Ride 'Em, Cowboy!

I got to spend some time with my friend Caitrin and her sweet daughter, Macie, in Denver. We went to the National Stock Show and Rodeo. I've always thought rodeos were a myth, like Paul Bunyan, but they're actually real. Here's Macie with one of the cows:




I also got to go to the Denver Zoo. It was so fun! I got to see the elephants being bathed and the gorillas being fed. I also got to get really close to a tapir. Check it out!

One Berry, Two Berry, Pick Me A Newbery

In January, I went to Denver for the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference. This year's conference was extra special because I was on the 2009 Newbery Award Committee! All year long during 2008, I read and read and read, along with the 14 other members of the committee. We got together in Denver for hours of discussion and deliberation. On our final day together, we called the authors of the winning book and the honor books at 6:30 in the morning, just before the ALA's press conference where the awards were officially announced. Here is a picture of our committee chair, Rose, calling one of the authors:

And here are some committee members, crowded around the phone to hear the authors' reactions:

And the winner was... Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book! We visited the publisher in the exhibit hall after the press conference to wish them congratulations.

The Graveyard Book is really really good! If you haven't read it yet, I recommend it!

Hello Peabody

On New Year's Day, Karl and I drove down to Toulon, Illinois, to visit his Grandma Jeannette. On the way there, I knit this little pony. Jeannette named him Peabody.

News from the kitchen

This morning, Karl surprised me with a proposal-- to have breakfast with him! What a sweet husband.

I went to my mom's this weekend, but Karl had to work, so my mom sent this back for him. It's a whole roast chicken in a Zip-Loc bag, labeled "Karl's Chicken."

Climate Control

What it feels like in our apartment in the morning:

What it feels like outside:

This is a problem because I need to wear a lot of long underwear and wool items when I go outside. But it's a little hard to put all that stuff on while I'm sweating like crazy because it's so hot... thanks to our ancient radiator system.

Cupcake Miracle

The world is just so full of geniuses, thinking up new and wonderful things every day. And here's proof: the individual cupcake carrier. It keeps cupcakes fresh and protected in lunchbags, and it looks so darn cute. What really sets this product apart from other cupcake technology out there are the "wings" that serve to keep your cupcake in place vertically, so the frosting doesn't get mashed. Thank you to Lia, who gave us two of these indispensable little helpers!

Milwaukee Field Trip

Over Christmas break, my mom and sister and I went on our annual outing to Milwaukee. We always visit the M&I bank downtown and see their huge Steiff animal display. It is so cool! They have all of these huge stuffed animals, and all of the animals are dressed in ornate costumes. Every year there's a different setting, like a filling station or a candy shop. This year was a train station. And it was so so so cool.

Wheeeee! Let's go sledding!

Check out the big giraffe neck in the background.

After the bank, we went to Bucca di Beppo for the world's least healthy lunch. Then we dropped off my sister and drove back to Madison. Hooray for field trips! And the best part was, we drove a minivan from Community Car. What's not to love about minivans?