Summer Starts Early Around Here
You can always tell when summer is arriving in Alabama because the fireworks tents start showing up in random parking lots like invasive species. One day it’s an empty lot beside a gas station. The next day there’s a giant red, white, and blue tent...
The Graduation Circuit
There’s a certain time of year when your calendar starts filling up with events that all look the same—graduations, ceremonies, receptions, and invitations that somehow all land on the same two weekends. I call it the Graduation Circuit. You start getting the cards in the...
The Weight We Don’t Carry
I was sitting in traffic the other day—nothing major, just one of those slow crawls where nobody knows why we’re stopping, but everybody’s annoyed about it anyway. I glanced at the clock, did the mental math, and immediately decided I was now “running behind,” even...
Spring Cleaning My Soul (Against My Will)
There’s something about March that makes perfectly sane adults believe they are about to become organized people. The sun stays out a little longer. The birds start chirping like motivational speakers. And suddenly I’m standing in my garage holding a plastic tote labeled “Miscellaneous” from...
The Pressure of Love (and Other Overrated Things)
Let’s talk about February. The month of hearts, roses, and relationship expectations so high even Romeo and Juliet would’ve needed couples counseling. Valentine’s Day shows up like that overachieving PTA mom with personalized goodie bags and a themed photo backdrop, while the rest of us...
Happy New Year…I Think
You know what’s worse than holiday hangovers? The people who suddenly find religion on January 1st and start preaching the gospel of “Dry January.” Look, I get it — after all the rum cakes, spiked eggnog, and cranberry margaritas, a break sounds smart. But must...
Reindeer Wrapping Paperand Receipts From Hell
Christmas used to be simpler. A few toys, a plate of cookies, and maybe a single string of lights that worked 60% of the time. Now? Christmas feels like a military-grade operation crossed with a Hallmark movie marathon and just a hint of psychological warfare....
Turkey Day Trouble
Pinterest is a liar. According to the internet, Thanksgiving should look like a Norman Rockwell painting sprinkled with glitter. Perfect turkeys, designer centerpieces, smiling families basking in soft autumn light, all while golden retrievers nap peacefully by the fire. My Thanksgiving? The smoke alarm’s going...
Trunk or Treat Turmoil
Halloween used to be simple. Throw on a sheet, cut out two eyeholes, and you were a ghost. Done. These days? Every kid looks like they just stepped off a movie set with costumes that cost more than my first car. I’m out here duct-taping...
Football, Family & Faint Hope for Fall
September is here, and you know what that means: we pretend it’s fall, crank up the football, and pray we don’t pass out walking to the mailbox. As a lifelong Alabamian, I’ve made peace with the fact that our version of autumn is basically summer...