What's Bob Gonna Do, Now That He Can't Drink?

I don't know about you, but I loved the show Parenthood. My friend Trish told me about it and then I binge watched it on Netflix one summer. It's so dramatic, funny, and I think it's basically what everyone wants their family to be: supportive, caring, and consistent. Yeah, it's messy. Relationships are messy, but when you're dealing with family, it's worth the mess.  I find myself thinking even more about family these days. Probably, because my immediate family has changed. I am so happy to be in this new season. It is so wonderful, and I am truly blessed. I was just thinking about the years I got to spend with my niece. I can't describe the love I have for this girl. I love her like my own child. I have since the moment I met her. I was living in Long Beach. Mom and Tena came to visit and show off this cute little baby girl. I instantly fell in love with her. She was little, but round. I was so sad that I missed out on meeting her when she was first b...

It’s gorgeous here. The sky is open and the land is wide. There was a time in my life when I was obsessed with that Dixie Chicks song, “Wide Open Spaces.” At the time I was headed on a new adventure of moving back to California, but this time as an adult. I was going to be away from my immediate family, and I was ready to spread my wings. That’s what you’re supposed to do in your 20s, right? I can remember driving up PV Drive and playing that song, with the hills to the right and the ocean to the left. It was a beautiful life.  Fast forward through some heartache, and a move back to Arkansas, to today. Now I am starting a whole new adventure. Marriage. Not just marriage, but marriage in the country. I grew up all over Southern California, and in Southwest Little Rock. Now I am living in a small town with about 850 other people, most of which were born and raised here, including my husband. He grew up on this land that I currently occupy. He has memories here that amaze m...

I just read my last post and WOW. I wrote that post in May of 2015. That summer I decided that I was going to choose joy, and that  it was, "the summer of Tara." Let me tell you what all I did, and the things that happened.  Before last summer, life got hard around Thanksgiving. My sister decided to move and that meant that my niece would be going with her. I had spent the last couple of years spending as much time with her as possible. I knew it would just be a season, but I really didn't want the time to end. Saying goodbye to her for an undetermined amount of time sent me into a time of deep sadness.  After months of getting used to a new normal, and still missing my girl, my birthday was approaching. I hate my birthday. I don't even know why. I just never have liked it that much. This time I decided it would be great, and I was going to have a great 39th year of life. This was when I decide it would be, "The Summer of Tara." I decided tha...