Steve's being clever in the kitchen. View some of his favorite new recipes as he posts them.

Steve's uploaded drawings to show the progression of his cartooning experience. He recently took a class in non-fiction book proposals, and he's planning a writers gathering with his classmates at our home now that WE'VE UNPACKED!!! (Pictures to prove it coming soon.) I've continued courses in hatmaking, with a straw hat that turned out bee-yoo-ti-fully and a straw-braid hat that I'm currently working on. In ballet, I get to move up from Very Beginning to Beginning next session! Next — the stage! No, hopefully not. We plan to continue our fun with the Experimental College by taking kayaking lessons in the spring.

We recently attended FringeACT, a festival of new plays. It gives playwrights a chance to have a cast read their plays dramatically to an audience and get feedback on what works and what doesn't. We listened to an adaptation of an old favorite children's novel of Amanda's, The Westing Game, as well as three original works: a depressing one about Tibetan nuns, a relational one about an online group meeting in Martha's Vineyard, and a rollicking one about a hush-hush society of female serial killers.

Also in March, we went to the Cinerama Festival downtown. There are only a few Cinerama theaters in the country, and Seattle's is an original. Cinerama was a filming technique invented in the 1950s to lure patrons back to the movies; attendance had dropped sharply post-WWII. Cinerama uses three cameras projected onto a curved wide screen to give viewers the impression of seeing what the eye naturally sees. It also uses surround sound, an innovation at the time. Though Cinerama is seen as somewhat of a novelty act today, it was responsible for spurring the wide-screen and stereo-sound experience we know today. We saw This Is Cinerama, which introduced the form by providing a roller-coaster ride, a travelogue, water-skiing babes, and stunt piloting. The widow of the pilot (Paul Mantz) was in the audience with us. He didn't die filming that movie, but he did end up dying in the cockpit. I talked a little more about the experience on the online film board I am now an administrator of (unimaginable power!).

In February, we took the ferry to Whidbey Island for the annual Langley Mystery Weekend, an interactive murder mystery that the whole town gets involved in. We rushed from store to store gathering printed clues as suspects dressed in outlandish garb strolled around talking to the detectives (us). We went to a couple more author readings at the University Bookstore and Third Place Books.

In January, we saw Nunsense in Tacoma at the same theater we saw Anne of Green Gables last year. We also walked around Bainbridge Island, where our biggest purchases were from a thrift store. We met Jeffrey Overstreet for lunch in Seattle that month as well and then crossed the Gold Rush National Park off our list. I like calling it by its rightful designation of "national park" even though it's one room and a theater downtown in Pioneer Square. Later that month, we returned to Pioneer Square to hear Amy Tan speak at Elliot Bay Bookstore.

We're also busy planning a trip to the East Coast and, later, a Midwest excursion to coincide with Steve's 10-year high-school reunion and my five-year college reunion. We'll scan in pictures and news about those as they happen.

Steve's boss from the Bible League just flew in from Illinois. Steve's working on co-writing a new book with him about getting evangelism out of just churches and into people's lives. I'm working on a newsletter for Christian schools and have recently edited a children's book and graduation applications for my online editing service.

P.S. Honestly, this was a short update until I told Steve what I'd written and he remembered 10 things I hadn't included. Hope you're not unduly angered by my false advertising.