May 2011
3 posts
The long drive home.
The only thing that has ever tied with the written word for my affections is music.
Even though you will never see me play an instrument, or hear me sing, music has never been a passive activity for me.
As a child, music was dancing to Faith by George Michael as my mom and I cleaned the house together.
As a teenager, music was screaming the lyrics to Screaming Infidelities by Dashboard...
Happy Mother's Day!
More than anyone else in the world, my mother is the person who truly gets me. Of all the things I love about her, her ability to understand exactly what is happening before I even have a chance to tell her is what I appreciate the most.
When I am getting sick, she always knows hours before the symptoms arrive. “You are looking peaked,” she will say.
When I am tired, she tells me I should be...
Boxes and shrimp cocktail, part 2.
When I got that phone call from Addy, telling us she had met a boy, I was concerned. She had only been back in school for like three months, and her friends had another year of college behind them.
Addy was clearly head-over-heels for this new boy, and I was secretly praying he was the right one.
We found the answer soon enough.
Addy was turning 21, and her new boyfriend had decided to host a...
April 2011
6 posts
Boxes and shrimp cocktail, part 1.
As I have mentioned before, my husband and I met while working at Dorothy Lane Market through our college years. When we weren’t in class, we were working, and when we weren’t working, our social circle was still pretty much DLM.
My best friend Morgan only worked there during the summers, so the rest of the time it was just Chuck and our friend Michael. The result? I spent most of my...
My dad, part 2.
If you have been following this blog for a while, you know how this whole project got started: a gift, and a letter, from my father.
The gift was a pink typewriter, the letter explained why.
This year, on his fiftieth birthday, I was able to give my dad a letter of my own. Of course, I wrote it on the pink typewriter.
1 tag
Wednesday book craving.
Vintage typewriter art. These 8x8 prints were made for me… and by made for me, I mean made for this dream space I have imagined for myself. Where bookshelves line the wall, my own pink typewriter has a desk of it’s own, there are windows overlooking the trees, and I can read and write all day in my very own space.
Price: $20 per 8x8 print.
Also available: Bikes, macaroons, French...
My dad, part 1.
Because my dad turns 50 this month, I have found myself thinking of him more often. Just little things here and there—like when a Frank Sinatra song comes on my iPod, or when I wake up before the sun like he does every day.
Among all of the little stories I could tell you about my father, I have this one memory that I keep very close to my heart.
It is simple, but it is sweet…
Growing up...
1 tag
Why I dream of Paris.
Real pizza… thin crust, cooked until it is crunchy, plenty of bold tomato sauce, and three perfect black olives.
There are no words for this hot chocolate. Except maybe heaven, just because God came up with heaven and I think he approves of hyperbole.
This was also taken at Café Angelina, and this represented maybe 10% of the desserts available.
This olive bar was set up, in open air,...
March 2011
13 posts
Wednesday book craving.
I literally could not just pick just one—or even two—of the craving I chose for today. So, I picked nine.
I am in love with these kindle covers. They are simple, but so chic. Made from a lightweight foam material, these covers would be perfect for protecting your Kindle inside a purse, backpack, or carryon.
More than anything, I adore the vintage prints. The florals are probably my favorite,...
1 tag
Storytellers: Jen Osterday
If you have read any of the Anne of Green Gables series, you know that Anne has a phrase for that certain kind of person you meet and become fast friends with. They are the “kindred spirits.”
Jen Osterday is one of my kindred spirits. Someone with whom I share so much. We met six summers ago when we both interned for the Features department of the Dayton Daily News. In the years that...
1 tag
Two things that make me smile.
Books, and coffee. Coffee, and books.
I could probably never really communicate how much I love a good cup of coffee. Especially on a day like today, when the sky is stormy, and I can see the rain pelting windows all around my desk, all I can think about is how much—so so so much—I wish I could be in my own comfy chair, with a blanket, and an open window, and a cup of hot coffee.
Necklace:...
1 tag
Eating books.
When I was young, reading was never just reading. It was consuming, devouring, absorbing the words on a page, and letting those stories become a part of me.
I can recall a time in my life when my own memories were blurred with the stories of my favorite characters. Not sure where their lives ended and my life began, reading to me was as necessary as breathing.
I have a memory of myself at maybe...
1 tag
1 tag
Wear a book on your heart.
Show everyone how much you love to read when you wear this miniature book necklace over your heart.
I’ll be honest: It was the rose gold chain that really sold me on this Wednesday book craving. That and the classic print.
I want.
Price: Just $15, and only .50 shipping if you buy two!
1 tag
From the same perspective.
There is no bond in this world like the bond between siblings. Some days you are competitors, most days you are partners, and all days you are linked as people who have shared the same life, from the same perspective.
When my baby brother was born, I was just about to turn 9 years old. Truth be told, I was absolutely smitten with him from day one. I remember thinking that he was truly the most...
1 tag
Another sunny day in Californ-i-a.
Most years, I cannot wait for the cooler months. I associate summer with humidity and allergies, and that wall of heat that hits you when you walk out the door.
Well, summer. I take it all back.
I would give anything for some sun right about now. I try and make it habit not to complain about the seasons, because frankly, they are going to happen anyway… but once in a while, I just get so...
1 tag
1 tag
The moment I knew.
Everyone always wants to know when you discovered that your spouse was “the one.” After much thinking, I realized that I really could not pinpoint just one moment. At first it made me a little sad, and then I just gave up.
Then, this morning, there I am driving to work when I realized: That was it. The moment when I knew Chuck was the one.
During my four years of college, I finished...
1 tag
1 tag
February 2011
12 posts
1 tag
The inverted pyramid.
That first summer I was an intern at Dayton Daily News is like a living sepia photo in my mind. The colors are distinct, but muddled, and the most discernible thing about that summer is the brightness that I feel when I think back to those days. I had always thought I wanted to be a teacher, but by the time I was a senior in high school, I realized that education was not my calling. Rather, I had...
1 tag
Photo find Friday.
It was a snow day during our junior year of high school when my friend Morgan and I really solidified our best friendship. All of our friends had congregated at Morgan’s house for the day to “play in the snow.” Not quite sure how much playing we actually did, but the point was that we were all together.
I had only worn jeans, and they were completely soaked. So Morgan offered to...
1 tag
Wednesday book craving.
I just cannot get enough of the typewriter art that is available out there. I had no idea there were so many other people who loved that sound of clacking keys!
In fact, I have found so many amazing pieces that I am officially inspired to one day have a vintage typewriter-themed office.
Speaking of clacking keys, the book craving for this week makes use of the keys left over from well-loved...
1 tag
Storytellers: Erinne Fullam
It seems only appropriate that as I introduce my good friend and fellow writer, Erinne Fullam, I have a cup of hot cocoa by my side.
There are a few things that I always associate with Erinne: the love of a mother, the adoration of a wife, and her appreciation for hot beverages. We share those last two.
I found Erinne through her husband Gerry who works with me—and now with my husband, Chuck....
1 tag
I am going to regret this.
As I was looking through our old photos, I just could not pass these gems up.
When we talk about our future potential children, Chuck and I laugh recalling what we looked like as kids. Sure, there were probably cute moments. But when you combine the paleness, and the freckles, and the asthma, and the allergies… it really is just a winning combination.
Regardless, here goes. Bring on the...
1 tag
The engagement.
Whenever you talk about engagements, someone always wants to ask if you knew your engagement was coming. I usually just answer “no”, because that is the easiest answer… but truthfully, I kind of did.
How? A fight over a shirt.
Chuck had asked me out to dinner, and he was getting dressed for something fancy. I was already good to go, but he kept pulling shirt after shirt out of...
1 tag
1 tag
My very favorite birthday.
For as long as I can remember, my mother has given me a Birthday Week. Rather than limiting the birthday to just one day, we celebrate our birthdays for a full 7 days.
Nothing particularly special happens on the 6 days surrounding your actual birthday, but the birthday week becomes a great excuse.
“I don’t have to do the dishes. It’s my birthday week.” “We’re...
1 tag
Photo Find Friday.
Nothing says class like faux wood paneling! According to my mother, this rocking horse was a gift from my grandparents. Regardless of what may be happening in this photo, I am told that actually rocking on the rocking horse was not my preference. Apparently I preferred hoarded items inside the storage compartment, and I was caught standing on the plastic horse on numerous occasions… Sounds...
2 tags
January 2011
13 posts
1 tag
My only cool story.
Here is my true confession: I have always preferred a book and a cup of hot tea or coffee to just about anything outside my own home.
And I think that is a good preface to this story, because it illustrates how little I knew about the world when I ended up needing help from a man named Bear in a Waffle House outside Columbus, Ohio.
When I was a senior in high school, the boy I was dating got us...
1 tag
Photo Find Friday.
Because it is such a gloomy day, I thought I might start a new Friday feature this week… so here goes photo find Friday.
This is me at about 7 years old, and as you can see, I have always taken my reading time very seriously. We were camping at the La Jolla Indian Reservation in California, and I was clearly quite engrossed in my Peanuts comic strip book. Please note the pink puppy pillow...
1 tag
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here is a collection of typewriter-related gifts for your Wednesday book craving.
“Do Work” Gocco Printed Notebook
20 Personalized Typewriter Cards
Type Card
18K Gold Plated Typewriter Necklace
3 tags
Les mémoires de Paris.
On my sixteenth birthday, my mom got me a lamp shaped like the Eiffel Tower. It was heavy, and bright silver, and I loved it!
Because the lamp was so specific, I asked my mom why she picked it out. She answered, “because ever since you were a little girl, you have always talked about going to Paris.”
I never realized I had ever actually told anyone that.
My dream of seeing Paris was...
2 tags
Friday free-read.
For the Friday Free-Read this week, I found something that is not actually free, but is ridiculously cheap.
To all my writer friends out there—I am looking at you, Jen—you can subscribe to the e-reader version of Poets & Writers Magazine for just .99 cents per month!
And remember, you can view the magazine full color on your laptop as well when you download the Kindle Reader.
This month...
1 tag
1 tag
The love of a grandpa.
When I was 8 years old, my dad moved me and my very pregnant mother to Michigan from our home in California. We never really talked about it, but I think my dad was just ready to go home.
That trek across the country is a story for another post, because today I want to tell you about my grandpa.
My grandpa was diagnosed and died of cancer within just two short years of us moving to Michigan.
I...
2 tags
Friday free-read.
The Circular Staircase By Mary Roberts Rinehart
The story: Rachel inherits the care of her orphaned niece and nephew, Gertrude and Halsey. Gertrude and Halsey are home from college for the summer, so Rachel rents an East Coast beach house for summer vacation. Horror ensues.
Why you want to read it: Throughout this book, I kept thinking… this reminds me SO much of that movie The Others. I...
1 tag
1 tag
Chapter 1.
It is not my intention to number every story as a chapter, because really, where would one even begin? But this is the first chapter of what has become my favorite story. The story of me, and of my husband, together.
It was February of my senior year in high school when I started working as a cashier at Dorothy Lane Market. If you are unfamiliar, DLM is a collection of three stores in the greater...
2 tags
Friday free-read.
I tell my husband all the time that after my engagement ring, my Kindle is literally the best present he has ever given me.
I use my Kindle every day… In the gym? Reading my Kindle. Waiting for an oil change? Reading my Kindle. Long drive? Kindle!
Recently, I discovered something that actually made me fall in love with my Kindle all over again. Free books.
Amazon.com has more than 2...
1 tag
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale of all.”
– Hans Christian Andersen
You probably already know who Hans Christian Andersen was: a Danish writer, famous for his fairytales. He gets the credit for the origin of children’s literature, not to mention several Disney movies from our childhood.
Here are a couple of details you might not...
4 tags
Why typewriters=love.
My father is unlike any other father you have ever met. He is a mix of hard work, humor, raw talent, fiery temper, and utter devotion to his family.
He is someone who can look at another person, and see their strengths immediately. In fact, my father is an expert at pulling those strengths right out of you, whether you want him to or not.
My mother and father approached learning very...
December 2010
1 post
4 tags
52 stories.
In 2011, I plan on doing something great… I plan on telling some stories.
Over the last few months, I have been thinking about what I could possibly bring to the blogosphere. I love fashion and design, but I have no credential. I love to read, but I am no critic.
What I have, is a pink typewriter, and a profound love for hearing and telling stories.
The idea that each of us has a story...