Short Stories

In the early 2000’s my friend Deirdre and I decided to put on a Children’ s Christmas play. We sat in Pastor Rick’s office and told him that we had some great ideas, and not to worry, because we came highly recommended… by each other. But, seriously, trust us! We already had the script and […]

Back in our early years of marriage, Steve always made sure we had the nicest room when we went on vacation. “If possible, we would love an ocean view,” he said to the front desk clerk, while simultaneously gazing adoringly into my eyes.  She smiled at us. Aw, a young couple in love. Thirty minutes

When I was young, I spent a fair amount of time baking in the sun, while covered in oil. Think rotisserie chicken in a bikini. “You’re going to regret it someday,” my mom warned me. But as a teenager with big goals (to be the tannest in all the landest), I didn’t listen. But now,

On July 17, Steve and I headed to the airport for a long-awaited Italian vacation. “I can’t believe we’re ahead of schedule!” Steve said.  I high-fived him. “We rock!”  At 10 am, we arrived at the Norse Airlines ticket counter to pick up our boarding passes. Oh, you haven’t heard of Norse Airlines? It’s like

So there we were at the Oxnard Hilton, in Conference Room B, sitting across from Barry. After we all shook hands, Barry looked us in the eye and said, “I just want you to know this is NOT a timeshare presentation.” Then, he edged closer to us, ready to pounce on his prey. It felt

Do you remember the “horses head in the bed” scene in, The Godfather? The Corleone family did this to send a message. Last week, I needed to send a similar message. We were vacationing with two other couples and unfortunately, one of the couples was not getting along. No need to name names.  All you

Many years ago, I made a deal with the bees. If I save them from drowning, they promise not to sting me. This deal was official and binding, and signed in honey. We were both keeping up our end of the bargain until a month ago. I was swimming laps at my gym, preparing for

Sometimes I forget I’m old. Fortunately, I work with first graders so they remind me of this on a regular basis. Like last week, when I was showing the class a lesson on the overhead, one student raised her hand  and said, “Mrs. O, you want to know something really cool?” Absolutely! She pointed to

You know how baseball players get several months to recover after the regular season, and then they return in the Spring, refreshed and ready to “Play Ball?” That’s what I expect from my Nativity Set. January to November is their off season, which is a generous eleven months. I don’t care what they do during

Back in the 70’s, we were warned about a guy who drove around in a van, and lured unsuspecting children with candy. As a young child, I remember having so many questions.  Candy? Free candy? AND he drives a van? (8-year-old me thought vans were awesome!) Where do I find this guy? Recently, I was