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Michelle Michelle

Miscellaneous Saturday News

I'm starting this post off with a picture of today's snowfall, as is my habit.

Today's snowfall

After much thought, dialogue, and input, I've finally made a firm decision on the blog name and address. Seeing how it snows here  through the month of March, I can no longer in good conscience call this blog Mediterranean Meditations. It just isn't right. However, Midwest Meditations (which several people suggested) is already taken as a blog name. So, this is now Michelle's Blog--plain and simple, with my whole name as the web address. And I'm not changing it again. Phew.

Probably everyone who reads this is up to date on the big band news, but just in case you missed it, Justin's band, Abandoned, has a paying gig this summer at a Christian day camp here in town. The band will play every morning for two to three hundred kids. The boys are super excited and have their work cut out for them.

They got the job at their audition last Friday and were immediately whisked out to do publicity photos for a mailing that will go out about the day camp. 

I was soooo not this cool when I was fourteen. 

They look cool and calm, but there was a lot of boisterous whooping and
 hollering as soon as we were all in the parking lot.

Oh, and is Justin rocking the peach shirt, or what?

And other news that was hard to miss on the Harris feed this week..

Anna and I took a road trip two weekends ago to Ashland, Ohio, where we visited with our friends Edith and Peter. 

We last saw Edith in Europe at our last debriefing conference where she was figuring out her next steps. Since then, she has begun seminary and gotten married--big changes. Edith is Spanish; Peter is British, so  it was fun to answer some of their questions about Midwest American behavior.

Anna looking very grown up


Playing Boggle

I went to the MFA (Master's of Fine Arts) Open House on Saturday, while Anna visited the campus and took pictures of their mascot, a purple eagle.

There's Anna's kitty on the eagle's head.
I was thinking that I would apply for the program in a year, but it was clear that you didn't have to be a published, experienced writer to enter the program. So, I ordered up my college transcripts, tidied up my twenty-five page writing sample, wrote a five hundred word description of my development as a writer, and asked two friends for references. Then I waited and compulsively checking my inbox. Fortunately, they process applications very quickly and let me know this week that I've been accepted.

This is a low residency program in Ashland, Ohio, where I'll spend two weeks on campus in the summer and do semesters online. It's a great opportunity to learn from quality faculty, speed up my learning curve, and get to know other writers. I've very, very happy about this next step. Now I'm on to applying for financial aid.

So, that's the news this Saturday. Snow appears to be melting. About time for a nap.


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