Dad’s 70th Birthday

Today would have been my dad’s 70th birthday if cancer hadn’t gotten him in early 2022. I called my mom to celebrate and mourn together, and we tried to imagine what Dad would have done today. Probably spent some time outside working on yard, perhaps taking a walk. Maybe visiting with the grandkids. And almost … Read more

Life Without Biddy, 7 Weeks Later

September 7, I made the heartbreaking decision to lay Biddy to rest. Biddy was my cat for over 16 years–my first animal companion–and he’s also the first animal companion to whom I’ve had to say goodbye. It’s been a difficult 7 weeks. Life continues, and of course there are many good moments unrelated to Biddy. … Read more

Time Travel on Father’s Day

My dad passed away a year and a half ago, so this weekend will be my second Father’s Day without him. I miss him, and I try to celebrate him by remembering the 40+ years we had together and trying to live by the best of the principles he exemplified. For the last week I’ve … Read more

20 Things That Bring Me Joy

A few months ago I had a great chat with new designer and content creator Sam McDavitt. Among the many topics we discussed was an exercise Sam recently tried in which he listed 20 things that bring him joy. He said it was easy to think of the first 10 or so, but some interesting … Read more

My 20th College Reunion

My 20th college reunion was this past weekend. I must admit that I didn’t think much of it, but I appreciated that several friends and former roommates/suitemates were coming into town for the festivities, and I wanted to see them. I didn’t attend any of the official events, but I still got to see the … Read more

Happy Adoption Day 2023!

42 years ago, I was granted the incredible gift of not just two, but four parents: Two biological parents who were no longer dating and just weren’t ready to raise a child, and two parents who chose me as their first child. I was 3 days old at the time, so I don’t remember any of this. … Read more

A Frozen Christmas Debacle

I’m not even sure where to begin! This Christmas weekend was quite a doozy. Last Friday morning, with temperatures in St. Louis dipping into the negatives, we woke up to a broken furnace. We’re on the third floor of a three-floor building, so we have tall ceilings and nearly direct exposure to anything above us … Read more