Having only 16 days between our birthdays, a friend and I decided to celebrate together, and we went on a trip to Hermann, MO.
So It Goes.
Monday, March 25, 2024
The One with the Birthday Trip to Hermann
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
The One with “Hey Darlin”
“Hey Darlin.”
Giggles.
“That’s how your dad always greets me.”
A couple of weeks ago my Best Favorite and I unexpectedly raced across Kansas to be with family in Colorado.
Arriving in her hospital room, I said, “hey darlin” just as I had the first time I visited her after I started dating her grandson and just as my dad had for many years before that.
There’s something intimately special about spending time with a loved one in their final moments on this earth. The stories. The affirmations. The connection and care. The palpable love, even though it’s salty with tears.
Because I was so young when my own grandparents died, I've always wondered what it would have been like to know them as an adult. It’s not lost on me just how incredibly lucky I am to have been given that opportunity with Dee. I loved her not only because I once again had a grandma to hang out with, but because of her influence, independence, and how she loved my Best Favorite.
Whenever I catch a western movie on TV, read a good crime book, spot a stray cat hanging around nearby, work in the garden, eat Cheetos, or dine at Olive Garden or Red Lobster, I’ll think of Dee and say “hey darlin”.
Let’s raise a glass (of red beer) and give cheers to the 92 years that Dee lived and loved.
Monday, January 1, 2024
The One with 2023 Good Reads
Reading Goal: 85 books
Books Read: 87
2023 was the year of good reads. My original reading goal was 60 books. I upped it a few times and the final goal was 85. I finished the year at 87. There were so many good reads in fact, that I originally had categories to list my favorites from the year but then decided to simplify and have one list - a top 10. The problem was, however, there were just too many good books to dwindle that much. It would have been easier to make a list that short of the books I did not like last year. So, the following is an arbitrary number of books that I deemed worthy of top praise. In no particular order, here are *some* of my most favorite reads from 2023.
1. Nightbooks - J.A. White
“And now I realize…so what if I write scary stories? I might hurt someone with nouns and adjectives, but I would never hurt someone for real.”
2. The People We Keep - Allison Larkin
"I wonder if maybe all you do is meet people and lose them and your smile fades the further you go because you have to carry the space they leave."
3. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry - Gabrielle Zevin
“What, in this life, is more personal than books?”