I just spent four delightful days with my mother in Wyoming –eating a flaky quiche at Lander Bakery, ordering a new skirt off of QVC, and wandering unhurried through Hello The House, which is one of those surprisingly amazing stores tucked into the quiet main street of a town of 7,000. But the sweet time…
I could see Matt physically brace himself, as we waved our last goodbye to that boy of ours, through the airport security glass. Hating to disappoint the man, I walked three steps and let the tears fall. A mom can only put on a brave face for so long. Of course, I had to suck…
She blocked off the page on the overhead projector so the students could see only one sentence. Then she asked them about the verb tense and waited. A student answered her question correctly. She remained quiet. From my place of observation, I looked to see if she was distracted or something. No, she was silent…
In the quiet of a holiday night, I whispered to Matt, “Our tree really is better than anyone else’s.” Of course, I would never say that to people, because how rude, but it was true. Cut by Matt’s own hands in a Montana forest, this tree was ethereal perfection. It was only made better by…
Last Christmas season, at about this time, we were sitting in my mom’s living room talking about our dead car. I might have given in to despair and tears -a complete failure to endure through the trial. But the grace of God came to us, by way of a man with grease under his fingernails….
‘Tis the week before Christmas, and I am all settled in at urgent care for a long wait, because a cough has nestled deep in my chest. Momma in her kerchief. (At least that’s where her bright, shiny nose is, but I’m not shooting for a mashup of Christmas stories.) The nurse finally calls me…
Matt and I have argued for 25 years about whether to open or close the living room curtains in the evenings. He says to close them so everyone can’t see in. I beg to open them so everyone can see in. “Let them drive by and look in our happy house,” I always say. He…
There are the great cathedrals of Europe and then there is Kalispell Krispy Kreme. My nephews were awake early on the morning I was tending to them, so I played the aunt and asked if they wanted to make a run for donuts before school. (I am selfless.) “Two glazed, one chocolate, and one sugar,…
“When can we start listening to Christmas music?” a student asked. “After Thanksgiving and not a day before!” I barked. (Wow, don’t ask the teacher that question again.) No holiday jumping in this house, people. (Although my husband would like to point out that I will demand a trip to the forest for a Christmas…
One of my students couldn’t find something of his in the classroom a few days ago, and I have to confess that I told him flat out, “Guys can’t find things.” “Thanks a lot,” he said. His indignation was justified, since I had just thrown all men under the bus. But then I went to…
I won’t blame those freshmen guys for yawning all the way through my class. It was 2:00 in the afternoon, and they had started the day with a before-school basketball practice. It was a grueling first week in their new schedule, to say nothing of the fact that it was the end of the quarter…
Matt and I are very smart people. We make it our goal not to own anything too complicated or fancy, because with the ownership comes breakdowns and repair bills, which we cannot afford. For example, it’s good to know someone who owns an expensive boat and maybe sometime they’ll invite you to go to the…
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