reality funny

This spider story is hilarious and completely true. I cannot get over it... and if you check carefully, someone purchased the "drawing" on eBay for $15,000.

long time, no see

Time flies whether you're having fun or not, doesn't it? Well, we have some fun around here, but mostly it's just been full to the brim with stuff! Sometimes I wonder if this country's obsession with "stuff" as in material goods translates to also acquiring days full of "stuff" to do. At the end of a day of running around from one thing to another, I feel like I should have more to show for all the work.

Every semester, I try to support my student organizations by going to their events. So, this week I attended Calvin's Philosophy Symposium where Peter Rollins spoke. He's an Irish philosopher and writer who started a collective called Ikon. Everyone really listened to him and seemed to enjoy the talk. I just tried to soak-up all he said so I could sort-through it later. Really wonderful stuff. I'm going to pick up his latest book,
The Fidelity of Betrayal: Towards a Church Beyond Belief.


Rollin's blog is here. The coolest thing about blogs is that I not only get to read smart people's thoughts and experiences, but I get introduced to a whole set of resources they're looking at. Like Jon Birch, this cartoonist with ASBO Jesus.

(If you click on the image, it will be bigger)

This weekend I don't have to work at all!! And I just found the cord to Sheila (my camera), so I can finally upload some pictures! Hope to post more, but I guess I always say that. :)

one more food blog!

Oh my goodness... I have to blog about this! Lindsey Laricks from Hammerpress started her own business and it's a gourmet snowcone stand called Fresher than Fresh. Amazing and inspiring. Way to go, lady!!

fall and food

It's really beginning to feel like Fall here in Michigan! I love it, and I hope it lasts for a long time this year. Fall is the best. I just went to the Farmer's Market this week and filled a basket with all kinds of squash/pumpkin. I got about 12 of them for $8... can't beat that!! Now, to bake and freeze. This is my new favorite recipe I plan to use at least 1/3 of my stash on.
PUMPKIN SAUSAGE PASTA
Simply in Season
by Mary Beth Lind, Cathleen Hockman-Wert
Serves 6

• 1 pound / 500 g penne pasta (or other chunky pasta)
Cook, drain, and set aside.

• 1 pound / 500 g bulk sweet Italian sausage
In large deep frypan, brown sausage over medium-high heat. When cooked, remove meat and set aside. Drain fat from frypan and return pan to stove.

• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
Add to frypan and saute until soft, 3-5 minutes.

• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage (cut into very thin strips)
• 1 cup / 250 ml dry white wine or chicken broth
Add and cook until half of liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes.

• 1 cup / 250 ml chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup / 250 ml pumpkin or winter squash (cooked, pureed)
Mix in. Continue stirring until sauce starts to bubble. Add sausage and reduce heat.

• 1/2 cup / 125 ml evaporated (or regular) milk
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• coarse salt and pepper to taste
Stir in milk. Add seasonings and simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken. Remove bay leaf. Pour sauce over cooked pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish with freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese and fresh sage leaves (optional).

Those who know my deep, sincere love of all mac and cheese may be surprised to hear: I would choose this over even fancy Gruyère mac and cheese any day. I made this with Rakowski's sweet Italian sausage(they are at the Fulton farmer's market every Saturday and their sausage is the best). Too bad I didn't take a picture, because when it's done, the orange of the squash and the bit of green from the sage are lovely. But, we ate it up before I could think about getting Sheila (my camera).

Speaking of farmer's markets, I just read about this sweet restaurant opening in DC. It's called Founding Farmers and their website says, "Owned by a collective of American Family Farmers, Founding Farmers restaurant exists to promote the products and services of family farmers, ranches, and fisheries. We also want to educate the public about the long-standing connection between farmers and their historic stewardship of natural resources, the first to lead the 'green' movement." Sounds pretty cool.

Last thing on my brain are these gorgeous spreads from Amy Atlas. This is enough to make we want to throw a party.

deep freeze

In other news... today I broke-down and bought a nice chest-freezer for our home. It's a cute little GE model with 5-cubit-feet of space. I've been holding-off on this purchase, but our normal freezer is already full and our farm share is just NOW starting to really pick-up. Plus, this summer I've already frozen about 10 pounds of sour cherries, 5 pounds of blueberries, and loads of peaches - we haven't even hit applesauce or pumpkin time yet! This is in an effort to really take advantage of the amazing fruit season in Michigan and make it last into March, so I'm looking at it as a great investment. Here's to bubbly peach cobbler in the snow storms!

moving right along

Today is Katy's M-day: Move in to the dorm day! What a huge step. I remember my move-in day; it was the worst day of my life. I still feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it. But, as in many things, Calvin just knows how to turn this scary day into a fun, happy one. First thing, when they pulled up in the van to the parking lot, a group of students came out with grocery carts and hauled all the stuff to Katy's room for her! She's met her roommate, her Resident Director (who was an RA with ME when I was a student), and students on her floor. Her room is SO cute in it's pink and brown palette.

My mom, Kates, Sandra, and I ate lunch in Knollcrest dining hall where Katy met more amazing people. I enjoyed some superman ice cream - Hudsonville Creamery can't be beat. Here's a picture of the two ladies who lunch...


Now they are getting some last-minute shopping in before the final cookout where the parents say their goodbyes and the students start their "Quest" (the second phase of orientation). Everyone is happy with tummies full. My mom said that she just feels so much better leaving knowing that at the very moment she leaves, Katy is with new friends doing fun things - not sitting alone in her unfamiliar room wondering what's next or where to go.

And, needless to say, I am just bursting with joy to have both Katy and Peter at Calvin while I work here with Daniel. The group of us have already designated Monday nights to be home-dinner nights where Peter and Katy will accompany me, Sandra, and Daniel home to cook and share dinner together. I'll probably cry at the first couple b/c I'll be so happy. I hope they are as happy about their new life here.

blogging friends

I love that so many people have blogs! This is my friend's blog... her name is Joy'l and the image above is a sample of her amazing talent when it comes to design. She does everything from greeting cards to wedding invites and websites.

And Nectar & Light is my new favorite find... I don't remember where I found this one, but the sunny photos and recipes are so wonderful!! Like this photo full of pink (and I love Hunter boots!).

The Story of Stuff

If you haven't seen this yet... it's good stuff - right? get it??
The Story of Stuff

*sigh*

Back at work this now. Hence, the *sigh*. Let's think about other things...

First... Sandra has arrived! She's living with us for this year and studying at Calvin in the Communications program. Tuesday night we picked her up from O'Hare and whisked her away to Grand Rapids, poor girl. Daniel and I are so happy to have her close; having this chance at getting to know our niece is such a blessing.


But, back up. The summer-vacation days are over, and we really enjoyed our summer in Grand Rapids. First, there was the renovations. We painted floorboards, stained furniture, and organized everything.

We have enjoyed our farmshare so much. Actually, now it's starting to get really exciting because we are finally getting some fantastic heirloom tomatoes and shiny eggplants. I went out to Trillium Haven one day and picked some beans... it's a beautiful, peaceful place that I didn't want to leave.


Of course, our trip to Florida was such a treat. Too bad we can't go in, like, February, but any time is okay with me. On the last day Daniel and I went on a snorkeling trip on a catamaran and saw the sunset. What a way to end the day! People who can go out on boats all the time are the luckiest.


Now we turn our faces to the school year and cooler weather. It will be a good year, I just feel it in my bones. Finally, for the first time I feel very comfortable and confident about my job. Daniel is wrapping up projects instead of starting them. And our house feels like it's really ours after all these projects and hard work. I say all this now because I'm still a week away from classes starting. Cross your fingers I'll still feel good then!

2 years!

First things first, as I type I am sitting in almost 100-degree shade in Key Largo, FL. We flew here last week to meet up with Daniel's brother and his family for a quick little vacation before I head back to work. This is my first time in the Keys - really, my first time in Florida other than Occalla - and even though August is definitely the WORST time to visit, we are having a ball. It's very beautiful to be surrounded by nature, and seeing the family was such a treat. The place where we're staying is called Coconut Bay and it's perfect, small and quiet, plus we have free use of the kayaks.

The other thing is today is my and Daniel's 2 year anniversary! Yes, just two years ago we were in similar heat and humidity on the coast of Lake Michigan pulling ourselves together to have a wonderful, memorable wedding. This trip is a fun way to celebrate that day... especially now that the rest of the family has flown back to Peru and we have one day to ourselves. I won't spend a lot of time posting now, but when I get back in town I will post all about the many projects we've been working on at our house. August always seems like a crazy month, but because Calvin doesn't start classes until september 8, hopefully it won't be so intense. I have a couple conferences these next two weeks that I'm really excited about... the first is WillowCreek's "leadership summit". Well... I'm KINDOF excited about that one. Next is Practicing Resurrection up in Canada. If you're not doing anything the weekend of the 15th, come up and join the conference!!! It's cheap and valuable.

tiles and dreams

Being home for a couple weeks is the best thing in the world, but I have to admit, I'm constantly thinking up little projects for redecorating or what have you. Daniel built a wonderful bookshelf for me for my growing number of cookbooks. It's lovely, and it frees-up space on another shelf. But we've decided not to do a bunch of renovation projects to the house because it's time consuming and we don't want to do a lot of work and possibly not get a return on our investments (seeing as the housing market in Alger Heights is so low).

If I could though, I'd buy some of these tiles from Popham Design and go crazy! Found them via Design Sponge, and I'd really like to live in place I could use them sometime.



But instead of putting money and energy into such things, I've chosen to go a more thrifty route: vegetables. A couple days ago I headed out to Trillium Haven Farm (the farm through which we have our "share" or our CSA). It was just beautiful and quiet, and I picked a bunch of snow peas and sweet peas for freezing.


Next, I've ordered some zucchini and yellow squash seeds from Seed Savers to try my hand at growing something myself. This will be a first... well, a second; my garlic turned out very small and underdeveloped so I'm just not counting it. I could eat zucchini all day long, so I'm excited to have some in late summer. And it's cherry season here, but many place around GR have gotten "froze out" according to the 10 orchards I've called. Tart cherries are abundant though, and I've made one batch of tart jam that we quickly ate/ gave away, so I might try to make some more. Instead of having a chic house, we'll have fat tummies and a clean house. Not sure if I like that compromise.

travels, baseball, and babies

It's turning out to be a great summer! Daniel safely returned from his 3 weeks in Indonesia. He had a great, busy time and brought back amazing gifts! While he was there I kept myself busy. Most of the time I worked, but in the time I wasn't there I painted the kitchen, messed around in the yard, mooched dinner off of friends, and saw the Cubs-Sox game at Wrigley.


VGRs at the game ($6 beers in hand)

Conrad and I drove out to Maryland to visit my grandparents (and met my two youngest sisters out there). We had a blast just hanging around, cruisin' Alexandria, shopping Trader Joe's... the week FLEW by before we even did half the stuff we wanted to do. Unfortunately, I left my camera battery charger in Michigan so the only picture I got before Sheila died (Sheila = little purple camera) is of these two crazy people on the Metro.

my sister's on the Metro in DC... on our way to the Freer Gallery and Native American Museum

Now we're all back here at home and things are just as fun. This whole not working for a while thing is pretty great. We've had a nice couple of days just hanging out at home and boy is it great. Just a few days here makes me realize how little time we actually spend just at home, and I'd like to spend more time here. July 3 we hit our local minor-league baseball diamond with the VGRs for a Whitecap's double header. Thursdays are "thrifty" at the old ball game, and that means all good stuff is $2: beer, hotdogs (2 for $2!), pretzels... I know!! Not to mention, it was fireworks night AND Jimmy Buffet Night. oh yes. The downside is that those bleachers are not made for 14 innings and because the Wizards caught-up with the 'Caps by the 7th inning of the second game, we held out for 4 more innings (I REALLY wanted to see the fireworks at the end!), but retreated to the car before the end. Oh well. There's always next Thursday.


And I know I had "babies" in the title: because two of my best friends, Emily and Jeff, had their first baby Micah today!!!!!! He is healthy and just adorable. Hope to have some pictures soon.

MTV Yearbook

This is great. It's probably been around for a while, but I was reading an article about a pop song and just stumbled across the MTV Yearbook. You can click on any year (going back to MTV's birth, 1981) and see the top music videos of the year. And for me, going through the 90s videos is really like a yearbook. The embarrassing styles (yes, Missy Elliot in a trash bag), the hair (Justin Timberlake's curls), the crush (Hello, Usher), the cool girls (Jewel and Fionna), the girl with a reputation (Spice Girls), the goths (Marilyn). It's hilarious. I'd forgotten about those shiny suits from Puff, and holy-color-coordination EVERYWHERE. See if you can count how many videos between 1996 and 1998 start out like a spy movie.

cut and color

I just got back from a haircut, and Ben - my wonderful hair rockstar - did my makeup. He gave me this darkish lip color and it makes me feel so different. Fun for a while (until I eat something or stop by the water fountain). No worries, I didn't go Agnes Dean short again. Those punk urges are behind me now... today just a nice suburban trim.

Daniel called from Bali and said everything is good. He's with some very interesting people who are really teaching him a lot. They visited a batik "museum" and workshop, and he said it was very cool. It seems that they are keeping super busy without much free time. Too bad... He could have had an Eat, Love, Pray experience where he'd learn how to love himself by finding his "word" and then appropriating other cultures' religions (okay, caustic comments aside, it's a fun read). But I guess he will get to have a day of snorkeling, and that makes me jealous.

This morning Eddie arrived back from his training time in Japan. Between the time he called me at 6 and when I arrived to pick him up at 6:40, he'd managed to not only eat breakfast and talk his way out of an other hour of standing around waiting for final formation, but he'd also managed to squeeze in gathering his gear and throwing another Marine in the Grand River. Yes, it seems he had a busy morning, that guy. Apparently, this is what is done when it's the end of someone's commitment to the reservists. Another reason on the ever growing list of why I'm glad I'm not a Marine. Note to self: on his last day of duty, let mom and dad pick him up.

my moment of glory

So much happened this last semester that I never had a chance to share with anyone! During the Festival of Faith and Writing (an all around amazing event) I got to interview one of my favorite musicians: Sam Beam of Iron and Wine! It's embarrassing how geeked I was for this. We held the interview in the chapel and quite a few people came to the event. You can listen here to the entire thing! In case you cannot tell, between my nerves going crazy and the adrenaline that comes from meeting someone I admire so much, I was shaking almost the whole time. And he was a tough cookie - which I'd been warned about way in advance. He walked in to the chapel, I shook his hand, we put-on our mics, and walked out on stage. yikes. Looking back and listening to it again, it went well. Daniel took some GREAT pictures, but I cannot find them at the moment. I'll post them soon as I have them.

new life

My yard is making me so happy this spring. The flowers in the back: iris, peony, lavender, are so vibrant and happy. This year, Daniel and I discovered these roses that haven't shown up in the 2 year's he's lived in the house! Aren't they magentastic?? (that's a combination of "magenta" and "fantastic"... not so good if I have to explain it, I guess).



I've never considered myself a gardener because I don't particularly enjoy the work of weeding, mowing, even planting. But this year, after doing all that work, I'm beginning to see why people love gardening; it's so rewarding! The pinks, whites, and purples all around my house are like little treasures. Now, I'm catching myself dreaming of planting more because I'm addicted to that feeling of accomplishment mixed with miraculous wonderment. Speaking of which... a few weeks ago I discovered that "Leroy", the red cardinal who hangs by (read: bangs against) our front window, and his gray lady-bird friend had built a little nest. Not too long afterward, there appeared 3 speckled little eggs! I tried to take a picture of the lady-bird friend (from inside the house), but she flew off when Conrad ran over to see what I was doing.



You may be able to just barely see the eggs in this picture. Soon, if she stays around long enough, there will be some babies!! Thankfully, it's a super thorny bush, so I don't think they need to worry about cats. I am trying to remember that nature can be cruel (I can no longer watch the Blue Planet series because I get too upset), but I think they're all going to make it!

Wonderland

This is truly wonderful. Artist Yeondoo Jung created these photos from children's drawings. Click here for more... (via How About Orange)

tuba museum

Yesterday I attended a women's conference in Lansing with a slew of my lady-coworkers. The conference was fun (more fun? making fun of the conference), and KVGR found an amazing restaurant for dinner in Okemos... International cuisine, lovely friends, and tubas; what could be better?

new camera!

Daniel left for Indonesia yesterday (sniff, sniff), but not before giving me the cutest, coolest digital camera! So, we've been snapping pictures left and right. Now, I just have to keep posting them here. The above shot is from this last Thursday; we escaped with the dogs from the graduation party (for my amazing sister, Katy) down to the beach for a little while. Between the intense thunderstorms we've been getting, there are these clean, sunshine little moments.

These pictures are from our first CSA pick up! Since there was some late frost (right after a week of early heat), it was slim pickings, but I'm so excited regardless. Our lettuce was delicious, and we got a small shrubbery of green onions. Any recipe ideas??




Now that I have this treat of a companion (my purple coolpix), I'll be posting lots of photos!! Stay tuned

dream house

Just because I'm dying for some green landscapes! It's a rainy day here (but a little warm finally), and this house with the green trees is so perfect. (From Page Goolrick)

bests of the week

1. Best Ever: Daniel's mom had a successful triple-bypass heart surgery, and we are all so relieved. It will be a while before we get to talk with her, but for now, we're just happy she's doing very well and is being cared for by good doctors and nurses. Thanks to all who have had us on your minds.

2. Best reunion: I had an amazing reunion with my friends from Faith Academy in Chicago! Seeing familiar faces was wonderful and a bit dream-like. I'm still wondering if it actually happened. As soon as I get a chance, I'll post some pictures.

3. Best publication: "Eat Well" from catapult magazine (via *cino) is in editing and will soon be available. I helped Rob and Kirsten last night, and it's looking delicious!

4. Best headline: from the ny times: "Tibetan high school children scaled a brick wall surrounding the United Nations compound in Katmandu. They were served dumplings on the other side." Sounds like a happy ending to me.

unplugged

We made it! It's now March, and the sun is out. What a month, that old February. One day longer than usual and it feels like it lasted a decade.

Winter has been so hard on us this year. Daniel's mom has had heart troubles and is scheduled for open-heart surgery, so he went to visit but ran into visa trouble, so he's been stuck in Lima for an extra week. My Grandpa Crosswhite had a spill on the Maryland ice and is still recovering from hip-replacement surgery. Some close friends of ours decided to separate because their marriage has been crumbling. Life comes at you fast sometimes.

But with the sunshine, things seem to be looking better. Winter may last another month, but it can't last forever. There are little signs of hope in each part. I think Daniel is en route to Grand Rapids right now, next week is spring break at Calvin, so I am taking some time off to just be at home and enjoy my time. The butterfly exhibit is now at Meijer Gardens, and it's always a treat.


My book club is reading Eat, Love, Pray, so I started it last night and it's very good, so I plan to finish it as slow as I can. Over break, I have lots of plans to choose from. Like trying some new recipes. The latest Catapult issue is again about food, and I'm inspired to buy some new (well, used actually) cookbooks. For a while now I've had my eye on Extending the Table, the Alice Waters book, The Art of Simple Food, not to mention Michael Pollan's, In Defense of Food. So many books. Those are just a few on my FOOD list. Actually, Daniel and I are gathering a list of food movies (complete with appropriate snack suggestions for each) to contribute to the next Road Map from Catapult. So, we may have to spend some time watching movies. Tough life, I know.

Speaking of movies, my other plan for spring break is to try a little of this. A day without a phone/computer/TV/iPod and on and on. In small doses, sounds like peace.

On the days when I'm not taking vows of technological-silence, I will be here happy to share the little goings ons!

there's a first for everything

I'm smiling all over as I write this... and it may be silly to be so proud of a simple thing. But I'm very proud because I've been published in this issue of my coworker's online magazine, Catapult (part of the *Culture is Not Optional network). PLUS, someone from Calvin read my article and now they are publishing it in a Calvin publication called "Hearts and Minds"!

If you haven't read any Catapult articles yet, check their back issues. There's some really fantastic stuff on there, and it's very fun and flattering for me to be a contributor. You can read the newest issue called A Field In Winter here.

flickr + pet animals = happy

These animal polaroids make me smile.... (via Oh Happy Day)

Learning to Love your More

This website makes me so happy. How much fun would it be to work through all the assignments? The thing is, every time I discover something like this, I get super excited and happy, then someone comes along and is like, "oh, that. I discovered that like um, forever ago and it's so tired." I just have to say to anyone tempted to say this, I'm still super excited about the idea and I don't think ideas like this grow tired.

take a look for yourself... and notice the recently released book collecting assignments.

resolutions

One of my goals for this new year is to wake up earlier. Since I don't need to be at my job until 9 or 10 (usually), it's been easy for me to sleep in and rush myself. The other morning, I woke up at 7:20 and Daniel had built a fire. We sat and talked in the sunshine while drinking coffee, and it was such an amazing way to start the day. So, my "goal time" is 7:00 AM.

This website is my reminder and inspiration that this can be done and it's great. (but I'm not shooting for 4:30 AM like the writer)

move forward

The big news around our house is our new housemate... Peter! Peter is my little brother who just transfered from a school in Florida to Calvin. Despite the blizzard outside right now, he seems to be adjusting back to Michigan nooooo problem. He's going to be the best student at Calvin because the poor kid has to wait around ALL day (meaning, 9 am to at least 9 pm most days) for me and Daniel, so he's getting lots of homework done. Today was the first day of classes and he's already done all his homework through Thursday.

We are so excited to have him here. Now it's me and three boys... Daniel, Peter, and Conrad. I need Katy, Ellie, and Laura to come visit and revive girl time.

This semester is going to be a good one, I can just feel it. I'm responsible for WAY less weekends than any of my time at Calvin so far. That means I can actually have time to do other things than work at Calvin and work at home. All of Daniel's classes are at night, which may be a good thing... this way he can get a lot of work on his documentary done during the weekdays and weekends can take a break.

For now, it's a quiet beginning. I'm working on a baby blanket for my friend, Emily, who is expecting (for now, we're saying it's for "bean")!! Daniel set-up an office in the basement (our old office is now P's room). We've been eating our canned tomatoes, peaches, and pears and WOW... I'm so glad I did all that work! My favorite is a recipe for a crunchy almond topping over the fruit and you bake it for about 30 minutes... it's so good, someone usually eats the whole tray by breakfast the next day.

favorite things

oh I am dreaming of these blankets from Jacaranda! Each one is a work of art, taking 3 months to make. Maybe someday... if we EVER meet our savings goal, I'll get one. The yellow or orange? or maybe red? It would make our bedroom so bright and spring-like in this snowy white winter. (Thinking like this will never get me to my savings goal...)

bookin' it!

Ah yes... I've found my new preferred mode of transportation. Well, actually, I don't think it moves when someone is sitting in it. But isn't this the funniest chair? It can hold up to 80 books! If Daniel and I have kids we won't buy them jungle-gym sets (or zungoo sets, as Eddie used to called them). They'll get this for hours of reading adventures! :) I say now, not remembering how much energy 2 year-olds really have. (from Nils Holger Moormann)

coughing-in the new year

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Daniel and I had such a great time. We went to Stevensville for Christmas, and it was amazing to have everyone back together this year. What a blessing. After the 25th we went to Chicago for 3 days just to have a little vacation. The weather was pretty cold and snowy, but we had a great time. Highlights included cajun food from Heaven on 7, a rock and roll exhibit at the Contemporary Museum of Art, and a wonderful used bookstore. It was great to just get away and rest. Our first afternoon there, we walked from the train station to our hotel (the Allerton - an old Chicago hotel), and ended up just watching a movie on TV and talking and sleeping. At one point Daniel said to me... "look around. There's nothing you need to do!" What a relief.

We spent New Year's eve at our friend's house here in Grand Rapids. For the first time I experienced the amazing taste of Oli Bolli (I have no idea how to spell that). It's sort-of a Dutch doughnut with currants and powdered sugar. Delicious!

But the last 3 days, I've been sick with a flu/cold. Now poor Daniel is sick too. so we've watched a lot of TV (NOTHING is on in the afternoon on basic cable), reading, and sleeping like hibernating bears. I totally missed the warm weather we've had here. To be honest, it's nice to have some time to just think and rest, even under the influence of TheraFlu and lots of tea. Plus, I've had a chance to read a bit... my friend Kirsten from work lent me the first book in the Cornish Trilogy called "The Rebel Angels". It's set in the context of a university and has only provoked my longing to go to graduate school.

so I will actually be happy to get back to work after the confines of our upstairs room. This weekend Katy has her Miss Stevensville pageant, so we will be cheering for her between coughs. She'll probably win, because she is the most beautiful, smart, and talented girl I know.