I left Seattle when I was 12. We packed up the big, oddly-shaped house I'd spent what felt like a lifetime in (it was actually only six years) and put everything in a moving van to speed off to Texas. People talk about how their homes feel empty, like a shell, once all their stuff is ...Continue

When I was in 7th grade I was a really anxious kid.I got my period, I didn't know how to handle it, and I was a little bit "stinky". Combine that with being the only not church-affiliated kid in my VERY churchy school, and most of my days revolved around the silent question, "How am I doing this

In 1987 my uncle gave my family a microwave for Christmas. It was a big microwave, and it was a big deal. At the time, microwaves were not commonplace in every American home. They were just starting to be the pinnacle of convenience in the kitchen. Seeing them in the kitchens at my ...Continue

I have a very clear memory of getting excited about Halloween for the first time. It was the mid '80s, and all my kindergarten friends and I were abuzz over the big Halloween party that would be held after school. There'd be candy and games and art projects and candy. And Mr. G was going to

Hello from my childhood bedroom! I'm writing COTW from my bunk bed while my mom plays Melissa Etheridge on the stereo. I'm in Jersey for the weekend to visit my her (my mom, not Melissa) post-knee-replacement surgery. Of course, this means I cleaned the beauty closet out of Kerastase, bright