If you ask Ali what she’s going to be when she grows up, she’ll tell you that she’s going to own a bakery (and that she’s an artist). The bakery is a big deal to her, and we have many urgent conversations as to the particulars of running the business, as she’s deeply consumed with […]
The Runaway Incident.
My parents have what we often refer to as Grandkid Heaven. Right around the time that Chris and I started dating, they went in with three other families and bought 70 acres of land 20 minutes out of town. It was the cheapest land anyone could buy, because it was completely unreachable – a mountain […]
The Profit of a Yard.
The best thing we did in 2013 was get sod in our front yard. Previously, our slightly sloped yard was nothing but dirt – with a few weeds, a bunch of gumballs (or pricklies, as we call them at our house), and plenty of tree roots. It was a shame, as most yards in our […]
The Moments of Artwalk.
I survived my first two-day art show for Picture Birmingham. Here were the moments I won’t (or, in some cases, can’t no matter how hard I try) forget. 1. I got stuck in a ditch. Literally. That’s my friend Radford, illustrating exactly how stuck I was. And no, I do not have four-wheel drive. And […]
Short Stories From the Road.
So you drive a Prius. You park next to me at the bank. With an empty parking space on the other side of you. The bank has very, very spacious parking spots, too, by the way. Yet you park so close to me that I literally (and I do mean literally literally and not figuratively […]
The Grasshopper Incident.
There’s a lovely walking trail somewhat near our house – one that I often run on when I can get away by myself. When I am accompanied by my entourage, I bribe the children to walk (without whining) in exchange for a stop at a candy store halfway through our route. Occasionally, we also have […]
The Ticket to Preschool.
As I mentioned a few months ago, Noah is attending Preschool this fall – three days a week, and his teacher is his precious Godmother, Miss Janey. …whom he calls “Miss Jamie”, because I make him eat lunch with Jamie of Jamie’s Rabbits way too often and once one has encountered Jamie and her Rabbits […]
What’s That Sound, Volume Four.
We read the bible almost every night to our kids, they go to Sunday School, and we have conversations about God. But you never know what they’re really picking up and what they’re not. And what they’re pondering in their heart of hearts. A few months ago, I had this conversation with Noah. Noah: “They […]
On Raising a Parrot.
In our pre-kid days, Chris and I had the peculiar hobby of reading Screen It reviews before, during, or even instead of watching movies. Geared toward parents, the site gives an intensely detailed yet discreet laundry list of every profanity or slightly negative word in the movie, detailed descriptions of all violence, drug use, or […]
A Time to FitBit.
Really, it was all the old man’s fault. He was ambling around the edge of the cliff at Weathington Park, offering to take everyone’s picture with their phone. I don’t know if he was doing some sort of undercover operation to plant a tracking device on everyone’s phone or what, but he was quite insistent. […]