Today is Ash Wednesday and the first time I’ve gone to church since Paul died, other than his funeral and memorial service and a wedding.…
Ash Wednesday is a fasting day in the Catholic Church. I’ve spent nearly a week preparing my mind for that fact. Current Canon Law states…
Lent is a funny little “season” in modern society. Each year people around the globe begin to talk about what they’ll give up for those…
We adopted Schrodie when she was about eight months old. She’d had a hard life and was certainly not your typical cat, but we didn’t…
I have an affinity for handbags. Mostly vintage bags that have a unique character and flair to them, but I also enjoy modern-day bags when…
I bought an iPod Classic in October because I was feeling down and shiny things normally cheer me up. I had it engraved with the…
I was born in a hospital (not in a barn, as sometimes questioned by my mom, who should really know!) on 21 February 1974. The…
I hear voices in my head most days. I hear these little quips and one-liners; I hear comments and jokes; I hear moans and groans;…
My nephew, Haden, came out to visit so that we could run the Partners in Pain 5K together. We had a fantastically fun weekend! Read…
Paul and I met eight years ago today, on 6 February 2002. It was such a funny and unexpected day. I was meant to be…
It dawned on me today that it’s been nine months since I buried Paul. I just don’t know how that’s possible. I still have trouble…
My new year’s resolution was simple this year, or so I thought. I resolved to find a bit of joy in each day. The idea…
My 2010 resolution was to find a bit of joy every day. Each day, I thought about the things that bring me joy and posted them…
I wrote not long ago about finally getting around to making arrangements for Paul’s headstone. At the time, I was maybe a little sad because…
It was the inaugural “Freeze Your Fanny, Scrabble Showdown, and Burns’ Supper Extravaganza” at the Ryan house! Read the original story here on RyanCentric or go…
Science has proven time and time again that scents are the biggest human memory triggers. Of course, most of us don’t need to read boring…
The last few days have been bitter-sweet for me. I’m trying to move forward with life; trying to continue doing all of the things I…
In the hours and days after Paul died, I received countless emails, Facebook messages, and sympathy cards. Everywhere I went I was bombarded with the…
I spend a lot of time here complaining about things that I find upsetting and frustrating, but there are many things that I find comforting…
I had my first doctor visit of the new year today as a follow-up after becoming quite ill on Christmas day. Sadly, a new year…