My sister and I love Frozen. Okay, maybe we’ve all heard “Let it Go” enough times by now, but there’s something about this sweet story of the love between two sisters that connects with our hearts, and I almost always tear up at the climax when Elsa is hugging Anna-turned-to-ice. Plus, all the little […]
America, Arendelle, Frozen 2, pandemic @, racial reconciliation
I don’t usually write poetry–in fact, I’ve told my students many times that they write far better poems than I can! But for some reason, in this season of quarantine, free verse poems have been bubbling up in my heart like never before. So this week, in honor of my sweet little boy’s first birthday […]
Babies, gratitude, motherhood
Nearly seven months ago, a little after two o’clock in the morning and after about twenty-five hours of labor, a soft, warm, pink, little bundle was laid naked on my tummy, with a lusty yell and damp golden-brown curls. And my life was forever changed. There’s a reason I’ve been rather absent from this […]
Babies, motherhood
Merry 4th Day of Christmas, friends! I’m glad we don’t have to stop celebrating Christmas quite yet, even if the 25th is now past. I love the old English tradition of the 12 days of Christmas, carrying us right up to Epiphany on the 6th of January. Sometimes I enjoy the days after Christmas even […]
" Christmas music, "Getting Ready for a Baby, Babies, Christmas
My great-uncle Glenn passed away last Friday. He truly was a GREAT uncle in every sense of the word—over six feet tall, an encyclopedia of knowledge on everything from science to literature to history to woodworking to plants, and always ready with a wisecrack, a story, or a hug. This past Easter, the last […]
animals, grieving, kittens
My little sister graduated from college last Saturday. It doesn’t seem that long since she was graduating high school—in fact, I posted about it here. She seemed so grown up then, yet now, looking back, the eighteen-year-old Maren appears so young. Today she has a B.A. in Theater Arts, with […]
One year ago, God began something new. He took two broken people—with strengths and weaknesses, heartaches and foibles—and brought them together, bound into one by vows and exchanged rings beneath an arch of hydrangeas, surrounded by loving friends and family standing to support us, taking the bread and cup together beneath a […]
anniversary, WeddingsIn case you didn’t know, I got married about six weeks ago. (See photos!) My beloved and wonderful husband, Anthony, and I have been busy settling, and you may see some changes coming to my website (and name) in the weeks and months to come. But don’t worry, we’ll make sure things don’t get too […]
Fiddler on the Roof, Sunrise Sunset, Weddings
Please forgive the lateness of this posting! Website problems. 🙂 Norma Gail has been such a blessing to get to know over these past few years through writing connections online, though we’ve yet to meet in person! Norma is a New Mexico writer, so though I don’t live there anymore, we’ve connected through our stories […]
My sister and I just watched Finding Nemo for the, ahem, first time. (I know, I know, it’s a classic, please don’t hate us.) But we really enjoyed it, and last night after we finished it, my sister said to me, “It’s kind of like a Prodigal Son/parallel to Jesus story, you know?” […]
