Everyday thoughts, observations, and reflections on the ups and downs of daily living.
Looking back, there’s a lot I wish I could go back and tell my younger self — like maybe stop worrying about perfect makeup and start worrying about what actually matters. Life doesn’t come with a manual, but it sure teaches you lessons if you stick around long enough. There’s a reason every older…
My For most of my life, I felt like I was living without a map while everyone else had a clear path. I spent years trying to meet everyone else’s expectations, never feeling like I measured up. It took heartbreak, healing, and the right person walking into my life for me to finally realize: I…
I wrote Bedbugs in 2015 after fighting my way back from nearly three years stuck in bed from overmedication. It was one of the first real days I felt alive again — babysitting my granddaughters, feeling hope, and realizing how much life I still had left to live. This story will always be special to…
Dedication To my brother Dave: You were more loved than you ever knew, and I will never stop fighting for the justice you deserved. Nine years ago on April 2016, my youngest brother Dave, a disabled Navy veteran, and only 52 years old at the time, traveled to Jamaica. After years of struggling with his…
I spent my youth promising I’d never be like her. And then, somewhere between raising boys and spoiling grandkids, her voice came out of my mouth. Except now? I’ve doubled down and taken it to a whole new level. I can still see myself in the kitchen of our house in Orfordville in 1969 —…
A heartfelt and nostalgic reflection on growing up in the small village of Orfordville, Wisconsin, filled with friendship, freedom, first loves, and the unforgettable hum of a red 1964 Rambler along winding country roads. Growing up in Orfordville, a quaint village in Rock County, Wisconsin, with a population of less than 900 when I left…
Turning 70 next month has me thinking… Wow, how the world has changed. When I was a kid, smoking was healthy, lead was fashionable, milk cured everything, and hiding under a desk could apparently save you from a nuclear bomb. We survived margarine sandwiches, flying saucer panic, and no internet. Honestly? TikTok’s got nothing on…
A memory that lives in every laugh line and sparkle light—the epic Parkview Class of ’73 graduation party wasn’t just about a pig roast. It was about freedom, friendship, and the wild hope of what came next. The summer of 1973 will always stick in my mind as the year we threw the party. We…
