Kathy Ewing keeps life in perspective. You might not say she is “living the dream,” but you can definitely say she has turned a dream into reality. 

I met Kathy where she works as a waitress at Benedict’s La Strada restaurant in Crystal Lake. Over the years, I have dragged bits and pieces of her life out of her. Here is what I discovered. 

Kathy first blessed the world in Rockville, Md., but moved to Wheeling as a child and finally settled in Island Lake. She followed a conventional path, finding a job after high school at a heating and air conditioning company and going to college part time. In the back of her mind, however, was an ambition that grabbed her and never let go.