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(recycled from an email dispatch back to the culpeper crew)

we caught our flight out of dulles just fine and were really practicing being present and letting our lights shine in a confusing, disempowering, disconnected place. it felt amazing. it was like we surrounded ourselves in a bubble of heart chakra juju goodness.

asher seemed to make a great time of it all and we were blessed to be sitting on the airplane across from another little boy his age. he was content most of the flight to wander back and forth between our laps and to sit and watch the neighbor baby. can't imagine air travel with a baby being any smoother or more enjoyable.

the baby and his mom were traveling from ireland to visit the mother's sister who now lives in nashville, and is the only member of the family who lives in the states. on one of the mom's several flights through immigration her stroller got lost, and she was something like 15 hours into traveling, making her way through airports with two bags and one tired baby all in her arms. we offered her our purple sling to help her get around and she took it from us gratefully, but then once we landed we helped her carry her bags and then her family was there to help her and she gave it back.

we spent a couple of days hanging out with bradley, nada and logan on their land. it's such a beautiful spot they live in. the sequatchie valley is an amazing place. seeing the lives they are creating for themselves there really puts into perspective a few things. first, as if this hasn't been driven home enough already, raising children with just two caregivers is really really hard. ESPECIALLY, when you're trying to start an off-the-grid homestead on your own at time same time. second, goats are wonderful animals. and they can do a lot of work for you on a piece of land. but they take a lot of work and care themselves, if they are going to be healthy, happy and thriving. fencing is an investment of time, materials, energy, and money. third, dealing with the "waste" that is produced on a homestead is vitally important.

we made the drive from tennessee to mississippi yesterday. it was really beautiful, especially the natchez trace parkway. one of the most beautiful roads i've (aaron) ever seen.

on the way i (bj) talked to my mom about some of the things i've been spinning for myself and we've been spinning for ourselves about living in love and creating healing and being present. this trip is a challenge and an inspiration to me to put all of these energies out into the world in a complex time and space in my life.

we got in to tupelo last night and met mimi, bj's grandmother, and a bunch of family and friends at the place where she'll be staying. it was really heartwarming, and also kind of sad. all sorts of mixed up emotions. the way that we relate to the elderly and to death is really out of sync with the rhythms and the cycles of life. that all comes into focus for me when i go to "old people's" homes. we're spending the next couple of days in tupelo, and we'll be hanging out with mimi some more, so it will be interesting to see what continued learning comes of this.