Category Archives: Musings & Misc.

Jan 11 2016

Places I Do Not Belong

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Places I Do Not Belong

We’ve been back in California for a week now, and while I enjoyed our Michigan visit immensely, I returned with the vague feeling that I don’t quite belong anywhere anymore.

Don’t get me wrong: in a lot of ways, it was the most relaxed I’ve been in months. It was incredibly fulfilling to be with our family and friends again, and SUCH A RELIEF to know that help was nearby if we needed to call upon our village. I was able to just zip away to brunch with the girls. I was able to see P and B fall in love with their grandparents again. I was able to have an actual dinner with my husband. There were way more sets of hands to change diapers, give hugs, and mold Play-Doh. My daughter’s tantrums (a very recent and totally unwelcome occurrence in our household) vanished after just a few Michigan days. She was a better person when there were more people around to love her. We were all better people, I think. Continue reading →

Nov 11 2015

A Ride on the (Optimism?) Elevator

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A Ride on the (Optimism?) Elevator

No Negativity November began boldly. On the first of the month, we put down a deposit to reserve a plot of land.

We are going to build a house.

Well, WE are not going to build a house. But you understand. We are going to pick out a bunch of stuff and watch enthusiastically as a house gets built by people who know what they’re doing.

Before I tell you that story, let me explain my intentions behind NNN — what it is, and what it most definitely isn’t. This little experiment is not meant to force me into faking my way through a month of my life. It also does not require all blog posts and conversations with friends to be fluffy and light and overly optimistic. Mainly, it’s for the sake of my husband. Continue reading →

Jul 27 2015

California Drivin’

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California Drivin’

If you’re traveling to Ireland from America, you probably expect to alter your driving strategy to match the whole left-side-of-the-road thing. But I kind of figured that if you stayed within the U.S., driving would more or less stay the same.

Not so, as it turns out. At least not for me. Driving in California has been more of an adjustment than I anticipated. I’ve mentioned the U-turns and the cyclists — which were obvious from minute one — but there have been a whole host of new surprises now that we’ve been out here for a few weeks. Here are eight things this Michigander is still getting used to: Continue reading →