I’m sitting in a Hampton Inn lobby. In a little town in Pennsylvania, the morning of my Aunt Rozanne’s celebration of life. It’s brought back all the memories. Especially the Thanksgivings at Aunt Rox and Uncle Tom’s. None of us are sure how many times we came for Thanksgiving over…
This morning Jacob says to me, “Oh Mom, I saw the big buck today.” “Which one? The big daddy?” And he’s like, “Yeah, I think we should name him.” “Ooh, good idea. What’re you thinking?” “I was thinking something like Hundo.” “Huh. Wait, what?” “You know, because he’s a buck.…
I usually cry on my birthday. I’m not known for being a big crier– James declared me a robot many times. But after practically three years of almost daily cries, I’ve sure shown you, Jame. And on my last birthday with him, I remember sitting on our bed and crying.…
Nate claims all of our overseas adventures get better with nostalgia. As in, around day ten they’re ready to sleep in their own beds and stop walking tens of thousands of steps a day. But as soon as I get them home, they long for nNea’s pizza on a balcony,…
Summer’s over and the kids are back. It’s the time of year when Target appears to have been attacked by locusts, and Trader Joe’s feels like trying to get to the bar at a popular nightclub. I recently asked ChattyG to tell me how many people live here. The basic…
Growing up, I was the only person in my family of four who was the first born. My mom, my dad, my brother– all the youngest. Say what you will about birth order, it is definitely a thing. Through no fault of their own, they just don’t fully get me.…
One afternoon, as a teenager in the nineteen hundreds, I’m in the kitchen and I open the coffee cup cupboard, which was over the counter. Back when no one questioned upper cabinetry. And I open this cupboard and a turquoise plastic measuring cup comes tumbling out at me and before…
Nate knows all the British football songs and chants. I’m no fan of Liverpool, but I do love me some Darwin Nuñez. And I love to sing his song, even though I only know a couple lines… Darwin, Darwin Nuñez,He came from Benfica to the big Reds,It’s frightening with him…
If you’re hungry for external validation, I recommend cooking for teenage boys. Just about everything I make is “bussin’” or “fire” or sometimes even “gas.” And while this all sounds like public transportation exhaust, it actually means sooo good. And what better time for a young man to learn to…
Back in early July, we discovered something fascinating about Jacob. His mind’s eye is in black and white. Not grayscale. 3D. Black and white. So are his dreams. If he concentrates really hard he can add colors to the pictures, but it takes effort and the colors evaporate if he…