We joked that Hogan McSmalls was a baby replacement. My sister had just had a baby. So had a couple of friends. But, he wasn’t, not really. He was much more than that. In 2006, I had a chronic illness that kept me home all the time. Exhausted, in pain, and alone too much, IContinue reading “15 Years of Hogan McSmalls”
Author Archives: Kendra Alvey
Mentally I’m Here
It’s after midnight and I’m on a yellow dog moving slowly down a two-lane highway somewhere in West Texas. Everyone’s asleep except for me, the school bus driver, my coach, and the chaperone. Between the Smiths songs coming through my headphones, I can hear coach and chaperone speaking quietly to each other up front, inContinue reading “Mentally I’m Here”
10 Book Series to Disappear Into Until Further Notice
I have a long history of needing to be distracted. Chronic pain and health issues, anxiety disorder, depression. I’ve dealt with them all in various ways over the years and one thing I’ve learned is that distraction always ALWAYS helps. Yes, we need to work. Yes, we need to volunteer and march and donate andContinue reading “10 Book Series to Disappear Into Until Further Notice”
A Christmas Card
Dear friends and family and strangers on the internet, Happy Merry! I’m a little rusty at holiday card-writing but I’ve been receiving so many lately that I thought I should take a stab at it. Haha, stab. Not so festive a word, is it? Well, except that knives are shiny. And, um, silver. Sometimes. They’reContinue reading “A Christmas Card”
I SAW A REAL BUNNY: A Weekend Without My Phone
I think the bunny came around the forty hour mark. So, I was pretty unplugged by then. That might account for my level of excitement when Tim pointed out the tiny creature in the yard. But, I think it was more that I’d never seen a bunny in the wild. Well, except for jack rabbitsContinue reading “I SAW A REAL BUNNY: A Weekend Without My Phone”
MEGA-SIZED BATH BOMBS: A TALE OF STRESS
So, I was in the bathtub doing a little self-care (gigantic “crystal power” bath bomb, a glass of Chardonnay and the August issue of In Style magazine with Serena Williams on the cover) when I realized I was good and truly stressed out. Like, epically stressed out. Sometimes I don’t know until my body tellsContinue reading “MEGA-SIZED BATH BOMBS: A TALE OF STRESS”
Hogie Yells and Eats Stuff
Well, as of yesterday, we’ve officially had the pleasure of Hogan McSmall’s company for nine years. I instagrammed a pic from when we first brought him home and it’s the first time in my entire life I’ve felt compelled to use the #blessed hashtag. (Don’t worry, I didn’t actually do it. I’m not that mushy.)Continue reading “Hogie Yells and Eats Stuff”
Hogies and Tigers and Dalmatians Oh My
Today is National Dog Day, which for our little family is sort-of like, well, any given Wednesday. At breakfast I asked Tim what we should do for Hogie and he shrugged. The dog already gets all the treats, all the toys and all the love but it’s a fair exchange because he gives us allContinue reading “Hogies and Tigers and Dalmatians Oh My”
Books, Ginger Ale & SO Much Star Wars
I was sick this weekend. Some sort of mild stomach bug that was really more of an annoyance than anything. Because I didn’t want to give it to anyone and I wanted to kick it fast, I stayed in all weekend, lounging on the couch like Jabba the Hut. Oh man, I just pictured Jabba theContinue reading “Books, Ginger Ale & SO Much Star Wars”
Breakfast Wars
My 6-year-old nephew is obsessed with two things: Star Wars and pancakes. He is also constantly asking “What if” questions. “Auntie Kendra, what if Hogie turned into a piece of toast?” “Uncle Tim, what if you turned into a really mean zombie?” So I guess it’s not that weird that over chocolate chip pancakes yesterdayContinue reading “Breakfast Wars”