My post-apocalyptic quest towards the light
I am not French. I am not Catholic. I'm not even religious. But centuries-old places of worship intrigue me. It doesn't matter where they are or which religion they were built to serve, when I visit I can feel the stories of those who have celebrated, mourned, or simply survived within their walls. I touch... Continue Reading →
In my first post after our big Italian adventure, I promised to write about triggering while traveling. For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath for that post to drop, today’s your lucky day! Let’s dig in. First, I want you to understand what a trigger is. To do that, I’m going... Continue Reading →
Even before my life went all topsy-turvy, sleeping through the night was not one of my gifts. I come by insomnia naturally. My grandpa used to joke that my grandma got up in the middle of the night because it was the only way she could get any time to herself. My mom and various... Continue Reading →
I love to travel. I get that this is not breaking news to any of you who have followed my blog from day one. You’ve probably even clued into this passion of mine if you’re a more recent convert. It’s not a secret. From the beginning of time as I know it, I have yearned... Continue Reading →
As we wrap up 2018, I've been thinking about the progress I've made and the challenges I hope to conquer in the coming year. I'm feeling good. I hope you are too. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is to escape the day-to-day grind and get away. And let me tell you,... Continue Reading →
When I was a teenager, I painted my walls green and papered them with European travel posters and impressionist reproductions. Art and travel – these particular passions haven’t changed much since then except that, as I’ve wandered, my tastes have expanded in ways I never would have predicted. As a bonus, these loves of mine... Continue Reading →
On my very worst day, as I struggled to remember how to breathe, I held my child close and reminded myself that it could be worse. He could be dead. He could be missing. But he wasn’t. He was alive and I knew exactly where he was. In the days, weeks and months that followed,... Continue Reading →
Spring has been slow to arrive in the Pacific Northwest this year. It’s been rather cool. It’s been rather rainy. I’m talking no sun, people. Like, no sun. We’re supposed to have at least a teeny, weeny, little bit. This is abnormal, even for Seattle. And the rain, don’t even get me started. It’s a... Continue Reading →
I don’t cry in public. Maybe a few tears during an emotional scene in a movie, or when I smack into a tragic moment in history, like at the 9/11 Museum in NYC. But otherwise, no tears. It’s not because I don’t feel sorrow or joy; I just don’t do big public displays of emotion.... Continue Reading →
Close your eyes. Imagine warm sun gleaming on your skin, leafy green trees offering an oasis of shade, and ice cream dripping down your hand because you can’t lick fast enough. I’m ready. How about you? By mid-summer I am vociferous in my opinions on the drawbacks of humidity. But, right now, not so much.... Continue Reading →
Thanks for coming back for part two. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you might want to go back and read my post from last week first. You can find it here. Auburn is a charming town with a lot of fantastic architecture on display. We should have spent the night in... Continue Reading →
The mission of my last post was simple. I needed to speak the truth about what happened so that I could finally begin the process of shedding some of the layers of pain I’ve amassed over the past nine months. I’m happy to report that it worked. I’ve even had a few recent mornings begin... Continue Reading →
I’ve always been adept at finding something to do when alone. Really, there's no shortage of fun to be had, books to read, movies to watch, things to think about, music to listen to, writing projects to work on. I love them all. Passionately. It’s not that I don’t like spending time with others. I... Continue Reading →
Tonight, my house smells delicious. Tomorrow should be even better, assuming I don’t burn anything. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. While I love the twinkling lights and colorful decorations of Christmas, Thanksgiving is my hands-down favorite holiday. Good food, family, and friends make me one happy chica. I get to cook in a very over-the-top... Continue Reading →
On this, the eve of a rather unprecedented presidential election, all I have to offer is a few photographs. Calm, peaceful images of my town. Images I took today while waiting for Calvin to finish something that can be stressful for both of us. Albeit, something that is helping him, and therefore me, to recover... Continue Reading →
Lately I’ve been thinking about Myrtle and Eloise, two of the strongest, smartest, funniest and most compassionate women I’ve ever known. It was my good fortune to have both as grandmothers and to have them stick around until I was old enough to have the kinds of conversations you don’t always think to have until... Continue Reading →
My niece wrote a poem for school. My sister-in-law sent it to me and it made me cry. In that one short poem she demonstrated that she is a writing force to be reckoned with. She is fierce. She set the mood, forged memorable characters, elicited fond memories from her audience, and took us from... Continue Reading →
Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed by the craziness that’s been my year, I turn on some music and listen to the words. I try to hear the message the writer set out to deliver. Today, it was Mat Kearney delivering the much-needed counseling. “Just because it’s pouring down, doesn’t mean we’re gonna drown.” I’m keeping my... Continue Reading →
For most of my life, I’ve been afraid. I’ve been afraid and I’ve made decisions based upon those fears. Some of them, like a genuine dislike of heights, make sense from a human survival kind of perspective and don’t really interrupt normal life. And then there are the ones that don’t make much sense at... Continue Reading →
The other day I got to see Mr. C dive through a hoop like a dolphin. Well, maybe not exactly like a dolphin. Unlike his favorite animal, he has to start the dive while standing outside of the pool. He’s taking teen swimming lessons at our new gym. This is pretty cool for several reasons.... Continue Reading →
Just as New York City is the City for me, Mt. Rainier is the Mountain. Actually, if you happen to live in the greater Seattle/Tacoma metropolitan area, or really anywhere in the southern half of Western Washington, this is what you call it too. It's such a prominent feature on the horizon that people say... Continue Reading →
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