Thank You to All the Greedy People

I would like to just give a shout out and say thank you to all the wonderful, kind hearted and GREEDY people out there. Why, you ask? For one thing they have helped to bring down the cost of homes so that the prices reflect their actual value, instead of the inflated prices everyone bought them for. I might take that job I always wanted in California, although, probably not. I would just like to ask, who thinks to themselves, "Well, I don't need the bigger house that the real estate person says I should get and, well, that does sound expensive but, what the heck! I will buy the $400,000 house anyway."?! Those are the people who got us into this mess!
I get, at least once a month, a note from banks saying they will give me a credit card with a $20,000 credit limit. But hello,people, that DOESN'T mean I should go out and buy $20,000 worth of stuff on credit, that I won't be able to pay back. In this economic crisis, we shouldn't be blaming the banks we need to be blaming our own greed. We are supposed to be adults! The old saying "My brother made me do it!" doesn't work. Yes, the banks were dumb to loan money they didn't have while thinking that the more they lent out the more they would get back. But, still! Just because the salesman/banker says "Go ahead and get the bigger house, boat, or car!" doesn't mean you should. It is time to be adults and make your own choices.
Also, why is it always the government's fault when things go bad? I thought in America we had the freedom of choice in regards to what we do with our money and how we spend it. Maybe I just missed that day in civics class. And, if people REALLY want to go with the "lets pass the buck" mentality, and blame the government, they should realize that the Democrats have been in charge for the past two years! Isn't that when everything started going south? They were the ones in charge of all these committees and oversight hearings. What have they been doing?! Oh, that's right! They've been too busy having Congressional hearings over steroid use in baseball to spend time addressing the economic concerns they claim they have had for years!

I Guess That Makes Me the Campaign Manager

Since Erin, I mean Madam Future President Montague, has turned this into a political, I mean venting, blog for at least the next month or so, I thought I would "throw my hat in the ring". My thought for today is: Why should the federal government step in and help out Michigan and the American auto industry? They shouldn't. Why, you ask? Because it was there own #$% fault for not being like the foreign car companies and realizing that people don't want gas guzzling, poorly built, expensive cars. Hello FORD you have relied on your F-150 for too long and waited too long to change with the times. Not to mention the Focus, or, as I called it on my mission, the "weekly recall". I guess the car companies were just following our lead and letting someone else do their work for them.
There is a presidential candidate out there who is getting votes by appealing to out-of-work former factory workers, saying that the government will bring their jobs back to them! I am no economist, but aren't the companies' to blame for not running their business competitively to keep up with the competition? The government stepping in isn't going to solve a problem of bad management.
Also, News flash! A lot of the foreign car companies have plants in the US, so you can't use the outsourcing bit on this one. Also, as Erin can point out to you in more detail, we have moved on from a factory based economy. Factories are so 1800's! It is time for "Change". Not the same old jobs but higher paying ones!
This is my venting and I am sticking to it.

That Time of Year Again

Hey everyone who wants to go to the balloon fiesta in Albuquerque. It is more than a festival it is a fiesta. I know it is short notice but what the "heck". It is Oct. 4 and 5. No one has church meetings because it is conference weekend. Some of us out there haven't been to it in a long time but still remember good old Mr. Peanut balloon. They have updated the balloons from 20 years ago. Also, some of you may remember getting up nice and early for the morning events and also the always fun "After Glow" in the evening. All, I ask is that no one get lost this time if you come. Let me know via email. (Notice the Energizer Bunny being blown up behind Darthvader)

Musings...

Today it was only 97 degrees. That's right. The temperature did not break 100. Wonder of Wonders, Miracle of Miracles.

In other news...I made granola. Be impressed. I used to really like the Costco granola. Crunchy, fruity goodness. Tragically, they had to go and CHANGE the granola. The yummy dried cherries were replaced with...dried blueberries. YUCK. And, rather than keeping the yummy,crunchy sunflower seeds, they added....pumpkin seeds. Double YUCK. And to top it off, we decided not to renew our Costco membership (the lack of good granola was a significant deciding factor). So, I have been granola-less for many moons now. BUT-it occured to me that granola is simply oats mixed with some honey, butter, nuts and fruity goodness. I can do that. So I did. It was a little crumblier than I was hoping (note to self: more honey, less butter) but it tastes yummy. And, I only put in things I like. So there, Costco. Who needs your yucky old granola anyway!

In other, other news...I have decided to run for president. That's right. Erin for President 2020! There are many reasons for this, but mostly I have decided that the only way to be sure something is done right is to do it yourself, so that's exactly what I am going to do. So, VOTE ERIN! The campaign fund is also currently accepting donations. Please contact the ERIN FOR PRESIDENT committee for details. Between now and then I plan to become a "community organizer "(note to self: find out what that means), mayor of an insignificant small town in rural Nebraska (bonus points because Nebraska has never had a presidental candidate), a Senator (but, no worries, I will be certain to make sure I spend more than 2/3rds of my time as the people's representative campaigning for President-have to be sure to use my taxpayer financed $250,000 salary to NOT do my job), in my role as Senator I will also propose the most useless and ill advised immigration reform legislation in the history of mankind (this, apparently, means I am 'for change') and I will loudly and passionately decry the qualifications of my opponents, only to (OF COURSE!) turn around and say wonderful, glowing things about those opponents when it becomes politically expedient and I need to find a VP. Don't forget: VOTE ERIN 2020!

The Grand Canyon

Well all, we have returned from our Grand adventure! It did not go as planned, but it was super fun. Here are a few pictrs. We took 400. I won't subject you to all of them! Just the highlights. :-)

This is Isaac at the Grand Canyon Train Station. We were walking the South rim when a deluge let loose. We took refuge under the station patio-Isaac must have been thirsty or something! Look at the size of the raindrops!We were above the clouds! Watching the clouds move up and down the canyon walls was very cool.
There are a bunch of historic buildings right on the South rim. This is one of them, during a pause in the rain.
Isaac-when it FINALLY decided to stop raining!

Us! Yippee for self-timing cameras!