11 books to read this summer
Even though my kids go back to school in less than a month, I feel like summer is just getting started. The days are still hot and sticky, the idea of cooler weather and fall leaves seems impossible. So here are eleven books you should read this endless summer. You have plenty of time. People … [Read More...]
The first to stop jumping…
I serenaded my family on the way in. Somehow we ended up listening to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack as we rolled through Ohio, and I performed “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” and “Hungry Eyes” to my horrified captive audience. What I didn’t realize was we were heading toward the movie … [Read More...]
I’m not sure there’s any other way…
She said: I find myself falling apart and angry as my husband is confronting childhood trauma and addiction issues—it's been so much stress on me and I'm barely hanging on. I know it feels like all your time and resources are being directed at his stuff, but, if you can, please find a therapist. … [Read More...]
Shawnee National Forest…
It felt late to set out on our first camping trip of the season at the end of May, but we've been spending all our time and money on a construction project at home, spring softball and track schedules, and getting the gardens planted.We were doing things we loved, but it was time to leave those … [Read More...]
We’re still falling for the same tricks…
Did I ever tell you about the time I accidentally got retweeted by InfoWars and featured on conspiracy theory websites? Well, do I have a story for you. We lived in Beech Grove, Indiana, for ten years. Beech Grove is a small, incorporated city inside Indianapolis, just south of downtown. The … [Read More...]
others are in on the secret now…
Across from our house is a cemetery. My desk faces the window and sometimes, while I'm working, I watch grave diggers prepare the ground for a burial. I see families slowly work their way up the long drive. I observe people gather under a blue tent to say goodbye to someone they love. Today I … [Read More...]
in the mountains of North Carolina…
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: we don’t take for granted that during a pandemic we’ve able to still travel and explore with our camper. COVID-19 changed the way we travel: no wandering around a gas station to stretch our legs or buy junk food, restroom breaks in the camper, no eating … [Read More...]
It changes the way you vote…
My dad told me he regretted paying for my college. He said this because he saw my college education at a secular school as the gateway to political beliefs that no longer match up with his. He’s never had a real conversation with me about what I believe or why. Or how much my faith--not my … [Read More...]
1096 days…
Thanks for taking me to the hospital three years ago, he said as we sat on the couch. He was watching football. I was reading a book with my feet in his lap. You're welcome, I said as I turned back to my book, and he turned back to the TV. Today is the three-year anniversary of my husband … [Read More...]
end-of-summer yard…
We're sleeping with the windows open now, crisp air coming in through the screens and complaints from my daughters that it's too cool in the mornings going out. I thought the outside construction and building and staining would be most loved in the summer. I sat under the new porch and worked … [Read More...]
Social distancing: week seven (April 26-May 2)…
I'm writing this weeks after the fact, but I'm determined to document eight weeks of our stay-at-home life. I promised myself I'd write eight weeks worth of posts so I could look back on this later, and I always finish what I start. It's a curse. About five weeks after I set it up, I took down … [Read More...]
