Sound the trumpets and mark your calendars! On this day, no one in my household is sick!

I figure this will last maybe another three days, if I'm lucky.

***

Yesterday was a nice, lazy day. Jack and I both had the day off for Mardi Gras, and since we are not into fighting drunk crowds in the city, we had a very pleasant family day here in town. We went to breakfast at IHOP in the morning, ran some errands, then took a long walk along the lakefront in the afternoon, pushing PB in her stroller. It was foggy and quiet on the lakefront, the water as still as glass. There are a couple of swingsets out there, and so we put Anna in one of the little kiddy seats which was the perfect size for her. She LOVED being swung! I wish we'd had the movie camera with us, because she was literally screeching in delight. It was totally adorable.

In writing-related news, I've joined an online critique group that looks like it's going to be a very nice fit. To be eligible for this one you have to have either completed an audition-only workshop (e.g. Clarion, Odyssey or the like) or have made a pro sale. I was attracted to it specifically because of the admission standards, because I would much rather have three critiques from people whose work and opinions I respect, than fifty from people I don't know anything about. So far I'm really pleased with what I've been seeing in stories and critiques. I'm also pleased and relieved that the first story I submitted for critique has received pretty favorable responses. Whew! I really wasn't sure how the story would be received, and there's always that nervousness that the other people will think you're an idiot and say, "Why the hell did we let HER in?" :)

Disney continued, Feb 6: 1999
Feb 7: 1999
Feb 8: 1999

Feb 6: 2000

Feb 5: 2002
Feb 8: 2002