This year has sparkled with good things--I don't say this flippantly. I truly sleep without interruption most nights. My children are 75% potty-trained, as a whole. Our house projects are minor and not choking us every weekend. Homeschooling is good--full of challenges, discoveries, walls and breakthroughs. James and I are close--we laugh together, plan our strategies, share our fears, encourage each other. My 2018 New Year's…
I sing the song of Belfair Of village-towns with foreign names. Curve them on your tongue, hold them in your throat. Kfarhata, Beirut, Seattle Belfair with its salty channels Crab pots, oyster shells that glisten Yellow-twine rope swing dangles from the balcony Grandaughter's Christmas tree stands in the basement Sturdy treehouse of round-branch walls Gazes on the wildflower bed You made them for me. …
As I lay down my pen at the end of a new short story draft, I again have to acknowledge my strong affinity for mother-son themes. This makes me think of my own son, my eldest, who seems to hunger near-constantly for time one-on-one with me. He lost a great quantity of mommy-and-me time after his sister was born. Now they both fight for me. It's…
Elise, what have you been up to? Where shall I start? It's officially summer, so my garden and I have been racing each other to see who can weed/grow weeds the fastest. Ha. It's no contest. I lose. But the flowers are gorgeous and I keep picking these bouquets that knock my socks off! Seattle friends--I'll make you a pretty posy is you want to stop…
My sister was born in the beginning of summer and named after the feminine form of the god of war. She lived up to her fiery namesake and was a fierce little wildcat in her younger years. Later, she poured her passionate dreams into her artwork. I've watched her blow glass fearlessly, sculpt clay into dramatic forms, sketch a story in paint across a canvas and,…
Anyone who’s ever gotten married and spent a major family holiday with the in-laws knows that it can be awkward at first. No amount of love and welcome can make the different traditions and communication styles feel effortless to the “stranger." And by this, I mean the one who is only included because of their spouse, not because of a lifetime of memories and shared blood.…
This was a letter that I planned to use as a blog post before Baby George arrived in the world. He decided to arrive 10 days before his due date, which might have been the reason it missed its original release date. However, all the advice I had for him still applies. I think it's funny that Relationships and Social Media seem equally important as categories…
The downpour struck fast and without warning. The rain streaks looked like steady shoots of water from the sky. On the inside of the house, the rainfall looked like a little 2-year-old who went from happy to distraught in a few minutes. My husband and I were spending the day with my cousin’s family: mommy, daddy, and three kidlets. As parents-to-be, James and I have a…
I'm excited today to introduce you to my friend Kevin. I know Kevin from mutual participation in several writers' groups. We've also played a version of "Props" from Whose Line Is It Anyway? as well as swing danced together. Kevin's a great guy. He and I usually write about very different subjects, but have found common ground in the way we build our characters and the…
Some of the most spectacular moments are the ones when something I’ve always seen one way changes, and I see it in a new light. One of the toughest cookies I know is a gal who trains at a CrossFit gym. One day my heart melted when I realized she wasn’t just trying to outdo men with her badass exercise routine. I saw a shield she’d…