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Half a Decade in

I’m currently on my way to NYC for a UAlbany event, but rather than think about what’s on the agenda for the day ahead, I’m reflecting on the past five years I’ve been living in – and loving – New York State. 

When I first moved to Albany in June 2011, blog readers told me to “enjoy Troy”, and local restaurants and coffee shops and parks, and take advantage of nearby cities via day trips, and…

ICYMI: The "Internet Webs" (thanks, Chewbacca Mom) has been a goldmine.

Good afternoon! Your lunch break just got better with these blasts from the past: https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAllstarzDjss%2Fvideos%2F991786930875962%2F&show_text=0&width=560 You’re welcome!

UAlbany has been a big part of my 30’s (and 40’s, apparently.)

“Given all of the factors that play into your current physical state, plus the family health history you’ve shared today, you’re 32 years old, but you feel 44.”

As she said this to me, the fitness trainer didn’t know I was imagining a big birthday party — the one I’ve been planning to throw for myself when I turn 43, the age my dad…

I still get anxious thinking about it.

Ironically, the wife in the viral story’s name is Stephanie, too. Good times. An important part of this story is that I haven’t thrown up since 1997, which explains a lot. The story of a dad’s frantic texts to his wife during their toddler’s barfing episode in the car has quickly gone viral, and honestly, the story has served as a form of psychological treatment for me. Parents have now been…

The resurrection of “My Boo” is well appreciated

Every once in awhile, I’m reminded of why I love social media.

I could’ve sworn I overheard “My Boo” by Ghost Town DJ’s blasting through someone’s headphones as I walked near the Small Fountain on UAlbany’s Academic Podium one day last week. I had to seek out the truth, and once I discovered the source, nearly collided with him head on because I was so excited I nearly lost all control of my…

Originally posted on Linked In April 21, 2016

Cody will be my fifth family member to graduate from Marshall University in Huntington, W.V. this May. Five Marshall grads in the span of just 10 years, and counting (a sixth is working toward graduation in 2018).

Why Marshall?

College graduates will often reflecton their student years as an experience that was “life changing,” “a turning point,”…

My top five: Prince

Today can just end now, because with two of my favorite pop icons from childhood passing within the last 24 hours, I’m over April 21, 2016 already. Yes, I was a Chyna fan back in the day, and when I was growing up, then-WWF was always on the television every single Monday night. So, there’s that.

But then, there’s Prince. And while I haven’t kept track of Chyna (I’ve moved past wrestling and what…

How the ___ did I get here?

My mom & I, 2006 Marshall University Commencement

This past Saturday, I managed social media and video, and took photos, at the annual UAlbany Alumni Excellence Awards gala. Going into my third year at the Alumni Association, this event is no longer “new”; however, the interactions I have with people always are, and you never, ever know what is going to be said during recipients’ remarks (this…

A couple years ago, I found myself waiting in the Dunkin’ Donuts line behind an SUV with a WVU emblem stuck on the back and a Mountaineer license plate frame bordering New York State tags. Though I’m a Marshall girl, I couldn’t help but notice – and smile – and think, hey, this is comforting. Like, home. My people are here. My peeps. That know all about I-79, the proximity of Pittsburgh to…

What “Making a Murderer” has done for me

It was only a matter of time before I got sucked in to the world of Netflix for the sole purpose of watching “Making a Murderer.” I CANNOT HANDLE IT (and this is how I feel after just 4 episodes.)

Spoiler-ish content ahead. 

I watch it before bed. Then, I can’t get to sleep. I feel paranoid. I feel confused. I get back up in the middle of the night and make sure all of the doors are locked,…

Life as Wile E. Coyote

 One of the most enjoyable things about being a relatively new parent (Jay’s a Toddler now, but every day is a brand new, fun, albeit downright terrifying experience) is re-living the things I loved most as a child. I’ve taken water color painting to a whole new level, I’ve rekindled an old romance with Little Golden Books, and then, of course, there’s the TV.

Like most kids, Jay’s into Mickey…

It's about to snow, and I'm about to get cozy with a dutch oven.

That 70 degree+ Christmas Eve was just too damn freaky, and thank goodness Santa brought me a stock pot, dutch oven and snow boots because things are about to get real. And I ain’t even talking about tomorrow’s forecast – I’m predicting the next few months (snow in upstate NY, I’m a fortune teller!)

Seriously, this weather has been too good to be true, and so is the new sewing machine from mom,…

I’m obsessed with food in fast-forward

Just when I’ve weaned myself off the always entertaining but time-sucking, mindless Buzzfeed, Tasty videos start rolling through my social media newsfeeds as frequently as anti-Obama posts. Have you seen them? The Tasty videos, I mean. 

Things of beauty. Or, more than that. It’s like cooking heaven for busy, on-again-in-the-kitchen-off-again-in-the-kitchen folks like myself who struggle with…

The trials & tribulations of a Taco Bell lover

When I was in college, my car could pretty much drive itself to the Taco Bell up the street from my apartment. Back then, I liked my orders plain and boring – chicken or beef tacos, a side order of nachos, and a Sierra Mist. Satisfying, cheap, and I would be lying if I didn’t say, “fun.” It was perfectly acceptable to eat Taco Bell as a college student.

I’m 14 years older and not much has…

Lighting up a memory

I felt like a small child last Friday night, and Capital Holiday Lights in the Park had everything to do with it.

Unbelievably, we’re rolling up on year 5 of living in the Capital District, yet I’d never experienced Washington Park’s annual display. I knew about it right from the start, but wasn’t quite as intrigued as I am now – with a child, who understands that bright, twinkling lights are…

Focus on the Coke Bottles

I stood in the kitchen, frying potatoes as NBC switched to live coverage of the California Shooting standoff. The boys (kiddo, husband) were playing their “Big Bad Wolf” hiding game in another part of the house. Toddler giggles and panicked journalists filled my ears, but one was louder than the other.

I turned that s— to the Hallmark Channel, and muted it so I could hear Jay’s belly laughs from…

“Stay away from the scary!”

We went on a family trip to the Halloween Spirit store this past weekend, and my toddler immediately took a liking to the scary pop-up monsters that operate with a press of a button on the wall or the floor. He couldn’t resist setting them off continuously, and the more sudden and louder the decorations were, the better. I left him with his equally Halloween-loving father, and went in search of…