Tag: Kevin

  • 5 years without Mia

    5 years without Mia

    I call myself decent at remembering birthdays, but I’m terrible at remembering dates of tragedies. I suppose this is mostly a good thing. However, Facebook Memories was here to remind me at 3am when I woke to let the dog out that 5 years ago today, I was lying in bed beside my grandmother, Mia,…

  • Pink ballerinas, freight trains and talking mice; and yet no, this is not a post about drugs

    Severe weather had been predicted all day yesterday, but in the morning the news was calling it merely a “slight” chance for tornadoes. So I didn’t worry too much about it, and I even thought that my plan for an evening run probably woudn’t be affected. I tend to keep the news on in the…

  • Proving Mia wrong

    Her 95th birthday party was supposed to be tomorrow. We had been planning it for months. My grandmother’s major desire was that we all be there. That’s why the party was to be 10 days after her actual birthday – because that was the first time everyone could be there. And it totally sucks that she’s…

  • So close I could taste it (literally)

    Kevin reminded me this was not the first time I’d seen this. He says that when we were kids driving out west, we saw a dust storm that actually formed a funnel cloud. How did I forget that? No clue. But, there I was on Tuesday night, hanging out with Anil at his place in…

  • So close I could taste it (literally)

    Kevin reminded me this was not the first time I’d seen this. He says that when we were kids driving out west, we saw a dust storm that actually formed a funnel cloud. How did I forget that? No clue. But, there I was on Tuesday night, hanging out with Anil at his place in…

  • ‘Holy cow, what a ride’

    The house feels different to me now. The huge white pitched ceiling with its wooden beams is closer to my head, even when I am sitting in my grandfather’s old recliner. I pause to reflect on the hugeness of the living room I remember as a child. Today the ceiling, the walls, the furniture are…

  • ‘Holy cow, what a ride’

    The house feels different to me now. The huge white pitched ceiling with its wooden beams is closer to my head, even when I am sitting in my grandfather’s old recliner. I pause to reflect on the hugeness of the living room I remember as a child. Today the ceiling, the walls, the furniture are…

  • Our last moments

     I’m sure I’ll have more to say with time, but I wrote this the other day and wanted to share it with you … It had been a long and emotional day at the hospital, and it would be the last day of Mia’s life, though of course, we did not know this yet. A…

  • It’s the simple things.

    A very wise friend told me this past weekend that he wants “More Melissa” in the world. I haven’t been blogging much lately, and a lot of it is due to the fact that I basically missed the entire months of March and April due to that fainting spell. May and June (so far) have been…

  • ‘My Cabooooooodle!!’

    It was 1992 or 1993. We were in the family’s Astro van, driving out west. All five of us in one car, and two of us were teenagers. So yeah, you can imagine the highs and lows of that trip. Some notable things: = Dad got a speeding ticket. That was when I learned that people are…

  • ‘My Cabooooooodle!!’

    It was 1992 or 1993. We were in the family’s Astro van, driving out west. All five of us in one car, and two of us were teenagers. So yeah, you can imagine the highs and lows of that trip. Some notable things: = Dad got a speeding ticket. That was when I learned that people are…

  • Weddings, babies, surgeries, life …

    So, you wouldn’t know it by reading this blog, but other things have been going on besides the fact that I fell on my face and have spent the past few weeks recovering. Who knew?? So, in a nutshell, here’s some other things that have been going on: = My brother had back surgery. You…

  • The story of how an intruder (didn’t) catch me

    So, one of the most wonderful silver linings about the past few weeks is how many visitors I have had. I know I’ve mentioned them to you all along, but it’s just been so touching. Colleen visited me *every day* in the hospital and some at home, as did my parents and Jeff wouldn’t leave…

  • At least I don’t faint from having sex …

    Ok, so where were we … sorry I keep getting tired and unable to finish my story! I told you about fainting, and I showed you my awful face, and I told you about how wonderful CMC Mercy is. So, silly me thought I’d just be at CMC Mercy for a few hours while they…

  • At least I don’t faint from having sex …

    Ok, so where were we … sorry I keep getting tired and unable to finish my story! I told you about fainting, and I showed you my awful face, and I told you about how wonderful CMC Mercy is. So, silly me thought I’d just be at CMC Mercy for a few hours while they…

  • Why I love the hospital

    So, I stopped talking yesterday during the second ambulance ride, this one to CMC Mercy. I was alone during this ride. Colleen and Jim had driven the Jeep to CMC University the night before, so Jeff drove that one. I’d been in the ER from around 9 p.m. to around 8 a.m., and neither of…

  • Why I love the hospital

    So, I stopped talking yesterday during the second ambulance ride, this one to CMC Mercy. I was alone during this ride. Colleen and Jim had driven the Jeep to CMC University the night before, so Jeff drove that one. I’d been in the ER from around 9 p.m. to around 8 a.m., and neither of…

  • Sadie, the 2-year-old bottomless pit

    As an oldest child, I can say that it’s not that we didn’t want our younger siblings to have good toys. It’s that we didn’t want them to have better toys than us. Same with good grades, fun birthday parties and desserts. I see myself in my oldest niece, Mia. When her 2-year-old sister Sadie…

  • Sadie, the 2-year-old bottomless pit

    As an oldest child, I can say that it’s not that we didn’t want our younger siblings to have good toys. It’s that we didn’t want them to have better toys than us. Same with good grades, fun birthday parties and desserts. I see myself in my oldest niece, Mia. When her 2-year-old sister Sadie…

  • The next best thing

    I won’t be running in this year’s Thunder Road Marathon. I’d tentatively planned on running it, depending on how Marine Corps Marathon went, and truthfully I do think I could get to the finish line just fine. But I weighed the financial cost of signing up with my readiness level – and truthfully, I don’t…

  • I’m famous!

    The Charlotte Running Club featured me as their spotlight runner this week. How cool is that? I recently joined the club, based on my friend Scott’s recommendation, and I look forward to checking out their group runs, etc., at some point. Although I haven’t had the chance to run with the Charlotte Running Club yet, their…

  • I’m famous!

    The Charlotte Running Club featured me as their spotlight runner this week. How cool is that? I recently joined the club, based on my friend Scott’s recommendation, and I look forward to checking out their group runs, etc., at some point. Although I haven’t had the chance to run with the Charlotte Running Club yet, their…

  • Hard core and intimidating? Hardly

    Much delayed, but I promised to share my experiences from my first triathlon, so here goes: There’s something that seems very hard-core and intimidating about a triathlete. Which is why I laughed in my brother’s face when he first suggested I race a triathlon. But the truth is, I very much wanted to become comfortable…

  • My head has a mind of its own

    Going to take a few days for a blog hiatus. Dealing with a few overwhelming things right now – my brain won’t quite shut off of that to focus on this. And if you think I’m talking about you, you’re probably wrong. In the interim, though, I leave you with something positive: A photo of my…