My Doll’s Untimely Demise
When I was around six years old, the Christmas gift de jour was a baby doll that “ate” food and then “wet” her diaper. Food came in little packets that you put in her mouth to start the process: in...
View ArticleWhat Grade Are You In?
Let me set the scene: I’m 27, and I’ve been teaching middle school for three years. I have a master’s degree, I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve successfully solicited grant money for research. While...
View ArticleI Guess I Don’t Know My Own Strength
Bend, Oregon has some of the nicest mountain biking in the state. With miles upon miles of cross country trails, groomed downhill sections, and terrain parks, it’s any mountain biker’s dream. However,...
View ArticleA Lemon Of A Story
I’m in Ecuador during the first month of my study abroad program. My small group– fewer than 20 of us– was spending a week in the cloud forest, an area similar in some ways to the rainforest, but at a...
View ArticleWhat, No Chocolate?!?
I’m addicted. Always have been, always will be: I think “chocolate” may have been the first word that passed through my lips. To be fair, I was supported in my obsession at a young age: when I was...
View ArticleNo-Frills Lighting
This is an actual light switch at a house I stayed at while traveling in Ecuador. I admire the family’s no-frills approach to lighting. Plus, the idea of potential electrocution definitely wakes you...
View ArticleThe Most Dangerous Costume
My middle school self was awkward to the extreme: owl glasses, a bowl cut (I was a serious tomboy), and an unfathomable desire to be in every school play. My theatrical career started well enough with...
View ArticlePreschool Dreamboat
Most of my memories about preschool are general: I remember circle time, my teacher playing a guitar while we sang, and falling off of various pieces of playground equipment. One recollection,...
View ArticleThe Band-Aid
I’m stationed halfway down the side of the gymnasium, back to the wall, a coworker standing silently next to me. As a new teacher, this is the first time that I’ve chaperoned a dance, and I’m sort of...
View ArticleChange Me, Please!
Somewhere in Rome, there is a shop with my name. “Danielle,” announces the sparkling store window. Inside, it bursts with buckled ankle boots, soft ballet flats, and killer four-inch heels, all...
View ArticleDown The Hatch…
“Ew, you ate what?” It’s a virtual certainty. Go to a foreign country and eat the typical fare, and you’re bound to disgust somebody with your choices. Personally, I find eating to be one of...
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