Ben & Shae Cecka's family in Gilbert, AZ

This afternoon we went down to celebrate JRR Tolkien’s birthday with the good people at McMenamins Kennedy School. It’s an old elementary school that has been transformed into a hotel, laden with local art and a pub in the old Detention room. To top the whole thing off, the Willamatte Radio Workshop put on a true, on-stage, radio performance of The Hobbit! Complete with sound effects throughout, music, audience participation, and a costume contest during the intermission. Of course, everyone in the contest tied.

When we walked up to the room where the performance was to take place, we were greeted by two skinny, sneaker wearing hobbits who were tying balloons for kids and offering to teach them to juggle. Last year they wore no shoes but were forced to this year because of the Health Department, or so they said. Johnathan even got a private show by a man walking around in a Mad Hatter hat, twirling four crystal balls in his hand. He was enthralled… for about 45 seconds, which tells us clearly that this man was good! The events go all day long, starting with the entire trilogy at 9am in a theatre in the hotel. Maybe next year we can try to catch one of them too!

Beloved Friends and Family,

We would like to first extend our warmest wishes to all as you enter into this auspicious new year. The one now past has likely brought many of us love, regret, joy, sorrow, life, and maybe even death. And yet we can always count on time to blossom the first spring flower, year after year. Max Frisch once said, “Time does not change us. It just unfolds us.” We’d like to take a few moments and share with you just how our lives have unfolded through the past rotation of the cosmos.

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We made it! Today I wrote the check that would assault our savings account and pay for my trip to Prague (Czech republic) with Ben. We are so excited!!! Thank you to everyone that helped make this possible: all our family members that donated money, Merlinda who found me extra jobs, and my clients that pay me well and treat me even better. We could not have done it without all of your help!

And of course- a special thank you to my husband for all his hard work, and to Dave Kosloski & the Clark College Speech and Debate Team- Thank you so much for this awesome opportunity and for letting me tag along!

A few weeks ago a group of us went to see Sage Francis and company at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. The tour was promoting a website at knowmore.org. This site is essentially a corporation watchdog in the format of a “wiki”. Meaning: a site that is editable by anyone that comes by; Meaning: everyone can put in their two cents about any company they want to; Meaning: A collaborative effort of the informed masses to pay attention to which businesses we decide to open our wallets to.

Every time we open our wallets, we are voting and essentially investing and agreeing into that company’s policies, political views, ethics, and other worldwide impacts. I think it’s very important that we all take a look at exactly what these businesses are doing around the globe. Then, and only then, can we decide who we should support. Consumers have the power. Without us, they don’t exist.