My outlook brightened in the morning hours. Refreshed. Rested. Ready to camp. In the afternoon, I stopped at a coffee shop long enough to scout out some places to camp in Oregon. I saved a PDF of the map directing me there. I was excited about it. However, when I finally made it there, once…

I did have second thoughts that morning. So many people had warned me of different things. The woman on the plane: “No rest stops.” The woman at the hotel counter: “You’ll be safer here.” Mom: “You need to make sure your insurance covers you… and that … [insert running list here].” And everyone I told…

Valentine’s fell on a Monday, which happens to be Mandy Monday, the day of the week I get to hang out with that wonderful West family. I texted Kimberly in the morning to offer to babysit so she and Silas could go on a date. She called me back and said that a friend had…

Later that afternoon, I arrived in San Francisco. I got my rental car, a 2011 Nissan Versa — a 2011 so it was sure to have an auxiliary port, a Nissan so it’s trunk was accessible only by key; a Versa because it’s in the Tiny Line, the cheapest ones. The guy at the counter…

I left on a Friday morning. It was obscene the amount of luggage I’d been allowed to carry on (bless you, Eppley!). I was wearing my dad’s camouflage hunting coat (warm AND waterproof—I was going to Seattle, after all). I had a hiking backpack the size of a human torso. I had clipped on a…

I’d sort of given up on my little trip. It had faded like so many dreams do. But some good friends asked me about it and reminded me how much it had meant to me. Ok, so maybe I won’t drive. I’ll do a short version. I booked a flight to San Francisco for 11…

My friend Linsey told me about this trip she’d taken with her boyfriend (now husband!) along the west coast, up Route 1. I want to do that! I’ve always wanted to do that! I dreamed up a trip in which I’d drive through Colorado, down to L.A., up the California coast. I could swing by…

This is a story that begins with an ending. I ended four years of a job I had once imagined staying at forever. Because that’s what dedicated people did. They stayed. I’m not a quitter. In fact, I often continue to pursue and drag out friendships well beyond their prime. Sometimes it’s loyalty. Sometimes it’s…

Every summer, the Anderson family would make the 14-hour trek from Illinois to Georgia to see Nani, the kids’ grandmother. And it would take precisely 14 hours. Brent’s dad is goal-oriented, as well as loyal to traditions. They would make two stops — the same two every year. Those were the only chances the kids…

I have this darling friend. His name is Tim. His birthday was Sunday, and tonight he and his partner, Cait, threw a delightful dinner party. This reminded me that I have not posted a very great video of Tim from the last dinner party, as well as some not-good photos. And, tonight, as an ode…