For the past few months, whenever I was leaving for a trip, my sister would text me and ask me to please bring the shower caps from the hotels. After several trips, bringing home a cap or two and then reminding myself to give it...
I’m in an unspoken competition. Each morning I drive to the same coffee shop, where I quickly park and speed-walk inside. It’s my attempt to be the first to reach the very best table in the back corner. It’s a round table with two...
It’s back-to-school time for the girls. I was driving Emma to the office supply store this week for one last item on her school supply list. Thinking about the questions she would likely hear on her first day, I asked her to share one thing...
“Paint what you see,” we were instructed. Then our six kayaks, each carrying two people, were pushed into the water. A set of 24 watercolors was next to each of us. A waterproof bag held paper and paintbrushes of different shapes and sizes. Each time...
“How much longer? My arms are killing me,” my daughter said dramatically. We were visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Seeing other visitors posing for pictures that looked like they were holding the tower up, I thought it would be fun to see if...
Grocery shopping was next on my family’s list of errands. It was sweltering outside and our car’s air conditioner was turned to max, our faces leaning toward the vents to get as close as we could to the cold air. As we waited at the stoplight of a busy...
I was waiting at the gate to board a flight back to Phoenix. The announcement called for unaccompanied minors to board. A mother walked toward the gate with her arms wrapped tightly around her two young sons’ shoulders. I overheard as she reminded them to...
We have a new video doorbell that allows us to see who approaches our house. For the first few days, I really liked watching who had come to the door while we were away, noticing where my packages were placed and screening visitors to decide whether to open the...
We were waiting in line to check out books at the library, and my daughter was passing time by walking backward in a straight line, pretending she was on a balance beam. The only problem was, her imaginary balance beam went directly into a woman who was waiting...
We were on a flight several years ago when my 4-year-old daughter turned to me and asked if I had met her friend Stewie. I told her I had not and wondered if she would share more about him. She told me he was very nice, loved to...