Today is Halloween!! I hope it’s a wonderfully festive day for everyone celebrating in one way or another.
I am cheerfully missing the candy and general mayhem of the day by staying with my parents in what can most easily be described as the middle of nowhere. They will not get a single trick-or-treater and haven’t in well over a decade. That suits me just fine.
My kids, on the other hand, will be living their very best costumed lives while traipsing around with friends collecting sugar in a variety of forms.
Just for fun, here’s an incomplete assortment of Halloween Costumes Past:
CHALLENGE
For decades, our church has hosted a fall youth retreat (called Challenge). In recent years, it’s ballooned in size. This time, we actually had to turn away teens that wanted to come (sad!), but that’s a wonderful sign that people love attending this event.
It requires a boatload of volunteers to pull something of this magnitude off, so last Friday the kids and I packed up and headed over to help. There is a lot to do, including SO MUCH FOOD PREP (three meals + two snacks for over 500 people). I helped peel and cut 150 pounds of carrot sticks.
That’s…a lot of carrots.
I had blisters.
And orange hands.
We filled hundreds of little paper cups with veggie dip. We sliced and diced and poured and mixed and organized and it was…amazing. I love working alongside people of all ages and abilities. And, even more, I love seeing my KIDS doing the same.
Belle is old enough to attend and loved it. John and I volunteered most of Saturday in various roles, and Indy tagged along.
One of my jobs was to help direct indoor traffic, but I was assigned a relatively quiet part of the building. I did my daily CBWC walk inside, before putting my chair in a sliver of sunlight like the cat that I am and reading Jean’s new book.
That evening we helped serve supper to the 500+ people; it was great fun and even Indy got in on the action.
LAKE RETREAT
As expected, there have been Many Happy Things about visiting my parents at the lake.
(Keeping it real? There are some really Hard Things, too. Like watching them worry and wonder about how much longer they can stay in such an isolated spot. They love this place and it breaks their hearts — and mine — to think about leaving but…nothing lasts forever. And that’s hard to watch and help them navigate.)
But this post is about happy things so:
- Mom’s cooking. Beef stew. Apple crisp. Homemade rolls. Banana splits while we watch episodes of All Creatures.
- Sitting in front of the fire. It never gets old.
- Reading in front of the fire. It never gets old.
- Sipping coffee with my dad. (While sitting in front of the fire). It never gets old.
- Feeling genuinely helpful. They save all their tech issues until I arrive and then it’s a flurry of fixing e-mail glitches and printing off documents.
- Enjoying the fall views. Their property is so beautiful this time of year!
- Laughing at my parents, especially their frugal ways. Like my Dad’s refusal to buy new Dollar Store reading glasses. He “fixed” this set with a popsicle stick (which would have come from an actual popsicle, been washed, and saved for the last decade for such a moment as this). About five minutes after I spotted the MacGyvered glasses, I noticed this soap hodge podge drying under the stove. Dad soaks shards of leftover soap in water, mushes them together, dries them under the stove and — voila…three slivers of soap, become one larger useable one. (I shouldn’t laugh as I’m pretty sure Kristen blogs about doing the same thing.)
- Singing with my mom. Mom belongs to a “Just for Fun” community choir and they were presenting a concert of…Sunday School songs. They were singing the evening I arrived and I got asked two days before the concert to join in. AND SING A DUET WITH MY MOM. Thankfully, I knew most of the songs and it was a very forgiving audience. It ended up being tons of fun! It was also special to have so many people pull me aside to tell me how much they appreciate my mom. She really is, as several people put it, “a special lady” and it’s sweet to have others notice these qualities and intentionally mention it to me.
- Hikes with my dad.
OTHER HAPPY THINGS
- Despite a sore thumb, last week Indy managed to get 2nd place in his final cross-country race of the 2025 season.
- I listened to The Correspondent on audiobook the whole drive to my parents (stay tuned for my review; spoiler alert it was a 5-star book for me). The instant I clicked on my blinker to turn down their driveway, the book went to the credits. It felt like the perfect cherry on top.
- Last year, when Joy came to watch White Christmas (a holiday tradition), she brought me some Andes mint chocolates and they were absolutely delicious. The only place I could source them was from Amazon, so I ordered one package and hoarded them like it was my job. Guess what I spotted AT THE DOLLAR STORE this week. Andes mint chocolates!
- Muscle relaxers. I hurt my neck sleeping wrong and then tweaked it constantly doing shoulder checks on the drive over and it was so tight and painful. My parents had a bottle of muscle relaxers (OF COURSE THEY DID, they’re seniors and basically own a pharmacy), but I took one (OTC Tylenol Muscle & Back Pain Relief) and…wow. It worked. Good to know.
And that’s a wrap.
Tomorrow I go home. It’s sad to say goodbye to my parents (and, I will admit, the utter lack of lunchboxes and book bags to help manage), but it’s sweet to think of heading home and seeing my little tribe of people again. John and I already have plans for an at-home Date Night. Maybe I’ll find a way to take Belle on a Starbucks run this weekend as well…
Your turn.
- Highlight of your week? Lowlight?
- Chocolate mint: yes or no?
- What was your favourite Halloween costume as a kid?
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I also LOVED The Correspondent, and I love Andes mints. When I was in HS, I worked in a restaurant where they sold them at the cash register, and I had to have at least 2 every day.
Love your volunteering at church, though blisters are no fun. I’m glad you have enjoyed your time with your parents, and now I know where you get your frugal ways.
I listened to it and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it as much without the different narrators? They really nailed the different characters and accents!
I’d never had Andes mints until last year and…well, I’m sold.
Oh yes, my parents take frugality to MUCH greater extremes. Believe me when I say the glasses and soap are just the tip of the iceberg.
Oh my, seeing your kids “grow up” in their costumes over the years… what a trip! 🙂 (And there were some great costumes!).
I am not a big Halloween fan myself (esp. the scary stuff), but I enjoy seeing kids in their costumes and I will give out candy tomorrow.
I am literally eating mint chocolate chip ice cream while reading this, so YES to chocolate mint! I also love “After Eight’s” but will only get them around Christmas.
I am so, so, so happy you got to spend this time with your parents. Having had some precious time with my own parents recently, I know how special it is and how precious this time together feels (because we know this won’t last forever!). Soak up this time (I KNOW YOU DO!).
You know how I feel about chocolate mint ice cream. Yum! And, since John HATES IT, I only have to hide the chocolate mint things from the kiddos.
It is so precious to have this time; I know you “get” it. It’s wonderful and bittersweet…and a real blessing that I try very hard not to take for granted.
I absolutely love your parents and their frugal ways! The popsicle-stick-fix and the soap mash-up are hilarious! Sitting in front of the fire with them, sipping coffee, and enjoying their company sounds like pure joy.
Now I’m wondering how that duet sounded like – I’m sure you both have great singing voices. I hope you have a video of it, it would make for a great memory.
When will you be visiting them next? Or will they be coming to your place?
PS: I see you updated your comment section, nice!
I’m sitting in front of the fire this very second. It’s absolutely POURING outside, and there is no better place to be than in front of a roaring fire in the wood stove.
We have been singing together since I was a toddler and our voices definitely “mesh” well together. Mom sang harmony (alto) and I sang the melody. It went well.
They’ll move to Nova Scotia for 4 months in the winter, arriving in less than a month. So I’ll see them again, soon.
Still some kinks to work out with the comment section, but it’s better than before!
So much fun and relaxation! And such a beautiful location for a home. I can see why your parents love it.
Mint is for toothpaste and gum. Please don’t mix perfectly good chocolate with it!
Highlight- my daughter’s college roommate got a cat, so I get cute pictures every day. Lowlight- insomnia followed by needing to crawl into bed at 8pm. I’m getting nothing done. ( word games at 4am don’t count as housework unfortunately!)
Have a joyous reunion with your family!
You and my husband would certainly see eye to eye on the chocolate mint situation!
Yay for new cats.
Insomnia is just…the worst. It colours everything about a day and night. I really hope you get some relief soon!!
Happy Friday! I love so many things in this post! I’m so glad you’ve gotten this time with your parents. It always sounds so relaxing. Congrats to Indy on his cross country finish! Was this his first year? Are your parents going to do their NS migration for the winter this year?
Highlights of this week – My parents arrived last night for a visit!! I reached the halfway point of this pregnancy and had a reassuring routine anatomy scan.
PS this is Maria in case it doesn’t show up that way – looks like it’s going to show my name as my WordPress user name?!
This was his third year, actually!! And his final for elementary-level XC. Next year is middle school and the distances get longer. He said he doesn’t want to participate next year, as he prefers short distances/sprinting and next year he’ll be old enough to do track and field. I’ll be sad if he stops XC, though.
They move to Nova Scotia next month! Time flies. I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas again.
What wonderful news about your pregnancy. I’m so glad things are going smoothly. Hope you’re feeling okay. I’m sure you’re exhausted with the little ones and all the fatigue and sickness that comes with being pregnant. I hope your parents being in town is a lovely reprieve from the hectic pace of life.
I am so glad that you had this time at your parents to refill your cup. It sounds like such a gentle place to be. That is how I feel about my parents lake home!
I am so glad you loved The Correspondent! It is likely to be my top read of 2025! I loved Sybil so much.
My highlight was a pumpkin carving gathering with some of phil’s college friends who are also my book club gala. We’ve been doing this since 2014, so it was a pre-kid tradition but now is very kid centered. The low was all the feeling the video of the accident that was in the news has brought up… :/
It is a very “gentle” place indeed! What a perfect summation of their spot.
I loved The Correspondent. It took me a while to get into the book, but listening to it for consecutive hours on the drive over was lovely.
The pumpkin carving sounds delightful. I’m so glad you enjoy this tradition so much.
It is tough to have to revisit such horrific memories (and fill in gaps where things have been forgotten as a trauma response), but I hope in time this new information and context will pave the way toward feeling like you have a complete story and can move forward with the difficult work of healing. Hugs, my friend <3
I love Andes mints!!
Your getaway sounds like it has been wonderful. What a great tradition. The book you mentioned is going on my TBR list.
We didn’t celebrate Halloween when I was growing up, and it’s still my least favorite holiday. Although I do love candy! We were invited to a friends house tonight for a campfire and a piñata and that seems like the perfect alternative right now.
That sounds like a perfect way to spend Halloween!
We have friends that leave candy outside their house and then escape to the beach for a bonfire each year!
What a blessing to have such a wonderful relationship with your parents. I love reading about your visits with them!
Chocolate mint is a big YES from me. My mom used to keep a dish of Andes mints out, especially around the holidays. We have a stash of PUR gum (no aspartame, xylitol-sweetened) that is chocolate mint; a friend of mine introduced me to it and it’s now our house gum flavor.
Low light of this week: Massively messing up something with my son’s college class registration (through my own self-centeredness and lack of awareness). HIGH light, though, was fixing it by using my mantra, “It doesn’t hurt to ask”, calling the department in question and setting things right. The other high light was getting a 100% on what I was sure was going to be the hardest exam in my A&P class. And dressing in costumes for class with two of my classmates, just for fun.
I had no idea there was chocolate mint GUM! Where has this been all my life?
I’d never had Andes mints until last year, but I’m a big fan. Especially since I can now source them locally. (I should stock up while they’re available!)
What a stressful situation with the college registration. Eeks. But thank goodness you were able to get things fixed. Gold stars to you! And another gold star for such a great exam result. And even more gold stars for keeping things fun by dressing up!
So special to get to spend time like that with your parents!
A highlight for me this week, honestly was just having a pretty normal week. I’ve enjoyed not being crazy busy, scrambling around extra. I’ve enjoyed a little more wiggle room in my time and getting around to things that have been being pushed back.
There is something so life-giving about having some buffer. It’s easy for all the white space in our lives to get filled in and we all need to have margin. God designed us to need it, and it makes sense we feel a bit adrift and overwhelmed when we don’t get it.
I have so much to say, I don’t even know where to start.
Okay, the popsicle glasses are funny BUT I totally do that with soap for my sink in the bathroom. It makes Rob mental. I use soap and squish the slivers together but often it doesn’t work well and then I have soap shards, until Rob flips and throws them out. So once a month I say “what happened to my soap” and he says “goddammit stop being so cheap.” It’s a recurring thing. Well, it’s not like I’m cheap on many things but apparently bar soap – in my sink only, I like a nice big bar in the shower – is my line.
What else did I have to say? Pardon me while I scroll back.
OMG the carrots, that is SO many carrots!!! This is where I’d get lazy and buy baby carrots.
You know how I feel about mint! I love those Andes, and all mint chocolate. And as of tomorrow, it’s MINT CHOCOLATE SEASON BABY. Well, every season is mint chocolate season for me, but it really hits in Nov-Dec. And I bought three cartons of our fave creamer, just in case there was a shortage.
What else, what else. Oh YES the costumes are adorable and I feel like the KD one was made when we were pretty new friends. I remember it!
I am glad you had a nice reset with your parents.
Oh, to answer your question about costumes. One year I was a mouse, when I was a kid. One year I was Miss Canada, and I think I was about six or seven, and I remember someone saying “one day you’ll be the real Miss Canada” and I was so excited at the idea of BEING IN A WEIRD BEAUTY PAGEANT. (spoiler, I was obviously never in a beauty pageant). One year, because this was the politically incorrect and kind of offensive 80s, I was a “gypsy fortuneteller” and that was exciting for me as I got to wear makeup. I think my brother was a “hobo” that year, so that kind of says everything about Halloween 1980.
I never use bar soap for my hands; liquid soap only! But I do love bar soap in the shower, but I stop short of mushing tiny slivers together like my parents. I use mine until it is a sliver and then I say it has served its purpose and toss the sliver out…
IT IS SO many carrots. They were, hands down, the best carrots I’ve ever eaten. They were so sweet. I kid you not it was almost like eating healthy candy.
I bought two cartons and I am wondering if I will return home to find the store shelves bare. I hope not. It is just…such a treat!
The KD one was right when I started blogging, I think???
I want to see pictures circa Halloween 1980, Nicole!
Gypsy and hobo were the easy, go-to costumes in the 80s. A few skirts and scarves, some bangles, and eye make-up- instant gypsy! Hobo- take dad’s clothes, tie up pants with a rope- bingo- hobo!
I’m laughing BECAUSE MY DAD (who is very frugal, lives in the middle of the woods, etc) LITERALLY TIES HIS PANTS WITH A PIECE OF ROPE. Just today we had coffee with some of their friends and they were commenting how my dad could be mistaken for a hobo. He has tuck tape on his pants, electrical tape on his belt…it’s hilarious.
He has very distinct “home” and “going to town” clothes 😉
Aha! Now we know where you get your frugal ways! It sounds like you’ve had a wonderful time, but yes- nothing lasts forever, and it’s hard to see that change. But your parents have a new tradition of spending their winters near you, right? That’s something to look forward to.
I also LOVED The Correspondent! And… I’ll be interested to hear how you like Project Hail Mary- it’s on my TBR.
Glad you and the rest of your family are all spending Halloween exactly the way you want. And- I hope you have a great weekend (with a fun trip to Starbucks!)
Yes, they will be coming to Nova Scotia in a few weeks!
I really liked Project Hail Mary. I did find the middle section dragged a bit (but that is my complaint about almost every single book I read). A VERY solid 4 stars for me, but I think it will probably be a 5-star for many others. It was a great book and I definitely want to watch the movie.
I bet your parents love having you all to themselves. It sounds like a relaxing time and a reset for you. My highlight of the week will be today. I’m meeting a friend for coffee at a new spot and going trick or treating with the grandkids tonight. I love mint chocolate and esp. those Andes mints. Restaurants used to give those out with the check at the end of the meal. We had an advent calendar when the kids were growing up that I refilled with candy every year and one of the candies I used were the Andes because they were thin and fit inside the tiny bags on the calendar. I only had one costume as a child (witch) that I wore every year (it was a cape, so I didn’t outgrow it). Kids stopped trick or treating around age 12 back then. Sad!
They are so, so happy to have me here. It’s very sweet! My Dad keeps saying things like: “You don’t know how happy we are to have you here this week.” or “You don’t know how much to means to me to get to go hiking with you.”
Your plan for today sounds positively wonderful! Enjoy the coffee and the costumes and fun with grandkids. <3
Oh, bonus happy thing for GBBO fans. There’s a website , Defector.com, which has a series called the Not So Great Defector Bake Off, where two of their bloggers/writers try the technical challenge from that week’s bake off, with the same minimal instructions the contestants get. They don’t watch the show until after their efforts are completed. It’s hysterical – profanity laden, but it’s so much fun. I laugh until i cry reading it. Maybe not for everyone, but it’s really appealing to me!
Thanks for mentioning this; you know how I feel about GBBO!!
I would curl up in a ball and cry if I had to do a technical bake…
Love your parents so much and I’ve never met them! You write about them so lovingly that I feel like we all know them. I hope the kids have lots of fun trick or treating!
They really are THE SWEETEST, Colleen. And hilarious without trying. John and I keep saying they really should have a Netflix show 😉
Oh, yes, mint and chocolate! My low light was going to the dentist, but the highlight was getting a cat again!
Okay, going to the dentist is no fun, but if it were always balanced out with something as fun as GETTING A NEW CAT…well!
I am so, so, so happy for you and Newman <3
Andes Mints are so so good. When I was little, my mom and her sisters would always have them and portion out one a piece to us cousins, as a “special treat.” Once I got older, I realized they were much more accessible, lol… Though I don’t indulge in them all the time, so they stay special. They also make an incredible brownie 😉
This week has been WILD – the winter birds are back, which is exciting and wonderful, minus the winter HAWKS being back and one deciding my little Bantam hen looked like an easy snack!!! I flew out of the house when I heard them screaming and he dropped her in a tangle of vines – she’s okay, thankfully, and after a lot of cuddles all the chickies got mealworm treats. That was my “walk” on Monday, lol
The colors are finally really *popping* around my house, and I am drinking it in 🙂
How had I made it almost 40 years in this world without having Andes mints??? They are next level delicious.
Oh my – what a stressful day on the farm. So glad everyone was okay.
Fall foliage is just breathtaking and it never gets old.
Your parents are the best! Frugal folks are the original eco-friendly crowd – why buy new glasses when you can improvise for FREE?!
So fun that they have Andes at the $ store! I wonder if it’s a seasonal thing. So happy that you’ve been able to spend this time with your folks – give them my love. Looking forward to catching up when you’re back in town!
You’ve met my parents (and me) and get the whole picture. It really is quite hilarious to behold the lengths their frugality will take them.
I need to get back to the store and get more immediately. I’ve never seen them before (but I’d also never had them prior to you bringing them over, so maybe they’ve always been there seasonally)? Anyhoo, they are delicious!
Mint with chocolate has always been my favorite—Breyer’s mint chip ice cream is out of this world, Andes mints probably should come with an addiction warning, and I could easily consume an entire tube of Girl Scout Thin Mints.
I recognized so many songs on that list (and found a typo immediately, of course). What a treat to sing with your mom, a treat for both of you and the audience too.
Getting too old for isolation. . . it’s crazy hard to accept and to do something about that. Ideally, a decision to move needs to happen BEFORE it is necessary. If you wait until necessity dictates such a move, the logistics become nightmarish. It sounds as if your parents are easing into things by coming to NS each winter.
Remind me again about why John couldn’t use the Amazon gift certificate—if you can get Andes mints via Amazon, I think I might owe you $25!
Can you believe I’ve only recently tried my first Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie. It was delicious. And I am enjoying my Peppermint Mocha Silk creamer.
I re-read my blog post this morning and saw at least three typos and immediately though: Jana is going to have a field day with this 😉
I do wish it was easier to ease out of where they live. Moving to NS for the winters helps, but there is still a giant Bandaid to rip off at some point and it will be hard for everyone. Growing old isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes.
The gift card was for Amazon.com and using it and then shipping to Canada is an expensive nightmare.
I recently listened to THE CORRESPONDENT – loved the narration, and the story. Text me if you have a window for a coffee date in the next while. Must look for some Andes chocolate mints.
The narration was excellent; I wonder how I would have rated the book if I had been reading it in print vs. listening. I am not an audiobook fan, but all the different voice inflections and accents really added to feeling totally immersed in the book.
Dollarama in New Minas (at least the one next to Winners) had them last time I was in. I bought two small bags; one is stashed away and…one is gone.
I’ve just texted you about arranging a coffee date. Can’t wait to catch up <3
My parents are pretty frugal, but yours have them beat. I haven’t seen a sliver soap cake at their house in a while, and they don’t have any creative glasses repairs that I know of.
One of my favorite childhood memories is when we would go out to a restaurant (very rare) and they would bring Andes mints with the check (even rarer). It was like winning the lottery!
Enjoy the rest of the time with your ‘rents!
I missed out – I don’t think I ever had an Andes mints. I am aiming to make up for lost time this holiday season!
This is chock full of happy things. I thoroughly enjoyed the oldies but goodies Halloween photos. Super cute. I love the singing with your mom story, and the fact that people come up and tell you how wonderful she is. That’s amazing. Your dad’s soap recycling and the popsicle stick glasses? Some serious think outside the box stuff. You are definitely a frugal apple who did not fall far from that tree. I admire that.
My low of the week was Kay telling us another lie. We are exhausted. To the Nth degree. Old habits die hard? She’s not accustomed to having anyone tell her what to do, because she was raised like a feral cat, But – she’s been with us for 2.5 years and we are nothing if not consistent. We just returned from another family therapy session. We hope, as usual, that this time she Gets it. *sigh*
My highlight of the week was Curly’s volleyball team winning the regional championship game. So exciting. I also got to meet another adoptive mom friend for lunch yesterday. Knowing I’m not alone in this journey is a comfort.
I do love chocolate mint. Yum. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is one of my favorites.
Not sure if this was a favorite, because we didn’t have a lot of great costumes -but we had a clown costume that I think I wore at least half a dozen times. When I was really young, we wore those horrible costumes with the plastic masks with the badly aligned breathing holes, where your breath would create moisture and it smelled horrid. There also aren’t a ton of photos from Halloween, so maybe I’m forgetting some.
Ha. Yes, I have learned some tricks from them. So far, no glasses repair with a popsicle stick for me, though. But I guess I now know what to do in future if the need arises.
Sounds like a week of ups and downs. Hoping for more ups with the girls as you all continue to adjust <3
What an idyllic spot, and lovely visit with your parents. I loved visiting my parents at my old home with the kids, but having them move here was one of the best things that ever happened for all of us. I am all for frugality, but wouldn’t the popsicle stick be painful on the ear? Love a wood stove, though.
Highlight of my week was all the kids at school telling me to have a happy Halloween as they left the library, and hanging out with a friend watching a scary movie while handing out Halloween candy last night. Lowlight was a two-day pounding headache because of the rain.
My dad will do anything to save a dollar; he told me “I only wear them to read at night…I don’t wear them to town!”
Headaches for two days. Oh Allison. How positively dreadful.
I have The Correspondent on my TBR. These times with your parents are such a treasure. MY highlight is being down at Point Lonsdale with my parents and (unexpectedly) siblings and nieces/nephews. Lowlight is coming down with a cold, which E bought home with him from touring.
I think you will LOVE the book. Can’t wait to hear your take on it.
Mint and chocolate is my favorite combination! Peppermint mocha season at Starbucks starts on Thursday because YES I LOOKED IT UP.
I love that you get these one-one-one weeks with your parents. It must be so life-giving to be away from your responsibilities at home and get to hang with your parents!
The Correspondent is on my TBR – feels like everyone is loving that book!
This is my first year doing “Starbucks” so I am ON THIS!
I hope you love the book. I almost never listen to books on audio, but I did listen to this book and I think that’s part of the reason I loved it. The accents and different characters being narrated was incredible. (Though it also means some of the date/time/e-mail address stuff can’t be skimmed like you would reading it in paper format.)
Yay for your lake visit! I’m definitely a fan of chocolate mint, though we don’t have the Andes one.
We didn’t have Halloween growing up (it’s only a more recent influence or North America on Australia, but I love that we do it now. Eleanor was Hermione (her Book week costume got another go), Owen decided he didn’t want to dress up at the last minute so he just wore dinosaurs on his jumper. We went to a local event at our little museum which was fun, and then we drove to a house that goes ALL out for Halloween (well, they go most elaborate at Christmas, but this was impressive too). Had lots of fun despite the rain. Another highlight was painting our master bedroom white! So much work, so satisfying! Now just the rest of the house to go!
Our master hasn’t been painted since we moved it (and it is OLD, dingy paint in there now) and it is on our to-do list. I’m hoping before Christmas??? We have some dark, wood trim and we’re going to paint it white. I CANNOT wait. It makes such a difference.
Gold stars for getting that done.
Seeing your kiddos in all those sweet costumes: SWOON. Tugged at my heart!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying time with your parents. (Ok, you might be home by now?)
Your dad with the popsicle stick glasses and the mushed up soap: priceless. Literally priceless.
I hope you’re enjoying Hail Mary, and I have The Corrospondent on my TBR. Glad to know you liked it!
My highlight? I HAVE A GRANDSON.
OMG, I failed to note that your church hosting something that large is amazing to me. Kudos to all who put that together for the kids; it sounds terrific.
OH MY GOODNESS. You have a GRANDSON. Suz. I am waiting (non too patiently), for your blog post update on this life-changing news. Congrats to you and the whole fam.