If We Were Catching Up Over Coffee...

If We Were Catching Up Over Coffee...

Monday, October 30, 2023

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If we were catching up over coffee, I'd probably still be drinking an iced coffee, even though it's finally gotten chilly. I thiiink I might be one of those people who drinks iced coffee year-round now?
 
If we were catching up over coffee, I probably wouldn't seem as outgoing or chipper as I usually do. I would only go into it if you asked, though, and even then, with caution. I recently deleted my social media apps for a bit because the Israel/Gaza war has been weighing so heavily on me. Things feel really bad right now, and I'm scared, and it's affecting literally everything.
 

 
If we were catching up over coffee, you might ask me how the adoption process is going, and I'd do my best to update you without inundating you. It's long and slow and arduous and honestly kind of heart-breaking because we just want to be able to become parents but can't rush the process. We are in with two adoption agencies and applying to a few others, and we're just trying to continue to believe that it will happen when the time is right.
  
If we were catching up over coffee, I'd try to change the topic by telling you about some of the fun things I've been up to lately. I saw both The Jonas Brothers and The Eagles recently (I am a woman of many interests!), and I "graduated" from my boxing program but am still going to classes. One of my best friends recently moved down the street, and I also just went to a two-day work retreat, where I got to see my remote colleagues in person. 
  

  
If we were catching up over coffee, I might nervously reveal to you that I have been struggling with body image and self-esteem lately, which is, I guess, nothing new, but that doesn't mean it's not still difficult to deal with. I've gained a little more weight, yet again, and I just can't seem to stick to any sort of healthy eating regimen or shake the extra weight even when I do. (Halloween candy isn't helping.)
 
If we were catching up over coffee, I'd tell you about how I convinced Mike that we should go as Harry and Marv from Home Alone for Halloween. Though he initially felt that I was doing too much in the pursuit of the perfect costumes, I feel that you can never do enough when it comes to Halloween. People really enjoyed our costumes and most importantly, we loved them, which made for a very fun holiday party with friends.
  


If we were catching up over coffee, I'd tell you that I miss blogging and that I worry that I'm never really coming back to this space. I want to, I mean to, I intend to, but then it always falls by the wayside. I wrote all day every day for my job, and I've been doing a ton of freelance writing, and I'm so grateful for all of it, but it means I don't want to keep sitting at a computer and writing when the day is done.

Speaking of writing, if we were catching up over coffee, I might have to leave early to go work on some freelance projects. I'd share how lucky I feel to be overwhelmed with the work, which is something I literally attempted to manifest (do I believe in manifesting? I dunno), but now here it is... overwhelming and overloading me on a regular basis. What a blessing! What a stressor!
 
Relatedly, did I write this blog post instead of meeting two fast-approaching deadlines? Yes. Yes, I sure did.
  
Guess that's the end of this coffee date. How are you?

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Taylor Swift by Candlelight & Other Adventures (CLE Weekends, Pt. 4)

Taylor Swift by Candlelight & Other Adventures (CLE Weekends, Pt. 4)

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

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We'd been so busy moving into our own house that I hadn't been to my mom's for a few months! On Thursday, I headed to Cuyahoga Falls to hang out with Joyce for a bit so we could watch Station 19 & Grey's Anatomy together, & I stayed through Saturday morning, working from her place. 

We were also blessed, finally, with some warm weather. It was over 70 degrees on Saturday, which felt downright tropical after all the snow we've had this year. I never think I suffer from seasonal affective disorder until the sun finally comes out & it feels like a mental fog has been lifted. 

Here's what the weekend held, aside from bad TV & a break from winter weather.

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My Judaism is Complicated These Days

My Judaism is Complicated These Days

Sunday, October 10, 2021

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The High Holidays have come & gone, & I feel weird.

This marked the first time in 14 years that I haven't worked for a Jewish organization during this season — not since college.

When you work for a Jewish organization, you have off for every Jewish holiday (& there are a lot of Jewish holidays). You always know exactly when the holidays are coming. You prepare for the holidays through the work you do & the conversations you have. Your out-of-office message during the holidays references the holidays: "Our offices are closed in observance of Rosh HaShanah. L'shanah tovah!"

When you do not work for a Jewish organization, I am finding, the holidays sneak up on you. 

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A Few (OK, Many) Words on the Christianization of the Bachelor Franchise

A Few (OK, Many) Words on the Christianization of the Bachelor Franchise

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

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First things first, I was gonna write all this up into a nice packaged piece to submit to Alma, one of my favorite Jewish websites... but somebody else did it first. See "Is The Bachelor Just a Christian Dating Show Now?" by Emily Burack, the smart & insightful gal who beat me to the punch. 

After having a few conversations in a few Bachelor-related Facebook groups (Dear God, I am embarrassing), I realized that I've written enough words in there that I might as well put them into a piece to be shared here. I don't need to send my piece off to a publication if I've got a "publish" button right here! 

SO. Let's get to it.

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How I Observed the Jewish New Year from Home

How I Observed the Jewish New Year from Home

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

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Like everything else about 2020, this year's Jewish High Holidays look considerably different than in years past. Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish new year, was observed last Friday/Saturday, & while I would typically have spent the day in synagogue, this year I, like millions of Jews worldwide, had to get a little creative.

My day job working with ReformJudaism.org means I have a lot of easy access to & knowledge of Jewish resources – finding synagogues, figuring out which prayers to recite, identifying tasty recipes. Leaning on some of the content I've recently created or helped promote for work, Mike & I cobbled together a really nice little new year's celebration for ourselves. Here's what it entailed. 

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I Have Hobbies Now

I Have Hobbies Now

Monday, June 22, 2020

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Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, if you'd asked me what my hobbies were, I would've said reading & writing; I would've said that I don't have any other hobbies. But you know what I haven't done much of of under quarantine? Reading or writing. 

I've read just five books since this began, but four were reread on audiobook, which doesn't seem to count? My lack of writing speaks for itself, too, evidenced by the minimal posts seen here as of late.

Instead, I've been... you know, trying other stuff. I've been working a lot, & while I feel extremely fortunate to be employed, I've been working so much that I don't want to spend any of my free time in front of a screen if I don't have to.

Here's what I've been up to instead.

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Passover Under Quarantine: How We Got Creative with Our Seder

Passover Under Quarantine: How We Got Creative with Our Seder

Monday, April 20, 2020

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I work for a Jewish organization & very much identify with my Judaism, but I am not always what you might call a "practicing Jew." I don't belong to a synagogue, I don't observe all the holidays, I rarely observe Shabbat. I've always eaten bacon, & I rarely fast when it comes time for the holidays that call for it.

But I love Mike's & my annual tradition of holding a small Passover seder at home, just the two of us. I love the seder plate he bought me a few years ago. I love remembering the time we ended up going out for Thai food because I couldn't scrap together a Passover dinner. I love trying.

This year, I felt like I needed Passover more than ever – so even though it was, in fact, more difficult than ever to observe it, I knew I wanted to. I couldn't go out to acquire most of the items the holiday requires... so I knew I had to get creative.

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Learning to Cook Under Quarantine: 9 Things I've Made Recently

Learning to Cook Under Quarantine: 9 Things I've Made Recently

Sunday, April 12, 2020

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What are you up to under quarantine? I know we're all sick of being asked that, but I, for one, am a little surprised how I've been spending my time: I haven't been reading. I've barely been watching TV. I've been working & playing Words with Friends. And in between, I've been cooking.

I've never enjoyed cooking, & for the most part, I never needed to do much of it. Mike cooks at home, & we live in a restaurant-heavy area so until now, I got by on eating what he makes, going out, & ordering in.

But we're not going out or ordering in right now, & Mike can't be expected to do all the cooking under quarantine - so here I am, learning to cook, & feeling surprisingly enthusiastic about it.

Here are a few of the best things I've made lately, including links to recipes & behind-the-scenes tips where applicable. Tell me: Whatcha makin'?

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I Was Supposed to Be in Israel Right Now, But...

I Was Supposed to Be in Israel Right Now, But...

Sunday, March 22, 2020

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Mike & I were supposed to go to Israel on March 19th. Did I tell you that? Well, we were. Following a surprisingly rigorous application & interview process, we were absolutely thrilled to be selected as participants on a Honeymoon Israel trip with a bus full of other couples from Cleveland.

We were scheduled to spend 10 days in Israel – 10 whole days of shuk shopping, camel riding, history learning, Goldstar drinking, Masada climbing, falafel eating, & friend making in the Holy Land.

And then coronavirus started to spread.

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Just 3 Small Goals for September: Wiping the Slate Clean

Just 3 Small Goals for September: Wiping the Slate Clean

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

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I'm going totally rogue this month. First, I admitted to you that I read a whopping zero books in August, & now I'm admitting that I accomplished basically none of my monthly goals - for the second month in a row. Instead of listing them here & explaining myself & feeling bad, though, I'm just going to set some new ones & move forward.

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14 Hebrew & Yiddish Terms I Use a Lot - & One I Can't Stand

14 Hebrew & Yiddish Terms I Use a Lot - & One I Can't Stand

Thursday, August 16, 2018

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My maternal grandfather's mother, Katie, for whom I'm named, spoke very little English. She immigrated to the U.S. from Poland before World War II, & as my mom tells it, she never quite got the hang of English. She spoke Yiddish almost exclusively.

Because my grandparents lived in a very not-Jewish area of the U.S. (that'd be Lima, OH) during a time when American Jews were trying to blend in, I never heard much Yiddish out of them - even though I'm told that my grandfather & his two sisters spoke it fairly well. My mom knows & uses a few stray phrases that I've picked up since childhood. Eleven years ago (!), I started working at a Jewish nonprofit, & since then, my Hebrew/Yiddish vocabulary has expanded.

Here are a few of the phrases I use on the regular - & one I hope you won't.

1. Oy (Ugh)

Everybody's familiar with the term "Oy vey," but my mom doesn't say that nearly as much as she says "Oy" alone. It's pronounced less like "Oy" & more like a very fast "Aaaii," a sort of guttural, Yiddishe sound that's impossible to write out. Whenever Joyce says "oy," I know something is going on. Either she's peeved or annoyed or in disbelief or has some opinions to share.

2. Mazal tov (Congratulations)

This is my default congratulatory greeting, though I find myself saying it to everyone, including people who aren't Jewish. Most people know what it means, but non-Jews are always a little confused to hear it (like the time my friends got engaged & I said "Mazal tov!" to their very Catholic parents). Pull a will.i.am & embrace it, goyishe friends!

3. Schlep (Lug)

Moving? So much to schlep to the new place! Carrying all your worldly possessions on the subway because you've got happy hour & the gym after work? You're schlepping a lot of stuff. Mom's making you carry her bags while you shop together? You're thinking, "Schlep your own shit, lady." (Don't say that to your mom, though. Love you, Joyce.)

5. Shvitz (Sweat)

As the world's self-proclaimed sweatiest human, I've passed the point of feeling like this word describes me. To me, shvitz is the flop-sweat that creeps in when you're nervous about something, or it's when you're just starting to glisten. But I am usually sweating like a whore in church, to mix some religious metaphors, so I'm typically far beyond shvitzing.

6. Kavod (Honor/Glory)

This word has a few translations & can be used in a lot of ways. The most common is "Kol ha'kavod," or literally "All the honor," which you might say to someone who has completed a difficult task, put on a great performance, gotten into a great college, etc. I usually use kavod in the middle of English sentences, though, like, "That project was actually my coworker's idea, so she deserves the kavod for it."

7. Shanda (Shame/Embarrassment)

No, not the one who created Grey's Anatomy & other such pop culture gems - though some people might consider it a shanda that I still watch & love that show. A common phrase is "a shanda fur die goy," which means something like "An embarrassment to the Jews,"

8. Schmutz (Dirt)

I am most commonly found saying this one to my husband, i.e. "Your shirt is covered in cat fur & you've got schmutz in your beard."

9. Balagan (Mess)

This isn't the sort of mess you might find in an unkempt home; it's the kind of mess that applies to a situation, especially one that has escalated - like when a work project has gotten out of hand or a gossipy game of telephone has resulted in serious issues. "What a balagan," you mutter, shaking your head & stepping away quietly.

10. Mishegas (Craziness)

Similar to a balagan, yes, but lightly different. Chris Matthews once referred to "fake news" as mishegas, & actually, the word probably nicely applies to the entirety of the Trump administration (though the Russia stuff is becoming a real balagan). The Yiddish word for a crazy person is "meshugga," which perfectly describes our Cheeto in Chief, too.

11. Mensch (Good person)

Here's one that doesn't describe the leader of the free world - though I would still use it to describe his predecessor. A mensch is anyone out there doing good, whether they're fighting for a better world or just walking a little old lady across the street. The word for doing such acts of good is menschlichkeit. 

12. Shmatte (Rag)

This is literally the word for, like, what you'd use to mop of a spill, but it's also more commonly used, today, to refer to clothing. The Olsen twins are a perfect example of celebs who were expensive dresses that always look like shmattes. And basically, I aspire to dress only in black shmattes so that I can someday achieve my dream of dressing like a crazy old bag lady.

13. Tchotchkes (Knick-knacks)

This is another one you probably know, but you've probably been spelling it wrong. In Savannah last fall for my bachelorette party, my friends & I stopped into a crowded store that I described as being "full of fun tchotchkes." My friend Elise, who I don't see often in person, responded, "You still use that word, huh?" to which I answered, "Well, I'm still Jewish."

14. Hock me a cheynik (To bother or nag)

There's a fun story to go with this one: This is the only Yiddish phrase my mom really said when I was growing up, but I didn't know it was Yiddish. I always thought she was saying, "Don't hock me to China about it," meaning "Don't nag me." I said it back to her one day, & I will never forget the look on her face as she realized what I was saying - & what I'd thought the phrase really was, all these years.

Bonus: And one phrase not to say...

It has been my experience that, upon learning I'm Jewish, a number of people have responded with "Shalom!" I cannot eye-roll hard enough at this.

Look, I get it. Shalom, which means hello, goodbye, & peace, is, like, the primary Hebrew word that most American non-Jews know. And that's cool. But to just shout "Shalom!" at a person when you learn that they're a Jew is the equivalent to yelling "Arigato!" at a Japanese person or "Hola!" at a Hispanic person. It's sort of stupid, it's not endearing, & it's vaguely racist, to boot.

What's your ethnicity? Do you use any non-English words in your everyday life? Do you use any of these?! 

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Our Wedding Day: The Ketubah-Signing Ceremony

Our Wedding Day: The Ketubah-Signing Ceremony

Friday, June 22, 2018

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Our wedding ceremony began at 4:30pm because, for whatever reason, my mother insisted that it was good luck to start on the half-hour. Before the ceremony itself, though, we had our ketubah-signing ceremony, which began at 4pm in a private room in the wedding venue. It was attended by only our parents, our rabbi, & our bridal party, along with a couple other relatives.

What's a ketubah, you ask? 

A ketubah is the Jewish wedding contract, signed by the couple, their rabbi, & two Jewish witnesses. Because we're an interfaith couple & our Jewish friends are all originally my friends, our rabbi suggested that we actually have four friends sign the ketubah - two of my Jewish friends, & two of Mike's friends, who aren't Jewish. That way, it felt truly representative of our love & our friendships & the balance of our relationship.

The bridal party arrived at the wedding venue on a converted school bus, listening to "The Finaal Countdown" the whole ride there. We took a few quick photos at this gorgeous orange wall next door, then headed into the venue for the evening to officially begin.

Our rabbi was my friend & colleague, Rabbi Michael Namath, who hired me for my first job at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism back in 2007. It was such an honor to have Michael officiate our ceremony - & then join in the fun as a regular old guest. This rav's got some killer dance moves!

He started out the ketubah ceremony by explaining it to everyone in the room & by having Mike & me sign our (non-Jewish) marriage certificate - the one issued by the State of Ohio.

Then, Michael led us in the ketubah ceremony itself.

It included readings from him, from Mike & me, & from each of our parents. I am so grateful that Mike's parents, who are Catholic, were willing to participate in our Jewish ceremony in this way. It meant a lot to us to have everyone in one room, taking a few deep breaths together before moving into the full wedding ceremony & reception.

And then came the signing. Mike & I both signed, & then Michael invited up our witnesses up. 

Mike chose his best men, Kevin & Jeremy, with whom he attended Catholic school; this was definitely their first time signing a ketubah!

My witnesses were my friend Rebecca, who was my only Jewish bridesmaid, & my friend Cara, who I first met in 2007 at the same job where I met Michael (& Rebecca, actually - can you tell I got along well with my coworkers at that job?!) The rest of our bridal party was on hand to watch & to celebrate with us.

After we'd all signed the ketubah, there was a lot of hugging & celebrating... & Michael announced that Mike & I were officially married! 

No matter what came next during the ceremony, he said, we were already married in the eyes of Judaism & the law. It was such a relief to hear that; it actually took away a ton of my anxiety as we prepared to walk down the aisle.

I am overwhelmed by the emotion in these sweet, intimate photos of Mike & me & our parents. You can just see so much love & happiness in our faces.

This ceremony was the perfect start to the day, & now our gorgeous ketubah hangs in our living room as an original piece of art that reminds us of our big day & our enduring love - of each other and our city!

To be continued...

All photos copyright The Oberports, our wonderful wedding photographers based out of Charleston, WV. 

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Gotta Get Down on Fryday (Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun)

Gotta Get Down on Fryday (Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun)

Sunday, February 25, 2018

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You get the title reference right? Right? Mike & my mom & I went to a fish fry on Friday, & they both got reaaaal mad at me for reminding them that this song exists. (P.S., Rebecca Black just came out with a new album.)

The cause for celebration was the fish fry itself. It's the (other) most wonderful time of the year!

As an American Jew, I've never much liked Easter season. Frankly, if you're not a Christian, there's not much to celebrate. I'm not big on Jesus, & Easter doesn't have the same cozy, celebratory secular vibes that the Christmas season gives off. Instead, I've always found myself waiting for spring to end so I can stop hearing about Easter.

But then I moved to Cleveland & discovered Lenten fish frys, & now Easter is truly a time of celebration - or at least, the season leading up to it is. (By the way, The Plain Dealer says "frys" is the proper spelling in this case. I feel weird about it.)

I'd never been to a fish fry before moving here, but now I'm hooked - & I've finally gotten my Yiddishe mama hooked, too. 

There are fish frys all over the Cleveland area, so many that you could never hit them all up over the course of Lent. Some are more popular than others, but it seems like most people pick the fish frys closest to them (or at their own church, if they attend one). 

We don't belong to a church (Jew & atheist here), but we do feel a strange fondness toward Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in our neighborhood. We've been there for the Greek Festival & for holiday markets, so last year, when we were trying to figure out where to attend our first fish fry, it made sense to hit up theirs. 

We liked it so much that we've never gone to any others. 

The fish fry takes place in the church basement - or ballroom, I guess, as there's a dance floor & a stage & a full bar. The servers are all little old Greek women with heavy accents; their grandkids help you carry your food to the table.

And man, it's a lot of food.

For $10, you get three huge pieces of fried whitefish, fries, coleslaw, & two hushpuppies (they have baked fish options, too, but who's getting those?) Add-ons cost extra: a side of mac & cheese is $3, baklava is $2, a bottle of water is $1... & did I mention the pierogis? The $8 pierogi platter comes with four very dense pierogis smothered in onions, with sour cream on the side.

I don't even like fish, but this food is so good.

This time around, my mom, Mike, & I split two fried fish platters & two pierogi platters. Yeah, it was... an accidental feast. We ate as much as we could, but since Mike & I have cut down on carbs, we've gotten, well, less adept as consuming mass quantities of carbs. We left feeling stuffed to the brim, to-go boxes in hand. 

I've been poring through local fish fry guides to figure out where we should go next, but if I'm being honest? Well, all I want is to keep going back to Annunciation, alllll Lent long.

So tell me: Have you ever been to a fish fry? Are they "a thing" where you live, or does this seem bizarrely Midwestern to you? 

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"Me, Too": A Movement to Bring Sexual Assault to Light

"Me, Too": A Movement to Bring Sexual Assault to Light

Saturday, October 21, 2017

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It took me a long time to say, "Me, too." 

Wait, let me back up. The "Me, too" movement overwhelmed Facebook feeds this week, spurred by widespread allegations of director Harvey Weinstein's sexual assaults on many of the women with whom he has worked. On Sunday evening, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, "If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too." as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem."

And yet, as I watched other women's "Me, too" posts go live - as I read, with dread in my stomach and devastation in my heart, of all the terrible thngs that have happened to them - I still didn't post my own.

Why? Because I am not comfortable discussing my own stories of sexual assault, and I don't want to feel pressured into doing so. For all the stories that I, as a writer, tell in real life and on the Internet, there are some that just don't feel right, yet, to speak aloud.

And that's OK. I don't have to; you don't have to. No one has to.

Keep reading on ReformJudaism.org.

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A Collective Apology for Millennial Jews on Yom Kippur

A Collective Apology for Millennial Jews on Yom Kippur

Saturday, September 30, 2017

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Yom Kippur is coming, and as if we don’t already feel plenty guilty during the rest of the year (we’re Jews, after all), this is the annual holiday when our communal guilt is amplified and on full display. 

Jewish tradition offers a prayer called the Ashamnu, a literal ABCs of all our sins throughout the past year. The Hebrew word Ashamnu means “we have trespassed” or “we are guilty,” and on Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, congregations say this prayer aloud together as we ask for forgiveness. Why recite an alphabetical listing of our sins as a group? Because Judaism teaches that none of us is solely responsible for such major trespasses. (I think the alphabetical thing is just for show.)

I’ve always found the Ashamnu to be one of the most powerful elements of the holiday, but I don’t necessarily relate to the vague sins outlined in the prayer, e.g., “We have been stiff-necked, we have acted wickedly, we have dealt corruptly.” Hey, Jewish tradition: Can we get a little bit more specific, please? I appreciate the idea of the prayer, but I’ve always wanted to drill down a little bit further. If I’m going to repent, I’m going to repent fully!

Keep reading on HeyAlma.com

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Happy 10 Years of Blogging - & More - to Me!

Happy 10 Years of Blogging - & More - to Me!

Thursday, August 24, 2017

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This week marks four very important 10-year anniversaries in my personal life - like, big ones. And they're all related. Bear with me for a sec, will ya?

Ten years ago this week, I graduated from college. 

It took me two schools & five years, but I made it, graduating the summer of my super-senior year with a bachelors of science in news journalism. The top of my cap read "THANKS, MOM."

Ten years ago this week, I left Ohio for the first time & moved to Washington, D.C. 

I'd lived there for a few weeks the summer before, solidifying my interest in moving there after graduation. And, OK, I actually moved into a room in a condo in Maryland with an hour-and-a-half-long commute into Dupont Circle, but it barely mattered. I was overjoyed to be in a big city, to feel free, to feel like an adult. I planned for D.C. to be a stepping-stone city on my ultimate path to NYC.

Ten years ago this week, I started working at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

It was a crazy job for me to have taken - for me to have been hired for - given that I didn't know a single thing about politics or even about Judaism. And yet, there I was, one of six recent college grads chosen for a prestigious one-year fellowship at a social action nonprofit in the heart of D.C., sitting in meetings on legislative policy & lobbying Congress on behalf of one million Reform Jews - with some of the best people I've ever met. The six of us became fast friends, & they remain some of my favorite people in the entire world.

And 10 years ago today, I started this blog right here.

Sure, it was originally called Suburban Sweetheart, a name that garnered me laughs from GoDaddy because it sounded so much like a porn site. Oops. I started it on a whim, knowing not a damn thing about blogging, because I wanted to be able to share my city stories more broadly than just posting them to my Myspace page. No really: My first post here was crossposted from Myspace.

All these things... they're related, really. Imagine: Within the span of a week, I wrapped up my existing life - finished my internship & graduated from college - & then moved to a big city on the East Coast to start my first adult job & meet an entirely new set of people.

They changed my life, all of them. The place, the people... they made me. When I first left Ohio, I planned to return, like, immediately. My D.C. job was a one-year fellowship, nothing permanent, & I I planned to move back to Ohio when it was over - to find an apartment in Cleveland & maybe try to work for Cleveland Magazine, where I'd interned before commencement. I was going to be a journalist in Ohio, obviously; this D.C. thing was just a quick detour on the path.

Except it wasn't.

It wasn't a detour; it was everything.

Here I am, a decade later, working for the same place, friends with many of the same people. Of course, so many of the details have changed: I did come back to Cleveland, albeit with a number of detours along the way. I spent four years in D.C., plus a year & a half apiece in New Hampshire & New Jersey. I briefly left my job for one I hated, & then I was hired back to my old one. I've lived in more apartments than I can count. I've been published - in a book & in The Washington Post, even! I've made new friends & lost old friends & fallen in love & out of love & in a better love. I turned 30 & lived with my mom again & settled into life in Cleveland & planned a wedding, and, and, and.

As with every life, there is just so much to tell.

And tell it I have.

In the 10 years that I've been writing here, I have published 1,140 blog posts in this space. Before I started blogging, I was, well, blogging. It just wasn't called that yet. I wrote on Xanga sites & a Myspace journal & in Facebook notes & in dozens upon dozens of old-school paper diaries. When I started blogging here, well, it felt like coming home - just like my move to D.C. did, like my job at the RAC did, like the life that I started when I started writing here did.

Life is very different these days, but it's also very much the same. Through it all, this blog has continued to serve as a sacred space for me to document & share my life - as much for & with you as for & with myself. Blogging may be dead, or so says the Internet, but my blog isn't. I have no plans to give it up any time soon.

Thanks for sticking around, friends. You make this space feel pretty darn worth-it - even after a whole freaking decade.

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