The year: 1986 The location: Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa The cast: A family of four: mother (37), father (39), eldest daughter (15), youngest daughter (2). The scene: Christmas morning, parents wake their daughters and the family is soon gathered around a sparsely decorated tree in the corner of their living room. Holiday music plays…
I almost bought my father, who has been dead for five years a Christmas present today. A book, but not just any book, a $75.00 coffee table book: Fenway Park: 100 Years: The Official, Definitive History of America’s Most Beloved Ballpark He would have devoured it. He loved the Red Sox. His last e-mail to…
I grew up with teachers. My parents were educators, who worked in American international schools for 28 years and prior to that on an American Indian reservation in Arizona. Their careers spanned 35 years and if I learned anything from them, it was how much they enjoyed their jobs, how hard they worked and how…
As you may or may not know, my parents died while working in Tunis, Tunisia. My father was the principal of an American international school and my mother was a third-grade teacher. A month after they died, the school planted two olive trees on campus in their memory. It was a lovely gesture and my…
12 days until Christmas and like you, my holiday ‘To Do’ list is out of control! Today was a very productive day…. I addressed, stamped and mailed 100 holiday cards, visited 6 stores, including Starbucks for a much needed extra dose of liquid energy, baked 7 dozen cookies (sugar, chocolate chip oatmeal and peanut butter)…
Have you linked up to our Santa Photos 2011 yet? No? Well, you should! Natalie of Mommy of a Monster and I are hosting and we’re giving away prizes too. Lots of prizes… I’m not really in the giveaway game, so I relied on Natalie and her awesome connections to secure these great gifts: Huggerz…
I dread his birthday, our anniversary, Christmas, Father’s Day and every other occasion that requires a gift because my husband is IMPOSSIBLE to shop for. He buys everything he wants and he’s very picky. There, I said it out loud and for all the world wide web to read. Trust me, it’s nothing I haven’t…
We remembered. We avoided eye contact at first. We got dressed and put on make-up. We went to brunch and toasted with champagne. We enjoyed a little retail therapy and indulged in sweet treats. Both helped for a little while. We received dozens of beautiful flowers and at least a 100 of other tokens of…
I am so humbled by the generous response to my new weekly feature, Letters For You that debuted last week and very grateful to Poppy of Funny or Snot for helping me kick off the series. If you missed her heart wrenching letter to the lifeguard she credits to saving her daughter’s life, you can…
Christmas jammies #1 We spent the week of Christmas in the Bay Area at my in-laws house. My sister drove up from LA to be with us too. My sister-in-law and her husband and two daughters live nearby, so they were a big part of our holiday. Our visit was full of food, family and…
