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AlpenGLOW
Our little family joined up with friends at an Airbnb in Colorado last weekend. We decided to leave our cold mountain and go to a higher colder mountain to celebrate President’s Day because who doesn’t love a long car ride to go to someplace similar but worse? Actually, I can’t explain why. We are mountain people and it was a different mountain. We went. We looked at it. We sledded down a part of it. And we explored some of it’s microbreweries while the children sampled the mac-n-cheese each establishment had to offer. Mountain people stuff. You just have to trust me, it was fun. Monday morning, I got up…
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None Shall Pass… Without Cake!
When I asked Ethan what he wanted his 6th birthday party theme to be and he said “knights,” I had to double check that I understood. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he responded, “Nocturnal.” “Knights? Like, Knights of the Round Table?” I asked, knowing there was a better way to phrase this to a kindergartner. “No,” Ethan said. “Like knights that fight.” “Okay,” I said. “I got it.” I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be able to find good decorations easily. At least, not as easily as if he said, “Starwars,” for instance. But it…
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Precision Cooking
My man is making dinner. Me: Why is there dough on the tape measure? Matt: The recipe says the biscuits should be 1/4 inch thick and 2 1/2 inches across.
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Weekend in Zion
At The Desert Pearl Hotel in Springdale, Utah Ethan (age 5): The sink in our room is so short! I had to bend over to use it!!! Me: What sink? What are you talking about? Ethan: The one in the bathroom. Me: Right next to the toilet? Ethan: Yeah! Me: That is not a sink. It’s a bidet. Ethan: What’s that? (Pause) Matt: It’s European. Me: Only it’s for when you’re-a-poopin’. Ethan: WHAT? Matt: It’s a sink for your bum. Ethan: 😐 End scene. (Photo: Zion National Park – Mt. Carmel Highway Scenic Drive)
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The Introvert at the Party; an exploration in Haiku
Introverted girl at a social gathering trying not to cling Releasing Matt’s arm I take a deep breath and wander deeper in the house Determined to learn from the mistakes of my past: don’t drink all the wine! What is the most time I can hide in the toilet before eyebrows raise? Do I look social crossing the room with purpose looking for “someone”? Hovering over the table of finger foods not sure what to do It’s called ‘finger food’ but do I use a napkin? What’s the proper way? And then what happens? If I put it in my mouth I will get a question From someone or other.…
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Transitions
My writing group was discussing a piece submitted by our youngest member, a very bright and passionate millennial girl. Young woman? It was mostly great but I told her that I was having a hard time keeping her characters straight and maybe she could give them names? “There’s just the one guy,” she said. “Really? Oh I thought there were two. You are talking to your ex in the first scene but then a few pages later you wake up next to this guy and there’s no transition…” “Yeah it’s the same guy. It’s just one guy.” “Okay, well I was confused. Maybe I’m the only one…” I looked at…
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Cohabitation
I started this blog after a breakup – a really bad one – with the idea that I was done with relationships. I decided that I was tired of comparing myself to my ex-husband (married with two kids, while I was still single and lonely). I decided I was done waiting for a guy to come along and stay in my life. I was going to take myself to a sperm bank for my next birthday. I was going to write about this process as it went along, as I made lemonade out of my sour relationship lemons. I didn’t get far. I went to my doctor and told her…
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V-Day
I don’t write much about my love life here. Long ago, in another blog far away, I used to write about it a lot. But that was back when I never imagined that I would be divorced for ten years and still live alone. The dating adventures were fun and made funny anecdotes for my goofy blog. Then, somewhere in there, it got sad. I met some guys that I really hoped to make a connection with, but it never worked out. There came a point when I realized that I wasn’t laughing at the anecdotes, I was just bitching. I didn’t stop trying to find love. But I stopped…
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Going For Gold
My sisters and I are throwing a party for my parents in a few weeks. They are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I am looking through hundreds of photos because we thought it would be nice to have a slide show going in one corner of the reception hall (for optional viewing of course; nothing kills a party like a mandated slide show). I have been struck by how difficult it is to find photos of the two of them together. Of course, there are some. But most are photos of them doing their own things, or one of them posing with the kids and grandkids. Now, I know…