Tiny Messengers

Oscar

Sometimes doing the right thing is also doing the hardest thing. Those two tiny ones taught me a great deal in the couple of days I had them together.

Clarity in the Silence

Ruby

In her “Misfit’s Manifesto,” the brilliant Lidia Yuknavitch states, “I am not the story you made of me.” Narratives are interesting. A different lens, an alternative look, and the story goes in a totally different direction. New eyes, an added perspective, another firsthand account. No story line is ever set in stone. When I was […]

In Dog Years

Pups Waiting Patiently for a Treat

Every year, the holiday season feels a little different than the one before. When our kids were little and wide-eyed, Christmas was Magical and Big and Festive, and I was a hurried, harried, sleep-deprived mess, trying to ensure every candy cane moment was etched on impressionable little minds. But on the morning of December 25th […]

Toy Poodle

Mary Claire Hugging Lucy

If you haven’t yet discovered Dan Pearce at Single Dad Laughing, please take a moment and go find him now. (I’ve made it really easy for you. All you have to do is click on the link.) He’s witty and smart and irreverent and poignant all wrapped into a package of awesomeness. Really. Trust me […]

400 Words

The Kids

Chris. Sam. Gus. Mary Claire. George. Coffee and a Mac and words tumbling through my brain. Mint chocolate. Pajamas, preferably cozy PJ pants and an old t-shirt. My beautiful forever friends. Loud laughter. Quiet nights by the fire. Books. Books. More books. Great fiction. Vacations. Kindness. St. George Island. A cabin in the woods. An […]

A Witness to Grief

George and Mary Claire with a Guinea Pig

Our guinea pig died Friday night. Newman was old, had lived a good life, had survived a 4-state move, had been loved by my kids. He was especially dear to Mary Claire. He slept in her bedroom, sat on her desk during homework hours, snuggled in her lap while she read. When he heard her […]

The “Couches Across Indiana” Tour

Gus, George, and a Friend

We have the best friends in the world. Truly. The. Best. We moved out of our home in mid-June anticipating an earlier house closing and capitalizing on the one date the moving company had available. When we announced our need to find some temporary housing, our friends and family rose to the occasion. Offer after […]

A Letter to Our Home Buyers

The Kids and Maggie Sitting on the Front Steps

Dear Home Buyers, Welcome! We are thrilled that you found us, that you chose to look around, that you’re planning to stay a while. We know this hasn’t been the easiest process to go through, and we appreciate your patience. It’s been frustrating for us — I’m sure it’s been doubly frustrating for you. But […]

Vacation Haiku

The Beach

A midnight return To dog poop throughout the house Why did we come home?

Leap of Faith

Katrina and Jenny

It’s official. Our house is on the market. In this tumultuous time of negative equity and rising interest rates, we’ve decided to forge ahead. It’s a buyer’s market, not a seller’s. But at this juncture, we are paying keen attention to the signs the universe is laying at our feet. And, after all, we’ve never […]