We are here in Juneau finally. And I finally realized that I could try to see if there was an unsecured wireless connection around here since the hotel doesn’t offer one…only took me about 5 days to have that lightbulb go on over my head. Obviously, there is a connection. Thanks, Sandpiper Cafe.

I will catch up in the next couple of days, but I wanted to get my entry into my friend Phoe’s kick-ass contest since it ends tomorrow. Or today depending on your time zone me thinks.

Phoe wants to see what inspires her readers. With pictures. Even better. Sorry to my friends that have slower connections. I like to take pictures. I have the attention span of a gnat in regards to most things, so trying to narrow down my list of inspirations and keep it current was tough. I thought of this contest on the drive all the way through Canada on the way to Alaska. Shoot, I even started making lists with categories and subcategories. At the risk of getting too deep (one subject on the original list was religion), I am going to keep it pretty light-hearted. Because something new and shiny might come along and I will be drawn to it like the magpie that I am and totally forget where I was at or where I was going with that thought.

Travel

I love to travel. Have passport and map and I am ready to go. I am constantly amazed by people that go back to the same vacation spot year after year. It is such a big world out there and if it is possible, I highly recommend that you get your butt out there and experience it. I have been fortunate that DH also loves to travel and we are stable enough to be able to do so. In the past 5 years we have crossed the US & Canada by car, visited St. Lucia, Thailand, Australia, Japan, Philippines, islands in the Pacific including: Guam, Saipan, Rota and Tinian. Granted, we lived on Guam and Saipan, but I still count them. We have an even longer list of places that we would like to go.

While zipping through Minnesota/N. Dakota and Canada, we captured these views.

Creativity

I love the internets. I have found so much inspiration through blogs, groups and message boards. I have tried crafts that I never thought I would. I am constantly blown away by what people think of. Take my friend, Deece for example. She had an idea to make a soft book for babies & toddlers. She made this book for BTH and stitched it by hand…what a labor of love! BTH loves it and looked at it at least once a day while on our trip to Alaska. Oh yeah, it is in 3 different languages. Even more awesome!

New Stuff

I try to be thrify and a great tree hugger convert. I really do. I love to recycle things for crafts and find new uses for things, but there is a little part of me that really loves new stuff. Like new pretty smelly stuff and new tasty stuff. I get inspired by new things, especially smells and tastes. While we were at Banff, we stopped at the Lush store so I could stock up. Bath bombs, solid shampoos and bubble bar slices hopped into my basket eagerly (Karma is the new favorite scent). Lush products are great because they don’t test on animals, use natural ingredients and offer many vegan-friendly products. Plus the packaging is minimal. While in Galena, I found Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. How in the world did I ever miss this stuff before? The lavender scent is fabulous. And it lasts forever. Certified Fair Trade and Organic? Yes, please.

While we were at home, I found a french press for coffee at a discounted price. I had been reading rave reviews about these presses and was hoping that I would receive one as a present. Lucky me, I didn’t have to wait. I never want to have regular drip coffee again. There is such a huge difference in taste for sure. Plus, no filters to buy or get rid of, so it kinda fits into the tree hugger idea. And while we were home, I saw Tiramisu ice cream by Haagen Dazs. I never got a chance to buy any, so today while at the store here in Juneau, I searched the ice cream cooler for some. No luck. But I did come up with Sticky Toffee Pudding and DH found Carmelized Pear and Toasted Pecan. Holy moley. Sticky Toffee Pudding has made me forget that Tiramisu is even out there. I can see how a person can eat the whole container in one sitting. But I don’t need 1,000 extra calories even if I am eating for two (oh how I hate hate hate that old saying…you are never eating for two, just an excuse to over eat and not feel guilty).

Barack Obama

Yeah, he inspires me. He inspires me to hope that things will be better, that change is worth believing in, that it is possible to engage young, disenfranchised voters and get them excited and hopeful, that there are politicians that believe that we can make big changes to an old idea. I am bummed that I can’t put my Obama ‘08 sticker on my new van or a sign in the yard because of DH’s job, but I can still exercise my right to vote in November and hope to inspire others to learn more about both candidates and the issues.

Family

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family. Even though they are flung all over the country, I still feel connected. Gosh, I do so love the internets. I am extraordinarily blessed to have a wonderful DH and an awesome BTH. Did I ever imagine that I would be this lucky? Not in a million. My family inspires me to do good things, set good examples, learn more and pass on the knowledge that I have. My family inspires me to be the best person that I can. I am human and fail miserably from time to time, but I think that I would get a passing grade in general.

The tree hugger family

Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

July 2008

So, there you have it. Things that inspire me at the moment. Told in my rambling, sometimes nonsensical narrative that is totally discombobulated since it is beyond my bedtime. And because I am part magpie.

Until next time.

Peace.