My stomach leapt into my chest when we pulled up outside the brewery. After such a good turn out last year, you’d think I wouldn’t be nervous tonight, but I took a deep breath when I stepped down from the jeep. Matt and I walked through the leftover piles of snow on the sidewalk and …
I knew something was wrong when he emerged from the other end of the concourse, not smiling. I waited for him outside the door of the family room because he promised he’d be quick showering today, and I wanted to make it home in time to freshen up before we were out the door again. …
I woke up early Thursday morning to the beating of wind gusts against our bedroom window. Before we went to sleep, the last we heard from the news forecast was that our small community along the Jersey shore would be covered in 3-to-6 inches of snow. But the wind kept howling all night, and it …
I woke up this morning the same as any other. The steam from the shower slipped slowly beneath the bathroom door in a warm cloud over the bed, where I still lay in a light slumber. I opened my eyes in a foggy haze and glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was …
I stood on a blanket of grainy sand on the edge of a cliff before a vast gray horizon and slowly shut my eyes. For the first time in three weeks, the world stood still. The salty breeze caressed my cheeks and brushed through my hair until it covered my face. I didn’t care to …
I heard stories after the Cubs won the World Series. Stories before we even left Chicago for the off-season. Magical stories of families, friends, complete strangers coming together to celebrate the biggest game in Cubs history since 1908. One story really hit home for me. Reporters interviewed a man, perhaps in his early 40’s, who …
They remind me in so many ways of each other. I often wonder how two little girls on two opposite sides of the world have so much in common. I stop myself most of the time, because like both of them, their stories are special and in no need of an explanation. They are almost …
I awoke from an easy slumber when I heard the pilot come over the intercom and announce the possibility of snow upon touchdown. My second time witnessing snow this season, and fitting it being back in Chicago. I wanted it to hold off at least until we landed. There’s something about seeing the city glow …
Growing up the only girl and also the middle child stuck between two older and two younger brothers, I always felt a sense of responsibility for my siblings—not so much the older ones because their jobs were to look out for me. But for Joey and Trevor, it was my job to look out for …
He can hear the wailing of the horn again, but he can’t seem to tell if he’s awake or asleep, stuck somewhere between his dreams and reality. The constant blaring in the distance finally startles him awake. He rubs his bloodshot eyes and lifts his head from his crossed arms where it rested moments before …
