I had just turned eighteen the month before Jim and I were married. When I moved to Norfolk, Virginia–where he was stationed for sea duty–we rented a townhouse off of the Naval base in a military family-only subdivision. That neighborhood proved to be something wonderful for me, a much-younger-than-average new bride whose husband would be going out to sea for weeks and months at a time. In the first four years we were married, he was gone for more than two-and-a-half years. It was okay, though. Even though it was difficult to be apart at the time (this was before cell phones and internet!), my being left at home alone…
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Random Recipe
I decided to mix some random scraps together, bake at 350 for twenty minutes and see if it results in a blog post. I bet it will. 1. I wrote about the new Dailey Method Interval class yesterday, but you can now find all of my Dailey Method posts with one click because I added TDM to my navigation bar at the very top of this page. You’re welcome. 2. I totally forgot to mention in this space that Chicago’s 2013 LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER show now has a cast (woot!), and tickets are ON SALE NOW. We sold out in about a week last year and so we moved…
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The Message
I am having a very odd problem right now when it comes to blogging. It’s not writer’s block: I’ve been lucky enough to have rarely wrestled with that beast. The problem I’m having doesn’t–to my knowledge–have a name. I feel like I’m having all the wrong ideas. I’m annoying myself. Every time I sit down to blog, I get the urge to type out a post full of warm and fuzzy advice about living your best life (hat tip to Oprah), having a great attitude, surrounding yourself with people who lift you instead of drag you down, making things happen, reaching for the stars, being kind to yourself and others.…
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Happy New Zzzzz…..
If you were to ask me if I could sum up 2012 in a word, I would probably say “no” at first, and then come up with lots of single descriptors that I would state loudly with appropriate pauses in between until you say, “That’s not just one word” and then I would say, “I know, but I just can’t describe this year in one word.” *Whew* But then if you made me pick one, I’d probably say “exhausting”. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this about me, but I live my life at full throttle about 95% of the time, which is a blessing and a curse. In 2012…
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Being There.
I’m going to continue on the same travel thread that I started on Sunday. Well, sort of. Jim and I attended a fine arts fair a couple of months ago, when the weather was still comfortable enough for walking around outside and admiring artwork. Although the majority of the pottery, jewelry, and paintings was lovely, I was definitely attracted to the tents which housed the work of photographers. The sizes of the pieces ranged from 8″ X 10″ to oversized masterpieces that would look perfect over a couch, or even in a museum. The photograph subjects that were my favorite? No surprise: they were beautiful locations all around the world.…
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What Do Bow Ties Have To Do With Marriage Equality?
Lots. I wrote about it over on my Reviews and Stuff page, and you can check it out by clicking here. You can also find information on how to score a bow tie designed by Jesse Tyler Ferguson. These topics MIGHT be related. Photo credit: The Tie Bar. Go. Read. Share. Thanks.
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Just Smile: It’s Better For Everyone That Way
This just happened. I was out doing some Hanukkah shopping, seeing as though it’s in three weeks and all. I made a stop at my local chain craft store to pick up a gift I needed, but first I had to return a few things. I entered the store and wasn’t sure if I was supposed to weave my way through the line (they have the area surrounded by impulse-buy items and candy, making a zig-zag worthy of a theme park queue) or walk right up to the register closest to the door. There were no other customers in line (just one each at registers two and three), so I…
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Happy, Indeed.
Today happens to be my birthday, and in the process of trying to imagine what I could possibly write today for my SIXTH birthday post on Suburban Scrawl, I came up empty at first. Last year I wrote about things in the world that are younger than I am, like Post-It Notes. In 2010 I gave myself some goals (don’t ask me about the weight loss goal I made. Everything else, though? DONE.). In 2009 I wrote about the blessings that are my friends. In 2008 I lamented the fact that I was turning forty and wrote up a list of forty things I was thankful for or proud of.…
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Sunday Quickie
I had a really nice post planned for today about the apple bread I was making earlier, but that all went to hell when I was making said apple bread and cut the tip of my finger off, resulting in my sister taking me to Urgent Care. I love that, when I checked in at the Urgent Care on Facebook, Momo commented “The lengths that Melisa will go for a blog post!” because one of the first thoughts that came to my mind as I was sitting in the waiting room was of course, “I can’t wait to write about this.” I will have to, though, because although I’m going…
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Trick…Or Treat?
What feels like a trick to me (a trick I am playing on myself) will hopefully feel like a treat to you. November is National Blog Posting Month and I’m in, again. You knew I was a little crazy, right? I’ll be posting each and every day during the month of November with all of the other crazies on the still-in-progress November NaBloPoMo blogroll, including Ally Bean, Kendra, and Momo Fali (WHAT? Are you nuts, Momo????), who are already in my reader. Speaking of my reader, I am placing an additional challenge on myself to actually get around and comment on more blogs because I haven’t been able to do…