(You can listen to an audio version of this post here.) I went to David’s Bridal today to purchase a bridesmaid’s dress for a friend’s wedding next summer. She had a dress already picked out in the system so they pulled her profile up and I followed the very nice saleslady to the racks laden …
(I realize this is very lengthy so I have strategically placed pictures of smiling animals throughout the piece so that you can mark your place if you need to take a break and come back to it. At my sister’s suggestion, I’ve also made an audio version of this blog. You can download/stream it by …
I grew up in West Texas- land of wide-open spaces, sky high teen pregnancy rates, and a colorblind racial ideology that masks racism instead of confronting it. In colorblind ideology, it is impolite to talk about someone’s race. I remember hearing a story about a friend who was trying to tell her son which store …
I just got back from San Francisco. I went to (hides face) a Christian conference. I found myself hesitant to tell people that it was a Christian conference because of the connotations of that. My sense is that many Christian conferences are lame attempts at pep rallies for God, the adult version of church camp, …
“What was I thinking?” I thought as I stared forlornly into the mirror. I should have known better than to impulsively stop at the hair salon directly adjacent to the Tom Thumb, still clutching my bag of avocados. I was hoping for a cute haircut before I left on my 10th anniversary weekend trip. Instead, …
I was a mere 21 years old when I got married. My uncle officiated our wedding. Before the wedding, my then-fiancee, now-husband, Alex, and I drove down to Corpus to do some premarital counseling sessions and stay with my aunt and uncle. After one of these sessions, Alex and I got ready to leave and …
I went to a vigil in Balch Springs for Jordan Edwards last week. It was everything you would want a vigil to be- beautiful and sad and moving and comforting. Like most, I was horrified by Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice’s deaths. I have been deeply affected before by deaths caused by police brutality, but …
When you last heard from me, I left you with the news that whatever curse has befallen the Wise Family was slowly picking off members of my family days before Christmas. I’m happy to report that both Alex and the Kid recovered. After Christmas, we were supposed to go to my hometown to visit my … Continue reading
Captains Log, 12/23/2019 A plague lurks here. It all started back in October, ye see, my old man and I tried to take a weekend trip to Kentucky and the weather delayed our vessel so long that we had to cancel. Then, ye see, we had plans to meet halfway between this here homestead and … Continue reading
It was 1:04am. I rubbed my bleary eyes and slid my feet out of bed onto the carpet of used tissues, the CPAP alarm repeatedly crying out over the baby monitor. I padded across the hallway and quietly cracked open the door. I sidestepped the spilled basket of toys and crept across the dark room. … Continue reading
I do not usually live life on the edge. I’m not interested in sky diving or wrestling an alligator. I don’t like to stare into the face of death; I prefer to keep my eyes tightly shut. Except for one weird thing. It started one cold morning in my early 20s when I was on … Continue reading
One of the most memorable customers in my first job at the dry cleaners in college was a woman who came in and accused us (me) of ruining a very expensive scarf. She pointed to one tiny thread and insisted that we pay her for the scarf, which was several hundred dollars. It was one … Continue reading
“What color is the bag?” asked the man behind the counter. I thought for a moment. “It’s white, black, neon purple, green, and orange squiggles. Soft-sided, like a duffel bag” He blinked at me. I blinked back. He raised his eyebrows and muttered Okay. I’d been at DFW airport all day and had gone literally nowhere, … Continue reading
Twelve years ago this month, Alex and I stood, hand in hand, and promised to love each other for the rest of our lives in front of 100 sweaty friends and family members. We were 21. We were babies. We thought we knew everything. We did not. I think that when we made our vows, … Continue reading
