Life, Love, & Laundry

Back in the day, it was normal for moms to stay home, and mine was the best. I was what they call a “mama’s boy”—and proud of it. We were together 24/7. She was my best friend, my lunch partner, my chauffeur, my everything. The thought of leaving her for any reason, especially to hang out with a bunch of kids I didn’t know, felt like a terrible mistake. But the calendar—and apparently the law—said it was time for school. Luckily, the school was just around the corner from our house. That didn’t make it better. On that fateful morning, my...

Ah, fiddleheads. Those tightly wound little green coils that pop up in the spring, promising culinary delights and, in our case, a few weeks of delightful chaos. We jumped into the fiddlehead game back in 2017 when we stumbled upon a patch so large, it practically screamed, "Sell us!" And so, a seasonal business was born. Let's be honest, fiddlehead picking is a mixed bag. On one hand, you're basically a hero. People love fiddleheads. It's like delivering pure, unadulterated spring joy to their plates. Plus, on those glorious, sun-drenched days, you're out by the river, communing with nature. I've...

It's funny how life works. For years, I gleefully participated in the age-old tradition of fart and poop jokes. Little did I know that fate had a special kind of poetic justice in store for me. As the world was grappling with the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, I was beginning my own personal battle – with Crohn's disease. After a series of tests and procedures, the diagnosis came: Crohn's, a progressive autoimmune disease that targets the digestive system. It’s a condition that manifests differently in everyone. While some face the urgency of frequent bathroom trips, my primary symptom...

My wife and I cherish our weekly date night at the movies. It's a simple pleasure, a chance to escape and connect. We also enjoy taking in concerts, plays, and various other live events. Over the years, these outings have become a reliable barometer for observing societal trends, and lately, the reading isn't exactly heartening. What we've noticed, with increasing regularity, is a palpable decline in common courtesy. The tell-tale signs are everywhere: the persistent glow of phone screens during a poignant scene, conversations carried out at near shouting volume throughout a performance, and a general disregard for the shared...

Our love story began unconventionally. She was finishing high school, a vibrant 17-year-old, and I was just starting my university journey. Things moved quickly, a whirlwind of young love and the weight of expectation. At 19 and 18, we found ourselves married, parents to a beautiful two-month-old daughter. We were both raised in conservative Christian homes, and marriage felt like the only path or at least the right path. But the path wasn't paved with roses. Doubts and disapproval surrounded us. I remember my best man's words before the ceremony: "It's not too late, you can change your mind." It...