The notices had been coming home in my son’s folder for weeks. His school was having its first-ever Spelling Bee and the entire fourth grade — the top dogs at his elementary school — would participate. In preparation, word lists were sent home. E-mails were sent out. Flyers were distributed. My son’s teacher even showed Akeelah and the Bee one […]

I happen to be married to a Manly Man, which I’m coming to appreciate more and more now that the Manly Man is slowly becoming extinct in our society. The Manly Man, once revered in westerns and pioneer sagas, now is more likely to be connected to inane TV sitcoms featuring beer-drinking rednecks. These days, […]

Each year right after Thanksgiving, Dennis brings down all the boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic so that I can decorate the house for the holiday season. I open them up and immediately get a good look at the state of my mind when I was putting everything away 11 months earlier. Sometimes, all […]

  My family has been on the road a LOT this year– When my husband lost his job, I decided there was no time like the present to pursue more travel writing jobs — It’s the direction I’ve always wanted go with my professional writing. Consequently, we’ve found ourselves this year on beaches and prairies, […]

This post was written by my husband, Dennis Ferrier. Not long ago, I came across a box full of railroad nails. Railroad nails are impressive — They’re big and sharp and don’t bend easily. In the old days, they’d stamp the year each nail was made on the head so the railroad company would know […]

Dear God, This week, millions of us will pack carry-ons and stuff duffle bags, load up car trunks and wearily wait in long airport lines, put fresh sheets on sofa beds and compose miles-long grocery lists, all in preparation for Thanksgiving Day — a time for us to gather together with friends and family members, […]

This post was written by my husband, Dennis. People love to name celebrities and public figures when they talk about their role models. I can understand the appeal. Who doesn’t admire a Teddy Roosevelt or a William Wallace, a Sully Sullenberger or a Mother Theresa? I myself love the quote from the very well-known Winston […]

From an outsider’s perspective, I guess the last few days could certainly qualify as our Worst Week Ever. Monday, we returned home from Dennis’s father’s funeral in California. Tuesday, Dennis went back to work at the TV station where he’s been employed for 23 years– and was fired. And if you’re shocked and confused about […]

I think it’s safe to say my son has rocked my entire family’s world. He entered this world ten pounds and two weeks early, punching and kicking and screaming for all he was worth. Nine years later, not much has changed. He’s my last one, the only boy of our four Ferrier kids– and I […]

The parents of social media are in a bit of a kerfuffle right now over the release of a movie every single 8 to 12-year-old boy in America is dying to see… Deadpool. I did not realize until this week that for millions of moms and dads across the country, SUPERHERO + MOVIE = FAMILY […]