A SKETCHBOOK OF SORTS

You’ve probably seen that viral news clip:  two runners being interviewed during a winter storm, joyfully proclaiming how much they love running in the snow. They’re upbeat, motivated, full of energy. Then the camera follows them as they take off down the street…and they immediately wipe out on the ice.   Their enthusiasm is real. Their commitment is way better than mine. Their effort is commendable. But conditions always win .   This week, many of us are living inside that m

When I was an undergraduate student at the University of Richmond, I had a psychology class in Jepson Hall, near the business and law...

Post by Amanda Seven years ago, my spouse and children designed and built a skateboarding area in our backyard. Two half-pipes, a ramp,...

a new post by Kate Means During the start of the new year, my household learned the hard way that having three kids with exposures at...

A throwback from a 2021 personal blog post... My children are building forts. It’s Friday morning, 9:48 am, spring break for my children...

When it's hard to see the way, be a cat. On my way home from one appointment, I realized I had missed another appointment while heading...

"The opportunity to strengthen culture lives in the space between what you say you value and how you live those values out." Tennis is my...

I don’t do socks. I mean, I wear socks. So do my children. I wash and dry them, but I do not match, fold, or put them away. This means...

A few weeks ago, when my kids and their friends were playing basketball in our driveway, we heard a crash. Looking through the side door...

One of the biggest hit songs right now is Flowers by Miley Cyrus. Here’s the chorus: I can buy myself flowers Write my name in the sand...

Several weeks ago, at my annual physical, my doctor found something that required additional attention. She referred me to get some...

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to the west coast (or the left coast as my family used to call it) where we spent some...

"Asking for what you need with clarity and courage can be transformational for you, for your work, and for the relationships that hold it...

My husband and I were sitting in tiny neon plastic chairs on the almost-top level of the cruise ship. We were first-time cruisers,...

You know you’re a full-grown adult when the major topic of conversation at your lunch meeting is how to get the deer to stop eating your...

My son can solve a 3x3 Rubik’s cube in less than a minute. When he mastered this, he began to purchase different kinds – 4x4 or 5x5, or...

My first time in a theater since the pandemic, my husband and I took our two boys to see the new Dr. Strange movie. Popcorn, slushies,...

I rushed through the side door to greet my youngest son after his school day. Then just an itty bitty grade schooler, most of his...

On a trail run last weekend, I had to stop three separate times. Not for pain, not out of fatigue, but for three different writing ideas...