Cindy Hval

The winter sun shone in Linda Schroeder’s sewing room last week, illuminating shelves filled with fabrics in a rainbow of colors. Each week Schroeder and her friend Donna Knudsen meet in the cozy sewing room. They make quilts, wall hangings, table runners – anything they can piece together – and those creations help make wishes come true for many area children.

Their breath caught in clouds of frosty air, but the frigid temperatures didn’t chill the enthusiasm of the 21 students from the Community School, as they gathered at Mount Spokane last week for a snowshoeing adventure. This is the third year Kat Hall, conservation programs director for the Lands Council, has taken students to Mount Spokane to learn about winter safety and the importance of the snowpack in our region.

Like a slalom skier, I tried to maneuver my cart quickly through the clogged Costco aisles. I rounded a corner sharply when I heard a soft voice say, “Hey, Cindy!” It was an acquaintance I hadn’t seen in awhile. The last I heard she was expecting her third child. “How are you?” I said, trying to be subtle as I looked at her winter-clad figure for signs of advanced pregnancy.

Sometimes love is all about seizing the moment. That’s certainly the case for Bill and Donna Staeb. When Bill saw Donna walking out of a movie theater with a friend in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, he quickly struck up a conversation. “When you see something good, you don’t let it get away,” Bill said.

The aroma of their subject lingered in the air when students at MEAD hosted a Coffee House last week. Teens at the alternative high school had just completed an in-depth study of coffee. “We had three focus groups,” teacher Kristi Amend said. “We studied the history of coffee, the economics and ethics of the coffee trade, and the health effects of caffeine.”

If Thanksgiving was a test, then I failed it. Oh, the turkey turned out perfectly golden brown; the potatoes were fluffy – the gravy lump-free. But if the apple pies tasted a bit salty, I have to confess the secret ingredient was tears.

Christmas came a little early for the staff and volunteers at Wishing Star. Subway franchise owner Jerry Jensen and his son Tyler, 13, delivered a free lunch to the nonprofit as part of Subway’s Season of Giving on Dec. 10. The restaurant chain targeted 12 local nonprofits and expected to deliver more than 275 sandwiches last week.

During the 1940s and ’50s many lasting love stories began in a roller rink. That’s just what happened to Harold “Tom” Tucker and his bride, Shirley. “I was a sailor stationed at Farragut,” Tom said. “I got liberty and came into Spokane to roller skate.”

On Sunday, the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Stars and Stripes STA bus delivered its precious cargo to the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The five remaining military members of the Lilac City Pearl Harbor Survivors Association had come to honor their fallen comrades at the new Pearl Harbor Survivors Memorial.

I blame “Christmas Vacation” for my husband’s reluctance to attempt outdoor lighting and decorations during the holiday season. Watching the movie is annual tradition in our home, but I fear Clark Griswold’s electrical mishaps may have installed a wariness of Christmas lights in my own “Sparky.”

At 12, like many active kids, Ashley Lewan began complaining of knee aches and joint pain. But unlike common “growing pains,” this hurt didn’t go away – it continued to worsen. Doctors were initially stumped, but finally, at 14, she was diagnosed with a cluster of autoimmune diseases including lupus, Raynaud’s disease, Sjoren’s syndrome and Psoriatic arthritis.

Mt. Spokane High School celebrated its 18th birthday last month with the first Cats Come Back event. The event grew out of conversation between principal Darren Nelson and teacher Jeff Naslund.

Kenzie Novell is no stranger to pageant competition. The 2009 Lewis and Clark grad has competed in Miss America pageants, winning the Miss Spokane title in 2009 and 2012. But winning a state title eluded her. “I finished in the top 10 both times,” she said.

Next Thursday, 32 area runners will board a plane for Los Angeles and head to the Foot Locker West Regional Cross Country Championships, thanks to the generous support of the Lilac Bloomsday Association. Since 1992, the association has sent the top 16 boys and girls runners in the area to the prestigious Foot Locker championship. The group pays for airfare and ground transportation as well as provides chaperones for the event.

Laughter and chatter filled the Lantern Tap House last week as dozens of members of Friendship Force International gathered for their monthly Let’s Eat Out meeting. Members swapped stories, shared photos and eagerly talked about upcoming trips.

Dodging puddles in the drizzling rain, I hustled from one meeting to the next. Hands in my coat pockets, head down, wishing I’d taken the time to grab my umbrella. While waiting at the crosswalk for the light to change, I looked up to see a small boy heading down the sidewalk toward me. Clutching his mother’s hand, he purposefully veered toward the biggest puddle on the sidewalk – the one I’d carefully avoided.

Family members often make the best matchmakers. In Nancy Wright’s case, her cousin introduced her to a new employee in his office. That introduction has led to almost six decades of marital bliss. The deal worked like this. When her cousin started work in a new office in Pendleton, Oregon, he found slim pickings in the dating pool. Nancy worked in Portland. “He asked me to let him know about any likely prospects and I said, ‘Sure, if you’ll do the same for me.’ ” Laughing, she said, “He immediately said, ‘Oh, I know someone!’ ”

Not all school teams practice in a gym or on a ball field. On Wednesday evenings members of the Mt. Spokane Equestrian Team meet at a ranch in Colbert. Now entering their sixth season, the 11 team members from various area schools compete in district, state and regional meets.

Fall foliage lit by bursts of brilliant sunshine provided a stunning backdrop as children jumped into huge leaf piles at Finch Arboretum on Saturday. Meanwhile, nearby, other families did their part to ensure there would be more trees sprouting leaves come spring.

The sold-out crowd at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle erupted into cheers Sunday night when a small figure in a white hat strode onto the darkened stage. “This is the best day of my life!” my son Zach said.

For seven years, Fields of Diamonds House of Blessings, a Christian transition home, has helped women and children escape abusive situations. The women who come to the house often have endured beatings, lost jobs, been disconnected from families and have lost hope.