Welcome to Mayberry.

As small towns go, mine isn’t teeny-small — our city limits population is about 27,000, and county-wide the size is double that.  We’re within spitting distance of a metro area with 100,000+ people (which is where I work).  Bigger cities are within a 3 hour drive from here, and we can get to Chicago in [...]

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I have joined the CIA.

The RCIA, to exact. 
In truth, this has been a long time in coming.  My uncle passed away in 1998 and my experience with that event, or rather feeling the lack of community with my own family during that time – that was the beginning of it. 
It took a lot of things to get me to this [...]

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Teachable moments and awkward moments are often hard to tell apart.

My kid will often shanghai me with a question from the back seat. 
Why this is, this need to have deep and serious conversations while hurtling down the road at x miles an hour, I do not know.  I suspect that it takes some of the pressure off.  Since, you know, the kid doesn’t want to look [...]

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In need of a money tree.

I am in the process of planning our fall break vacation to Florida.  This year my husband and I have decided to take Spawn to Walt Disney World, because at age 8 the window is rapidly closing for the magic of the Magic Kingdom. 
Holy crikey is this going to be expensive. 
We’re also taking a young [...]

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Plan A, Plan B.

I am usually pretty successful in faking myself out, particularly with regard to my weight loss goals or lack thereof.  I can tell myself that I’ve lost weight, particularly if my scale says so, and manage to believe myself thin. 
Until, that is, I try to wear something I haven’t worn in several months. 
Every woman in [...]

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Time is not kind.

I had occasion recently to come face-to-face with my high school crush — the boy I spent countless hours dreaming of, sometimes in lieu of paying attention in class, writing his name with mine a la Mrs. Fangirl-style.  I had it all figured out.  We would each go off to college, earn our degrees, and [...]

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A white sport coat and a pink carnation.

I labor under the mistaken notion that if I can just find the perfect white shirt my troubles (all of ‘em) will be over. 
I realize this is a delusion but I believe in the power of the perfect white shirt. 
To that end, I have about 30 white shirts, of various styles.  I mean, after all, you [...]

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Downloaded.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to revisit my old college campus.  It still boggles my mind that I have been gone from there for over 20 years now.  You leave a place like that expecting it to remain frozen in time, so that when you return 20 years later everything is as you [...]

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Like a string of firecrackers.

This gettin’ old business is for the birds. 
I have noticed that since my 40th birthday nearly (gulp) two years ago, I have slowly, glacierly, steadily moved into minor infirmities.  First I bungled my knee somehow.  Then I started to notice an increase in joints firing whenever I arose in the morning, or got up out [...]

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Kew-pon. Coop-un. Whatever.

I remain firmly convinced that I was born for a higher station in life than the one I currently occupy. 
Nothing, and I do mean nothing, makes me feel sillier than sitting around cutting out coupons like they were paper dolls. 
But this is what I do from time to time.  I gird myself for saving some [...]

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