10 Diverse Children's Books I Love Our family is diverse in many ways. We are blended, we’re not all blood related, we’re missing some pieces, and we all look different. I do my best to make sure that they confident young ladies who are proud of their differences. For that reason, I think it is important for them to see characters in books that look like them and I’m always[...]

A Lesson About Stories Telling Me Stories... My Grandpa Don is always teaching me something, showing me how to live life better. He doesn’t do that by teaching me lessons, per se,  he does it by telling me stories about his life. His stories span decades that many of us have only read about in history books. Born the year the stock market crashed; he was a Depression baby. To survive[...]

Making A To Do ListI'm Finally Doing It... I'm making a "To-Do" list. I have been putting it off since August;  not sure why because I used to be tied and bound to these lists. Like I literally couldn't function without one. In fact, at the beginning of each school year (I teach high school) I looked forward to buying a brand new notebook where I'd keep said lists. Most[...]

10 African American Literature Must ReadsMy Attitude About Reading...I'm Obsessed, Passionate, Enthusiastic, and Consumed with reading I was excited to take an African American Literature class in college. I couldn't wait to devour the material. Not only obsessed with reading, as a history major I was also obsessed with, well...HISTORY. The class was the perfect combination.  Not what I expected... The professor was an older lady.  When I say older,[...]

1. Everyone can dance, even if it's just a step-tap.  It is RARE that someone new to Zumba doesn't mention how uncoordinated they are or how they can't dance.  Not everyone is has the gift of rhythm but damn near everyone can step tap and that, my friend, can get you through a Zumba class.  2. When you dance, you forget.  I'm for real about this! I have been teaching[...]

TRAGEDY STRIKES-THOUGHTS & REFLECTIONS Five years ago tragedy struck our family… A tragedy that I still can’t comprehend… A tragedy that will never go away… On February 1st, 2014, Korin Lijah Williams, daughter to Keith, step-daughter to me, sister to Kira, and mother to Kayva, and would be Auntie to niece MacKinley, was taken from this world at 18-years-old. As I sit, composing this post, I search for the perfect words,[...]

THE LITTLE TIN BOAT THAT WOULD NOT SINK It Came in Bits and Pieces... My Grandpa's first official story.  A story about high school graduation trip he took with a few friends, a trip to catch a few fish at Yellowstone Lake, a trip that nearly ended in disaster.  A story he told me via text over about a week and a haIf. If you didn't catch the prologue to this story,[...]

 5 Years Ago... Today is the 5 year anniversary of the death of my step-daughter, Korin. This will be a short post, I just really need the opportunity to share a few thoughts, not dwell on the past. The past 5 years have been FULL of challenges and triumphs and although I think we've come to a place in our lives where we can settle into the situation, I cannot[...]

The First Installment... If you read my most recent post, The Time Traveler, you know that I just finished a colored pencil portrait of my 89 year old Grandpa Don.  It was a fantastically rewarding experience. I spent almost 50 hours on the drawing, focusing on every tiny detail of his face and through the process, a back and forth text relationship, which already existed on a small scale, totally flourished[...]

It's finally finished, the most meaningful drawing I've EVER drawn. Drawing portraits has always been my preference and I'm always on the lookout for an interesting face to draw. I'd toyed with the idea of drawing my Grandpa Don in the past but never thought I had the 'right' picture to work from.  Until the day my Grandpa Don sent me his first selfie.  Finally,  I had the PERFECT picture. [...]

Dear Mom, As I stumble through “motherhood” for a second time, I find myself frequently reminiscing about my childhood and reflecting on the person I was, and the person I have become. Motherhood is DIFFICULT and FRUSTRATING and EXHAUSTING and I appreciate your efforts more now than ever. As a parent, I would not have wanted ME as a child. This Mother’s Day, I feel like I should apologize for[...]

  I received a gift mail last week from my Grandpa Don and have to share it with the world. My Grandpa is the most innovative and resourceful person I know. He can build anything. And if he doesn’t have the tools to build it, he’ll make them. His friends and family will tell you that he is…. truly one of a kind, no one in the world compares. The[...]