• Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    Silver.

    This one’s for Jim. The idea that it has been a whole quarter of a century since we got married in that dusty little office of Norfolk, Virginia’s Justice of the Peace is something I am having trouble absorbing. While clearly it makes sense that twenty five years have passed–what with having lived in six homes in three cities, having raised two nearly-grown boys, and seeing just a *hint* of gray hair on both of our heads–at the same time it feels like I have just blinked a couple of times and, well, here we are. When we got married, I had just turned eighteen and you were almost twenty.…

  • Jim Has Mad Skillz,  Pretty Pictures

    Status Checker

    Have you ever posted a status on Facebook in a hurry and without reading it to check it over you close the tab and go on with your day, not realizing that it may have some problems? I have, probably many times, but most recently last night. You see, it was the second night of Hanukkah and Jim and I exchanged gifts. This year we made a pact that I would buy only one gift for him and vice versa. I’ll show you what I got in a moment but first, the Facebook status I posted, which went something like this: “Jim gave me one of the best gifts EVER…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Family Fun,  Food,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    Sometimes It’s Best If You Schedule These Things.

    Confession time: over the past year or so (maybe even eighteen months: I’ve lost track!), Jim and I have been in a rut. I never thought it would happen to us, but it did. We used to have plenty of time, and plenty of desire. In fact, on the nights when I didn’t feel like it, he took charge, and vice versa. As of late, our busy schedules and pure exhaustion at the end of the day turned the tides. When we least expected it, something we used to do almost every single day became an afterthought, a rarity. Of course I’m talking about cooking dinner. We used to have…

  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments,  Random Thoughts,  Reflections on Parenting

    Transitions, Part One

    Ahh, life. We’re going through all kinds of changes in this house right now. I’m not typically a fan of changes, but I’m learning to roll with them as they come up. The biggest thing happening this week is D’s imminent departure. He’s going back to college on Monday, to begin his sophomore year. When I think about how worried and emotional I was last year, right before he left us for the first time, I smile a little bit. I wish I had known back then, just one tiny little year ago, that even though things were changing, they were staying the same in so many ways. He had…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Favorite Things,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Kids Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Even *I* Didn’t See The End Of This Post Coming.

    I have been using the same camera since 2005. It’s an Olympus Camedia C-60 Zoom, which I purchased on sale at Office Depot for, I think, approximately $225. If you asked Jim to describe it, he would say, “It’s a brick.” It is indeed chunky (and heavy) for its size, when you compare with what’s available today. I had a little giggle when I googled it a minute ago and found the 2004 review of it on CNET (click here). Oddly, not one user said, “I anticipate this camera to be the best camera I’ve owned in my life so far, and I bet it’ll last me AT LEAST six…