Lately, Willow is the queen of one-liners. What makes them great is the absolute seriousness with which she delivers them, having no idea how funny they are. Here's a couple from last night's drive (Mom and I decided these would make great titles/subtitles for a new genre of literature..books written by children for adults):

Maybe There's a Skunk in That Forest..or maybe we just ran over one.

When You See a Bright Star Flashing in the Night..it's just an airplane.

I was laughing so hard picturing the illustrations.

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Recently we had to say goodbye to our family dog, Dudlee. There are some nice pictures of her last hoorah at my mom's blog. And a kind of weird website dedicated to her here.

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And now, a shameless plea for help. I need a Friday night babysitter(while I'm at work) every other week starting next Friday. Are there any Aunts, Cousins, or girlfriends out there who would like to make a little cash spending a few quality hours with the girls twice a month? Even if you can only do it once in a while, I would like to talk to you! Give me a call or email if you're interested in helping. I can't pay much but could barter my skills as an artist or manual laborer!

I'm about to go to Chicago for the weekend for a class at Second City Improv. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to make a fool of myself doing what I love. The fact that I'm scared means it will be just what I've been needing the past few months. Since shooting the film in Indiana in March, I haven't had any acting work..and very little time to myself to devote to study and growth. Going so long without tangible progress feels a bit like a case of outrageous cabin fever. I need to get *out*, to stretch and breathe in the thing I was made to do. I need to keep learning and persisting. I know so little about acting, and it will take my whole life to find out what it's about. I don't want to waste any time that could be spent exploring. There are stories to tell, and I don't just want to watch other people telling them.
Improv is terrifying to me. So I can't wait to jump in with both feet.

As much as I look forward to the class, and spending time in the city, I'm *most* excited about seeing my sister Mary(one of my favorite people on the planet). I met her when she was a camper in my cabin the first summer I worked at Center Lake Bible Camp. We as counselors weren't supposed to have 'favorite' campers..but secretly I did. She was(even at that awkward age)poised, thoughtful and confident. She was kind, focused, funny and engaging. I wished I could keep her.
Now as a woman she's all those things and more. Her character and opportunities grew with age. Trips to Romania, Hungary, Dominican Republic, Turkey..soon Japan. Shooting a student film in the Bahamas, studying, tutoring kids, volunteering, sleeping not enough. That's just Mary.
I still consider getting her as a sister two years later one of the most fortunate gifts of my life. There's really so much more I'd have to say in order for you to understand..but I'm too busy getting ready to go hang out with my sister. You'll just have to read her blog.
:)

The recent trip to Mackinac Island with my aunt Jen and cousin Kelly was about more than revisiting. It was about reclaiming..
Growing up, our up-north trips were tradition, and some of the best memories of my childhood are woven through them. Some things would change from year to year, like which vehicle we were cramming into, which aunts were taking us, which cheap hotels we'd stay in.
Oh, the hotels. You guys have *no* idea - when it comes to The Art of The Cost-Effective Road Trip , my family has the market cornered.
There was the year we stayed in a stellar room at the Normandy and noticed a door next to our bed that opened into the dark backlot...and didn't lock from the inside.
The pool that turned my hair a memorable shade of green..Several years before I hit the age where I would have thought it edgy and cool.
The 'cottage' in Topannobee which was so dirty we swam in the lake after our showers to feel clean..er. Sometimes it's a good idea to sleep on top of the sheets.

Even frugal travelers enjoy the occasional splurge, though. Like the first time I ever slept on the island. The Lilac Tree Hotel with it's yellow and purple decor and fantastic shower soap..
I still remember waking up to the sound of horses running loose down the cobblestone streets below my window.

You could count on a stop at Manley's fish in St. Ignace for smoked salmon and whitefish. Along with some smoked Gouda and crackers, it was a feast we'd look forward to all year.



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Somewhere along the way, we lost the tradition for a while. We all had our own distractions, reasons, struggles.

I went there as a nineteen yr old bride. When my marriage ended I wondered if I could ever feel the same way about the place again. There's a picture of me by this white fence on a bike, overlooking the harbor.
And my honeymoon smile is beaming into the camera, completely full of joy and implicit trust. The gray October sky in the photo the only sign of the freezing rain I was impervious to at the time. The photo is hard to look at now, as are so many others from the beginning. Hard to see that happy girl who had no idea what kind of story she was entering.
In the trips I've taken there since, I've never seen that spot. Looked for it a couple of times, but never could find it.
Hiking with Jen and Kelly, I reached out my hand to brace against a white fence and rest a moment, and when I looked up I realized I was standing exactly where the photo had been taken. I stood there with the sun on my face, alone, no cameras. And covered an old footprint with a new one.
This trip was a way of recapturing our claim on the island's place in our lives. Three independent women, all coming full circle in unique ways.