Southern Living Yankee

1. PEOPLE (aka ODD DUCKS): I get to welcome Carol L., Carol W., Carolyn, Deborah, Ed, Elaine, Grace, Jane, Joan, Karen, Sarah, Sharon, and dear Sylvie--way cool people I met this year and/or last at Montrose. Welcome to my blog! (Dear Family, Please check back next week for a decision on doing a family blog. Be sure to vote, and remember, only one more day to stuff the ballot box). 2. PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUE: I sent my book proposal plus 20 pages of the manuscript in ahead of time so Kathy Ide could critique it. She's a sharp, energetic speaker and writer, and founder of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders & Editors Network. http://www.kathyide.com/ What I hoped to hear: "This just isn't worth the effort. Give up." What she said: "This has a LOT of potential and seems as if it would be extremely helpful for readers in your target market." 3. WRITE NOW GROUP: I was able to qualify for this week-long critique group. We met twice a day, read our manuscripts t...

We just got back from a fabulous family reunion in Wisconsin! I'm kicking myself that I didn't take thousands (or even any) pictures to post here. The kicking became even harder when I thought about how nice it would be to have our own family blog--kind of a central location for everyone to get into with announcements, updates, photos, etc to keep us better connected. So cast your vote on the sidebar here--sorry I didn't put an option there for you to kick me, too. If there's enough interest I'll wrangle Greg and John to see if they can work some photos in for me. Memo to: Her Excellency-Best-Sister-In-Law-in-the-World (and anyone else): I won't be able to post a blog next week because I'll be at the writers conference in PA. Please pray for safe travel and that I learn what I need to learn. But DON'T be yelling "When's she going to blog something?" And, Tammy, thank you for leaving a comment and having a nice little talk with Aaron. He is ...

We had such a great time! We found the French branch of the family? We saw sites of breath-taking beauty. We had a few surprises--We saw this hang-glider waiting for the right moment to take off of a mountain in WY. We stopped, waited, and watched! What a thrill to see him go airborne and catch the updrafts and soar higher and higher! But this picture shows the best thing about our trip.

WARNING: Children do not try this at home. It's like this buffalo is the welcoming committee on the front lawn of Lake Yellowstone Hotel. So Tom goes in for a close-up. Does Aaron sense movement behind him? Isn't this what bulls do when they get really angry? TOM RECOVERS FROM BUFFALO ENCOUNTER. No, not really. No harm done. This is just a pic of him napping in Seattle. See Lola with him? She didn't come to Yellowstone with us. No harm done. No one got gored. Not this time. We'll be more careful next time.

You know how people love to show pictures of the kids? Well, these are some of mine. Forgive me, or skip them if you like. 1) Lisa and Joe on the rooftop with their "Lola" baby. Mt. Rainier is in the background giving me the willies, but it doesn't show up in the photo. They overlook Puget Sound and can see Alaskan cruise ships departing and arriving all the time. Turn the other way on their rooftop, or look out Lisa's kitchen window, and the Space Needle is in full view. Wow! 2) Brad and his roomies, two friends from Ohio, Chris (left) and Kyle (center), on the balcony of their apartment. Brad walks or bikes everywhere and is enjoying the city. He's full-time manager at Kitts Photo in a nearby mall that's the end of the line for the monorail. 3) Aaron and Brad at the top of the Space Needle. 4) Dinner at "The Marakesh," a Morrocan restaurant. Five courses, no forks, no knives, no spoons. No belly dancers either, which was disappointing, but maybe th...

1)Seems like a long time ago already, but when we left Colorado we aimed for Idaho, cutting through the corner of Utah. We made a quick stop at the Dinosaur Monument in Utah--doesn't come close to the Creation Museum near Cinci. 2)We drove over 600 miles that day and ended up in Twin Falls, ID. Named after, guess what? Waterfalls! "The Niagra of the West." The picture doesn't do it justice. Imagine you're about the size of an ant to get a better idea. 3)Our goal was always a hotel with a hot tub and swimming pool. As you see, Aaron and I are enjoying this one. 4)Around Yakima, WA we spotted Mt Rainier off in the distance. I saw it first and could only gasp, "What is that?" It's ghostly presence freaked me out the rest of the time. I wasn't afraid it would blow, although it might. It's just so BIG, and it always seemed to be watching. 5)Finally, here we are with the real reason of the trip--the kids! How convenien...