Until the last six months or so since my mom started trying to minimize, we have always known that if we’re looking for something from our growing-up years, she’s likely got it. It’s for that reason that when we come for a visit, we usually find long-forgotten things either by accident or, if mom finds something she wants us to take home, left on the dresser of the room in which we sleep. I was tickled on this visit to find a short stack of old report cards, a program from an elementary school play, and a collaborative recipe book made by my kindergarten class on that dresser. The recipe…
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It Was Because of Snoopy.
Tonight, Jim and I were lucky enough to catch the annual network broadcast of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” in its entirety. (Often we tune in near the end or miss it altogether because we had no idea it’d be on.) The Peanuts cartoons–the ORIGINALS, mind you, not the newer, inferior television specials–have always been among our favorites because they remind us of our childhood. I’m sure we’re not alone in that sentiment. Snoopy was always my favorite character. He was smart, sneaky, and even though his actions made it seem otherwise, he really cared about others deep down at his core. It was because of Snoopy that I always wanted…
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Fun Facts About Me
Today’s post was inspired by my friend Leigh Ann, who did a “Fun Facts About Me” post on her own blog a couple of days ago. (Thanks, Leigh Ann!) Before LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER CHICAGO, the last time I had any substantial stage time was in elementary school. I was in a couple of productions; my favorite was when I played Earth. Even when I was a kid, I could never do a proper, straight-legged cartwheel. This has always bugged me. When I was a teenager I had three main career aspirations: journalist, travel agent, and housewife/mom. I later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. The movies I have…
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Easy Dinner Idea: Petros! (You’re Welcome.)
When I was a teenager, I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee for a few years. The reason we moved there was so my dad could manage a Holiday Inn just up the hill (literally) from the University of Tennessee campus and a nice walk from the 1982 World’s Fair site. This was the same hotel where my sister and I were friendly enough with the guy who came in weekly to collect the quarters from the video games in the arcade that he would set up the machines with hours worth of free play for us. We got season’s passes to the World’s Fair that summer and often rode in to…
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On Birthdays.
Here’s the thing. I’m just not sure how many posts I can write about my birthday. One more for now, I guess. I’ve had many memorable birthdays, including my 30th, which was when Jim, my sister, and Kate pulled off the unthinkable and gave me a surprise party in my own house. There was the one when I was four and my mom served pigs in blankets, and one of my friends threw up all over the table. Every year I think of her and while I can’t even remember her name, I wonder what happened to her. I fully realize that’s weird. There were the ones when I was…