Do you bring your spouse to your class reunion?
Daryn's Blog, Marriage

To Spouse Or Not To Spouse. That Is The Class Reunion Question

This was not in the book. Not in the book about marriage. The one with 276 questions you and your intended should ask each other before you say, “I do.” So you really know each other. Your true wishes and desires. How you go about things. Almost like you’ve known each other all your lives. Instead of the months you’ve been dating. Somehow, Husband and I sailed through all the really big stuff. Religion. Politics. Raising kids. It was pretty

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Morning Phone Call Reveals Unexpected Revelation From His 91-Year-Old Father
Daryn's Blog, Family, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn, Love Stories, Parenting

Morning Phone Call Reveals Unexpected Revelation From His 91-Year-Old Father

The call came at 8:45. As it does each morning. Not my phone. My friend, Gene’s. It was his dad. His 91-year-old dad. “We don’t actually say the words out loud,” Gene said, “But it’s his daily, ‘Yes, I’m alive’ call.” Some days the calls are short. Some days longer. Monday was a chatty call. Dad felt like talking. So, Gene shared his story from the night before. How he had splurged. Dug into his family wallet to take his

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My marriage is going nowhere and that makes me so happy.
Daryn's Blog, Marriage

My Marriage Is Going Nowhere And I Couldn’t Be Happier

My marriage is going nowhere. At least, that was the case this weekend. This wasn’t our intention. The plan, rather, Last second, as it was, Was pretty grand. I had seen early Saturday morning that my favorite singer was in town for a concert. The guy you pretend is singing to you. Or, if that is kind of creepy because you’re old enough to be his mother, That you would’ve been the girl he was in love with when you

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CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera and his crew help rescue an elderly couple caught in the floods in Dickinson, Texas.
Good News, Heroes, Kindness, Uplifting Stories

CNN Correspondent Ed Lavandera And Crew Help Rescue Elderly Couple In Texas Floods

CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera is just one of the many reporters, producers and photographers in Texas covering the devastating floods. They are there to do a job. Report the news. And, And, They are human beings first. None finer than the folks who work for CNN. Ed was in the middle of a live shot with anchor Ana Cabrera when they came upon a house with an elderly couple that needed rescuing. There was never a question of what was

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The real reason folks are excited about the solar eclipse has nothing to do with science.
Daryn's Blog, The Hard Stuff

How I Know The Real Excitement About The Solar Eclipse Has Nothing To Do With Science

I finally get all this historic solar eclipse stuff. Not the science part. I’ve understood that for some time. At 1:16 pm EDT on Monday, the moon will butt its way between the sun and Earth. It’s going to make things really dark in the middle of the day across America. Such excitement! The plans and celebration! People are traveling thousands of miles hoping to see a total eclipse. I get it. Though, I don’t believe all this enthusiasm is

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Something heartbreaking is happening behind my daughter's bedroom door.
Daryn's Blog, Family, Kids, Parenting, The Hard Stuff

Something Heartbreaking Is Happening Behind My Daughter’s Bedroom Door

Something unbelievable is happening in my daughter’s bedroom. Behind a closed door. I know what she’s doing in there. Something big. Something heartbreaking. Something totally expected. Daughter is packing for college. I want to run in there 1,425 times an hour. “Have you thought about…?” “Have you considered…?” I stop myself mid-knock outside her door. I’m determined not to be that parent. Have you seen them? There is a special Facebook page for parents of students going to the same

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The question every true dog lover must answer.
Animals, Daryn's Blog, Dogs, Love Stories, Marriage, Pets

The Question Every True Dog Lover Must Answer

Panic set in this week. During a phone call home while I was out of town. A last minute trip I’ll tell you about sometime. For now, this panic was about our “newish” puppy. Because of the last second nature of this trip, I left all the animals in care of my husband. There was a time when this would’ve seemed impossible. This man who didn’t want any pets. This man who has come so far. Early on, he learned

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How lighting candles in a church I don't belong to help me find my way home.
Best Girlfriends Ever, Daryn's Blog, Family, Friendship, Husband's Crazy Frequent Flyer Mile Hobby, Life Lessons Took Me Long Time To Learn, The Hard Stuff, Travel

How Candles In A Church I Don’t Belong To Help Me Find My Way Home

Italy. The answer is Italy. If you caught last week’s column, Dear Reader, you left me stuck on a mountain top in Oman with a husband who was using frequent flyer miles prowess to get us home. “How about Milan?” he piped up as he worked his booking voodoo. He found a beautiful hotel and two first class seats through Dubai into Milan. For pennies, as he’s apt to do. “We can tour the city. We can go to Lake

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Sitting on top of a mountain in Oman is the last place I ever expected to spend my wedding anniversary.
Daryn's Blog, Husband's Crazy Frequent Flyer Mile Hobby, Love Stories, Marriage, Travel

This Is The Last Place I Ever Expected To Spend My Wedding Anniversary

This is the last place I ever imagined I’d spend my wedding anniversary. On top of a mountain. In Oman. Go ahead and look on a map. I had to. We’re talking the other side of the globe. A tiny country bordered by The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Yeah, Yemen. Which my husband insisted we would only end up in if we took a wrong turn. Welcome to the latest travel creation of the man I’ve come

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The best points redemption ever for MilesHusband waited behind this door.
Husband's Crazy Frequent Flyer Mile Hobby, Travel, Uplifting Stories

How MilesHusband’s Biggest Points Redemption Ever Waited Behind This Hotel Door

Points redemption. Two words that give MilesHusband goosies. Basically, it’s the math you do to figure out how much value each point or mile brings you when you cash it in for a flight, a hotel, or heaven forbid, a camera or magazine subscription. And off the top, I have to say, “Thank you, Chase Ultimate Rewards!” as these points made this great story possible. More on how to earn those at the bottom of this post. For now back

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