My elder son, Benjamin, is about to become a new Dad. It’s been a special time watching him assume the mantle of impending fatherhood and it fills me with a great deal of pride to know, beyond any doubt, that he will be an awesome dad. In the spirit of Ben’s impending responsibilities as a New Dad, Darcy Johansan, a freelance writer offered to write  this...

Two fact keep staring me in the face. LE starts high school on Monday. He’s as tall as me. Honestly, have I entered a time warp whereby everything has been fast-forwarded and I am just now getting around to noticing? Woody & Buzz, Where Are You? It seems like yesterday that Justin was that cute little 4 year-old boy toting his Woody the Cowboy and Buzz...

I know that love, like water, always find a way out of even the deepest recess. I know that love is generous and kind, and seeks to express itself in all situations. But because we’re human we’ve learned over thousands of years how to mask it; keep it secret. And for me, that isn’t healthy or wise. Though I realize the highest form of love, as I...

How little can you get by with? I asked myself this question on the weekend while re-engineering the bookcase in my living room and the closet in my bedroom. The answer …‘very little, actually’…wasn’t all that surprising since I’m a minimalist at heart anyway. The title of this post kind of says it all. Implications for Me I live...

Perhaps Bowie said it best after all… “Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes, (Turn and face the strain)” Those who know me, truly know me, are familiar with my fascination with change. Whether it’s changing the living room around or simply changing calendars every other month, change is a habit for me. After all, life is ever changing. every second brings a...

Am I turning into Betty Crocker? Last night I had a craving for brownies.  And I’m a huge fan of rewarding my cravings. The problem?  No brownie mix in the Beach Bungalow. Fire Up the Jeep, Dad! I did just that and moments later discovered that my local Safeway store had a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ deal on Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Brownies! ...