Just a super quick note to say that we have arrived at our Texas home all in one piece and that we are happy to be here. The girls are all tucked in their beds, and Ray and I are headed that way right now. I’ll settle back into a writing routine once I get…
Tag: timed writing
Texas-Bound
Tomorrow at 4 am, we are off to Texas. We are taking Rachael with her belongings to resettle in North Texas and we also will have her friend, Keara, with us, along with Sarah and Luna. We are traveling in our big van, plus Rachael’s car. Keara is coming just to spend a little extra…
“Just Get Me to the Courthouse on Time”
Sarah and Gregorio told us several weeks ago that they were going to get married “at some point this summer.” To which they quickly added, “But this isn’t the “real” wedding. We’re just going down to the courthouse and sign the papers alone. We’ll have a big wedding and party in November.” Now, as the…
Preparation Fatigue
I am sitting here dead-dog tired. Preparation for graduation weekend is the culprit. We have family who arrived today from Utah and I don’t know why there is so much to do to get ready for people visiting, but there just is. Today’s list included: cleaning out the fridge, chopping up peaches from our peach…
Mother Mary, Religion and Me
I have two icons of St. Mary holding baby Jesus that are in the cabinet next to where I am sitting here in the living room. The icons are both gifts from our priest, Father Ian Elliott Davies at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. In both, Mary is looking right at me, as if she…
Rachael: Texas Bound
We have a big transition coming up soon. Rachael Marie Beaty will graduate from UCLA on Sunday with a Bachelor of Arts in American Literature and Culture, then move to Texas on the following Thursday. We will be driving with her for that move so it’s not as if she will disappear four days after…
Our Baby Luna
Here is our beloved granddaughter, Luna Isabella, who is now 9 1/2 weeks old. For our wedding anniversary, Ray and I gave each other the gift of going out to visit Luna and her mama, Sarah, for several hours Friday morning. Rachael joined us, and then we all met Gregorio for lunch. That was a…
The Ordination Today at St. John’s Cathedral in LA
Today was a happy day for our church, St. Thomas the Apostle in Hollywood. Two of our parishioners, Shireen Baker and Steve DeMuth, were ordained as deacons; in six months, they will become Episcopal priests. They were 2 of the 11 people who were ordained today downtown at St. John’s Cathedral with Jon Bruno, Bishop…
On Being Married 33 Years
Tomorrow is my 33rd wedding anniversary. Ray and I have somehow managed to be married longer even than my own parents, who made it to 32 years before my dad passed away. That is a strange experience for me – to be married longer than my parents who I always thought had a respectably long…
What Makes Me Dull and Uninteresting: A List
This was a writing prompt from Dinty W. Moore’s book: Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. What makes me dull and uninteresting? A list in no particular order: 1) Being too polite 2) Being self-absorbed 3) Being afraid 4) Being nervous and self-conscious 5) Not taking risks 6) Not…
20 Minutes a Day 