1. Write a blog post inspired by the word: changes

I created Writer’s Workshop after I started blogging in 2007 because while I was excited about the idea of blogging, I wasn’t sure what to write about. A list of prompts gave me an excuse to write about any variety of topics and providing a link up meant I could create a little society of other bloggers experiencing the same writer’s block. And so the workshop was born! It naturally fell in line with my background of teaching high school English. Some of my favorite college courses were based on Creative Writing, so this just made sense!

I LOVE the little community of blogging friends that has developed here and I look forward to reading your entries every week! That being said, recently it has been a challenge to find time for Writer’s Workshop and my consistency is looking a little dicey. I considered bringing it an end, but thought I’d love to pass it along to one of my most consistent blogging buddies.

I emailed John over at The Sound of One Hand Typing and I was thrilled when he agreed to take over as the new Writer’s Workshop host! If you have participated in Writer’s Workshop before then you are no stranger to The Sound of One Hand Typing! John has become a face over the years that I can always count on to play along with Writer’s Workshop. He also participates in a number of other blog link ups and he has been maintaining his site since 2012!

I will happily continue linking up and posting content when creativity sparks, so it’s not the END of blogging for me…just a passing of the workshop baton! Please join me in welcoming your new host and plan to check out his site for your weekly writing prompts and link up!

Bye November. Thankful for kittens, tulip bulbs and smiling faces despite the trauma.

Hello December!

Looking forward to a month of more kittens, flowers, smiling faces and less trauma.

Lately my favorite view is Betty. She is by far the best little friend I have snuck into the house under the pretense of “fostering” but actually own.

After a few “when is this one going back??” questions from Pat I think he has finally pieced together that she is here to stay.

She sleeps in a basket next to my computer all day and (thanks to Laina’s grey cat Oliver for bullying her) she does not leave my side.

In fact, if she hears Oliver tromping around at night, she burrows underneath the blanket and snuggles right into me.

My best little friend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we are heading to my mom’s house to eat turkey and feel grateful together.

I’m grateful that isolating in place is no longer a thing. During Covid Thanksgiving, I had to actually cook dinner for my family for the first time.

I made it all the way to my 40s without needing to know how to make a turkey thanks to my mom being the provider all these years. Unfortunately, she was in a covid “bubble” of protection with Harper, Harper’s mom, and my sister…so there was no feeling thankful together with them.

Although I suppose my brother Joe did get the invite to their feast. He just wasn’t allowed inside. He has made many jokes since then about watching them all eat turkey dinner while he sat on the deck in the cold with his plate.

I didn’t think there was anything that could make me miss that time, but actually, as I type this out I would trade all my unmasked freedom in the world if it meant my brother could drive himself to my sister’s house and eat turkey on her deck again this year instead of being stuck in bed with stupid cancer.

This year I’ll bring a bottle of Crown Royal and take a shot with Joe in that back room. Grateful for at least one more Thanksgiving with him and my family.

5. Write a blog post in exactly 7 lines.

While organizing my garage I found a Metallica album lying in a random pile.

I told my brother about it since he’s a huge Metallica fan and I said it had Kill in the title, “Kill Em All”  he said and I was like “Yeah that’s the one!”

He said it’s an awesome album, Metallica’s first.

I asked him if he collected all of them and he said no.

I asked him how many records he owns and he said, “one. just that one.”

So obviously I’ll be keeping it forever like the rock n roll version of Best Friend necklaces.

I’ll display it next to my Taylor Swift Collection. Lover…Folklore…Kill ‘Em All.

Watching my girls play college volleyball together for possibly the last time has been the MOST fun!

So sad the season has come to an end but who knows what the future holds!

4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: found.

My friend Marie’s Kia van was stolen right out of her driveway a few weeks ago. The hoodlums broke a window, tossed out the carseats and went joyriding until crashing the vehicle about 30 minutes away.

There is a huge issue with Kias and Hyundais being stolen ever since TikTok showed everyone that many of them can be stolen easily with a USB cord. It became a challenge and the thieves even have a cute gang name. So the Kia Boyz got Marie’s car.

After her incident I decided to buy myself and my girls a steering wheel lock because with two Hyundais and one Kia, our driveway is a tiktok challenge goldmine.

Maile and Laina were reluctant to use the steering lock and I kept reminding them that they’re really going to regret not using it if their car gets stolen. I know it’s an extra step and our neighborhood feels safe enough, but you just never know!

Imagine my surprise the other evening when I went to empty our trash can only to find my Kia van missing from my own driveway. And just like that, I fell victim to the dreaded Kia Boyz. I had gotten home around 6pm that evening and did not put the steering wheel lock on because I thought I might be leaving again. I emptied the trash around 11pm and the van was gone. After all that chirping to Maile and Laina, my car was the one to go.

It took police about 1 week but my van was found abandoned. To the Kia Boyz credit, they did not take any of my Taylor Swift CDs, but the van was trashed. It won’t turn on, the battery is shot and they left their weed cartridges behind. I suppose I should feel flattered that they signed my steering wheel with a black marker, but with all the added costs of damage, my insurance is declaring it a total loss.

The silver lining is that I was ready for a different vehicle now that I don’t have a van full of little kids to tote around. But the reason we have not made that move is because we know the van works great and did not necessarily want to sell it and take a gamble on a different car. Now it seems we’ll need to, except that after our deductible is subtracted we will have much less to work with.

Currently Pat and I are sharing his vehicle and I want to see how long we can manage this way. It’s crazy to think how many lives are being distrupted by the stupid tiktok challenge. And yes, Maile and Laina have had the steering locks on their cars ever since. That was a good lesson for them to learn…through me. What a sad way to say goodbye to my little kid transporter!

5. Write a post in just 10 lines.

Kainoa decided to join his high school football team a month after the season started.

This is probably the first time playing since flag football when he was about 7.

In order to play for high school, he needed to put in a certain number of practices before he was eligible to play in a game.

He informed me the other day that he had a game he was finally eligible to suit up for that same day.

He told me he needed gloves at the last minute and had the wrong size door dashed to the house.

Pat and I were able to hustle to the store for the correct size and get them to him in time for his game.

And then we watched him play in his first ever high school football game!

He came home more pumped than I have ever seen him after a sport.

And then he said he thinks it was the last game of the season…leave it to Kainoa to put in all that effort for one game, we want to see more!

Kainooouhhhh!!!

5. Tell us about a birthday you recently celebrated.

When I had Maile I felt like the world did not properly prepare me for how painful labor was and also how difficult it is to adjust to having a baby at home even when that baby was planned for and you have a whole nursery waiting for her. I could not believe they were just going to let me walk out of the hospital with that tiny, vulnerable little being and Pat and I were going to be responsible for her health and safety forevermore. What had we done!?!

Of course I was absolutely smitten with her. The world did not properly preare me for how utterly unconditionally I could love a child. Surely there had never been a lovelier baby. Her little dark lashes and tiny fingers were perfection. She was darling and sweet, sensitive and playful, goofy and smart.

And now my beautiful little chunky baby has turned 20! I miss that little girl but I sure love the young lady she’s become. The world did not properly prepare me for how fast raising her would go by. I would do it all over again in an instant.

Happy 20th Birthday, Maile!

Happy Fourth Birthday
Happy Fifth Birthday
Happy Sixth Birthday
Happy Seventh Birthday
Happy Eighth Birthday
Happy Ninth Birthday
Happy Tenth Birthday
Happy Eleventh Birthday
Happy Twelfth Birthday
Happy Thirteenth Birthday
Happy Fifteenth Birthday
Happy Sixteenth Birthday
Happy Seventeenth Birthday
Happy 20th Birthday

If you don’t dress up for Halloween, I have to say you’re missing a good time. When we were kids we had big dreams about what we wanted to be, but we were so limited by mothers with budgets and sewing machines…not anymore! If anything, just the look on your family’s face when you come out in any sort of silly garb is worth the effort and/or possible embarrassment. I thought it would be fun to go through my lifetime of Halloween costumes. Behold:

1. The Gypsy

The Gypsy costume is what happens when you combine the 80’s with your mom’s scarves and jewelry. We were gypsies every single year and while I don’t have photographic evidence of that, you can see clearly my little sister dressed in her best gypsy next to me below in my Cleopatra costume.

2. Cleopatra

Cleopatra is what happens when your older sister stays up every night threading beads onto a wig of black yarn for a school play.

3. The Ghost

The ghost is what happens when you’re getting too old to go trick or treating, but you still really want the candy. You drape yourself in a white sheet and hold on to the magic for one last year.

via GIPHY

4. Nothing. Age 15-30

Passing out candy happens when you’re too cool, too old, too tired, or too pregnant to care about dressing up for Halloween.

5. Mary Kay Letourneau

Mary Kay Letourneau is what happens when your sister decides we will all start dressing up again and you can’t come up with a costume idea. Because dressing as a teacher who has been incarcerated for sleeping with one of her students feels like a great way to jump back into family friendly Halloween celebrations. And yes. Pat went as Vili.

6. Daphne.

Daphne is what happens when you grow up definitely being a Velma.

7. Jessie.

Jessie is what happens when you find a thin, clingy, camel toe causing jumpsuit. It just feels right.

8. Kitty

Kitty costumes happen when you don’t want to spend $40 bucks a piece on another costume.

9. Mouse

Mouse costumes happen when you decide to host the Halloween party at your house for a change and again can’t be bothered to spend time and money on a real costume. Plus you really liked that heart nose and whiskers from last year’s kitty.

10. Anna

Anna happens when during last year’s Halloween party your pregnant-Virgin-Mary-sister says you’ve taken the easy way out by dressing like a mouse with a heart nose for the second year in a row.

11. Fox

Again, the fox costume requires zero creativity and you still get participation points. Plus fluffy ears.

We haven’t attended a Halloween party since before covid, but maybe we can resurrect something this year!