Tag Archives: Thirsties

It was a sunny Sunday after about eight years ago. I was on a short hike with our two big dogs and my husband and Lauren, who was about ten months at the time, were hanging out at home. As I was a few blocks from the house, I heard sirens and they sounded close. I was friendly with several of our neighbors, two of whom were very elderly, so I assumed that something must have happened–a fall or worse.

A minute later, my cell phone rang. It was my husband. “The ambulance is at our house. Don’t panic. Lauren was choking but she’s fine now.” Ambulance? Choking? What? Panicking was an instinct not an option. I sprinted home.

When  I got there, the EMTs were loading Lauren, in her car seat, onto the stretcher. Still confused, I climbed in with her. They told me that she needed to go … Read More

Last year I had a huge garden. I started my seedlings inside and by the time I transferred them to my garden plots, they were healthy little plants. I had yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beets, carrots, green beans and sweet peas. I even started a small strawberry patch on the side of my house. Unfortunately, due to a freak hail storm early in the summer of 2013, my plants were badly damaged and they spent a lot of time and energy regrowing broken and ripped leaves instead of producing a lot of food. In the fall, when I should have been harvesting what little my garden did produce, we experienced the 100 year flood here in Boulder. The four days of non-stop torrential rain effectively rotted what I had spent all summer tending after the damage from the hail. But at least, during … Read More

This past Thursday, July 3, I turned 40. I’ve tried to look at the passing of another decade in a positive light, despite the fact that part of me wishes I could stop time and stay young forever. But I can’t so the next best thing is to celebrate the life I’ve lived and hope to live at least another forty years.

My thirties were important years. I had every one of my three children between the ages of 31 and 37 years. My thirties were also incredibly hard as I often struggled with trying not to lose my own identity and yet not having a second to spare to be anything but “Mommy.” It’s been amazing and back-breaking at the same time–like the saying about parenthood, “The hardest job you’ll ever love.”

My husband asked if I wanted a party to celebrate my birthday and my response was “Heck, … Read More

Have you ever heard of the term “house proud?” According to Merriam-Webster it’s being “proud of your house because you spend time and effort cleaning or improving it.” This. Is. Not. Me.

Is my house clean? Yes, it’s pretty clean. I swept and washed all of the hardwood floors today, I vacuumed most of the rugs, I even wiped down some baseboards and gave the dining room table a good scrub. I wiped crumbs off the counter, I emptied the trash and took out some recycles. But I didn’t get around to folding the three loads of laundry that are still sitting on the couch, there are dishes in the sink because the dishwasher is full and running.  I refuse to wash dishes by hand just to keep the sink empty, I mean, I’ve got to draw the line somewhere right so that I can actually spend a little time … Read More

Hi! Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Elizabeth Anderson. You can call me “Bert” though; it’s a nickname that stuck since the age of ten. I live in the frozen tundra that is Minnesota, at least that’s what it feels like since Spring is nowhere to be seen at the moment. Then again, I know everyone else is feeling that way too wherever they may live. I’m married to my college sweetheart, Ben, who is my other half. What I mean is that we complete each other in areas where the other is weak. Recently, I took up running as a way of getting back in shape. Actually, I participated in a 90 day fitness challenge through a local gym here in the Twin Cities. I was about 70 lbs overweight with a very sedentary lifestyle. I changed my eating habits and started enjoying working out. You’ll probably … Read More