Category: Uncategorized
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Spring Break – Just Like 1985
Life was simpler for parents in the eighties: kids weren’t overbooked with activities, they played with friends outdoors, and no one planned expensive Spring Break trips 6 months in advance. Nowadays families navigate mandatory sporting practices, book expensive Air B&Bs with private pools and ocean views, and travel for hours to make memories during one…
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Time to Serve
If you’re like me and feeling despair each time you hear the news or scroll through your social media these days, I have some advice that may help. Go do something that makes your own community a little better. This weekend we volunteered through our church at the local food kitchen. We’ve served as a…
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A Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing
We surprised our son two years ago with a trip to SoFi Stadium for the Chiefs vs. Chargers game. The stadium was amazing, and the game ended up being a nailbiter. The Chiefs pulled off a win in magical Mahomes’ fashion by coming from behind 23 – 27 and scoring with only 31 seconds remaining…
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The Boys of Fall
We’ve always been a sports family, but this year we officially became a football family. I consider attendance at two middle school games, a college game, and an NFL game all in one week enough to qualify. Our 13- year-old, 5’7, 110 lb. son decided he was going out for his 8th grade team. Considering…
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The Storyteller
Today we said goodbye to a 99-year-old storyteller with strong faith, a gentle soul, and a sweet tooth. Ralph was the stepfather of a woman that exemplified true friendship. The kind that never missed a chance to celebrate your happiness even when her luck was down. The kind that was always up for an adventure…
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An Old Cliché: Life is Too Short
Our great aunt was like a third grandma to my siblings and me when we were young. “Aunt Marrietta” lived in Wichita, which was two and a half hours away and “the big city” to us. We looked forward to our vacations when we’d visit her. We’d stay in her one-bedroom apartment, go shopping at…
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Izzy’s Gotcha Day
Last week was five years since we officially brought home our goldendoodle, Izzy. Our son had just turned eight and had been asking for a sibling or puppy for as long as we could remember. In Kindergarten he came home in tears over his “tell me about yourself” artwork that said ZERO Siblings and ZERO…
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Fireflies and Brats
Lately I’ve noticed more fireflies than usual. A quick Google search informed me that they’re more prevalent in Spring and Summer when there’s more rainfall and, “due to climate change, there has been heavier rain in early Spring which brings out more of these adult beetles and for longer periods.” I’ve never been that into…
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The Art of a Good, Old-Fashioned Surprise
In today’s digital age of instant gratification, there aren’t a lot of surprises anymore. The younger generations will never know the excitement of checking the mailbox to find an unexpected handwritten letter or opening a package of developed photos to relive vacation memories (and often finding half the family’s heads were cut off in the…
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10th Wedding Anniversary
Today is our 10th wedding anniversary. Brides often talk about the wedding day they dreamed about since they were little girls. I can honestly say I never had those dreams, or maybe I’d just forgotten about them by the time I was 44. When he proposed on the 4th of July, wedding planning was at…
Bold Moves Are the Best Moves 