Tales of the Ordinary Days

"Made by Mary" tag proudly sewn on inside of pajama top (Brutus to my right. Photo cred Garrett) My mom made my jammies and I love them. I love them a lot. Enough that I packed them for our last out-of-town trip, and most trips for that matter. They are my cozy, go-to, favorite nightwear. Typically paired with a fluffy sweatshirt or furry slippers, this black flowered combo is starting to show some wear, but will likely be falling apart before I part with them. As a child, my mom sewed a majority of my clothing. Having store-bought clothes was rare and only for special occasions or items too difficult or expensive to sew (winter coats, socks, sweaters...). This was such a norm in my life that until junior high, I didn't know other kids bought a majority of their clothing. My mom would spend hours going through bolts of material, carefully planning our next season wardrobes and choosing patterns to complement our sizes and personalities. Wardrobe by mom My fon...

Freshman year of college with my roommate, Julie Today I woke up in a foul mood. I hate to admit this, but nonetheless; it's the truth. I was crabby for reasons I will avoid pointing out. Just trust me that if you knew the story, you would give me a bye. With sleepy boys and a snow day, I decided it was time to conquer the snow-covered streets of Omaha at 8:00 a.m. Still frowning while pulling out of my neighborhood, the best thing to conquer a bad attitude occurred. A favorite song, full of teenage memories, came through my Sirius radio. The "80's on 8" station rarely lets me down. " I was working part time in a five-and-dime. My boss was Mr. McGee. He told me several times that he didn't like my kind. Cause I was a bit too leisurely. Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing. But different from the day before. That's when I saw her, ooh, I saw her. She walked in through the out door, out door. She wore a raspberry beret. The ki...