Tonsils and Tiramisu

When we asked each of the girls what she wanted for Christmas, Suzanna requested a tonsillectomy (remember?). When that's at the top of a child's wish list, a parent realizes how desperate the child is to end the suffering of frequent bouts of tonsillitis. Well, today we took a step toward making Suzanna's dream come true; we took her to Bismarck for an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

First one doctor and then a second examined her and noted how enlarged her tonsils are even when not infected. There's something about the surface of her tonsils, too, that allows germs to set up shop and stick around permanently, meaning that she's destined for a lifetime of regular cycles of infection should she keep those tonsils in. Therefore, they're coming out. We'll be back in April for her tonsillectomy, and Suzanna couldn't be more delighted to have "surgery" on her calendar.

There was a lot of waiting for each doctor this morning, so it was already dinner time by the time we left the clinic. First we stopped by Bread Poets Baking Company, a bakery in Bismarck that Susan had heard about and wanted to check out. We left with some wonderful-smelling breads, including cheddar garlic (which will be great with soup) and cinnamon log (which will make a great breakfast treat). Then we went to Carino's, an Italian restaurant that made us very happy, from the fresh bread dipped in olive oil and roasted garlic before the meal to the Gorgonzola dressing on the salad to the multi-layered lasagna and other pasta dishes that filled us up so that we had no room for dessert. (Yes, the "tiramisu" in this post's title is just there for alliteration and the suggestion of Italy. Sorry for the deception.)

Oh, and I just deceived you again: we did have dessert, just not at Carino's. We did a little bit of shopping after dinner and then stopped at Good Times for some of their divine frozen custard before hitting the road to head for home. The mid-afternoon sun shining through the windows onto people with full bellies made for a very sleepy van, but I stayed awake and got us home safe and sound.

P.S. Happy Presidents Day! (Official name: "Washington's Birthday.")