Recently a friend sent me a book she picked up at an airport. She told me it made her laugh out loud on the plane – embarrassing her husband. “Enjoy it. It’s a good summer read,” she said. What exactly is a “summer read?” A little googling informed me that “summer reads” are light so you can take them on vacation and not get caught up in the story in case you need to throw your book down and jump in the ocean waves or lake. What if I want to read a “light” book in the dead of winter while Keep Reading...
My Struggle with Change – It’s Real
I’m not very good at change. Change is hard for me. Very hard. Twenty years ago when my mobile phone slid off the console in my car and into my cup of coffee, I went to the store to get another one. Wait, did I type “mobile phone?” Yes, I did because twenty years ago that is what they were called. They were phones to use when we were mobile. No one understood what a cell was back then. Anyway, when the young guy helping me opened my phone and coffee spilled out onto the counter, he told me Keep Reading...
What Does This Look Like? 2.0
Do you know what this is? If you said, “It’s an onion-potato keeper thing my parents/grandparents have under their sink or in their pantry,” you would be right – and wrong. This is what friendship looks like. After high school graduation, I planned to attend a university about 2000 miles away from my home in Idaho. Many of my friends chose to stay nearby for college and most lived at home so my move was out of the ordinary. I was planning to live in an apartment far from home with a Keep Reading...
An Inchworm and Kindness
Be kind. Everyone keeps saying, “be kind” but I am not seeing much kindness being spread around these days. Several things have happened in my little corner of the world the past few weeks making me grow grumpy and struggling to find the positive – and for this Pollyanna-ish person, that is a rarity. Years ago when I was in college, I ordered a salad from Wendy’s. You read that right; I ordered a salad at Wendy’s instead of a single with cheese, no tomatoes with fries and a diet coke. At Keep Reading...
I Have An Addiction!
I’ll admit it. I have an addiction. An addiction to one large unsweet iced tea every day. I know I can make it myself. My husband reminds me quite often – like daily. But it doesn’t taste as good as Sonic, Chick-Fil-A or even McDonalds. The tea may taste the same as what I can make at home but the ice is better at the drive-through. To be honest, I usually go to McDonalds because it’s only $1 all the time. Probably because their cups are the worst. Sorry, I’m getting off topic. When I Keep Reading...
Things Are Not Always As They Seem
The last few weeks could be captured by the movie title, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” except without the trains. Or maybe the movie title, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” except there weren’t any weddings but there were two funerals. The past few weeks have been a little nuts around here and this week is ramping up to be another not boring week. At least no dogs ran through wood floor glue this week – yet! (That blog is coming soon – once I determine a positive spin to put on it.) I Keep Reading...
Showing Up
This week something popped up on Facebook. I don’t know who the original poster was or even remember who shared the post but I clicked and got sucked into the post - and the comments. Always the comments... The post was titled “Just Show Up”and was about a mom who hated her body but put on a swimsuit so she could be with her kids. The gist of the post was about not worrying about our physical appearance because the kids don’t care. They just want us to be there for them. The gal’s post Keep Reading...
Digging Up Roots
I love trees. I really love big shade trees. Living in the South has given me a love for shade and the trees that produce shade. Shade is life in the south during the summer. Well, it’s pretty important from about April through October. When my husband decided to cut down the ONE tree in the backyard offering us any escape from the scorching rays of the sun, I was not happy. Not happy at all. The tree also shaded several rooms in the house from the glaring rays and limited the heat trying Keep Reading...
The Veteran Who Never Was and Why
This is the story of a man who wanted to serve his country but never got the chance – because of sacrificial love. We rode in silence. He had his thoughts. I had mine. When my uncle died several years ago, I had the honor to be charged with the task of getting my 96-year-old grandfather, who I called Papa, to the funeral. My Papa lived nearly five hours away from the town where his son would be buried so we had a lot of time in the car together. I had wonderful relationships Keep Reading...
Brusher of the Month ~ Yep, That Was Me!
After dropping my girls off for school, I turned the corner in my neighborhood and was met with a picture of me. Not a good picture of me. But a blown up, bigger than life picture of me as “Brusher of the Month.” Me. As an awkward teenager. With braces on my teeth! Someone was going to die! How is it that my high school brace face picture ended up – blown up - on a traffic caution barricade at the end of a busy street in a busy neighborhood? Friendship. That is Keep Reading...