I try not to take offense at these Houston cracks – though it is my birthplace. I hardly ever tell anyone, maybe due to embarrassment or maybe since I feel like Oregon is home. Its where most of my family is, strewn down the I-5 corridor. Though I’ve lived in Eugene for eight years now, it never felt like home before I found this wonderful group of friends who named themselves MICE and included Jess and Mark. Which brings me to another thing that I hardly ever tell anyone. (I told Jess once and I don’t think she particularly liked it). The first time I met Jess and Mark was at the Taylor’s Halloween party – they were dressed as Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. Once in a while I flash back to that image of them. Jess, with her beautiful curly long and thick hair – I don’t even think she had to wear a wig (Am I remembering right? Or was it all the red I was wearing fogging my memory?) Waving a fluffy pink boa, a small pig snout, and perhaps a tiara????? My point: I am pretty sure that Miss Piggy would give this a big “Hayaaaa” followed by a flounce of the hair as Kermey (looking a lot like Mark) would stand behind her impressed and loving her, in that weird way that only a frog can love a pig. Go get ‘em Jess! We’re all behind you.

-Arica