tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62087066444107148562024-03-15T21:11:36.729-04:00Good Girl Gone RedneckI'm enjoying this journey called life, and though much of it doesn't look as I expected, I am still finding my way.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.comBlogger1612125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-55444544853813168562024-02-05T21:15:00.001-05:002024-02-05T21:15:40.776-05:00February.I count the days. They make no sense.Mere weeks ago you were commenting on Facebook posts.Texting or messaging.And now.Now I ask myself.What is time?How is it a new month without you here?February.My baby's birthday month.We're supposed to talk about how you left me a message and I called you back from the hospital.How you made Daddy stop playing the damned claw game and yelled, *Babe!*Baby Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-72550596047499506922024-01-29T12:17:00.001-05:002024-01-29T12:17:11.928-05:00Nothing Feels the Same*source unknown*Nothing feels the same. It's been nearly two weeks since you left us. I hear your voice in the silence.I feel your presence so strongly - it's truly a part of me.But nothing feels the same.Even as I write these words it seems as though I'm speaking about someone else.It can't be you.Not my mother.So full of life. So full of love.So not ready to go.Each day you Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-72621420038750808732024-01-22T14:47:00.000-05:002024-01-22T14:47:36.787-05:00Lost.
Today I leave New York for the first time knowing you're not here.I leave without having to let you know that I've landed 500 miles away. I leave without texting you after I've settled into the house.I don't know how to do that. I don't know how to head towards the airport without telling you I'll be back soon.Without telling you I love you.Without holding up our ILY sign and waving Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-5722373606312653642023-11-11T16:52:00.000-05:002023-11-11T16:52:15.902-05:00Can You Imagine?Can you imagine?News of your loved ones missing traveling across the globe.Over two hundred of them.Missing.Women.Children.Infants.Babies. BABIES.Grandmothers.Grandfathers.Can you imagine?As the news travels people ask more questions.And more.And more.What happened?What do you mean they're missing?We don't believe that.What women?What children?What babies?Can you imagine?It's propaganda!&Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-50298974152862088882023-10-17T11:33:00.001-04:002023-10-17T11:36:20.868-04:00What It's Like.I am almost 51 years old.I have watched as antisemitic sentiments and hate crimes have risen across America in recent years.Not that they ever went away.But the freedom that evil has experienced has been powerful. Fierce. Deadly.I am almost 51 years old.I was born in Brooklyn, NY. A place I never felt myself to be a major minority. A place I called home for much of my life.A place that Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-74499667389011403082023-07-18T11:00:00.000-04:002023-07-18T11:00:15.587-04:00Breathe.Breathe.But I ---Breathe.How can I? Breathe.What about - ?Breathe.I can't.You can.Slowly.Gently.No deep breaths.Just. Gently. Breathe.Gently?Yes.No deep breaths?Yes.Deep breaths are not necessary.Breathe?Yes.Inhale.Softly.Exhale.Gently.Breathe?Breathe.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-76008679186531336622023-05-25T14:59:00.000-04:002023-05-25T14:59:40.885-04:00LaughterEyes crinkle.Tears shine.Cheeks swell.Hearty chuckles.Throaty laughs.Happiness comes.Goes.Ebbs.Flows.But laughter.Somehow.Remains.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-28637761847007152012023-05-09T11:58:00.000-04:002023-05-09T11:58:29.921-04:00Where Can We Go?
It's the guns.
A shopping mall.
It's the guns.
Kids playing hide and seek.
It's the guns.
Ringing the wrong doorbell.
It's the guns.
Turning around in someone's driveway.
And again.
One neighbor asking another to consider their sleeping baby.Still.
Playing basketball in our own yard.
Yet again.
Accidentally opening the door to a car that isn't ours.
Every.
The grocery store.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-84075114084750848352023-04-16T13:01:00.002-04:002023-04-16T13:07:57.113-04:00It's me. Hi.
Some days we look at ourselves and recognize all of the changes in our faces. We see things others don't see. The number of times I've been told *you haven't changed a bit* ... I laugh and laugh and ... whew. But it's okay. It's okay to see changes.
It's okay to see the crows' feet. The laugh lines (I know they're supposedly the same thing, but still!). The forehead wrinkles (Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-55193549203114920522022-09-11T12:05:00.002-04:002022-09-11T12:06:07.193-04:00I Will Always Remember Always so much to say, and never enough, never the perfect words. All these years later my eyes still fill with tears. I hear the voices of the people I love, reacting to my telling them I was safe, or learning that they were. Me telling their loved ones for them. I hear yelling in the street as we left our offices. I remember the smell as soon as we stepped outside.I see the Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-19774567936787765962022-01-15T23:55:00.000-05:002022-01-15T23:55:46.135-05:00Barking at the Moon, Tracy Beckerman * all Amazon links are affiliate links*Let me start by sharing that I have known Tracy Beckerman since June of 2012. While that Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-65516212828673008192021-03-13T19:34:00.000-05:002021-03-13T19:34:22.350-05:00The Call of Kilimanjaro, Jeff Belanger*all links to Amazon are affiliate links*With pandemic living as it is and has been, you may have noticed that I haven't reviewed a book in a while. So when given an opportunity to do so for this book, I was hesitant, but excited. Hesitant, because I had no idea if I'd even be able to finish reading. January was FULL of books. I read seven titles. SEVEN. Now. Ask me how many books I Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-13822667819987964532021-02-04T22:29:00.001-05:002021-02-04T22:29:15.526-05:00January: What I ReadI've decided to start a monthly series here on the blog. I used to keep a very long list of all the books I've ever read. I still have that archived somewhere. And I do still track my reading on Goodreads. But.I'm going to post at the end of each month and share the books I've read. Which (HOORAY!) I actually have done in January. I also used to make a goal of reading 100 Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-746804499122887922020-12-01T07:00:00.006-05:002020-12-01T23:31:00.579-05:00Peanut Butter Nutella Sugar Cookies.It's Houseful of Cookies time again!!!And I'll admit, I'm getting this shared right under the wire, folks. I had a different plan, was missing an ingredient, and so I decided to go with simple and delicious, with a hope that y'all enjoy these just as much as I do.Peanut Butter Nutella Sugar CookiesIngredients:1 c peanut butter* 1 c sugar1/2 c Nutella1 eggsplash vanilla extract (optionalAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-12477412916379336452020-11-20T22:23:00.000-05:002020-11-20T22:23:02.710-05:00'Tis the Season.And yet, it's not. It's not exactly the season of all the things.It's the season, but it's not.It's not the same at all.Our travel plans are halted. Our parties are cancelled. Our sparkly outfits stay in the closet.But.'Tis the season. Still. Because...This shouldn't take away the joy that we feel.This shouldn't take away the hope in our hearts.This shouldn't take away Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-88499878040603734212020-11-08T21:10:00.000-05:002020-11-08T21:10:47.964-05:00Signs.Have you listened to Taylor Swift's [fairly] new song, exile yet?I can play that song on repeat a trillion times a day, and it tears me up every time. Signs. They're so interesting, aren't they? We see them in retrospect. We blink, and they appear, often too late. And then we get stuck. Like a hamster on a wheel.Replaying and replaying.Each and every sign. We find Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-44111163484319279722020-10-20T22:17:00.000-04:002020-10-20T22:17:03.549-04:00This Is Exhausting.Everyone, hi.Hi, hello, all the greetings. I've been missing for months. Only I have been right here. Exactly here. Exactly where most of us have been for all the days since March. March 13th, to be precise. March 13th was the last normal-ish day. I went to my doctor.I went to the grocery store. I picked up my daughter from school.And then. Everything Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-70211379522831162582020-06-15T22:15:00.001-04:002020-06-15T22:15:26.783-04:00Is It Time To Find A New Therapist?Recently I was reading some comments on a friend's Facebook wall and I noticed someone mention that they had been working with their therapist for six years, and felt some sort of loyalty to that provider. But the tone, and the comments? Left me (and other therapists) thinking that perhaps this relationship was not the best for this person. And that got me thinking.And thinking. Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-18052539421611301852020-06-07T13:54:00.000-04:002020-06-29T15:52:49.167-04:00I Turn To Books: Reading Black Authors
The world is aflame.
People are in pain.
Lives have been lost.
It's impossible to verbalize things.
Repeating 'I'm sorry,' only goes so far.
I have spent much of this last few weeks responding to people on Facebook. Explaining things like "all lives matter is NOT an appropriate thing to say," and "there's no such thing as reverse racism!".
I've typed until my brain was tired.
And Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-20129914096712673952020-04-18T23:30:00.000-04:002020-04-18T23:30:23.793-04:00You Don't Have To.
Friends.
I keep seeing people posting about how they don't understand why they ...
Can't focus enough to even read a chapter.
Is that you? I'm an AVID reader friends. But this is me.
Aren't cleaning their homes from attic to basement.
Yeah. No.
Didn't start a work out routine that leaves them feeling fitter than ever.
Any guesses on my success there?
Don't cook meals Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-59338291554268776592020-03-27T15:51:00.001-04:002020-03-27T15:51:39.506-04:00Home Alone.
Oooh, friends.
What a time it is to be alive, don't you think?
It's so overwhelming.
So exhausting.
So draining.
So confusing.
And so so very - strange - especially if you live alone.
Now, granted, I have a daughter, so my first week of "quarantine" was not solo.
But she has been with her dad for a few days - and wow - it's really really different being here by myself.
I'm not writingAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-42978378993770391012020-03-24T11:34:00.001-04:002020-03-24T11:34:20.120-04:00A Book A Month For 2020!Hey! Guess who started this post a few months ago?
*looks around*
Yep, you guessed correctly.
The major bonus there is that some of the early titles I list below are already available to you. Yay! Go forth and read, friends. It's a great way to get through each day.
I'm normally an avid reader.
Truly tearing through books left and right.
2019 was a totally different kind of reading year Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-86916732435803678152020-03-19T13:31:00.000-04:002020-03-19T13:31:13.228-04:00This Is Not Homeschooling.
Friends.
I see so so very many of you talking about the new normal.
You're parents. And your children are now home with you for all the days.
Your school-aged children.
Let me tell you something.
This is not homeschooling.
First of all.
Homeschooling parents make a CHOICE to homeschool.
They decide. They know that this is what is best for their child(ren).
You? You have been given no Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-86504128310149018682020-03-14T23:11:00.000-04:002020-03-14T23:24:22.023-04:00Can We Please Not Judge?
Y'all really have your own thoughts about things, don't you?
You know what you need for your family to survive for the next 14+ days and you've made those purchases accordingly.
And maybe you got some extra toilet paper. Good on you. As long as you didn't knock someone over the head for it, I'm cool with that.
Honestly, I don't care if you ordered six dozen mega-packs of toilet paper from Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208706644410714856.post-36882981537975679002020-03-12T17:44:00.001-04:002020-03-12T17:44:36.115-04:00Please Donate To Your Local Food Bank.
Of course you've seen the stories.
Local shopping cart filled to the top with toilet paper! Story at 11:00!
Chaos ensues at *fill in the blank store name* - hand sanitizer aisle completely EMPTY!
But what about the food?
What about all the groceries you've bought for you and your family, in case - in case you end up stuck at home like you're in a few inches of ice in North Carolina!
WhatAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06972798018825603047noreply@blogger.com1