I visited my father’s grave today, one year after his passing. I’ve never been one to go to the cemetery to see lost loved ones. For me, it’s merely a final resting place, and there’s little of the person left there. If I wanted to have a conversation with my … Continue reading →

With the roller coaster of 2024 and its ups, downs, twists, and turns, I’m not sure how good of an idea it is to make predictions for another year. But here I am. A new year, and it’s pretty much tradition at this point that I outline a set of … Continue reading →

Whenever someone asks how my year has been, I typically use the term “roller coaster” to refer to all the ups and downs. But it is such an underwhelming description of how 2024 went for me. Early in the year, my family found out that my father had cancer. Everything … Continue reading →

I’m mere hours from hopping on a flight with my sister to Salt Lake City, Utah. We’re going to Dragonsteel Nexus 2024, Brandon Sanderson’s yearly convention! This event just so happens to begin two days after my sixth year straight of reading from a book every single day—the timing just … Continue reading →

November would’ve made 21 years. Smeagol was with me for over half my life, and pretty much my full adult life to this point. He was with me as I fell in and out of love who knows how many times over the years. He was with me as I … Continue reading →

I’d be lying if I said today was a great birthday. It may be one I won’t soon forget but for all the wrong reasons. It’ll likely go down as the worst one of my now-40 years after losing my father just a couple of weeks ago. His is the … Continue reading →

A new year is here. And it’s time for new adventures and new experiences. But, first, I need to lay out my plans. As always, my goals are never entirely set in stone. Circumstances and events—basically, just life itself—will always change how the year unfolds. Because I cannot see into … Continue reading →

As has become my ritual, I’m spending December 31 reflecting on everything that happened throughout the year. Then, I’ll spend the night hunkered down with the kitties, safe from the pops and bangs at midnight. 2023 has most definitely been a challenging year. So challenging that I failed to write … Continue reading →

Five years ago, on December 3, 2018, I made a decision. That decision was to make reading a habit. More specifically, I decided that I would read every single day for a year. Rain or shine. Sick or well. Two hours or 15 minutes. I would read from a book … Continue reading →

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,How I wonder what you are!Up above the world so high,Like a diamond in the sky… Those were the lyrics that my grandfather—Papa, as we call him—were teaching my then two-year-old niece. It was early 2020 or so. A tiny kitten, who had no name at the … Continue reading →