I went on sabbatical yesterday afternoon. It was extremely out of character for me, but I have been out of character for a while now. I’ve been working even more than usual, sleeping less than usual, and feeling more drained than usual. Last week it all seemed to hit me at once and I walked around on the verge of stress- and exhaustion-induced tears for days. I had the strong desire to take a road trip somewhere, anywhere. Just…away. That’s why, when I ran into a friend of mine while running errands and she noticed that I was so tightly-wound and subsequently offered up her lake house as a possible…
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Balancing Act. (Or, Bringing This Full House Home With Me. Sort Of.)
For the past three and a half weeks, I’ve been attempting to make some minor tweaks in how I operate during the day around here. It all started when I was in New Jersey with Liz last month. I did a lot of thinking about how relaxed and happy I am when I’m there, even though it was part vacation/part work week. Obviously a lot of the major endorphin spike I experience in New Jersey is purely caused just by being there with her and her family, who I positively adore, but there’s something else. Routine. I mean, you can’t expect a family of six (ahem, SEVEN when I’m there)…
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Better Than Sea Glass
When I visited Liz in New Jersey last November, I was tremendously excited to find a bunch of sea glass (and a couple of other treasures) on a little side trip to Seaside Heights. I thought Liz was just pulling my leg when she told me that in her entire life of living there, she had not found as much sea glass on the beach as I had on that one day. “Ha ha, Liz. Very funny.” I was all ready to go back to Seaside during my visit a couple of weeks ago and just, you know, grab another handful of it. As you do. Um. Best laid plans?…
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A Gift For Emily.
It’s the end of an era. Tonight I took my last Zumba class for the foreseeable future and possibly forever. My instructor friend, Emily, is moving to Australia in a couple of weeks and tonight was our last hurrah. I’ve been taking Emily’s classes for more than three and a half years now. When I started, she had only been teaching for about nine months and classes were held at a local dance studio three times each week, and I was there for most of those. After a few months, she moved to the YMCA and taught three or four classes each week, and I followed. A couple of years…
- Amazing People, Best Thing Ever, Favorite Things, Fun in Chicago, I've Got Mad Skillz, My Friends Have Mad Skillz, Pretty Pictures
Listen To Your Mother Chicago 2014: Wow, That Was Quick!
It’s been a full week (eight days, actually!) since the show, and I can’t even believe THAT, let alone the fact that the 2014 season, our THIRD season in Chicago, flew by faster than a…what is one of those cute southern sayings? These last two weeks, in fact, have flown by faster than a…never mind. I can’t think of anything. QUICKLY. They went by QUICKLY. In the last two weeks Tracey and I drove to Milwaukee to see that show, we put on our own show, we drove to Valparaiso to see the NWIndiana show, and yesterday I drove up to Madison, where it all began five years ago, to…
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It Contains Peanuts, So It Must Be Trail Mix
I’m coming off of a weekend bender, and all of my Facebook friends watched it all unfold. I’m talking about my addiction to my mother-in-law’s trail mix. Or, I should say, “trail mix”. In quotes. I wrote about said “trail mix” before, about five years ago. That’s how much it impacts my life: it warrants two blog posts. This “trail mix” is always sitting on my in-laws’ fireplace in a huge jar that screams, “COME AND GET SOME!!” Okay, it doesn’t really scream because jars can’t make noise. But you get the idea. We cannot resist this stuff. I posted a picture a couple of days ago on my Facebook…
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Buick Regal Baby, Or…Buick Regal, Baby!
Back in November I attended an OnStar Immersion event in Detroit that was co-sponsored by Buick. I have worked with General Motors for a few years now, but was mostly driving Chevrolet and GMC vehicles* (loved every single one!). This was my first up close and personal look at Buick. That weekend I rode in a Buick LaCrosse and was even an accessory to (simulated) Grand Theft Auto of a Buick Enclave, but spent the most time riding shotgun in a Buick Regal. Before that weekend, the Buick brand was never on my radar much. I knew it was under the General Motors umbrella, of course, but that’s it. I…
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It Was On Like Donkey Kong.
It’s funny, Momo often says there’s nothing much to do in Columbus, but each time I’ve visited she’s taken me somewhere that is unique and so much fun. Last time it was to German Village. On Sunday she and her husband took me to lunch at a really cool place called Dirty Franks Hot Dog Palace. The menu was pretty spectacular: I’ve never seen that many varieties of hot dogs in one place, and they serve Vienna Beef dogs—made in Chicago—so I felt right at home. By the way, Momo and I each ordered a “Classy Lady” hot dog because OF COURSE. Anyway, the decor was pretty amazing, too. The…
- Amazing People, Best Thing Ever, Blessings, I'm Apparently Old., My Kid Has Mad Skillz, Proud Moments
A Simple Birthday Message
For J, who turns nineteen today… I knew I wanted to write a post on your birthday, but I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to say. I kind of wanted to say that I can’t believe you are nineteen already but that, although true, sounds overdone. I definitely wanted to write about how I have just one more year of saying I have a teenaged kid, but that’s stating the obvious… I was going to write that I am so proud of the young man you have become. You’re a caring, thoughtful, and responsible person, and I couldn’t ask for any more than that. You care about your school…
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I Found THE Dress.
I am a little giddy right now because yesterday I found the dress that—I am 99% sure—I will be wearing on Sunday, May 4 to Chicago’s third annual LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER show*. That’s more than three months ahead, folks. Shouldn’t I get some kind of award for that?? Let me acknowledge, for those who are new here, that I have a storied history when it comes to finding outfits for specific occasions. Now let me acknowledge something else: that’s a giant understatement. I have a couple of things working against me, right out of the gate: 1. I don’t much like shopping, which means that if I’m on a…