Cindy Hval

Not all love stories are fairy tales with enchanted beginnings and magical endings. In fact the road from "once upon a time" to "happily ever after" is often bumpy and filled with detours. It takes courage and commitment to keep a marriage together, and sometimes – a miracle. In June 1999 Paul and Melissa Weller's 18-year marriage was basically over. "It's the piling up of small disagreements that hurt a marriage," Paul said. He mimicked a knife making small slices on his arm, comparing the state of their relationship to an accumulation of wounds that never healed properly. "You can live in the same house and hide out," he said.

The car repairman on the phone asked where I'd be driving from, with my noisy exhaust and the mystery part sticking out between the front tires. "The South Hill," I told him. I tried to make my voice as friendly as possible. I wanted him to like me anyway.

It's summertime. Long days, pleasant evenings and lots of hours to spend in the great outdoors. However, when you're opening up that lake cabin or enjoying a stroll through the woods, try to avoid bringing home an unwelcome souvenir. Epidemiologists at the Spokane Regional Health District report tick-borne illness already has sent four area residents to the hospital this year.

First impressions are important. It was 1952, and John Topp, an 18-year-old Marine, had a double date planned for the evening. He was feeling fine when he and his friend pulled into a driveway to pick up his buddy's date.

Eileen S. Wise's family has a long-standing tradition of military service – very long. Her father, Hiram Craig Shouse, served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Eileen S. Wise's family has a long-standing tradition of military service – very long. Her father, Hiram Craig Shouse, served in the Union Army during the Civil War.

"There's no such thing as quittin' time," reads the Toyota Tundra ad on a digital billboard on 29th Avenue. It seems to be true for the billboard: After a few seconds the truck ad disappears and another flashes on the LED screen, this one for The Tin Roof furniture store. Then a plump, bearded man and a plate of seafood team up to promote Coeur d'Alene Casino's "Bigger Better Buffet," and soon after that appears that ubiquitous grinner, TV's Rachael Ray. At least it's not an audio billboard.

When 60-year-old Frieda Birnbaum gave birth to twins in May, it made headlines all over the nation, and sparked a flurry of posts on the Parents Council blog. Debate waged between the "more power to her" camp and the "sounds like the beginning of a joke" crowd.

Sunlight streamed through the windows of an upstairs room at Northpointe Retirement Community. It bathed the group of women gathered around a table in golden light. It glinted and flashed off the crochet hooks that moved rapidly in their hands. Each Friday afternoon the women gather to crochet or knit. Northpointe activities director, Diane French, christened the group "The Busy Needles."

Like Michelangelo, who could see art locked in a block of marble, Kevin Bouck can see art in a lump of clay. The 29-year-old ceramic artist works from his small turret studio in his South Hill apartment.

Bill Slater knows the value of persistence. He first caught a glimpse of his future bride at Whitworth College in 1970, but it took nine long years to win her hand. "I saw her running up the stairs to get to the head of the food line," he recalled. "She did that every day, and every day I noticed her. I just had to get to know her."

It's tough being a member of a minority. When critics rage against white male oppression, I feel their pain. I'm the only girl in my house. When we discuss which summer movie to see, the older guys vote for the latest "Die Hard" installment, the younger kids vote for "Shrek 3" and I'm the only one raising my hand for "Nancy Drew."

For Jane Clements home is an expression of individuality. "Home reflects what I do and my personality; it's also a retreat," she said. Clements and her husband, Joe, built their old-world Mediterranean style house in 2004 – the same year she was diagnosed with cancer.

Martha Hibbard loves babies. Babies of all shapes, sizes and skin tones. But she confides, "I think my favorites are the fat babies."

Unplanned pregnancies rarely result in prestigious awards. But that's just what happened at the Spokane Class A Arabian Horse show last month. Reckless, a half-Arabian owned by Glovers' Stethmir Arabians, was awarded the Legion of Honor. Stethmir is a family business, owned by retired dentist Tom Glover, his wife Dr. Elaine Glover, and his two daughters, Sylvia Glover and Susan Glover-Neff.

Jeff Perry can swing around in his desk chair, type an address into his computer and show you any tree in Spokane . A computer program displays aerial images of puffy-looking green masses – updated every two years by the city and Avista Corp. – along with the trees' stats: species, diameter, height, spread. Among the oldest and biggest: a horse chestnut at Corbin Art Center, on West 7th Avenue, 80 feet tall with a 52-inch diameter and 60-foot spread. Nearby, at the Corbin House, a 50-foot-tall European beech laciniata with a 42-inch diameter and a 60-foot spread.

There's something appealing about newlyweds. The way they gaze into each other's eyes. Their secret smiles and knowing chuckles. Chet and Bonnie Nelson, married in February 2006, are typical of most newlyweds with one exception – they're both 75 years old. Maybe that's why their happiness seems even sweeter.

When Ken Wortley read a story recently in The Spokesman-Review (WWII Vets Remember, May 24) to his seventh-grade social studies class at Chase Middle School, they had to pause to look up a word. Pearl Harbor survivor Charlie Boyer was quoted as saying people had gotten "blasé" about Memorial Day. Wortley's students had a different reaction. Grant VanHalderen suggested the students invite the veterans to visit their classroom. With Wortley's permission, student Max Katzarksi called the newspaper in an attempt to contact the veterans.

Unplanned pregnancies rarely result in prestigious awards. But that's just what happened at the Spokane Class A Arabian Horse show last month. Reckless, a half-Arabian owned by Glovers' Stethmir Arabians, was awarded the Legion of Honor. Stethmir is a family business, owned by retired dentist Tom Glover, his wife Dr. Elaine Glover, and his two daughters, Sylvia Glover and Susan Glover-Neff.

A buzz of anticipation filled the library at Longfellow Elementary School in northeast Spokane last week. Dozens of fourth-graders sat on the floor, eagerly awaiting the arrival of three members of the Hillyard Rotary Club.

There's something appealing about newlyweds. The way they gaze into each other's eyes. Their secret smiles and knowing chuckles. Chet and Bonnie Nelson, married in February 2006, are typical of most newlyweds with one exception – they're both 75 years old. Maybe that's why their happiness seems even sweeter.