more to learn

This is Reine. She is kind of a big deal. Besides being all silky and gorgeous with those puppy eyes and amazing athleticism she has a pretty great superpower. She helps to save lives. Specifically, Jake’s life. And this is Jake. Granted, I’m his mom and I’m a bit biased, but if you knew him … More Don’t pet the dog. No, seriously, don’t pet the dog: An outsider’s guide to interacting with a teen kid and his service dog

It’s hard. High School. I get it, because I see it everyday of my life. I live with two in my house and 1,400 others from 7:55 am-2:35 pm Monday through Friday. As a rule, I see way more good than bad. I see more kindness and respect over the course of a day than … More Relevance

In my head I sound like Oprah. ‘You get a pass! You get a pass! You are ALL getting passes!’ It was like an unspoken agreement the summer before our kids started high school. We could actually feel the clock ticking. The inconceivable fact that our babies, our teeny tiny, chubby cheeked little kindergartners were … More You Get a Pass

1999 came out in 1982. I was 7. It still plays on the radio and I remember being in fifth grade and doing the math to put me at age 24 when 1999 would play on New Year’s Eve and it would actually BE 1999. And I thought that totally sucked. I mean, I’d be … More 1982, 24.

Are there 13 reasons? Yes. Of course there are. But I used the title to grab you. That maybe in some random, but yet not at all Google search, someone who is looking for meaning in their life or a reason to continue may stumble upon this post and I could share this one thing. … More 13 reasons why no reason is enough

November 29th. Jake’s birthday. The day always makes me smile, probably my favorite day of the year. This year seemed hard. Like we’ve been tempting fate. On the last day of November, Epilepsy awareness month, I wanted to post about what this disease feels like. I do not wake up every day and look at … More 13

I have lots of theories on ‘awareness’. And most awareness I write off as BS. Breast cancer awareness, puh-lease. You can take your damn pink crap that benefits producers of cancer causing chemicals and stuff ’em in a sack. Pediatric Stroke Awareness- I really struggle with this. These survivors are great stories, but does awareness … More Epilepsy Awareness

As I keep getting older and wiser (which, by the way, is really a cool thing) I’m learning to recognize patterns of behaviors. I’m accepting that sometimes people really don’t change because they really just don’t want to. Even if they really think they really do want things really different, people really do in their … More Avoidance

What she couldn’t know is what I couldn’t explain in her office for a squeezed in meeting explaining that regretfully my position had been eliminated. Or rather, filled by the woman I was filling in for. Which is a good thing. A great thing for her. She kicked cancer and is rebuilding. Which left me … More Anniversaries

Freshman year. I went for a run this morning after tearfully hugging too tightly my 6’1 man boy. Who, just like your guy, grew into a full absolutely not a child anymore it seems but absolutely not an adult, overnight. Or rather over the course of the summer. Because he is 14, fiercely competitive, a … More 14