22 Years on the 22nd

On May 22, Rick and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. Our kids took care of each other while we spent the weekend in Sedona and Flagstaff.

We expected a quiet getaway with peaceful hikes and sight seeing. Unfortunately, it was Memorial Day weekend after a two month quarantine and we were not the only people looking for a place to go. Sedona was packed. We went to hike Devil’s Bridge and found cars lining the road for a mile before and after the parking lot. We skipped that hike, which would have probably been more like standing in a long line at Disneyland and drove through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff.

The canyon was beautiful, but still packed with people. Slide Rock was closed because it was full to capacity and cars were parked along the road at every scenic point.

Fortunately, Flagstaff was much less overrun. We went to an excellent Mexican restaurant and found a nice evening hike called Fatman’s—perfect for the two of us who just gorged ourselves with sopapillas and ice cream.

I especially enjoyed the break from the Tucson pollen which has been so bad for my allergies that the bags under my eyes rival a professional Nordstrom shopper.

One of my favorite things about anniversaries is the opportunity they provide for reflection. We had fun remembering our wedding day and past anniversaries. I liked wondering about where we might be in another twenty two years. It will be here before we know it. I’m excited about the adventures we have ahead of us.

Comments

That Sinking Feeling - Real Talk From Your Mother

Also found at Letters from the Nest: https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/that-sinking-feeling?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Dear Nestlings, I hope you don’t mind a little stream-of-consciousness letter today. I don’t know if I have anything specific to share, so let’s see what floats to the surface. It’s a bright fall Friday morning. These last few weeks in central Pennsylvania have been lovely, sunny, and warm. I know winter is coming, so I try to be outside as much as possible to take advantage of the sun before it hibernates. I just completed the forty-minute round trip to drive one of you to the high school. You know who you are, but maybe in a few years, when you read this, you won’t know because every one of you has missed the bus sometimes and has endured lectures about planning better and showing your respect for my work by not requiring forty minutes of my life for your convenience. Anyway, everybody is at school and work except...

Gavin in a Million Words or Less

Way back when Emily was in 6th grade, her teacher, Ms. Grey, asked parents to write about thier children in a million words or less. I posted what I wrote about Emily on our blog. I wish I were more organized and tech-savvy to find the link to that post and put it here, but I'm not. It's a nice idea that maybe I'll do later. Anyway, you get to read what I wrote to Gavin's fifth grade teacher who made the same requests of parents: Gavin is the youngest of seven children. His three oldest siblings have flown the nest, so he talks to them on the phone and looks forward to holiday visits. This summer, his oldest sister had a baby, so he’s an Uncle! He has three older brothers, who sometimes make life tricky for him, but are also sources of wisdom, rides to the store to get candy, and annoying TikTok phrases. He sometimes wants to be more grown up than he actually is. This little guy is academically oriented. He loves to read BIG books. He rarely reads a standalone nove...

Back To School Meanies

Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...

The Mergenthaler Family

Search This Blog