Originally posted on Grace and I’s wedding website under the tab: “our story.” We felt most “our story” pages were like an endless field of corn, row after row of cliche. Corn isn’t bad. But after the third row you want seasoned meat. You want a variety of fruit. This was my attempt at something…

The sound of a cat crying moves my mother like no other sound. Even more, the squeaks and infant meows of three tiny kittens crammed in a rusted-out propane tank, which, at the time, a few years back, merely came to my mother as distant cries in the woods. After finding them she was anxious…

Kirby and I both enjoy stories. And when I went clueless after he referenced “The tiger, or the lady?” He promptly gave me reading homework. Later that night I received a text. While unconventional it was not surprising, as he taught for much of his career, partly in Thailand. “2 page synopsis, double spaced. conclude…

My first impression of him was sidetracked by a black speck on his right incisor so large it stared back at me and begged curiosity. He wore unfaded Dickies blue jeans with a long sleeve camouflage tech shirt and below were the cowboy boots I should have expected. But the speck was so Imposing I…

I only asked for a little rodeo. He gave me the entire ranch. Carlos was a vet who served in Iraq after his father gave him an ultimatum. He offered In one hand, a shovel to work, and the other, a one-way ticket to the military. If Carlos had a choice he’d be saddling a…

The average new house size has risen almost 1000 sq ft since 1975. And it’s not the case that more people are living in them. The average household size has reduced in the same timeframe, from 3 to around 2.5. While there are a myriad of reasons that could explain this:unscrupulous builders pushing higher square…

I start many books and finish few. These are the books I read and thought about in 2022. Ironically, I almost finished Strong to the Finish by Brian Hunter. I met the author at a church in Jackson Wyoming before knowing he was an author. The book is about him running across Mongolia for homeless…

Two and a half years ago my mother and I moved into a red fixer-upper on a wooded hillside outside Mt. Gretna. When looking at the listing photos I noticed one space with potential that had me excitedly skipping around. Once moving in that winter we quickly realized the daunting amount of work ahead. Yet…

On July 10th, 2021, Mt Gretna saw it’s first ever: Mt. Gretna Bike Fest. It’s been several months since COVID restrictions have been lifted, and people are ready to party – it’s the roaring 20’s. At 4:30pm we rode from the tennis courts in Gretna, through town, up to the top of Governor dick, and…