Tag Archives: Memoir

Even though the word itself is rather ugly, I do prefer, when referring to my personal spending habits, the term “frugal.” It’s stifled, yes, but it’s also . . . noble. Well–a little, anyway.

At least that is what I told myself today as I stopped at the bank for the free coffee.

One weekend last summer some friends and my husband and I rented a cabin. The water was too cold even for SCUBA diving and the cabin was crowded and small, and yet, we had a lot of fun. The best part was when I went to bed early, about an hour before everyone else, and lay in bed just listening to the others talk in the next room. It felt like being at home–a home, that is, that’s full of family.

This is what it means to be human.

Got a new headshot a few weeks ago. The lady took like fifty pictures and I chose the two I liked best. However, when I got home and went to the website to download them, I noticed it: They’re the exact. Same. Picture.

“What in the world am I going to do with the picture I like slightly less well?” I wondered. “Well, I guess I’ll put them up on my blog and write a post about it, warning all who read these words against making the same terrible mistake.”

I guess I just wasn’t thinking clearly on this one. Seeing pictures of myself in all my awesomeness does that to me sometimes.

You understand.

Sitting at McDonald’s enjoying an especially good cup of coffee today while watching the baby climb up and down the stairs. There are good commercial-free hits playing that are not at all depressing, which is like my main criteria for music but surprisingly hard to find on the radio in Seattle, which is why I end up listening to the same hip-hop station until the urge to dance starts messing with my fine motor abilities and the background of the songs start sounding super loud, like what happens when you get a really high fever.

Anyway, McDonald’s. McDonald’s is awesome.

I guess sometimes everyone is right.

Went to the store today with my husband. It was in a large shopping complex that was very busy. I parked far away from the door thinking that it was my only option, then waited with the baby in the car so he could sleep while my husband shopped. After a while my husband came back and told me to repark the car because there were lots of spaces in front. I drove where he told me to and there were like eight free spots. I parked in the one closest to the front door and was then able to go in and out of the store to check on the baby while helping my husband pick out some lighting.

This is a metaphor for life.

Took the baby for a walk in the cold (as I am in the habit of doing) yesterday. Surprisingly, he got cold and even more surprisingly, he started crying. Faced with the option of carrying a quiet baby while pushing a stroller or pushing a crying baby in a stroller, I chose carrying. Some people walking by gave me nasty looks (or at least I imagined the did) and I found myself thinking, In this situation some people would be sympathetic and some people would be judgmental. Then right after I had that thought a nice lady offered to push the stroller for me while I carried the baby. While we walked I thought, But the real question is: Which kind of person am I?

Thank you, nice lady. I want to be like you.

Currently reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle for like the fourth time. Every time I read it, life is just better. And so, my current plan is to just always be reading it.

Why didn’t I think of this before?

Baby has been playing at my feet with two empty half-n-half cups for 20 minutes now.

I love McDonald’s. It’s my happy place. They say it’s a happy place, and it is.

So, the Seattle Seahawks won the superbowl a few weeks back and apparently this was a pretty big deal around here. Wish I could tell you that I was one of the 700,000 people that was crowded along a two-mile stretch of downtown Seattle in 30-degree weather to admire the players and take 45 minutes to get across the street, but honestly, it probably sounded more fun than it actually was.

Anyway, I heard the fireworks. That was probably just as cool.

In any case I should probably tie this back to spirituality somehow so here’s something cool and spiritual about the Seahawks I enjoyed reading: Get on the Field

One of my long-term life goals is to walk for like a month straight, stopping only to sleep and eat, Forrest Gump-style. If I had cool adventures (which of course I would), I would write a book about it. This is the first time I have told anyone this. Surprisingly, I am not embarrassed.

Last weekend I went to the Microsoft store to buy a phone. In order to set it up the sales associate had to reset my Live ID password and retrieve the new one from my email. He was nice and otherwise very professional but he kept opening the wrong email. In retrospect I realize that he must have been spying on me.

This flatters me.

My cell phone spent some time in a dust-filled heating duct yesterday and it came out pretty much unscathed.

This inspires me.

In this post I wrote about the Mattress Land my husband and I made in our bedroom. You know, for our kid. But there are other cool things about having a kid, too. Here are a few:

• I get to build forts (why did I ever stop doing that)?
• I get to hear my husband sing.
• I always have a great excuse as to why I didn’t have time to meditate.
• Did I mention wet wipes?

I would write something funny today but all anyone would see would be “football football football fooootbaaaall.”

Oh, and by the way, football football football football. And then she died.

One thing that’s cool about having a kid is that instead of having a regular bed you have two big mattresses on the floor with nothing else in the room, especially lamps.

Yup, that’s right. We sleep in Mattress Land. And yes–yes it is completely awesome.

Who needs lamps when you’ve got … mattresses?

I would write something funny today but on Saturday the movie theater I was in caught on fire and I am still traumatized. Not because anyone got hurt. But because I was the only one who went to an unblocked exit.

(Did I mention that I’m awesome?)

Went to church today and was reminded that now that so many of my 2013 affirmations have come true, it’s time to start a new batch. I’m not going to share them all but here are a few:

• Thank you, God, that my business is exploding this year (in a good way) and that my income from my books equals my client writing income.
• Thank you, God, that I have several very close girlfriends.
• Thank you, God, that I am in constant communication with the Divine.
• Thank you, God, that several of the books I’m working on currently are finished.
• Thank you, God, that any depression that I used to feel is gone.

Go magic.