New Year, Old Me (possibly)
There’s something special about January. The second hand shifts from one side of the clock to the other, our phone calendars flip to the next month and a new year, and it feels like we’re given a clean slate. Resolutions are made as we envision the kind of person we will be in the new year. Personal health goals like exercising regularly, cutting out sodas and/or alcohol, or, for the truly determined, not lying to the dentist when she asks if you floss regularly. Or maybe the goals are home-oriented, like decluttering one space each week, finally sticking with that cleaning schedule, or the ambitious, folding and putting away laundry…
New Year, Fickle Me
The clock and calendar did their collective roll into 2022, and nothing changed. Admittedly, I was asleep for the occasion, but it appears Tinkerbell did not come in and tap her magic wand and make everything better. Fireworks didn’t shower us with life-changing embers as they twinkled and fell to the ground. Neither was there dissipating magic at the stroke of midnight turning everything back into pumpkins and mice— after all, no one would accuse 2021 of being magical. We simply finished one year with its mix of highs and lows, grief and joy, fun and hardship, and were ushered into a new one that will have its own unique…
2021, Where’d You Go?
Wow. It has been a hot minute since I last wrote or shared an update. Thank you for your patience with me as I shake the rust off my brain and try to remember how to put keystrokes to screen and compose complete, adult-sounding sentences again. Somehow an entire year has gone by and I am now the parent of children that are 8, 7, 5, 3, and 4 months old. Yes, they are all a year older and there’s a new one. They have multiplied, somedays like Gremlins it seems. I am basking in the glow of warm, white lights on a tree that will probably be up for…
Our Story: A History of Love and Tolerance
The year was 1996. She was nine years old and new to the United States after living most of her life in Europe as an Army brat. It was an awkward age, moving countries while simultaneously growing up and away from her beloved Barbies. Thankfully, cable TV and reruns of Lois and Clark helped ease the transition. He was twelve and had discovered the joys of middle school, like hair gel, band and football practice, and long walks home in the Texas heat. It wasn’t love at first sight– they’re not even sure when they saw each other for the first time. Despite attending the same small church, they wouldn’t…
2020: A Year in Review
Another year down, and what a wild ride it was. But instead of getting into all of that, here’s a snapshot of all the things the Robertsons did last year. What We’ve Learned: Flash: How to use step stools in the kitchen to steal donuts, cookies, and sweets off the counter. Wonder Woman: How to get out of boring church services being noisy during the sermon. Batman: Counting to 100, letter sounds, and how to be a virtual Kindergartener. Superman: How to log into Zoom with an awesome Avengers background, and maybe learn some stuff in the process. Mom: How to facilitate e-learning without losing my mind– AKA lowered expectations.…
Try a Little Thankfulness
2020 is a year that’s been marked by frustration and disappointment for almost everyone. For too many, it has encompassed pain, fear, and sadness as well. It’s no wonder that by the time we’ve made it almost 12 months into this year, and 9 months into a pandemic, that I felt lackluster about Thanksgiving. Coming up with 30 things I’m thankful for this year was hard. But cultivating a heart of gratitude isn’t about seeing everything with rose-colored glasses– it’s about standing in the compost pile that is 2020 and being thankful for what grows out of it, even if the process is stinky. Things I’m Thankful For 2020 Edition…
Confessions of an Introvert
“I should introduce myself to that person,” I tell myself. “Oh gosh, what do I say?” I respond— to myself. “Your name, duh. Hi, I’m Lauren. What’s your name? It’s easy.” My heart rate increases. “I don’t know. I don’t think I can.” “You’re dragging it out. Now it’s going to be awkward.” I know I’m getting further and further out from the ideal timing, but my feet continue to drag anyway as my eyes try to figure out where to look. “Don’t stare; that’s weird,” I chide. “I know, I’m trying to look friendly while I get up the nerve.” “Don’t give up.” I encourage, “You’ve waited too long, but you can…
Life, Art, and the Creative Process
I didn’t publish a blog last week, breaking my year-long streak—though it wasn’t for lack of trying. I have written snippets and pieces that remain unfinished. I have felt ideas float around my head but cannot coax them into words. I have processed a wide range of thoughts and emotions, none of them cooperative enough to become a cohesive piece of writing, preferably in the vicinity of 500-700 words. And though the blemish to my weekly self-publishing routine is new, this struggle to write is a familiar pattern. Each week I have started and stopped, I’ve typed and deleted. I’ve procrastinated, prayed, and persisted, eventually pulling ideas from my head…
Growing Up & Living the Dream
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” When asked, my oldest has answered a police officer for as long as I can remember. His younger brother chooses firefighter. They’ve gotten in their heads that it’s a team thing, like Chase and Marshall on Paw Patrol, or Chase and Heatwave on Rescue Bots— or whatever other kid show is out there with a cop character named Chase. My boys see themselves as a team; it’s sweet. It remains to be seen what they’ll pursue as they get older and realize there are a million and one opportunities in the world. But asking the question is a fun way…
Swimming in the Deep End
It’s fall y’all. Somehow this wild roller coaster of a year keeps chugging along— toot toot— and we’ve made it to September. It’s weird for me to realize that my family has lived in Colorado for more than a year. It feels like yesterday that we were watching movers put our belongings into cardboard boxes and saying goodbye to our friends and my beloved beach. But one look at my son’s high water pajamas or the baby’s long curls, and I realize that a year has gone by and a lot has changed. So as I ring in our second fall here (complete with an early snow), I’m remembering that…
