memoir – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

God’s Favor

August 21, 2026August 20, 2026 Posted in cancer, car pool, Christian school, church, God, Heaven, helicopters, joke, kindergarten, memoir2 Comments

There’s the old joke about the man who is stranded in a flood. First, a guy in a canoe comes by and offers to help him. “God will provide for me,” he says as he turns down the canoe ride. Then a second guy comes by in a row boat and offers a ride. “God… Continue reading God’s Favor

First Date with a Stoner

August 19, 2026August 18, 2026 Posted in bar, Beatles, best, boyfriend, California, dancing, dating, feet, football, friends, helpful strangers, humor, marijuana, memoir, music, relationships, socializing, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) You said yes to the guy who asked you out two years ago and you turned him down. Now he has shown up at a dancing venue in Concord on the same day you wondered whatever happened to him. You see, he lives in San Francisco and you live in Suburbia. Then you agree… Continue reading First Date with a Stoner

Grandma’s Basement

August 17, 2026August 16, 2026 Posted in basement, childhood, confidence, dungeon, grandma, grandpa, kindergarten, memoir, playpen, sarcasm, shame, teacher, wringer washerLeave a comment

(re-run) My grandfather and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement

Keeping Up with the Culture

August 16, 2026August 14, 2026 Posted in best, culture, daughter, ethnicity, firsts, grad school, humor, last, memoir, Midwestern, Omaha, racist, Redbull, relationships, Roots, slavery, son, student, student teaching, Study abroad, teaching, TV, University of Nebraska at Omaha, water cooler, worstLeave a comment

Yesterday my son told me what click bait means. I am woefully out of the loop on many things computer. But I think I have a good handle on pop culture, for the most part. The first time I heard an eighth grade student say awesome, it sounded out of place. But that was 35… Continue reading Keeping Up with the Culture

Loneliest Study Abroad Ever

August 16, 2026August 15, 2026 Posted in church, college, friends, humor, Iowa State University, memoir, relationships, restaurant, Spain, travel, vacation1 Comment

After three months in South America and six weeks of student teaching Catholic high school girls, I headed to Burgos, Spain, with 30 students and a handful of professors from Iowa State and the University of Iowa. It would be my way of earning the final credits of my dual degree. Linda, a high school… Continue reading Loneliest Study Abroad Ever

Mammo-grammo

August 15, 2026August 14, 2026 Posted in breasts, hospital, lunch, mammogram, memoir, SnappleLeave a comment

It was that time again, time to go get my breasts smashed between two plates of glass. I was smart enough to take Tylenol ahead of time. I planned the appointment to be on an empty stomach, since it’s not pleasant and I didn’t want to burp on the technician. The appointment was for 1:30.… Continue reading Mammo-grammo

The Busted Nut

August 14, 2026August 13, 2026 Posted in Badlands, Bed & Breakfast, Black Hills, Crazy Horse, December, Iowa, Lakota Sioux, memoir, Mount Rushmore, Native Americans, Rapid City, restaurant, salad bar, South DakotaLeave a comment

(re-run) A decade ago, my boyfriend (at the time) and I took a driving vacation from my mom’s place in Iowa, up to Sioux Falls, and across South Dakota to Rapid City, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse. I’d never seen the Badlands or the Black Hills. First we heard the story of Mount Rushmore, USA… Continue reading The Busted Nut

Car Shows, Men, and Elvis

August 13, 2026August 12, 2026 Posted in beer, Carmel, cars, dogs, Elvis, exercise, humor, memoir, Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach, relationships, Spain, Study abroad, wineLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s funny how memories of one thing lead to memories of other things happening in the same time period. Like the Twin Towers falling, or JFK getting assassinated. Or Elvis dying. Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death (August 16th). Forty-five years ago, I was stepping off an airplane from Spain (by way… Continue reading Car Shows, Men, and Elvis

Popsicles, Light Carpet, and Stitches

August 11, 2026August 10, 2026 Posted in babies, best, California, childhood, children, daughter, emergency room, feet, firsts, holidays, hospital, humor, Labor Day, memoir, mom, nine year old, pain, parents, relationships, summer, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) It was Labor Day weekend. We needed to get a handle on the mess in the garage. I asked my oldest to watch my youngest while we parents worked outside. She was nine, in 4th grade already for a week, and the baby was almost two and a half. Then a series of unfortunate… Continue reading Popsicles, Light Carpet, and Stitches

Memories Light the Corners of my Mind

August 9, 2026August 7, 2026 Posted in humor, memoir, firsts, dogs, memory, coupons, names, MS, neurologist, sexiest, sexiest manLeave a comment

(re-run) I used to be good at remembering people’s names and remembering to use coupons before they expired. Now I am lucky if I can find the coupon when I am at the store. Today, at CVS, I checked out and was given a long receipt with $6.00 of extra bucks on it. My… Continue reading Memories Light the Corners of my Mind