exploring life and love with pictures and words
“Home . . . I’m on my way “ It took a split second to recall why I had written those words . . . it was a year ago. I had just wrapped up a year in Italy and was sitting on an airplane in Malpensa headed back to the states. I posted... Continue Reading →
Love is in the air . . . well not for me, but I’m certainly surrounded by it lately. A few weeks ago I sat under the shade of redwoods and listened to a young couple speak their wedding vows, sharing their love story so beautifully. The following week, sipping wine at a backyard barbecue... Continue Reading →
We gather around the dining room table, our small, intimate writers group. Sipping tea and coffee, and snacking on popcorn, each of us takes a turn to share our current work. We listen first to a fellow writer read an excerpt from her manuscript, a memoir. Slowly, carefully, she paints a picture with her words.... Continue Reading →
Tap, tap, tapping away on my keyboard, reading and rereading chapters, my eyes burn. I understand now why other writers have said that editing a story is sometimes harder than the initial writing. This has been the case with my memoir. Having never written a book I had zero expectations about the process other than... Continue Reading →
Lying on my back, my book held arm’s length above my face, it shades my eyes from the bright sun. I read and sunbathe along the shore of the lake, soaking up these last days in Italy. Children splash and play in the water, while the grownups swim past them to the quieter, deeper water,... Continue Reading →
The weather has been beautiful in recent weeks, warm enough for shorts and summer dresses. I dig through a makeup bag searching for a second elastic band for my hair. Too lazy to search before today, I’ve been donning the single side pony tail, very 80’s. But I’m ready for pigtails. They look better. At... Continue Reading →
An early morning message had me misty eyed. One of my former bosses, colleague and friend, was perusing Instagram and stumbled upon one of my photos highlighting my Italian adventure, “Bittersweet” she wrote, after having just seen my name on the Resignation Report at the school board meeting. “We miss you Christine.” I felt the... Continue Reading →
Sipping my coffee, I assess the postcards that lay before me on the small counter top. I am purposeful about choosing the right card for the right person, imagining which photograph in the bunch might be their favorite. Luca always gets the unusually shaped ones or those with Italian words written across them. His momma... Continue Reading →
Since arriving in Italy, I have spent a good amount of time visiting churches, cathedrals and even an abbey. It’s not unusual for me to pass a few churches in a single day. My power walks, errand running and shopping have all been interrupted by my desire to visit these peaceful sanctuaries for even the... Continue Reading →
Thanksgiving . . . my favorite holiday This year I will spend it far away from my family, my home, my country. Traditionally, my family cerebrates with everyone gathering at one home, sharing an abundance of delicious food, and always inviting friends, often friends of friends, who need a place to be, to feel included.... Continue Reading →
Bare Naked in Public 