Grab your things, I’ve come to take you home

I have this slight inkling of what you’re going through.
All you want to do is run off the plane–you’ve been cramped in that space for hours (Thank God it was a direct flight)–but you know that the process of returning to your homeland is nothing but “hurry up and wait.”  On the other side of [...]

at the end of the day you’re another day older

Ryan:
Do you remember the 6 o’clock sun?  Just after dinner.  A drum pushing down on my shoulders and against my full stomach.  We were running sets for the 8th hour that day.  That sun was like a knife–piercing as it set, going to bed for the night.  Me.  Longing to go to bed with it.  [...]

Melissa only liked them green

In Belgium there are about 4 different types of garbage cans.  After we had to get rid of our backyard chickens due to the looming bird flu, the house actually had to start using the small green-ish garbage bag for compost materials.  It was always rather gross to be around, and worse to be the [...]

stolen quotes

My grandpa owns a tavern.  Did I ever tell you that?  In a few weeks it is closing and is probably going to end up being something really depressing…like a Baby Gap.  Or perhaps someone will think it is a tribute to this town–the way keeps changing.
I used to go there when I was little [...]

one small snippet in an epic story that needs to be told

We laugh about it now, and to be honest we even laughed about it then. I cannot help but believe, though, that most of the laughter comes because we cannot stand to be sad about it. Though the pain was, and is, very deep. We’re recovering. All scars heal. Life [...]

The Trapeze Swinger

This song–the words you so sweetly sang to me each night–got me through a lot.  Admittedly I was miserable and I knew it.  But there was something about lying there on that foam matress,  curtains tightly closed, curled up in my white duvet, earbuds streaming a constant reminder that somewhere people loved me dearly.  They [...]

Are you cold?

I went to Fever Formal last night and I have to commend the men of the Fever House on their efforts and amazing ability to throw a party.
The truth is that I was not feeling so well. I started to come down with a stupid cold late on Thursday and by Friday I began [...]

“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspision love actually is all around”

I actually knew the day it was over.  I just fought it until the bitter end, though you’d given up long before I had understood.  I stepped off the plane hoping for you to be there.  But you were not.  And that was it; with that action you’d closed our book.
Remembering that your favorite movie [...]

girlsmovienight

Do you remember when we used to make Thursday night our own? Stop the world! It is time for a movie.
We’d always try to kick if off with a few laps at the indoor pool, followed by a jaunt to the caf where we’d serve up bowls of cereal or pop a bag [...]

Lent, Sir!

Flashback to freshman year. I lived in a giant room all alone across the street from Newman Hall. I was sitting my room chatting with Ashley online early one Friday night when she suggested jokingly that we should go to visit Liz in Chicago.
Within the hour she’d driven down from Kankakee and we [...]