Some days I’m still that little girl sitting in the ladderback chair adding more Froot Loops to rainbow milk; Dad slurping steaming black coffee held in hands too big for the porcelain cup. I flinch the second one of the clock-chains suddenly jumps — signaling its readiness for the top…

If you witnessed a whopping fourteen inches of snowfall in the middle of the day on April 7th, 1987, you might have lived in Wheeling, West Virginia. …

Don’t Judge a Book (or a Book Club) by its Cover Around five years ago, when asked to join a start-up book club, I realized this would be the first time I’d ever participated in an official reading group. My husband reads two books a week, generally, often recommended by…

Planning and actually taking a week-long road trip are two entirely different things, and we discovered we were more than capable of pivoting when the need for adjustments to our itinerary arose. On a clear Tuesday morning in May, in Frisco — North Dallas — Texas, two couples in two…

Kitchen remodels are messy, time-consuming and expensive. But we knew that going in. The overriding lesson for us, at this stage of being almost through, is one of delayed gratification. Emphasis on the gratification part. Our Dream Kitchen has been in the planning stages for many years. …

One Week Before January 27, 1978 “Let’s call the preacher who officiated at our friend Sticker and Patty’s wedding. He’ll marry us,” he said. So I searched the phone book for Edgewood Lutheran Church on National Road. The preacher answered the phone. “Be here Friday night at 6:00,” he said. …

My New Years resolutions have been broken more times than I care to admit. But there was the one that stuck, and I’m reminded of its longevity every New Years Eve. On December 31st, 1988, I decided that in order to keep the promise I was making to myself, I…

Jigsaw Puzzle Enthusiasts, Unite! My latest attempt at assembling a 1000 piece, cut-out cardboard jigsaw puzzle has me reflecting on why we enthusiasts enjoy them so. I have friends who stay up late into the night to finish connecting those last key pieces. These are people with real stick-to-it-iveness. I…

Experiencing the joy of the Christmas spirit is a real phenomenon, making our hearts glad and giving us an overriding sense of peace. Despite the sadness we often feel when we miss our treasured loved ones, and knowing how difficult this year is for so many, an unexpected glow and…