• Antique sewing machine surrounded by flowers.
    Artwork,  Essays,  General Thoughts

    In My Multiple Hobby Era

    I’ve written before about my older tendencies, even though I am only 45 as I write this post. Thankfully, “grandma hobbies” saw a new resurgence after the COVID-19 pandemic. And as usual, I was a bit late to embrace them. Childhood hobbies Like most children, I enjoyed playing outside on my swing set and spending time with my pets. I played make-believe house, doctor, office, etc. I made silly videos with my siblings using a VHS camcorder. I watched my favorite TV shows, whether live or on recorded VHS tapes. As far as hobbies, I remember making art projects or jewelry, messing around with plastic canvas, learning to sew by…

  • "Collins Family 23" drawn in the sand.
    General Thoughts

    First summer beach vacation

    Childhood vacations I remember the first time I went to the beach with my family when I was a teenager. We didn’t stay right on the beach, nor did we swim in the ocean, but it was an experience all the same. I remember getting to go out on the beach at night, and I saw a shooting star. I made a wish on that star to meet the man I was supposed to spend my life with by the time I was 23, and it came true. I met Jonathan right before my 23rd birthday. Road trips were always our thing because the expense of flying was out of…

  • Hands Stacked
    Essays,  General Thoughts

    #BlackLivesMatter

    My heart has been heavy for a while now. And my mind is still trying to come to terms with the fact that there is still systematic racism in America in 2020. It’s 20-freaking-20, not 1920, and it was just as wrong then as it is now. I just can’t fathom why anyone would think to judge someone based on the color of their skin. As a white, southern woman, I’ve grown up around racism. I went to an (almost) all-white high school. Our school district would occasionally have a student of Hispanic or Asian heritage, but I don’t recall any students who had black or African-American heritage during my…