The Bell is Ringing Again ... one of our favorite posts from the Nie Nie Dialogues.

I prepared a feast for the family to honor the girls as they got ready to start a new school year.

Baby white roses decorate the dinner table. Honey seared salmon smoked in alder wood (prepared by Mr. Nielson), garden-picked beets, brown jasmine rice, and broccoli rabe along with the 2008 to 2009 family theme.

Crowns were made to honor the girls.
For dessert I made a classic chocolate cake with delicious chocolate butter-cream frosting.
Toasts were made, stories told, goals planned and the girls walked the cat-walk showing off their new school duds in a family fashion show.

It was hot. Real hot. Claire wore tights. Jane wore long pants and a sweater-type top. Both came home with red faces and sweat dripping down. Fashion over comfort, ladies! (That's my girls!)

Originally posted on the Nie Nie Dialogues, August 12, 2008 -- four days before the plane crash.

For updates on Stephanie's progress, click here. To donate, send contributions to the Christian & Stephanie Nielson Rehab Fund, P.O. Box 8850, Mesa, AZ 85214.