Holidays
2nd Annual Galentine’s Indoor Skydiving
For the second year in a row, I hosted a Galentine’s Day indoor skydiving excursion. I sported a “Boss” T-shirt for the occasion to dispel any doubt who was in charge. Kidding. Not really. I joked with the one friend who hadn’t ever flown before that she had to go first. To my surprise, she … Continue reading
2025 Thanksgiving: A Drinking Jacket
I don’t have a passion for cooking. The most I do since moving back in with my parents is make breakfast every morning. Even the pull of Thanksgiving didn’t inspire me to prepare a dish or dessert to share. For a brief moment, I thought about bringing my very first batch of Kool-Aid pickles. I’d … Continue reading
Fourth of July Thrifting
My goal-oriented brain nearly caused me to miss visiting a friend who I hadn’t seen in 20 years. We’d worked at different schools in Monterrey, Mexico. Although we now lived less than two hours away, finding a day we both had free was a challenge. At that time, the countdown to vacationing in Ghana loomed. … Continue reading
Father’s Day Axe Throwing
My sister and her family participated in an axe throwing event a few months after I’d done it for the first time. Apparently, my nephew was the guy to beat. As soon as my sister announced that they were coming down to celebrate Father’s Day with our 87-year-old father, I immediately said that I wanted … Continue reading
Brunch and Wine Mother’s Day
When I researched the closest “wine tasting” to where we lived, I didn’t take “wine bars” into consideration. That oversight meant that we’d whisked Mom nearly an hour’s ride away through beautiful country scenery to a place that allowed us to have a glass of wine along with sweet and savory prepackaged food for purchase. … Continue reading
Birthdays & Easter Eggs
Easter 2025 fell on 4-20, the code in cannabis culture for smoking marijuana, and not, as urban folklore tells it, the police code for marijuana. (That code varies among police departments.) In my family, we have four April birthdays: Dad, a sister, a nephew and a niece. On top of that, there are two among … Continue reading
Exhilarating Galentine’s
Finally discovered a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day. The best part, I convinced two friends to join me. Actually, didn’t take much convincing on my part. They seemed ready to cross “indoor skydiving” off their bucket list. Just needed someone, such as myself, to make the arrangements. We were lucky in two ways that … Continue reading
2025 MLK DAY: Embracing Joy
For the past few decades, I’d signed off on every email with “Cheers.” This year, I set the intention for the year. Embrace Joy. There are those who believe that EVERYTHING that happens in one’s life is a choice. That position is as unrealistic as NOTHING is a choice. Between being omnipotent and a perpetual … Continue reading
Austinite Reunion at a Winery
After months of planning, one of my Austinite friends and I met up at a halfway point in Elizabethtown, NC. Although he and his partner had recently purchased a plot of land in VA, they transformed a bus into a mobile tiny home and drove to a quiet beach in NC for the winter. My … Continue reading
Christmas Dinner Party in the Suburbs
On Monday before Christmas Day, I gifted my family the nonmaterialistic event I’d written, directed and produced. I even hired a performer to help bring the event to life. https://vimeo.com/user122780576/download/1042690204/0a7e7c8674