one of the main areas that people fled trying to get out of Port Au Prince. We treated many earthquake victims that had not received any medical care since the quake (almost 2 months later) We also staffed a clinic in a local orphanage and treated the orphans as well as locals with minor illnesses. (Malaria, typhoid, colds, malnutrition and others) over the next week I hope to post a number of times relaying stories and experiences from the trip.

At the top of our blog there is a youtube window. Our group was followed by a PBS film crew that documented a few of the highlights from the trip and they were broadcast here in the US. There are 13 videos in the playlist. If you just hit play it will play through them all one by one, or you can choose an individual clip by clicking on the thumbnail. Hope that you enjoy them!

I heart Faces

I was reading the blog of a friend, when I noticed he entered a photo into a weekly contest.
I want to take more photos, so I thought I would follow his example and submit one.
Christmas '09