There Is a Season

Katrina's Bridesmaids

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 Extraordinary Ordinary

Sunset

Over the past few weeks, this little blog has experienced quite a bit of traffic. If you’re new here… Welcome! Welcome! So grateful you came along for the ride. It’s been wonderful to see so many new names and faces. Thank you for your words, your emails, your open arms. All wonderful and encouraging and […]

A Change of Seasons

George and His Pumpkin

Autumn has long been my favorite season. Trips to the pumpkin patch have always held a certain charm for me. And although my husband mocks me mercilessly, I still get excited when it’s time to pick out chunky sweaters and thick, hand-knit scarves for the trip. When the kids were little, it was a pilgrimage. […]

Changing Course

Maggie and Lucy in the Car

I’ve been MIA for awhile, I know. But I have a good excuse. Moving across five states with four kids, two dogs, and a guinea pig is not for sissies. It takes a great deal of time, patience, and money — two of which I don’t have. We’re all given the same amount of time, […]

The Final Countdown: 14 Southern Fried Lessons

Willis Tribe

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 […]

What Brene Taught Me

Katrina and Brene Brown

I had the honor of meeting the smart, sassy, and gracious Brene Brown last week. If you don’t know who she is, go ahead and spend a few minutes watching her first stunning Ted talk. I’ve spent the weekend trying to sum up my experience, but it’s still bigger than I am at the moment. […]

Giving Thanks

Gus Holding a Heart-Shaped Rock

I cannot deny that these past two years have been hard. Soul-crushing, fetal-position hard at times. Let me begin by saying this, by owning this: I know that if I threw my problems into a pile with all the other problems of the world, I’d grab mine back as quickly as I could. I know […]

NO!

Kids at Abrams

One of my very favorite songs to listen to when the kids were younger was the catchy “They Might Be Giants” tune, “NO!” It opens with this: “No is no. No is always no. If they say no, it means a thousand times no.” Pretty good preparation for life, methinks. We face a lot of […]

Toddlers and Teens and In Betweens

Kids Laying on the Floor with Their Heads Together

Our kids are 15, 13, 12, and 10. That means at one point in our lives, they were 5, 3, 2, and barely out of the womb. When Mary Claire was born, Gus was not yet walking. When George (the baby) was born, Sam (the oldest) was still in preschool. People ask how we did […]

About Face, Forward March

And so, in this crazy place we call life, everything can — and does — turn on a dime. Including my pity party. It’s a bit of a shame, really, to end it so abruptly. I put a lot of time and effort and tears into it. But I’ve been blessed this weekend to spend […]