Tag: Jeff

  • Wearing my heart on my sleeve (or my turtle on my back.)

    I recently landed on a post by BusyDad about his tattoos and the story behind them. Inspired me to want to tell you about my own tattoos and their stories. I have 3 of them (or 4 or 5, depending on how you look at it), and like BusyDad, I like that I can easily…

  • #nanowrimo book editing time

    Just wanted to give a status update on my book. My book!! (I cheer a little inside every time I say that.) For those who haven’t been listening to me chat incessantly for the past month or so, I’ll recap: I wrote a book last month. Yep, a book. Yep, in a month. I participated in…

  • Getting a roommate at age 30

    Jeff and I used to live in a much smaller house. It was a 3-bedroom rental, and it was built in the 1960s so the rooms were small. Between our two offices and our bedroom, it was a full house. We didn’t let that stop us from having parties – every weekend the house was…

  • One of the nicest brides I ever met

    A memory It is 2004, my first trip to Vegas and I will finally get to meet Jeff’s sole cousin, Ryan (I have a couple dozen cousins, so this one-cousinthing is a surprise to me.) Ryan and Robin are getting married one week before Christmas, and Jeff and I are full of excitement: A wedding, reuniting with…

  • Reason #143 why husbands rock

    Because sometimes, you wake up grumpy from a nap and find something like this waiting on your mousepad. Husbands know how to bring a smile, every time.

  • Flashing boobs at wedding guests and other horrors

    A memory It is 2004, September 04. The day of my wedding. Any stress that goes along with planning one’s wedding had escaped me the day before, as I sat at Aunt Josies’ at my bridesmaids’ luncheon surrounded by Mom, Mia (my grandmother), my sister Jenny, my aunt and cousins and bridesmaids – basically, all the…

  • Lessons from Grandma: Speak your mind, live how you want, and don’t let time slip away

    The first time I ever met Jeff’s grandmother was in April of 2000. Jeff’s sister, Colleen, his stepdad, Gray, and I drove from N.C. to Florida for his brother, young Gray’s, high school graduation. We arrived at Grandma Kochel’s house late – probably 9 or 10 p.m. I walked into Grandma’s house for the first…

  • I hate change.

    When I was a sophomore in high school I had it all. Great friends that I had grown up in the town I’d lived in since I was 3, a great social life that included hanging out with BFF Amy literally every day, and great times in the neighborhood with more friends and family. Then…

  • I was the center of attention tonight. All eyes on ME.

    A little background first: I have fainted two times before. 1) 2003, at the doctor’s office, getting blood drawn for a physical. I felt the expected “I’m gonna faint” feeling … but this time, I actually did it. Actually fainted twice in a row, but I’ll count it as once for purposes of this post.…

  • It was a curvy road finding you

    But when our eyes touched joined in our new world I could do nothing but stare and wonder what it would take to know you to hold you and then we said hello Cedar Mountain was ours but it couldn’t keep us You belonged to the shore but my heart was yours You were in…