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A Fire Evacuation
Awakened by the smell of ash, my groggy dream of cleaning a fireplace turned into the day’s reality.
I’ll Meet You in Durango
“I’ll be in Durango in two weeks!”
It is not uncommon for me to be told this by a stranger. My hometown of Durango, Colorado, is a beautiful place.
Born on the Hottest Day of the Year
"You were born on the hottest day of the year!"
My grandparents would tell my mom this story, without fail, on her birthday each year. Mom, the oldest of nine children, was born in a humid Iowa hospital without air conditioning. Her parents enthusiastically shared this story of her July 1944 birth until they died in 2000.
A Gift From Joanie
“That’s the dress from your Aunt Joan!”
This was the Facebook comment I enjoyed most after posting photos from a wedding I attended in Slovenia.
Running Through Paris
I pulled my watch off its charger and onto my wrist in sleepy grogginess. Barely awake, I realized I was lying in a bed in Paris. And then I noticed the time.
“Oh, my God! Garrett, it’s 9:05!”
Not a Winter Sports Kind of Person
I could hear my classmates outside, squealing in downhill delight while I sat alone by a warm fireplace.
It was March of 1985, and this senior trip was our last outing as a close-knit class of forty-four. The majority vote landed on an outdoor winter fun day at a nearby ski hill that offered skiing or tubing. I chose neither.
It Started With a Proposal, Hypothetically
Two people walk into a bar.
Both dressed in formal holiday attire, they order Cadillac margaritas.
The woman is wearing a short black sweater dress with a drop collar exposing her shoulders.
Running Through the Years (Part 4 - Today)
I left my parents’ home in the dark, ready to begin a race with a two-mile running loop.
This is how my running adventures began forty years ago: out the back door of my parents’ Iowa home to run my two-mile route, beginning and ending in the alley behind our garage. Young and dumb, I almost always ran in the dark of night.
The Leisure Athlete
“Hey, the new neighbors are moving in. They look like they’re our age and seem fit.”
This was my enthusiastic call to my husband, Garrett, seconds after I pulled out of our driveway. The house across the street, empty for months, was now brimming with activity.
The Hottest Day of the Year
“You were born on the hottest day of the year!”
This was the beginning of the story my grandpa would tell my mom every year on her birthday. It was the story of her birth.
The Back Nine
“Look, Steamworks is over there!”
This was the third time we made this observation as we directed our cart to the beer station. With five kegs on tap, Steamworks, a favorite local restaurant and brewery, provided the Girls Gone Golfing with this free fairway treat.
And Sandy From Omaha Requests…
“In 2009 when I first met my Colorado husband…” was how I began my song request.
The concert was here in Durango and the band was a favorite of ours from Omaha. Thrilled to have my two lives from two different cities converge, I signed my request sheet “Sandy from Omaha”.
Hey, Don’t I Know You?
“Oh, my God! You look just like Michelle!”
This was the comment I received after meeting someone for the first time back in the 80s. The introduction was from my roommate to her childhood friend. The referenced Michelle was another friend from their hometown.
Postpartum Blues
My youngest child, Grant Russell Lane, was born on April 14, 2000. A highly negotiated third child, my husband thought two was a good number whereas I was insistent on three. Grant came into the world loved by all. The baby of our family. Born after an easy labor and with a great disposition that has remained with Grant into adulthood.
This Dress Has a Story
I started this story about a dress in 2014. It was actually a story about two dresses. Dresses of different prints, but with the same accessory, which led to my obtaining dress #2.
As things happen with me in writing, I jotted down a draft of this dress story while it was fresh on my mind. Then time moved on and I never finished the story.
Thanks for the Mems
After posting photos of newly completed memory quilts on social media a while back, I received a text from my friend, Renada. The pictures I shared were of a quilt made by me and my mom for my oldest son, Zach. It is called a memory quilt because it is made from blocks of Zach’s childhood t-shirts.
Day 14: The Patagonia Adventure - There’s No Place Like Home
The last leg of our trip was flying from Dallas to Durango which was wonderfully uneventful. Leaving behind the mountainous views of Chile, I was warmed to see the Durango San Juans out my airplane window as we neared landing. Home was sounding very good.
Day 13: The Patagonia Adventure - Driving the Americans
Our last day in Santiago brought in a morning full of packing. Although we had been in a constant state of packing and moving over the last two weeks, now it was time for the big pack, the pack to go home.
Day 12: The Patagonia Adventure - Back on the Grid
Our morning agenda was to take a tour of Santiago. Chris loaded us in his vehicle for a tour that would include both walking and riding with Chris as our driver. We were glad to have a driver as traffic was aggressive. Quickly we found many similarities between Downtown Santiago to New York City, including the traffic.
Day 11: The Patagonia Adventure - I Think I’m More Suited to Urban Living
When the party’s over…
Well, at least our Patagonia party. The travel planners (our husbands, Garrett and Tom), planned two more nights for us in Santiago to close our Chilean adventure. The thought process was that since we were already in Chile and had flown this far, we might as well enjoy the City of Santiago before flying home. Based on the warmth we had seen forecasted, I was all in.
