A little more out loud.
For some reason, this year, Easter has been a tricky season for me. I don’t hide from all of you that I am a Christian. But I also don’t put it front and center – especially in my work life. In my background in public education, it was a no-no to mix church and […]
The weird noise or the nail.
Photo by Bernd Dittrich It would usually start the same way. A student would raise their hand, look at me with frustrated eyes, and say those five words every math teacher dreads: “I just don’t get it.” It seriously happened almost daily – every summer, in every summer school math class I ever taught. And […]
Yellow Brick and Red Utah Sandstone.
Photo by Jacob Barlow A few Sundays ago, I sat quietly in a red sandstone tabernacle built in 1909. The pews curve in the balcony and behind the pulpit sits a huge pipe organ. The woodwork is intricate and warm. It wasn’t my first time in that building – but it was the first time […]
Frozen Hot Chocolate and a Side of Lagniappe
One of my favorite chocolate shops in the whole world (ok, I’ve only seen part of the world, but still!) serves something called frozen hot chocolate. Now, before you make the mistake of thinking that frozen hot chocolate is exactly what it sounds like, let me assure you – it is not! This frozen hot […]
Those noisy upstairs neighbors
For 18 years of my single life, I lived on the bottom floor of a two-story, six-unit condo complex. It was the first home I purchased, and I loved it. I chose the bottom floor because it made it easy to take my dog out for her walks. The only catch? I was at the […]
Checking in without Checking out
This may come as a surprise to some of you but I’m not much of a goal-setter in the traditional sense of the word. I am much less of a five-year plan, color-coded spreadsheet, every to-do written down gal and much more of a let’s make a vision board or journal on a worksheet gal. […]
Scouty Scout and 5 whole years.
My past has some pieces I’ve put away. I don’t have dark hair and bangs any more. I no longer sew clothes, work on math equations, go camping, or ride road bikes. I don’t still sell cupcakes, raft rivers, teach cookie camps, or run races. I’m not currently teaching school or living in New York […]
Black and White Cookies. Right Here. Right Now.
One of the things Darren and I enjoy most about traveling (I would actually say THE thing Darren and I enjoy most about traveling…) is the food. On our first visit together to New York, I introduced him to one of my favorite spots on the Upper West Side: the legendary delicatessen called Zabar’s. […]
10 kinds of parked cars
This weekend I have been in the beautiful state of Montana, and, since it’s February, there is snow. And I mean SNOW. The world here is beautiful and snow covered and there are tall, tall piles of it on the side of the roads. All the roads. And so, snow plows are a necessary […]
Advice for Andrea – at 16.
This week, my nieces Andrea and Claire both turned sixteen! Sixteen is one of those ages that feels like such a big deal, even if it doesn’t come with any clear instructions. It’s a mix of new freedoms, new responsibilities, and honestly, a lot of unknowns. Most of my career was spent with 15- to […]
