My sister and I went fall clothes shopping last weekend. I pride myself on finding awesome bargains and my sister is even better, so needless to say we tore that mall up. I found boots and heels and sweaters (Adam I will not call them jumpers) and other long-sleeved shirts, since it seems there’s more …
Melanie Hooyenga
An Overdue Announcement
I have some news that I don’t think will surprise very many of you. In fact, unless there’s a legion of readers out there who never comment and therefore have never made me aware of their existence, I think the majority of you already know. Last spring Ibis and I decided to separate, and I’ve …
More Old Habits Dying Hard
Since I’m living with my parents I don’t cook as much as I used to, and while I’m not completely heartbroken over this, I do miss cooking some of my favorite dishes. Yesterday I decided to make a peanut sauce chicken dish that tastes pretty close to one of my favorites from a Thai restaurant …
Remembering
Remembering everything about that day nine years ago, but especially remembering my friend Craig who died that day.
Fall
When I was in Mexico I complained A LOT about how hot it was. The heat, the humidity, the no air conditioning, the sun, the heat, the humidity, the bugs (wait, that’s a different problem), and the never-ending heat. Oh, and also the heat. So it’s with no small amount of pleasure that I welcome …
Stories are Everywhere
As I left the plane behind me last night, I paused near the waiting area as an anxious family rushed forward. A caucasian couple a few years older than me, trailed by two teenagers and two little girls around six or seven years old, moved as one unit, then stopped a few feet away. What …
Can It Be?
I actually have an entire weekend — nay, a LONG weekend — and NO editing? I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked! I realize it’s only been a month or so since I got back into the writing/editing swing of things, but since I was determined to meet my goal I was really pushing hard on …
The Inculpable Cardboard Box
My mom does a lot of shopping online so it’s inevitable that we have a lot of cardboard boxes lying around, the majority of which have the swoopy Amazon logo on the side. The delivery man leaves them in the designated spot and my dad brings them inside when he gets the mail. It’s a …
The Celebration Was Short-Lived
*checks calendar* It’s August 30th. Still one day left in the month and… I finished my third draft over the weekend! *dances about* I finished going through the hard copy Saturday, then plugged in all those notes on Sunday and ferried it through the intertubes to my friend and trusty beta reader. *waves* (Yes, I’m …
That’s Awesome
If you’ve ever talked to me for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard me say the word awesome. And probably more than once. You see, I have a slight addiction to the word. Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. Just got a new car? Awesome. Your baby slept through the night? Awesome. Finished your novel? Sooo …