Category Archives: Christmas Letters

ShareTweet Dear Family and Friends: Rose’s text read, “Triple venti nonfat latte one Splenda.” So when I drove up to the speaker ordering box window at Starbucks, I read the text, then swung around the corner to the window to … Continue reading →

When we arrived in Manhattan Beach, we hurried to the pier and the ocean. Might have been the best moment of the year. We were so excited to be there. We rented bikes and cycled up the Strand. Beautiful views. Rose got bogged down in sand and crashed. She tipped over, slow motion style. Fortunately she fell in six inches of sand. No injuries were sustained. Continue reading →

Our year has been terrible like everyone else. The kids lost jobs, had opportunities taken away and had anxiety throughout the year and fear about the future. And more. But there have been many bright spots, namely, Rosemary. She’s been a bright spot for our family. Continue reading →

I thought Charlie wasn’t writing a letter this year. Continue reading →

One thing I wasn’t prepared for when I made this life-altering decision to move here was just the sheer volume of people who were going to tell me that the weather in Southern Arizona tended to get toasty. Virtually everyone I meet mentions it. But honestly, the fact that the weather is usually hot is not one of Tucson’s ‘best-kept secrets.’ I like to egg them on by saying, “What do you mean it’s GOING to get hot out? It’s 97 today.” That gets them going. “Ooooooo, it’s going to get A LOT hotter than this.” Continue reading →

We were getting settled at the historic Hotel Denver, when Carli has an announcement. She reads from her phone. “This hotel is haunted. Ghosts have frequented rooms on the third floor.” We’re on the third floor. Naturally. Carli begins freaking out. Rose is not taking the situation seriously. She’s eggs on the spirit world. Now I’ve seen enough episodes of Ghost Adventures to know that you do not do that. You do not invite spirits, especially demons, into your realm. You simply do not do that. Continue reading →

A young man came to the house selling doorknob cameras. He said he’d been selling them to all my neighbors. ‘Have you ever heard of a doorknob camera,’ he asks. ‘No.’ ‘Oh great. I have a vid’ … he grabs his iPad. I cut him off. ‘I don’t need to see a video. I’m right in the middle of dinner,’ which wasn’t true, but he hasn’t sold anything to my neighbors, so we’re even. Continue reading →