It’s a wonder! We got a new mattress today after I don’t know how many years. Mattress shopping made me wonder how in the world my husband and I have managed to share the same bed for our 36 years of marriage. In the early days we were so poor, we didn’t have a lot of options. His dad bought our first bed – a waterbed. They were all the rage back then and if you had one, you know why our generation is marked by fortitude and success. There was no such thing as ordering a bed online, waiting Keep Reading...
Shoes, Mushrooms and Marriage
I’ve spent the past two weeks at my parents' home caring for my father after he had a fall. Though it’s not the home I grew up in, some of the rules and expectations my dad had when I was growing up followed him to this home – causing me to revisit some of my teenage trials and tribulations. My dad and I butted heads a lot when I was a mouthy teen. I always attributed our conflicts to us being a lot alike and after learning about the Enneagram, it is confirmed. Dad and I are very similar. I Keep Reading...
What Does This Look Like?
Does this look like a bowl? It is a bowl but it’s not just a bowl. It’s a reminder of young love. When my husband and I were engaged, he was living about two hours away from me. He was just starting out in his career and I was finishing up my last semester of college. For Valentine’s Day that year, I wanted to make him a nice dinner and one of his favorite desserts – a cheesecake. I drove to his apartment and let myself in while he and his roommate were working. The neckties and dress socks Keep Reading...
So You’re Working From Home – Tips to Help
Day two of social distancing found two of my adult daughters sitting by the pool and my husband working from home. I was trying to keep busy as the world seemed to be changing around me by the minute. I sprayed the weeds in my beds, applied pre-emergent and attempted to clean out the gutters. When I walked out back with the pooper-scooper, one of my daughters said, “Mom, you have a lot of jobs.” As I did my dog-owner version of an Easter egg hunt, I thought about her comment. And I thought Keep Reading...
Choose Wisely!
For Valentine’s Day this year, I posted a picture on social media of my husband and I dating and then one of our current family – with kids and grandkids. Accompanying the pictures in the post, I wrote, “Choose wisely Valentines! This (dating pic) could turn into this (current pic) if you are as fortunate as I am!” But then I got to thinking and that got me to writing. I feared my quote could be misconstrued. I didn’t just 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...
Top Marriage Tips After 30 Years
Three years into our marriage, I was about 4 months pregnant. We were the first of our friends to get pregnant and were determined a pregnancy and a baby wouldn’t impact our lives in a major way. (I can hear you parents laughing now!) As part of our plan not let children impact our lives, we decided to meet at a lake to spend the weekend with our childless college friends. We picked a lake halfway between where we lived and booked a cabin. The cabin information said that it had a bed and a Keep Reading...
A Dead Cow and Young Love
Jack and I hadn't been dating long when we drove from his hometown back to college. We took a casual route on some back roads. I had my feet on the dashboard, singing along with the radio and enjoying the gentle, rolling hills when Jack said, “Look at that dead cow on the side of the road!” It was bloated and on its back. Feet sticking straight up. “Let's stop and take a picture with the cow,” were the next shocking words that came out of Jack’s mouth as he slowed the car. “Noooo, it’s Keep Reading...
Suffering Well
My grandfather will be 98 years old in January. He fell last week, broke his hip, and had a hip replacement. While caring for him, I was reminded of something that I recently read and I want to share it here. This grandfather was married to my grandmother for 58 years and cared for her when she got leukemia until she passed away. He remarried a wonderful lady and they enjoyed seventeen years together. When she, at 99 years old, became ill and began to slip away, he cared for her (risking Keep Reading...
I Need Manly Soap
I did it! I bought a new bedspread for my bedroom! I know that might not seem like much of a feat to some but for some reason, it is giving me reason to celebrate. Why has it been so hard to make a decision on a simple bedspread? Could it possibly be because everything is so West Elm-y and taupe - and my house isn’t? Could it be that I keep hearing the college kids making fun of all of us moms for having jewel tone bedspreads and being way behind the times? Is it because when you do a search Keep Reading...