Autumn turns five years old on Monday, a number that seems to be a separation between the youngest, hardest years and "big girl." She starts kindergarten in less than two weeks, another fact that seems hard to believe. I began to think about her birthday back in July. On the actual date, we are headed... Continue Reading →
The Language of Losing Friends
We have a lot of words to describe how relationships end. Divorce. Breakup. Death. Each has a distinct connotation (for better or worse). We don't have a similar vocabulary to describe the end of a friendship — at least, none that paints such an obvious scene in our minds. Perhaps friends simply "drift apart." Or perhaps... Continue Reading →
I Still Cry Sometimes
Earlier this week, I was on my way to Taco Bell to pick up dinner for my family. Autumn was in the backseat of the minivan. We had just completed her "kindergarten assessment" — a brief meeting at the school where a teacher evaluates her knowledge of letters, numbers, and ability to use a pair... Continue Reading →
Fixing Things
My entire company took a collective summer vacation last week. Our (virtual) office was closed so everyone could take some time to recharge. But I'm not one to sit still and instead decided to seize the opportunity to work on improvements around the house — things that always fall by the wasyside because I never... Continue Reading →
The Irrational and Rational
Yesterday, I went to a little dance performance at my daughter's summer camp. Each week of camp has a different theme and this week's theme was "movement." Parents were invited to come to the classroom on Friday to see what the kids had been practicing all week. I almost forgot. I had been picking up... Continue Reading →