The Call: Hotels — Jessica While I was sad to say farewell to our family when it was time to return home, I won’t be sad to say farewell to hotels. Response: Special Date — Cheryl I tend to save anything that could be construed as history: calendars, letters, journals (no matter how young I […]
The Call: A Nap — Cheryl This afternoon, in the middle of the commotion caused by her many siblings, Stella curled up on the couch and fell asleep. The Response: Going Home — Jessica ….from the middle of the Mississippi River
The Call: Golden Sunset — Jessica Our last Texas sunset for awhile… Response: Claddagh Ring — Cheryl My aunt/Godmother (on the Irish side of my family, not the Italian) gave me a silver Claddagh ring when I was in high school. It wasn’t long after Dennis and I started dating (the summer after sophomore year […]
The Call: Blanketed in White — Cheryl I listened for the muffled silence Of a world blanketed in white, But the wind was louder. The Response: Smile Like This — Jessica I took a few minutes today to take some shots of the two youngest. While they are very willing models they don’t always listen […]
The Call: Screens — Jessica Our family has a love/hate relationship with technology. We are all more hooked on our tiny screens then I care to admit. But at the same time, it is also the medium through which we maintain relationships and develop friendships with our distant family and friends. It is a mixed […]
The Call: Little Mouse and an Important Reminder — Cheryl Unfortunately, the fact that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus — God Made Man — can easily get lost amid the trappings of the holiday season. My family and I try to keep Our Savior front and center, but our efforts often […]
The Call: No Room at the Inn — Jessica Seating at Mass tonight is limited to 1700. 1700! That’s a big church and that’s a lot of people. And what happens when the limit is reached? Are people turned away? Response: Staying Home from Church — Cheryl On Christmas? Yes, the girls (Bridget, Stella and […]
The Call: Sweet Enough — Cheryl At the first of the year, I decided it was time to cut back on the sugar in my coffee. I started by measuring out a teaspoon’s worth for each cup. After a week or so, I switched to 3/4 of a teaspoon, and so on, until I was […]
The Call: Ginger — Jessica Returning to Houston, I’m shocked by how green everything is. Virginia was already brown and grey so this is a pleasant switch. Response: Genuine Cobra — Cheryl I can’t imagine that Mom bought this wallet for herself. It was surely a gift. I like the rich green, and the feel […]
The Call — Christmas Albums These records say Christmas to me, but even more than Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, or Bing Crosby singing “Silver Bells,” I hear my dad crooning it. The Response: A Journey — Jessica One of my favorite childhood poems, it was startling to see her name on the road sign. But […]
The Call: Lunch on the Road — Jessica Lunch at Bryant Stadium at UA while my oldest son did the tour. Response: Cookies, Please — Cheryl Stella’s go-to meal is brown rice bread: “Two slices, toasted, with peanut butter, the crusts cut off, like a sandwich.” Given the choice, though, she’d take cookies any day.
The Call: Seeds — Cheryl Every spring, the kids and I pick out many, many packets of seeds, dream about the veggies our garden will produce, and then … never follow through enough to enjoy the fruits of our labors. The Response: Land and Sky — Jessica Driving through the US and away from the […]
The Call: Master List — Jessica Packing for a ten-day trip for nine people is all sorts of complex. And for someone as organizationally-challenged as myself it is also difficult. Gotta run — I’ve got at least three more loads of laundry before I can pack the suitcases…
The Call: Kisses in the Snow — Cheryl The answer seemed to satisfy her, or else she yielded to the power of his voice. He bent down, feeling in the obscurity for the glassy slide worn by preceding coasters, and placed the runner carefully between its edges. She waited while he seated himself with crossed […]