My Grammy lies dying while I digitize her life—ninety-four years compressed into tapes that spin clockwise, just like the restaurant where Charming took me to help me see past the swirling chaos. Sometimes the monuments in the distance are the only things that stay in focus.
Snow Days Led to Wedding Dress Shopping—Then We Won the Honeymoon at OBX Wedding Expo
While school closures piled up, I finally got excited about wedding planning. Mom couldn't come dress shopping due to surgery, but Angel brought champagne and we Skyped her in. Then Charming and I collected nine stamps at the OBX expo and actually won the honeymoon drawing—after I'd just told him I never win anything.
Wedding Planning at Dunkin’—Two Divorced People Making #ANewThing
Hampton's snow trapped us for days, but at Dunkin' with Charming, we got stuck in wedding details. Two Type A Wheaton grads who've done this before, arguing over songs to avoid. Then we created #ANewThing—because that's what happens when God writes redemption stories with snow days and second chances.
Why I Skipped New Year’s Resolutions and Chose God’s New Thing Instead
Instead of making resolutions I'd already broken, I remembered my life verse from eighteen years ago. Here's what it means to trust God is doing something new when your future is uncharted territory.
Redefining Joy: What I Learned Writing in My Car at Christmas
At 35, spending Christmas at my childhood home, I felt like I'd failed the fearless girl I used to be. Then I discovered joy isn't a feeling—it's the source of all gladness.
Stuck in the Attic: When Depression Crashed My Christmas Engagement
Getting trapped in my attic while looking for Christmas boxes became the perfect metaphor for the depression I'd been hiding from my fiancé. Sometimes asking for help is the only way down.
My Check Engine Light Won’t Stop—But Neither Will This Teacher’s Christmas Comedy
Teaching Chekhov's comedy while my life feels like Shakespeare's tragedy. Seven dimensions of wellness spinning out of orbit, but Charming and I built a Dickens village anyway. Maybe the genre depends on how we react after the conflict—not the broken car, broken plans, or broken sleep.
Ice Skating at the National Gallery Taught Me I’ve Been Bracing for Falls My Whole Life
Charming and I skated The Mall in D.C., but I kept tensing for the fall that never came. After 15 years of fierce independence, I decorate Christmas trees alone and skate like I live—bracing for impact. Maybe learning to trust a teammate is just another grammar rule worth breaking.
Making Bracelets for Grams: When Dementia Steals Your Person
At Thanksgiving, I brought beads to make bracelets with Grams like we used to during my divorce. Charming met Nonna, but he'll never meet the fierce woman who saved me with colorful conversations.
Dr. Bogin Would Be Proud: How My Therapist’s Legacy Lives On in 987 Tuesday Nights
Dr. Bogin would smile behind his round black frames if he could meet Charming at our Thanksgiving party. He taught me that no day is wasted, even the 5,127 we spent apart. Now I see: God doesn't work in clean slates—He works in yearbook themes where everything connects.
Writer's Growth 