Twas the night before the night before Christmas, and my children were nestled all snug in my bed while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. Well not sugar plums, likely Skittles. And not beds, but bed. But you get the idea. Two nights ago I was in the middle of my giant king-sized…
What Do *I* Know About Love?
Our family lit the advent candles at church this morning, and in a perfect representation of our life right now, the whole thing was a little messy. Perhaps the most funny thing is that I couldn't even operate the lighter - the culmination of a week of messiness. A week of frustrating Christmas picture attempts,…
A Lot Better Than OK
I have a favorite bakery. That bakery isn’t my favorite just because of the awesome pastries and donuts and petit fours, it’s also my favorite because of the group of women that work there. I often see them on my way to work when I stop in to get a bagel, and we chit chat…
Girl Trees and Pruning
One of my favorite things about my house is the big perfectly full tree in my front yard. I know it sounds odd, especially coming from someone who is allergic to most outside things, but I am attached to my tree. She is simply beautiful and she makes me smile every time I look at…
Embrace the Mess, Brave Girl
I hate messes. I avoid them if at all possible. I like to walk on the beach, but I have a process for doing so because I don't like wet sand that gets on clothes and between toes and then into a car that then needs to be vacuumed. I am not a great cook,…
Life Goes On, Fite Girl
Remember that show in the 1980s called Life Goes On? Patti Lupone was the Mom, a young Kelly Martin played her daughter and a young Chris Burke played her son Corky (the first actor with Down Syndrome that I remember being on TV). The intro to that show was a little jingle that went something…
Here’s Your Proof, Brave Girl
Yesterday, I signed the name Beth Ranee Dembitz for the last time. And I had this crazy thought that the person with that name is a stranger to me. I am no longer her. She is no longer me. I've spent a lot of time in the last year thinking about the fact that the…
Kinda Prickly Brave Girl Wannabe
It's been a year. A year since everything changed for my family. I thought I'd wake up sad on the anniversary, but I didn't. I'm not sure what that says about me and I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day with it, but it's the truth and so it is what it is.…
Brave Girl Stories, in Pictures
I love photographs. Color photos. Black and white photos. Sepia photos. Panoramic photos. School photos. Nature photos. War photos. Historical event photos. Not only do I take a ton of pictures thanks to the convenience of my iPhone, I have tons of old photos in boxes and frames around my house. And a few times…
Why don’t we say Partly Sunny?
The word broken means a lot more than I thought it did. I've always thought of broken as not working and not fixable. Like a mirror - once it's broken, it's done. Nothing but an annoying thing you need to clean up (as you're trying not to cut yourself) and throw away. But according to…
bravegirlwannabe 