DAY 15: A VETERAN’S STANDARD

THIRTY DAYS OF THANKS AND GIVING. DAY 15: A VETERAN’S STANDARD Although Arkansas has been my home for most of my life, I wasn’t raised here. My parents were both in the Navy. In those days, women were discharged if they were pregnant so my mom served until I came along. My dad retired after …

ANTI-VAX

THIRTY DAYS OF THANKS AND GIVING. DAY 12: ANTI-VAX I’m not anti-vaccination, but I am anti-injection. I hate getting shots. I don’t know anyone who loves it, but most tolerate it with ease. I don’t. I get very anxious and tense up and they hurt like fire. The first time I went to Sub-Saharan Africa …

NOT COOL

THIRTY DAYS OF THANKS AND GIVING. DAY 9: NOT COOL My refrigerator doesn’t fit in a toaster, but it’s toast. Completely crapped out and needs replaced. I’m living out of a cooler and in my spoiled world, that is not cool. The reason my refrigerator stopped working is because, a couple of weeks ago, the …

EXIT

When you see an exit sign, it indicates a way out. But do we ever think about it as a way in? After all, there are two sides of an exit. When you push that door open, you enter something else. Maybe another room or a hallway lined with doors of other possibilities. Often it …

FREE REFILLS

My mother often describes her childhood as "growing up in a restaurant." The Midway Cafe  divided the East from the West on the main street of Coleraine, Minnesota. It was sandwiched between narrow family businesses that had apartments at the top of very steep staircases. The shoe store had three aisles of shoe boxes stacked …

MEMORIES

I love to travel and I hate cheesy souvenirs and t shirts. My number one collection that grows from every single adventure, trip, or event is memories. Yep - I collect memories. They do get dusty and I realize that with age, my collection will likely deteriorate. But I'm not the only keeper of my …

LEGACY LANDMARK

I might need a little Razorback Redemption today. I might be guilty of fair weather fandom. It's not like me at all and I have no excuse… but somehow I lost control and commented on a pre-game post that I hope LSU wins the boot this year. LSU is my backup team to cheer on …

DECK THE HOUSE…

"Oh it's a perfect day for coffee on the deck!"  Growing up as a Navy Brat, I moved every two years. It seems like our homes always had small cement porches with enough room for a welcome mat. Sometimes the porch stretched into a patio, but I can't remember ever having a deck. It wasn't …

A PLACE FOR MY PYREX

Well I'm nothing if not a Saturday squirrel chaser…  Today I rose out of bed to tackle a few tasks before heading off to a Scout function. The tasks weren't vague. I didn't get blindsided by any urgent appliance malfunctions, clogged toilets, or doggie disasters. Just simply start some laundry, get Coleman's Scout uniform ready, …

MY PARKA

I'm just a little giddy to finally be an official Friday Night Lights mom. It was the last game in the regular season. Ninth grade players joined the big guys… stood out there with that senior high team in a showdown with our fiercest rivals. And we took the win! Warriors are headed to the …