Chuck understands emotions the way my father never could. For a year of weekday gym sessions, he's been translating my world to help me understand Charming's. When they shook hands over coffee, I saw how one man's wisdom had been quietly saving my love story.
Personal Growth
Lost in Toledo Streets, I Found My Tribe: Why Childless Teachers Make the Best Tour Leaders
Chris jumped into my selfie in Plaza Mayor before I knew his name. Hours later on hotel stairs, this veteran tour leader showed me why not having kids at home means I can give my students the world—starting with Italy in seven months.
Voting for President While Packing for Spain—This Time I Won’t Order Make-Up for My Bread
I voted for the platform in politics today. With my first husband, I did the same—ignored the holes in character my journals documented. Tomorrow I fly to Madrid where Mulan and I once laughed about my ordering "maquillaje" instead of "mantequilla." This time I'm voting for Charming, character and platform both.
The Ring Bearer Pillow I Can’t Throw Away
My aunt embroidered butterflies and my wedding date into a pillow for my failed marriage. Years later, at another wedding, I understood why I still keep it—scars and all.
Why I Couldn’t Have Fun at the Halloween Party
Dressed as a flapper with the man I love, I should have been happy. Instead, I felt empty. Here's what loneliness taught me about looking for God in all the wrong places.
There’s a Chill Under Everything—Even on Perfect Fall Nights
I needed a blanket not for warmth but comfort. Hurricane Matthew took a thousand lives, the presidential debate felt like another storm, and under all our distractions—football games, festivals, forty flavors of chips—something isn't right. Teddy Roosevelt said character is indispensable. When we finally stop and feel the chill, that's where character gets built.
Teaching Plot Structure While My Biological Clock Screams—How Sophomores Saved My Story
Babies surrounded us at church, and I cried through the sermon. But teaching short story elements to sophomores, I found my climax on the chalkboard: dozens of notes saying 'I love you' from last year's kids. Sometimes your students teach you how your own story resolves.
Catching Pokémon in Dark Parks at Midnight—Why This Teacher ‘Gets’ Her Students
I sat behind Rapunzel and Snow White at the football game, camera in one hand, Pokémon Go in the other. At midnight, I was creeping into empty playgrounds to battle gyms. I finally understood: teenagers and I share the same quest—we're all trying to level up without knowing the endgame.
Pokémon Go Taught This Teacher More Than Her Students: How to See Who’s Really There
I resisted until Charming showed me lures by the Alexandria waterfront. Suddenly I was talking to strangers, finding connections everywhere. Now facing 60 new sophomores, I realize: my classroom needs to be the best PokéStop ever—where kids catch exactly what they need to evolve.
When Love Asks You to Wait: A Year in Photos and Hard Questions
I created a photo album of our entire relationship to answer one question: Was he worth waiting for? Sometimes the hardest conversations happen with ourselves first.
Writer's Growth 