In honor of breast cancer awareness month, I wanted to share a bit about… Boobs.  My boobs. It’s been a while since I’ve written about them. I don’t know if anyone else ever has ever thought, “Ya know, if I ever get breast cancer, at least I’d get a new set of boobs.” I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but yep, long before my experience with breast cancer those exact words went through my mind. Stupid, right? Well, maybe it’s not stupid, but it was such simplistic thinking -

“Oh, sh*t.” I’m terrified. Sure, there’s plenty going on in the world that could make me feel this way, but my reaction bubbled up when I heard that some of my husband’s work (and income) may be going away. Instantly, I felt an old fear erupt in my body. A primal, gut-wrenching, white knuckle fear. We’ve all got them. Actually, we probably have many. But for me, this fear comes from a belief- a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the truth- that has become a story I’ve t

Changes, Changes. So many changes.  It’s been six months since I said goodbye to Mom. And then I said goodbye to their house.  Mourning continues, but even that has changed. Now it looks and feels different. More changes…our younger son has morphed into a grown-ass man.  Our older son decided to stay in Chicago instead of coming home this summer. I mourn the loss of their childhoods.  Mike is working on four different projects. Always changes there. And as we soak up the last

The day I moved into my college dorm (oh, so many years ago!) I was overwhelmed with emotion. Excited to be on my own. Scared. Sad. I distinctly remember feeling like there was something stuck in my throat, like I’d swallowed a pit that got wedged right in there, feeling a lump when I swallowed. It wasn’t until years later that I realized that the pit was actually all of those emotions trapped in my throat, because I hadn’t learned to express myself, articulate my feelings—gi

For the last twenty-two years I’ve been going over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving dinner. Except instead of traveling through the river and woods, I navigate the 405, 5 and then the 14 freeways, exiting at Aqua Dulce Canyon, where I take a windy road through the high desert of Los Angeles to Dad and Mom’s house. Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a lot of fun! As a child, the smell of turkey cooking in the oven wafted through the entire house. Mom always bo

Well, this is easy. In my  life, the letter K couldn’t be for anything other than our two boys, Kiernan and Kadyn- the two most amazing young men, ever! Although they’re now older, I still marvel at the fact that I grew those little babies right inside of my own body! “Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles.” I’ve been pondering miracles and incredible accomplishments lately. It’s hard not to with the world focused on the Olympics. It’s amazing to consider how much talent has

I love jello! My favorite is the red kind. I could never pinpoint the flavor. It’s not cherry or strawberry, but just… red-flavor-jello, I guess. My love for this shaky, jiggly, yummy dessert didn’t happen until the birth of our first son. As it turns out, not being able to eat for several hours and having a child pulled out of your abdomen, leaves one with quite the appetite. So when the nurse showed up with two bowls of that red stuff, I was thrilled! Dipping my spoon in an

I’m taking a short break from my alphabet blogs to stop and smell the flowers. Literally. Because I’m wondering… when did Spring happen? I feel like I blinked and suddenly I was surrounded by a world rich with beauty and vibrant colors! Spring was here and I hadn’t even noticed her arrival. Moreover, I don’t think I ever really  appreciated the beauty of this season. So why was I noticing this now? What is it about this  Spring that is different from any other? To answer this

OK- here’s the unvarnished, vulnerable, painstaking truth. I have been in a bad place. A dark, sad, lonely, dark (it’s worth repeating) place. I stopped reaching out to friends and family. If I had to interact with someone, I’d respond with cursory, polite answers; or I’d share my true feelings, spilling my stuff onto these innocent souls, only to witness their sadness and frustration as they dealt with their inability to help me. I’d experienced bouts of depression before, b

Long time in between blogs for me, but I’m gonna do my best to scrape something together… Trigeminal Neuralgia is a beast. Pain is always present. It’s like background music that’s always playing with intermittent spikes of blaring, loud, banging sounds. Here’s the cycle I’m currently experiencing. Pain is unmanageable. It feels like a scab has been ripped off from a sore inside my mouth and searing pain moves through my gum, around my tongue and down through my jaw to beneat

I haven’t written in quite a while. Well, no that’s not true. I have written, but it all stinks. Not worth posting. But today I’m giving it a go because I have an experience I’d really like to share. First, let me explain. So I’m on this medicine to treat the pain I’m getting from Trigeminal Neuralgia. The medicine (sort of) helps, but it also makes me really, really foggy. It’s kind of like I have these thoughts that are just beyond my grasp and I can’t put them together or

Remember the gum we used to get on Halloween? Wrapped in that waxy paper and twirled tight on each side, it was a rock-solid lump of...

Recently my family gathered for our annual reunion. In the past, we’ve met in different cities, coming together to reconnect, enjoy each...

Without hesitation, the first thing that comes to mind with the letter E is Evie. I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t an Evie....

Wow, this is a tough one because the word that immediately comes to mind for the letter D is Dad. But I just don’t think I’m ready yet....

I actually don’t like riding the Carousel because I get too dizzy. But I do have fond memories of the musical, Carousel. That was the...

I like butter. (Enter celestial music. Read in a whisper.) When I see a stick of butter on the counter, so perfectly formed, I suddenly...

Today is the first day of the Alphabet Writing challenge I’ve set up for myself- where I write about anything that starts with the...

You know how when you’ve had a cold or a flu and you haven’t been feeling like yourself for a long time? And then one morning you wake up...

I stopped writing. It wasn’t a conscious decision. More like I just got busy and allowed it to slip away. Writing has always been a...