Action Reaction
Sam wrecked our Tahoe Friday night. He had six of his friends in the car, and they were coming home from a high school football game in a neighboring town. Thirty-one days ago, he totaled his own car. Both accidents were his fault. Receiving that late night phone call is heart-stopping. The first questions, of […]
Turn, Turn, Turn
Yesterday was the release of My Other Ex: Women’s True Stories of Leaving and Losing Friends. It’s a beautiful collection, penned by many gifted writers. What an honor it is to share these pages with them. I’ve been so privileged to be included in two inspiring 2014 anthologies. My cup runneth over. Of course, as […]
Cross-Country Friendship Lessons for My Daughter
Living in three different states over the course of four years is a revelation in many ways. The experience shines a light on the people in our lives, on those who choose to stay… and on those who don’t. Proximity makes most relationships much easier. There are no miles to traverse, no time zones to […]
Better Than It Needed To Be
From an outsider’s view point, it was a recipe for disaster. Three families: two who hadn’t seen each other for over three years, two who began the week as strangers. I was the common denominator, the tiny overlap of our Venn diagram, bringing together my IU roommate and her kids with an old Zionsville friend […]
Sharing Sunday with John Green
Celebrate my 44th at Noah Grant’s with my best friend and listen to John Green speak all within a 24-hour window? It was a no-brainer. As soon as Andi mentioned the possibility, we loaded the three youngest kids in the car — Mary Claire and George bursting with the anticipation of meeting their literary and […]
Life Lessons from My Eight-Year-Old Self
The autobiography I penned at age eight begins with this: How it all started… When I was young I had some troubles. I had started to grow up to be a very spastic child. Every time I got mad I held my breath until I passed out. My mom was scared. It is a handwritten […]
There Is a Season
Nineteen years. That’s how long it’s been since this picture was taken. Our October day was take-my-breath-away stunning in every way imaginable. My brand new husband, my family, my friends. Lots of booze and dancing. Wedding cake. Billy Joel. Forever vows. I was looking through old pictures today, reminiscing, laughing. We were such babies when […]
The Final Countdown: 14 Southern Fried Lessons
We leave the South in six short days. The boxes are packed, we’re eating with plastic utensils, and the truck arrives on Friday. When we moved in the summer of 2011, I told Chris I was willing to try anything for two years. “Our two-year vacation,” I called it. “And at the end of those […]
Never Say Never
I’ve been a bit of a know-it-all from the beginning. There’s the classic conversation I once had with my childhood BFF, Kerri, when I smugly insisted that coyote could be pronounced either ki-o-tee or coy-oat. (When Sam was born, she couldn’t find a stuffed coy-oat for a gift, so she bought him a stuffed lee-oh-pard […]
Perfect Imperfection
Since January 1st, I’ve lost ten pounds. It should be a celebration, really. Ten pounds is a dress size. It’s substantially less belly fat. It’s buttons on my jeans that don’t feel like they’re going to leave a permanent scar. It’s an accomplishment. And still, I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated that I had ten pounds to […]