The stars alined and I took a long weekend, heading south for my niece's First Communion. And because of/in spite of being A) grounded in Chicago overnight B) flying last minute standby to Memphis and C) avoiding tornados while driving from Tennessee to Arkansas, getting there was all the sweeter.

Now my sketchbook is bursting and I'm ready to hit the ground running, full of strawberry shortcake and bonhomie.

And I wasn't the only one sketching this weekend. I think that kiddo's going to put me out of a job in a couple years.