❤️My Heart is Full (and So is My Calendar)
🌸 I saw two of my grandkids yesterday, and my heart’s still doing a happy dance. 💃 But here’s the thing… I don’t wait for them to make me happy — I’ve got that part covered myself.
Want to know why I pay my grandson to mow the lawn (and why I think more grandparents should)? 😄
👉 Click here — you’ll love this one!
[Pull up a chair. I’ve got a story…]
✨ My Husband
It’s only fair Rick gets his story told. After all, the rings I wear every day come with a memory worth sharing. Here’s how it all began, one Christmas up in the Swan…
🥕 The Garden That Fed Us: Growing Up in the '60s
🌻 Long before farmers markets and fancy grocery stores, there was Dad’s garden — dirt under our nails, peas in our pockets, and a whole lot of sunshine. Come pull up a chair and step back into a simpler time with me.
🎃 Gate Night in Baynes Lake (a.k.a. the night before Halloween when we all turned into little hooligans)
🎃 Before we dressed up like monsters, we acted like them.
One comment sent me tumbling back into sixteen years' worth of Baynes Lake memories—Gate Night, soap, toilet paper, and just enough trouble to keep things interesting.
👩🌾 I Wanted to Be Ann Baker
Some cousins are just cousins. Others feel like the people you want to grow up to be. This story is about one of those—the kind who shows up in your memories wearing an invisible cape, holding a first-aid kit in one hand and a whole pack of kids in the other.
💃 Dancing Through the Years
🌅 Today I had to drive, so I couldn’t spend my normal morning watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee in hand. But later, this story bubbled up—so I pulled it out, dusted it off, and gave it some fresh air.
🔨 One Broken Trailer, Two Jobs, and a Whole Lot of Elbow Grease
✍️ Introduction
Ever found yourself in a situation that started out simple—just helping a friend—and somehow turned into a full-blown trailer park shuffle with tree limbs, grease stains, and mystery smells? Yeah. Me too.
This is the (slightly ridiculous) story of how I accidentally became a landlord.
💫 The Impressions We Leave Behind
It’s a big question, isn’t it?
I’ve been thinking lately about the ways we show up in people’s lives—sometimes in big, obvious ways, and sometimes in the little moments we don’t even remember. A smile at the right time, a story shared, a kind word when someone really needed it.
When I look back, I think about the people who’ve left a mark on me—Dorothy Butterfield with her joyful heart, Dennis Sweet with his storytelling charm, and even those quiet ones who never said much but made you feel seen.
I write these stories because I want to remember. And I write them because I hope they’ll help you remember someone too.
And if you’ve been reading and haven’t found yourself—or someone you know—in one of my stories yet… hang in there. I’m not done writing.
In fact, if there’s someone you think I should write about, don’t be shy. Send me a message. You never know what kind of story it might become.
🌼 Her Laugh Carried for Miles
💛 Remembering Dorothy
Some people leave footprints. Dorothy left laughter trails. From our first volleyball meet-up to wild babysitting adventures, this is my story of a one-of-a-kind friend who made every moment count.
❤️ One Log Short of a Full House (But Never Short on Love)
Some places aren’t measured by square footage or fancy furniture—they’re measured by the people who fill them. Dar and Les’s house may have been one log short, but it overflowed with something far more important: love, laughter, and a little chaos. And Gary? Well, he fit right in.
💒 Fifty Bucks and a Pink Dress: Our Not-So-Fairy-Tale Wedding
Every little girl dreams of a fairy tale wedding…
👑 Yeah, I wasn’t really one of those girls.
🍼 Craig’s Great Adventure
When a quiet moment turns into a missing baby scare, Wanda finds herself facing a furious neighbor—and a whole lot of mom guilt. But thanks to her quick-witted friend Dorothy (and a little well-timed humor), disaster is averted. A story about motherhood, mishaps, and the kind of friend everyone needs.
🥔 The Great Potato Salad Showdown
A simple potato salad. A whole lot of trouble.
Click to find out what really happened at Edwards Lake.
🤖 Gary’s Great Escape: The Pantsless Pit Stop
Some memories stick with you forever—and this one? Well, let’s just say Gary made it unforgettable. Back when we were young, feisty, and still figuring each other out, we had our fair share of dramatic moments. But none quite like the night Gary drove off into the wild… without his pants.
🕺 Dancing with Gary: A Look Back
Ever wonder what it was like to fall in love with someone who could’ve stepped right out of an episode of Happy Days? This story is a walk down memory lane—back to my wild twenties, a whirlwind romance, and the unforgettable man who loved Elvis, danced like nobody was watching, and lived life on the edge.
“Dancing with Gary” is a reflection on young love, messy years, and the lessons that stick with you long after the music fades. It’s a story for my grandkids, for anyone who’s ever loved a little recklessly, and for those of us who still get up and dance when the right song comes on.
🤖 Me and Scribbles: My AI Sidekick
Meet Scribbles—my AI sidekick who helps me write stories, untangle thoughts, and remind me why I started this journey in the first place. He doesn’t always get it right (and sometimes drives me nuts), but together we make a pretty good team. This post is about how I use AI to help tell my stories—and why it’s not as scary as it sounds.
🩺 Letting Go of the Fear: Choosing Joy Over Worry
A routine colonoscopy got me thinking about how I stopped letting fear take over. This story’s about choosing joy, trusting your gut (literally), and believing that what you think shapes what you feel.
💌 A Letter to My Younger Self
In this deeply personal letter, I take a walk down memory lane and offer some hard-earned advice to the girl I used to be—the one who thought she wasn’t enough.
I talk about self-esteem, following your own path, and learning to trust your gut (even when it’s whispering instead of shouting). I also sprinkle in a few road signs I’ve picked up along the way—like knowing when to rest, when to reroute, and when to stop listening to those traffic cops who never move an inch themselves.
Whether you’re 20 or 70, the message is the same: it’s never too late to open a new door and start walking your own road.
🌿 Annie Brulotte: A Legacy of Love, Hard Work, and Resilience
I didn’t grow up knowing my grandmother Annie very well—by the time I came along, she already had 24 grandchildren and had just welcomed her first great-grandchild.
She was 61 when I was born, and to be honest, grandkids were popping out faster than she could keep track.
But that didn’t stop her story from making its way to me.