2018: A Visual Montage

Going through my photos from 2018 has reminded me of how many good moments we had throughout the year, and how much I have to be grateful for. The year kicked off in a dark place with Mom’s cancer diagnosis, but after chemo, surgery and radiation (and now oral chemo), we can see the light […]

Back with another one of those block rockin’ beats!

Howdy! So much for my “life purpose” of sharing my experiences so others can know they aren’t alone. Failure! I won’t bore you with excuses for why I haven’t written all summer. None of them are really valid reasons. The truth of the matter is that I am just lazy and unorganized. Today I write […]

Life Rerouted

“Let’s do a family video chat soon,” Mom wrote in her email. “Let’s pick a time when you can all be available next Sunday.” How lovely, I thought. We haven’t done a group chat with Mom in ages! A moment later, a pang of fear struck me. Something is wrong, my gut warned, We haven’t done a […]

7th Grade Gym Class Hell

“Get it! GET IT!” my teammates shout as the gleaming white volleyball hurtles toward me like a meteor. More defensively than athletically, I stick my palm outward to shove the ball away from my face. My face – always the target of flying objects – as if all the surgical trauma wasn’t enough. The ball […]

Don’t Hate – Meditate

Hello friends! Yes, it’s been approximately two million seconds since I posted last. I’ve been spending a lot of time with myself. It started when I got sick after conference, and was lying around recovering and thinking. I realized that I’d been spending less and less time on self-care, and it had been wearing me […]

Negative Imprint

Today’s post is probably going to be a mishmash of whatever pops into my mind as I sit here. I’m at a park, watching the bright green grass appear from beneath the melting snow. We got several inches overnight but already the sun has chased away most of it. I’ve been thinking about taking you, […]

What Would You Give for your Kid Fears?

I’m sitting here listening to an Indigo Girls playlist on YouTube. It’s been a while since I listened to them, and oh man, how I’ve missed these beautiful melodies. They’re like the female version of Simon and Garfunkel. They make me want to learn to play the guitar. Their music reminds me of my carefree […]

Temporary Discomfort

I got my temporary lower bridge last week. It is a strange feeling to have something foreign in my mouth. Despite having had all kinds of weird apparatuses (I really feel like the plural of apparatus should be apparati, but apparently it’s not) in my younger days, I can’t say I welcomed the introduction of this […]

Dental Update…

Last time I wrote I was excited because I went through my dentist appointment without having my bridgework removed. My doctor has since acquired the necessary tools to remove my lower bridge, so that was how I spent this Wednesday morning. I made a quick video about it when I got home tonight. You can see […]

Everybody’s Got Something

It is the first day of first grade. I’m decked out in my favorite dress (blue, of course) with matching barrettes in my hair. I haven’t yet grown to dread the bus ride or the seemingly endless succession of school days that lie ahead. I climb onto the mostly empty bus, take a seat about halfway back […]