Two States, Three Years

Storm

Moving to two different states within three years is rife with challenges. The biggest one for me? Bigger, even, than finding new doctors and supermarkets and navigating school politics and back roads? Loneliness. Gus and I sat by ourselves at Sam’s first lacrosse game last week. I wasn’t sure which crowd was ours because I […]

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 […]

Seventy East

Katrina with Mom and Bobby

I’ve been missing my Mom something fierce lately. It always happens around holidays. We talked on the phone for over an hour tonight. We laughed and cried… and she even cussed a little. My feelings had been hurt recently and unexpectedly, and Mama Bear had my back with a fierceness and a bit of profanity. […]

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. […]

A Letter to the North Pole

Stockings by the Christmas Tree

Dear Santa, I know it’s January 5th. And I know you tend to get most of your mail in December. And typically, it all comes from those in the 0-8 age range. But here’s the thing… none of my kids wrote to you this year, so I feel the need to bridge that gap. They’re […]

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 […]

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 […]

Potty Training for Teens

Gus

When I pulled the Tahoe into the garage after school yesterday, my boys all made a beeline for the bathroom. “Me first! Me first! I have to GO NOW!” They pushed and shoved and wrestled their way into the closest bathrooms while I was still putting the car into “park.” “Why didn’t you boys go […]

Birthday Girl

Mary Claire

Dear Mary Claire, Twelve years! It’s a bit much to wrap my brain around. You arrived on this earth twelve years ago — a beautiful bundle of pink to shake up our baby blue home. I was the only one who knew you were a girl. Dad didn’t want to know — he always preferred […]