Currently living/working: October was a mix of travel and settling into that winter routine of unjobbing, aka living without any significant employment (thankfully still making ends meet). ’Tis the time of year where we enjoy uninterrupted blocks of time to tackle random projects, but also get a little restless & lazy! Current mood: I haven’t…
Currently living/working: I’m not sure how many different ways I can explain how an Alaskan summer lasts about as long as a deep breath, yet we all feel pressured to make the most of outside home improvement projects, visitors, adventures and jobs into that time. It’s a relentless pace. Now at August 1, it feels…
In May 1974, my parents purchased a 700-square-foot house for $32,500, and 50 years later on November 18th, 2024, I sold it for 10 times the amount they paid. (Side note—a young couple bought it as their first home. I love that it’s a similar story as my parents’ story. They already made some changes, and we love seeing what they are doing with it!).
Not to be overly dramatic, but I just finished erasing my parents’ lives. This year, I’ve been an archaeologist, archivist, historian, donor, salesperson, recycler and waste management professional. That is what it takes when you clean out a home people have lived in for 50 years.
(1988 Note from Patrice to Mom) Please forgive me for all the times I talked fresh. (1993 Note from Patrice to Mom) I’m sorry I never show how much I love you, but I do love you a lot. Please don’t talk about this note or school anymore because it will make me grouchy. (1994…
I sleep in fits, thinking I hear the floor creaking from my mom walking around. I sleep in the basement, which has its own heating zone so I can drop the temperature down to 60 for prime sleeping conditions. Upstairs, the thermostat is set at 75, the carpeted floor and wood paneling contain 40 years…
There’s a trickle down byproduct of inheritance that people like to avoid thinking about: acquiring someone else’s mountain of stuff. Over the years, I’ve watched in horror as every inch of available space in my mom’s house filled up to its maximum capacity. I figured starting the monumental and daunting task of pairing down was…
Dear Dad, Five years is both an eternity and a blink of an eye. I learned so much going through your death that I thought it would prepare me for others. I learned that proactivity is important. I’ve now realized it may not mean much in the long run. As it turns out you were…
Confession and disclaimer: If you’ve been keeping up on my blog the last month, you probably have noticed I have some heavy thoughts circulating in my mind. It’s hard not to be metacognitive when I have so much time and space while being my mom’s full-time caregiver. I intend to keep sharing, but I’m talking…
Currently living/working: I took a leave of absence from my job … Wait, who am I kidding? I’m a freelancer who makes her own schedule. For the foreseeable future, I’m an unpaid—but much appreciated—caregiver to my mom in NJ. It’s what I dubbed as my limbo life. Meanwhile, Justin is battling the dregs of winter…
You’d think my skin was as thick as Kevlar with as much rejection as I’ve endured over the years in my freelance writing career and book publishing journey. But 2023 ended up being deeply soul-sucking in the ratio of my article pitches to published articles. In an attempt to rationalize (to myself) why I have…
Aging is wild and messy, so as an obsessive introspector (not a word, I know) who always overshares, I like to canonize my birthday through a mini aging journal where I unravel my physical, mental and social state of being. We all know I’m not known for brevity, so here we go … If I’m…
Currently living/working: I think it’s adequate to say Justin and I have established 2 distinct work arrangements according to the season. In summer, our hours of operation are pretty much 6am-8pm with a mix of guiding, airbnbing and a few writing projects squeezed in. We move slower through the winter, but leverage the freer schedule…
This quirky nontraditional life we built for ourselves has a model like no other. Our sources of income are varied, and ever-changing. We’ve worn many different hats over the years, but now that we settled down in Alaska and are homeowners again, we try to keep a steadier stream of income year-round. Summer income consists…
As I celebrated another waltz around the sun this week (yeah 44!), I’m keeping to my annual “birthday reflections” post. Being an external processor means I pretty much verbalize whatever is in my head, so this year’s reflection has to do with women’s health. Specifically, perimenopause (fair warning! long post! TMI!) The average age of…
Dear Dad, We still cry and we still grieve, but admittedly we moved forward in life without you for 3 years now. There are absolutely moments when my voice is full of loss and longing—either triggered by a memory, a dream (I love when you visit me in my dreams), your voice on a voicemail…
Justin & I have been married for 15 years. 15 years??? Holy cannoli. It feels like a milestone, so I thought I’d do a little unpacking of the arc of our relationship. I warned you I’m very reflective in my 40s! As most couples, we started our years wrapped in a blanket of bliss, living…
Guess who wrote this blog post??? JUSTIN! For my 45th birthday, I thought I would write about one the biggest influences in my life … MUSIC! I estimate that I’ve seen around 400 live concerts, with a few bands multiple times. Music is a way for me to escape, to celebrate with friends, to bring people…
43 Augusts ago, I came into this world. My parents said I came out screaming and feisty, which is not unlike me at 43. I am spunky and my indoor voice is around 100 decibels. But I digress. I’ve done a lot of reflecting in the past few years. Way more than I ever have.…
My last grandparent, Nana as we all called her, passed away Saturday, just 5 days short of her 95th birthday. She spent her last years in decline, but she was still pretty sharp until the end. And I have to say she set quite the example for all of her family during the other 90-something…