I had big dreams as a kid. Being an Olympic swimmer would have been ideal. Having the strength to pin my older brother to create a turn of events in our wrestling matches was always a goal. Getting chased by a herd of boys on the playground was a nice thought. And I could never …
Author: laura.m.stoneburner@gmail.com
I’m a writer and photographer who loves old cars, big dogs and trying stuff for the first time. I believe everyone should have a bucket list because life isn’t about working, paying bills and having the latest and greatest. It’s about experiences. Achieving goals. People. Adventures. Travel.
I’ve never dyed my hair, broken a bone, or watched a Star Wars movie, and I don’t plan on doing any of these.
An Italian dish – American Style
When you think Italian, most people picture delicious food. You know… fabulous pasta dishes like you’d order at Olive Garden and Johnny Carino’s! This was the perception I had until a visit to Italy last fall. My sister, even less willing to try new things than me, tried to stick to the “safe” items on …
Public Grooming
It’s amazing what some people do in public. Not amazing as in heroically saving a grandma from getting clobbered by a bus or picking up the tab for the person behind you in the drive-thru. Amazing as in I-can’t-believe-you-just-did-that-and-now-you’re-doing-it-again-please-stop-now kind of amazing. So not really all that amazing. I’m not solely referring to the people …
Winter Driving Lessons
This winter weather seems to bring out the best of the worst drivers in the area. Perhaps you have come across – or got stuck behind – a few bad drivers recently. Maybe you haven’t, in which case you are probably a bad driver, the hottest hot button for 95% of our community. If you …
Embarrassing Parents
Few things are as memorable as how embarrassing your parents used to seem. It used to be mortifying to even be seen with your parents – as if all the other kids grew from a special plant in their backyard. You didn’t want any of your friends to know you had parents! Especially your parents …
Gender nights
Regardless of how significant your significant other may be, it’s still fun (borderline necessary) to go your own way occasionally. Since most couples share the same interests and hobbies – music, sports, friends – it can be tough not to spend 100% of your day with nothing but the bathroom door to temporarily separate you. …
Black Friday Shopping
T’was the night before Black Friday and all through Grandma’s house the men were watching football and the women were endlessly paging through the newspaper advertisements, making lists and devising a plan of attack. Through the usual family chit-chat, my sister and I overheard a mention of the mall near Grandma’s home opening at midnight. …
Get with the program
This will be the first winter in my new home. Although the summer months were pleasant, I have recently developed a substantial fear of the heat bill, which is apparent upon stepping into my 60-degree home. Honestly, I haven’t been this paranoid since my mother allowed me to watch my first “Chucky” movie at age …
The opposite side of trick-or-treating
As a kid, I didn’t think there was any better activity than trick-or-treating on Halloween. I could have been wrong. Since my recently purchased home came with a door and a doorbell, I had my first experience on the other side of trick-or-treating this Halloween. The evening had a demeanor of a comedy show… right on …
Hanging in there…
Today is the folks’ anniversary. After 33 years together, the happy couple is… still together. Yeah, they’re hanging in there. By a thread. A frayed thread with a match lit under it. But although they fail to ever acknowledge it, neither of them could survive very long without the other person. Dad would never get …