Life has been busy in a really good way. I just spent the last week going into the city to watch films from the Banff Film Fesival World Tour. It was really fun. I always love seeing the mountain sport films, and this year I went each night. I'm also participating in the Climb For Life. There are several nights of festivities and many climbs to try. I hope to raise $500 for a good cause against Ovarian Cancer. John Hopkins research doctors are working really hard to find better cures to this disease and I am glad to help in my simple way.

I also got a speeding ticket in January, which costs me a lot of money. I had to hire a lawyer, since it was a reckless driving ticket. I didn't know this, but in Virginia that is equal to a DUI and is a misdemeanor on the record. I didn't want to have all that so I had to hire a lawyer. Fortunately, the judge dropped the charge down to speeding and I had a $100 charge. I guess it was good to hire the lawyer, but it has made money tight.

Last month I questioned whether I should make my two trips to visit family and friends. After thinking about it and constantly looking up plane fares, I found two prices that I couldn't refuse. The prices just kept going down and I knew that if I didn't buy the tickets it wouldn't ever happen. So this next weekend I will be heading down to Austin, Texas to visit some family. I am really looking forward to it. I haven't seen them all in so long. I think it will be fun to show the grown-up me. I think they will be surprised. Then for spring break I'm going to southern California to visit friends. I'm going to hike in Joshua Tree National Park and eat fish tacos from Wahoos. I can't wait. So even though I haven't posted in ages, I will soon have pictures of Texas...and I hear that Austin is hip city.