Archive for the 'Simplifying' Category

I’ve always loved bicycle culture. In fact, I’ve already blogged about it here. But I didn’t know how MUCH I would love riding a cruiser. I had a mountain bike for 10 years and I REALLY did not like riding it. It was uncomfortable and cumbersome with all the gears. So in April, we finally found a really nice cruiser on Craigslist (Giant “Simple” Cruiser) and my love affair began again.

My only way of transportation lately has been my bike, because Matt has had the truck at work for the last couple of months. If I wanted to go anywhere, it was either walking or biking. Bella, Lucy, and I have enjoyed touring Golden together. When my parents came to visit, we rented bikes so that we could all bike together. Those are beautiful memories that we will have forever! Such fun.

I love the simplicity of the single speed. Even with a 50 lb Burley trailer, it’s great (unless I’m going straight uphill!). There is nothing better than jumping on my cruiser, parking it at the cafe, and sitting outside to sip my steamy latte. I think I was supposed to be born European. I’ve been occasionally riding to the coffee shop after Matt gets home to do some work and I just adore riding at night when no one is out and I have the street all to myself. Bliss.

I recently realized that I have now spent more money on accessories for my cruiser than on the cruiser itself. But OH! I love it so. I had a custom Betty Basket Liner made, and got a delicious seat that I’ve been dreaming of since I saw it on a cruiser in Bozeman 2 years ago. And I can’t forget my little ding bell. *ding ding*

There is something about photos of cruiser bikes…I get so happy when I see them! So my request is that you post links to photos of you with your cruisers. Or links to photos of ANY cruiser! *love*

I also want you to tell me your favorite “bikeable” towns in the U.S. I want to go there!

“Life is not a sprint. Yet, we live in the land that values and even glorifies speed — mind numbing, adrenaline-churning, distracting, dangerous speed. And few families can sustain that pace over the long haul. Those that try end up with indicators that it’s time to slow down. Is that pace of life inevitable? I don’t think so, because as I look to Christ and try to discern in Scripture His pace, there’s something I can’t help but notice. Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry.”

-Excerpt from Not So Fast, by Ann Kroeker

Have you ever wished you could just SLOW IT ALL DOWN? Life moves so fast, and unless you are intentional about creating a slower pace, you will spiral out of control at the pace of your surrounding culture.

My friend, Ann Kroeker, has written a book called “Not So Fast: Slow Down Solutions for Frenzied Families” that talks about this phenomenon of the “over scheduling”of our families and our children. She explores this topic beautifully and offers practical wisdom on how to slow down your life so that you have more time for family, friends, and most importantly, Jesus.

I’ve really been enjoying her book (available in Kindle format too!)…and I love the she has featured excerpts from blogs that I know and love, including Andrea, Aimee, and there is even little blurb from me as well.

This giveaway will feature a signed copy of Ann’s book…the winner will be chosen at random on Monday at 12:00 CST. To enter:

• Leave a comment below and tell me one way that you have intentionally made a choice to slow down your life.
• For an extra entries, put a link back to this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter (and then do a second/third comment here that says “FB/Twitter”)
• You will get yet ANOTHER entry for posting about this giveaway on your own blog (add another comment here that says “blogged here” with a link).

I will be doing MANY MORE awesome giveaways over the next couple of weeks to celebrate Walk Slowly’s FOURTH birthday. Crazy, I know I can’t believe it’s been that long. So stay tuned for lots of fun stuff!

If you’ve ever taken steps to simplify your life or home, then you know that it’s not just a one time deal. It’s an on-going journey…one that takes diligence and commitment to maintain. There are lots of little tricks that you can implement to make it easier for you. In our family, one of the things we try to do weekly is a purge of our “extra stuff”. I’ve nicknamed it “Simplify Saturday”. You could pick your own catchy name. Like “Thrifty Thursday” or “I Want Less Wednesday”.

Every Saturday, we get out grocery bags and we walk around the RV and grab stuff that we are not actively using or something that we know someone else will use more than us. Most of it comes from our closets. It’s amazing how few clothes a person actually wears on a daily basis from their wardrobe. You have to be brutally honest with yourself and only keep the clothes that fit these criteria:

• I wear this on a weekly or monthly basis.
• This makes me feel beautiful.
• I have to wear this for work.

Yep. That’s it. Get rid of the rest. If you don’t LOVE it, it’s gone. If it doesn’t fit you very well, it’s gone. You will feel free…like a bird. If it helps you, you can say Bella’s mantra out loud as you go: “I can give more stuff away if I just try harder”.  In fact, just today she told me that she really doesn’t like hanging clothes up and she wanted to give most of her clothes away so she just had a few things to put away. I was all for that. So she went through and gave away another bag full…on top of the bag she already did yesterday! I love this girl. She’s hard core.

To make it even easier, I’ve now implemented a giveaway drawer. Everything we come across during the week that we want to giveaway goes in that drawer. Out of sight, out of mind. Even items that we think we MIGHT want to get rid of go in this drawer. On Saturday, we go through it one more time and the drawer gets emptied into a bag with the rest of the stuff. Many people have another version of this…and it’s just a box by the back door. That way, you see it when you’re walking out and you remember to take it to Goodwill or your thrift store of choice.

Keeping clutter at a minimum is the key to a less chaotic home. Clutter saps your energy! It makes you feel overwhelmed. When your home is uncluttered, so is your mind. Live clutter free and be happy.

Happy simplifying!

I have made it to the THREE year mark…that “magical” time when dreads come into their own. The rumored “three year bliss” does exist. My dreads are finally long enough, tight enough, wonderful enough to love fully every day.

This year has been a crazy one. Full of wonder and magical moments. Deep joy…and deep sorrow. Endings and beginnings.

It started out with us being back in Bozeman and living in a house.
We found an amazing midwife and friend.
We lived temporarily in Boulder, CO for 6 weeks.
Then, my brother almost died.
Then, my grandma died.
Lucy was born!
Family visited.
And more family visited.
We bought the Minnie Winnie.
We did some traveling and some more traveling.
We sold the Minnie Winnie.
We bought the Big Alpine.
Then, we sold everything AGAIN and went back on the road.
With TWO kids this time.
We explored Washington, Oregon, and California.
We flew back to Iowa.
We flew back to Montana.
We drove 15 hours back to Minnesota.
We flew back to the RV in California.
Whew!

And that was the year of 2009. All without the stress of doing my hair.
LOVE IT.

Yes, LOVE. I have not once regretted my decision to dread my hair. I really can’t imagine myself without them now. They’re just a part of my being.
Some observations in the third year:

• My washing/drying process hasn’t changed much. I still wash about once a week (every 2-3 days in the summer) with diluted Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap and rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. I usually dry them a little bit to fluff them up. I will occasionally wash just my bangs mid-way through the week.
• Many of you have commented about the loose hair that I have in the front. It’s always been that way…they just never dreaded up, and I like them that way!
• I dye them blonde about every 3-4 months. I go to the Aveda training school in West Des Moines whenever we’re back in Iowa. The first time was pretty funny…they didn’t really know what to do with me and my crazy hair, but after they figured it out, it was fast and cheap! I love them blonde and I don’t really ever plan on dying them back to my natural color. I have been throwing around the idea of putting in some color on a few dreads…like purple. I love purple.
• My hair continues to be a spiritual journey for me. They have taught me about acceptance, change, contentment…and I continue to learn from them daily! I choose to be “set apart” from the norm of our culture…which parallels my walk with Jesus.
• I’ve been wearing them down a lot more now that they are longer and I like the versatility. I wore them back/up/under a bandana for 3 years and I paid those dues…it’s time to let them fly! I wear a rubber band around my wrist all the time though…I probably put them up and down 3-4 times a day depending on what I’m doing at the time.
• They still do their own thing. Some ends are looser than others. Some are super short, some are very long. Some are stick straight and others are like a winding country road. Some of the roots are loose and some are tight. And I like it that way. You cannot “tame” dreads, and that’s the beauty of it. I really don’t mess with them much except to wash them.
• Lucy loves my dreads. They are her built in toys and teether.
• I looove beads in my dreads. They make me happy.
• I have an incredibly supportive husband who loves my dreads.
• How long will I keep them? Forever I hope. When I am old, I shall wear purple…and DREADS!

In this third year of dreadiness, I have had the chance to meet up with more fun dready mamas. In Portland, I met up with Shauna and Monica. I love those beautiful, talented women! And of course Bethany and Jordan and Gillian in Eugene with their crazy amazing dreads.

In October, I was able to experience the “dready love fest”. I had the chance to visit Stephanie, “The Dread Goddess” at Akemi Salon in Portland (on far right in photo below). She did some much needed maintenance on my dreads…I recommend her HIGHLY! You can read about it on Denise’s blog here. For those of you just starting out and want to skip a lot of the craziness, she “crochets” dreads instead of just backcombing and they look great right from the beginning. It’s worth traveling to Portland to see her! Love love love.

When you have dreads and you are able to spend time in the presence of others who have dreads…especially other women, there is just something magical about it. There is such acceptance and love…it’s awesome. That’s why I love traveling so much…so I can find all of you!! Anyone up for a huge dready retreat somewhere where we can all be together? Hmmmmm….

Fast forward to right now…we are in San Diego, where we have spent time with the lovely Boho Girl, Denise and her family again. She took all of the amazing photos of my dreads. Thank you thank you thank you Denise…for making me feel beautiful!! We had a wonderful time communing and eating together…the time flew by too fast. She wrote about our time together on her blog here. If you aren’t reading her blog on a regular basis, you should be!

Here’s to another year of adventures…on the road, with dreadlocks!

If you are new to my blog, here are the links to:
Why I Have Dreadlocks
One Year Dreadiversary
Two Year Dreadiversary
My Dreadlock Journey – A Photo Gallery

Photos used with permission – by Denise Andrade – Boho Photography

When we were on the road last time, I am pretty sure the right side of the RV was grossly over the weight limit. That’s where all of my books were stored. This time around, I came up with a solution! Let me introduce you to my new favorite space saving, lightweight, environmentally friendly device…my KINDLE!

I first heard about the Kindle on Jess’s blog…she was raving about it and I thought it was a fun idea, but I didn’t think about it any further. Then I saw another person raving about theirs online. Then I did an informal Facebook poll and was overwhelmed at the number of people who had a Kindle and LOVED it. I was hooked.

I researched A LOT and found that although there are several electronic book reading options out there, the Kindle was the most popular. I did think about waiting for the Nook, but I’m impatient (it’s not released yet). When Apple releases one in the future…I’ll be all over that one. Anyhoo…I talked with Matt and we both agreed that the Kindle would be a smart option for someone who is on the road full time.

I ordered it.
It arrived.
I fell in love.

Here is why:

It looks cool…and I like to look cool.
How can you not love that green cover? Oh my word. Love it. No seriously, the Kindle just really has a nice feel to it. It holds well in your hand, with or without a case. I prefer the case because with kids, I worry about it getting stomped upon. It’s also a little easier to hold while I’m nursing at night, because the flap blocks my book light from Lucy’s eyes (yes, book light…there is no back light to prevent eye strain).

Accessibility.
I can read anywhere…anytime…and have MANY different books with me at one time. Up to 1500, in fact! I can also read major newspapers from around the world, magazines, and blogs. I mostly stick with the books, but I do enjoy reading single issues of the newspaper once in a while. I love that when we are away from the RV, I don’t have to load my bag with 2-3 books that I am reading at the time. I just grab my Kindle and go. AND, I know that if I need to, I could download a new book from Amazon in less than 1 minute (literally). Everything is delivered wirelessly on a cell signal (already set up and included when it arrives).

Good for mama.
I think Kindles are great for the mama crowd. There are no paper books to get strawberries smashed into, pages ripped out of, or thrown in the pool. Only an expensive electronic device to ruin. ha. That’s why I bought the extended warranty, which allows for one (and one only) replacement Kindle if you break it.

I’ve fallen in love with reading again.
I’ve always been a reader. I love transporting myself to another time and place through a book. But, since having kids, I can’t remember the last time I FINISHED a book. Completely. To the last page. Since receiving my Kindle, I’ve finished three books (Tales of a Female Nomad , The Help and Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning…all of which I LOVED! The Help was amazing). While on the road, we can’t check books out from the library (usually)…so it’s so fun to be able to read all of these new books.

I’m reading books I wouldn’t normally read.
Now I’m starting to sound like a commercial for Amazon They don’t pay me I promise! I love the option to “sample” books on the Kindle. You can search through the Amazon website and if something looks interesting, with just one click, it will magically appear on your Kindle via wireless delivery. You can read a chapter or two of the book, and then decide if you want to buy the rest. So great. This feature is also a tool to help keep a list of books you want to read in the future.

Many of you are purists when it comes to your never ending obsession with books and reading. You wouldn’t even think about replacing that hardback in your hands with an electronic device. I’m not going to argue with you I too love the feel of a real book in my hands. I love the smell and the familiar feel of it after you’ve been reading it for awhile. And let’s not forget the power of books as an “object” in your home. They serve as decoration and conversation starters. I love looking at other people’s books on their shelves…you can learn a lot about a person that way! Some of my favorite books could never be replaced by a Kindle version (i.e. The Material World, Hungry Planet, etc).

However, the Kindle serves a very specific purpose for me…and that is to allow me to have an abundance of books with me on the road without taking up space. And as an added bonus, it happens to be environmentally friendly because I’m not out buying paper books.

There are only a few downsides to the Kindle in my opinion. They are pretty expensive. And I’ve found that it’s really easy to rack up the dollars when it’s so simple to buy books (for ONLY $9.99!) But that’s it. I haven’t found much that I don’t like.

And now you’re wondering, what is on Sara’s Kindle? Well, let me tell you what I’m reading and sampling right now

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
• Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishment to Love and Reason
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
• Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
• Playful Parenting
• The One Year Bible
• The Power of a Praying Wife
• Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

Tell me your favorite books…I love a good page-turner, one that I just can’t put down! What should I read next?

My friend, Andrea, has a great post on her blog today…reminding us to “do the best you can in the time available to you”. I’ve definitely been struggling with getting everything done lately And her post reminded me to stay in the moment and to not beat myself up over to-do lists that go untouched for days.

I know that I just had a baby…and I’m supposed to take it easy. BUT…my personality is such that I still want to get it all done. Birth story, birth photos edited, freelance projects that were started pre-Lucy, Cold Stone work stuff…plus I have so many blogs I have been writing “in my head” that I just don’t have hours and hours to sit down and write for you! BUT…I will. Please stick with me here I promise to post more soon.

I’m learning to re-prioritize my life again. I have demands on my time that weren’t there 2 weeks ago and I’m slowly learning to adjust and figure out how to fit it all in without going crazy. OR…to NOT fit it in and just be ok with that.

So for all of you who are in the same boat…be encouraged. Live in the moment that is RIGHT NOW. Enjoy every smell, every touch, every smile…be present in what is going on around you. The to-do list will be there tomorrow

alternative:
a chance to choose between two or more possibilities;
one of the two or more possible choices.

Sometimes I forget that our little family is not normal. I forget that our life is a little on the “alternative” side…because it’s just us. It’s just life. But the more people I meet on the road…the more I realize just how different we are than the typical American family.

And yet, we are all so similar. Everyone longs to be free. Free from the burden of a mortgage. Free from the constraints of a nine to five job. Free from the pressure to conform. I see that longing in people’s eyes and hear it in their words over and over again…and yet, comfort usually wins out. It’s comfortable to be like everyone else. It’s easier to give in to the pressure to live the “American Dream” because everyone else is doing it too. Everyone else is at the mall. Everyone else is buying a house and cars they can’t afford. Everyone is charging it on their most recent 0% interest rate credit card. But I don’t want to be like everyone else. I want to live in my own little alternative dream world.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve worked towards making our dream world a reality…and it has all come down to choices. We chose to sell our house and move to a smaller apartment so we could pay off debt faster. We chose to move West and simplify our life even more…with the goal of truly enjoying each day. We chose to go on the road full-time and explore the country while teaching others how to live green. We chose to give up the stability of a steady job in exchange for a wild journey of faith. Here are a few thoughts on the alternative parts of our life…and the variety of choices that are before us.

Employment
One of the most common questions we get asked is “how do you make money?!”. Most people are so accustomed to thinking about making money in the most traditional of ways…so making a living without a 9-5 job is a completely foreign and scary thought. The reason that it’s so scary is that we are constantly told by the media (and sometimes our family/friends) that to be accepted, we must appear to be successful. We must own a house. We must own a new vehicle. We must have a job with a fancy title. None of these things are bad…but they really aren’t necessary to have a happy life. When I started thinking about what was motivating us to have the big house, the car, the fancy job, etc…I realized that it was mostly driven by other people’s expectations. So, we left the very nice steady job and now we make money doing lots of small jobs. And we couldn’t be happier…because we are doing what we LOVE. Demos for the tour, photography, life coaching, handyman work, graphic design…everything adds up, and by the grace of God, we are able to pay bills and stay on the road! God has been so faithful throughout this journey and continues to amaze us with His provisions every day.

Housing
If you browse around my blog a bit…you will quickly notice that I am WAY into alternative housing. Yurts, cob houses, earthships, tipis Anything that looks a little quirky and I’m all over it. So it wasn’t a huge jump for us to move our entire life into a teeny box with wheels and hit the road. And we LOVE it. We love the smallness. We love having our home with us wherever the road leads. We couldn’t imagine it any other way! When we do settle down again somewhere…I’ll be checking one of my favorite books out from the library: Mortgage Free: Radical Strategies for Home Ownership. Love it.

Faith
Relying on something other than yourself is a foreign concept in our culture. We are constantly bombarded with messages of self-sufficiency and using our own “power” to create a new reality. And while I agree that we have amazing power within…I believe that power comes from Christ. He alone gives us power to pursue those dreams and He opens doors and opportunities beyond our wildest dreams when we abide in Him. Living a life focused on Christ is not always a popular choice, but for us…it’s the only choice.

Parenting
It’s a crazy thing…this parenting job. We are trying to do the best that we can with the information that we have…and adding a whole bunch of love and kisses along the way We are a homebirthing, cloth diapering, non-vaxing, gentle disciplining, babywearing, co-sleeping, extended nursing family…whew! That’s a lot of labels. I prefer to think of it as natural parenting. We believe that children are to be treated with respect and mercy. It’s not an easy road and we’re not perfect by any means…but we try to treat Bella the way we want her to treat others….with respect and kindness.

Education
Another question that we get asked a lot is “…but what will you do when Bella needs to go to school?”. And to that my response is “…she is already in school!”. The school of life, that is Bella is learning new things every day…in the last week we have learned about railroads, numbers, seasons, food, money, and more…just by living life. She is learning about the world around her in every interaction we have. She constantly asks questions and I do my best to teach her new things each day. We fall into the “unschooling” camp and it fits perfectly with our lifestyle and beliefs about how a child should learn. For some great reading on this topic…here is a great book to start with.

Food
We definitely go against the flow when it comes to food…we’ve been vegetarian for almost 4 years and are most recently eating all raw vegan foods. We feel amazing and we’re having a great time teaching others along the way!

Beauty
To be considered beautiful in our culture, it might appear that one needs to be a size 2, have long flowing blonde hair, and wear designer clothing. These are all things that the fashion magazines tell us…and it’s probably the most difficult thing for women especially to overcome. But for me, it’s much more fun to love myself for who I am, in the clothes I found at Goodwill….with hair that doesn’t have to be combed.

I love the definition above of “alternative” listed above…“a chance to choose between two or more possibilities”. A “chance to choose”. There is so much possibility in that phrase. What is your ultimate dream in life? Are you pursuing it? Are you taking steps each day towards that goal? Or do you just lay in bed at night and think about it? Do you think about how impossible it is? How life just isn’t fair? No more thinking. JUST START NOW. Take one step. And then take another. And another. Until you are living your dream and you couldn’t imagine it any other way!

God places passions and desires in our hearts for a reason. He wants us to be in the center of His will…pursuing the passions that He has placed in our hearts. Abide in Him. Listen. Dream. Take one step toward the alternative.

Photo credit: Flickr| tonystl

I’m always looking for clever organizational tools…and I love this one featured by HGTV. Click here for 5 different ideas, including one for the kitchen using pie filling cans…so colorful and eye catching! There are always cool cans at garage sales, antique stores, and thrift shops…I had never thought about mounting them on the wall! A big thanks to Kristi at Good Like a Medicine for passing it along!

When I committed to The Compact in October of 2006, I had no idea how radically it would change my life. I set out on a mission to simply stop buying new stuff…but instead the experiment changed my entire view of our consumerism-obsessed culture, marketing, wants vs. needs, giving vs. selling, the poor…the list goes on and on. While I did not complete the entire year of Compacting by my “rules”… I will be forever changed by this experience. I have blogged in the past about my journey, but here are some effects of The Compact that are still with me today:

• I LOVE buying used. It’s almost physically painful for me to buy things new/full retail cost. I could spend hours and hours at Goodwill…especially if I have a list of things I’ve been looking for. The thrill of the hunt is so fun. Whenever we need something, whether it be RV related, clothing, kitchen gadgets…we always turn to eBay, Craigslist, or Goodwill first before ever looking for it new. I would have to say that this ONE THING has been the biggest change for us.
• I’ve become appalled at the price of things…and have started to realize the crazy profit companies make on our purchases because we are just too lazy to search out the alternative. My current pair of jeans (yes I only have one pair) were 99 cents at Goodwill. Matt found them for me in the men’s section and said “here honey…these will be cute on you”. I LOVE them! And now, when I go in and I’m browsing the jeans, a tag for $3.99 seems ludicrous! Ha ha! How dare they think they can charge $3.99! This also happens when I’ve been to too many garage sales…I get used to the LOW prices and it’s hard to go back to eBay or consignment stores after that!
• I started to give a lot more stuff away. I think that when you come to the realization that it’s the STUFF that is bogging you down emotionally, mentally, and physically…you just want to get rid of it! So I got very good at filling boxes and going to Goodwill. Is there anything that feels better than handing over boxes of stuff that has been cluttering your home to the Goodwill attendant in the back of the store? I love it…a natural high!
• Handmade gifts are where it’s at…if it’s a handmade/recycled/found object art gift, even better! I think it was during my Compacting days that I discovered Etsy. Oh my goodness. How can you not love Etsy?!
• I am so much more sensitive to the marketing teams whose main goal is to make me feel like my current state of being is not good enough. They want me to want something. They scheme all day long on the by putting “want creators” on TV, internet, billboards, junk mail…it’s rampant.
• Because I am more sensitive to these things…I can hardly stand to set foot in a mall. The bright lights, the busyness, the insane amounts of money being exchanged. It’s overload.
• I can now walk into a Target or any other store and actually only buy what I went in for. Prior to The Compact, I almost felt like a zombie as I walked out of Target…wondering what just happened in there! Last night, we went as a family to buy a few items that we’ve had on our list for weeks. And it felt so good to come out with just a few things on the receipt.
• Now that Bella is at the age where she can understand purchasing, money, wants, etc…it has become more time consuming to go into stores because I need to discuss everything with her as we go. She amazes me with her self-control though. When we walk by the $1 section in Target, she likes to stop and look, but is not thrown into a frenzy if we decide not to get something there. We talk through it and it becomes a teaching moment about consumerism, money, and priorities. We talk about whether or not we need it…does she already have something similar in the RV? And if we were to get that item, would she be willing to give something else in her toy box away to make room for it? Young minds are hungry for teaching…I try as hard as I can to teach her things that aren’t in a normal school syllabus! Of course, it’s pretty rare that we even go to Target, so I think this is the key to success. Keep children focused on the abundance they DO have…not what they don’t have. Gratitude breeds contentment.
• And oh what JOY will come if we can learn contentment! Pray for it…Christ wants to give it to you!

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:11-13 (New Living Translation)

I would LOVE to hear from all of you who have committed to The Compact at any time (and for any length of time). Let us know how you felt about it and how it has stuck with you even after you were officially “done”.

Photo credit: Flickr/Creative Commons: ATIS547

I came across this awesome post and I knew I needed to pass it on. She so eloquently says what I have been thinking for a long time…although I am no where near deciding to stop blogging! My favorite part of the post:

“It is almost like if I have a problem my first thought is Google not God.”

And the part at the end about looking into your child’s eyes…that was convicting! Read it today! A big thanks to Amy at Lavender Sparkles for posting it first.