Veeka gets a bed

Well, it was about time to switch her from crib to bed, although I'm already regretting it. A pro-life group I knew of needed cribs tout de suite, so I figured that at age 2.5, Veeka was ready to get a little girl bed. Not only that, but some friends had an extra one they wanted to give me.
Soooo, we switched over Sunday and nearly every night now, I have to chase the Little One back into bed. She *loves* her new freedom and the chance to rip apart her bedroom in under 5 minutes. Even if I put up the baby gate at the door, that still gives her free range of her room where she is happy to wreak maximum mess. The crib was easier. The photo you see here shows her in bed but that is an illusion.
This week has been busy work-wise with my driving to Baltimore to cover the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (imagine rooms and hallways filled with 300 men dressed in black), then on Wednesday I switched to the Fairfax (Va.) County courthouse where I am covering the biggest property trial in Episcopal Church history. I know - or know of - most of the people who have taken the stand thus far and today was pretty wild with the testimony of the presiding bishop who was taped last month. My articles should stay on the WTimes web site for at least a week (no, we do not have a good archive, unfortunately) so read them now.
Unfortunately the courthouse will not let me bring in my laptop (as it has a camera attached to the lid that I do not even know how to work.) So I spend my lunch hours at the local Panera which has free wireless, sending emails on what my story will be about. Then late in the afternoon I dash back to the restaurant to type and file my story. Essentially the Diocese of Virginia and the national Episcopal Church are suing 11 churches that left a year ago (over a gay bishop and major theological differences) and the costs for all this are running in the millions. I hae never covered a court case this long (six days) but I am enjoying being out of the office and on assignment.
And the best news is this: This afternoon, I handed in the last few chapters of my book manuscript! Free at last ! Free at last! Great God Almighty, free at last!