Lotz of goingz on...

Today my sister-in-law's new novel, ALVOR, was released. It is available on Amazon.com.

I haven't had the privilege of reading it as of yet, but my daughter, Madison, proofread it here and there along the way, and she thinks it is great! I ordered 2 copies for us so there would be less contention in our household as we all try to read it (and also there is free shipping with Amazon if you order $25 or more of merchandise--another good reason to order our extra copy).

We are impatiently tapping our fingers on the counter,

gazing out the front window,

waiting for them to arrive...

In other news:This last weekend my little clogging team, Yellowstone Stampede, attended Open Nationals at Lagoon. It poured for most of the day, making it not only no fun to go on rides, but literally impossible to practice anything before we got on stage to perform. All of the dancers and their families were huddled together under the pavilions trying to keep somewhat dry, running through the rain from one stage to another, depending on whether they were competing team or individual events.

It's hard to maintain a good attitude after you have to wring out your socks and dry your feet off with paper towels from the restroom.

Freestyle--Taylor and Rylee

Beginning Traditional Solo

But my kids did a great job! They placed first in their team events and did well in their individuals. Although we were soggy, we were still super!

On Sunday afternoon, John and I took a drive together up to Island Park. When we got home we had the cultural experience of trying borscht and perogies (2 traditional dishes from the eastern European/Russian region) for the first time . Borscht is a vegetable soup with a red beet and tomato base, so it is very bright. When you add a dollop of sour cream on top and mix it in, it becomes fuchsia. Perogies are a dumpling stuffed with potato, onions, and cheese.

Both were very good. Our girls prepared dinner for us while we were gone. Here is a cheesy picture of them in their aprons Grandma Sharon made them for Christmas. This is sample of what went on during our absence.

It makes you wonder a little bit...