Entries by Amanda Waggener

Good Bye Teenager

Today I’m giving myself a little pat on the back and a ā€œgood job, you made it.ā€ This self-congratulating is because today is my daughter’s birthday. Ā Good bye teenager. Ā Hello 20s. Ā She’s alive and thriving.Ā  I still have most of my hair left and pieces of my sanity remain intact as well despite the last […]

Grateful Rage

2020, as sh!tty as it has been, has not been the sh!tt!est of years that I’ve ever had so on that scale I feel quite fortunate. I can quickly recall a couple years way worse for me. Covid19 struck both my teenagers several weeks ago, but they fared well and recovered quickly as young people […]

Beautiful Quarantined Easter

I venture to say that Easter 2020 won’t be one we will ever forget. I doubt we will ever have the conversation that goes ā€œWhat year was is again when we couldn’t have an Easter program at church because of mass contagion?ā€ It’s unlikely I’ll ever be on the couch with my future grandchildren, looking […]

Corona Virus, Please Leave Starbucks Alone

On Christmas morning, after gifts were opened and before the extended family celebrations began, my husband and I went to Starbucks.Ā  It was like an extra gift to us that no one was in the drive thru. Ā The Starbucks angels were sitting there waiting on me to show up.Ā  But they weren’t.Ā  The friendly voice […]

FB Memories

My dad was battling brain cancer. We had 2 pre-teen middle schoolers. Job changes were around the corner for both of us. Volunteering at school, sitting on boards, leading a team at church; to list a few. We were on the move. We moved so fast that it’s hard to recall all of it. These […]

90% Chivalrous 10% Caveman

90/10. Ā That’s the ideal ratio for my idea of the perfect guy.Ā  90% chivalrous, charming, thoughtful, laughs at your jokes, just because flowers, remembers your mother’s birthday, does his own laundry.Ā  10% drags you, consensually of course, to the bedroom like a caveman.Ā  This balance is delicate and necessary albeit hard to find. Ā If you […]

Hero Stand-In Mom

My husband and I walked into a restaurant on Saturday evening. We were taken to a table where a waitress quickly appeared asking for our drink order. Our 16-year-old son’s band was the entertainment for the evening. The band was already on stage tuning up and preparing to perform when we walked in. They had […]

Anxiety Attack Epiphany

A few days ago, first thing in the morning, I had my first ever anxiety attack. Ā I was sitting on the couch, eating my breakfast and watching the local news when my heart began racing. The Fitbit I was wearing on my wrist clocked that my heartrate jumped from 57 bpm to 189 in a […]

Outwardly Calm, Inwardly Turbulent

Outwardly calm, inwardly turbulent. Ā I took this pic from the window of an airplane yesterday. It was a beautiful, mild, spring day with blue skies and a spackling of fluffy white clouds. The sky looked calm and peaceful, yet the flight was riddled with turbulence. We were instructed by the pilot to stay buckled up […]

No Thanks I’m Just Not Interested

No thanks. I don’t want to join your Body Pump Class. I appreciate you thinking of me though. I’m sure it’s great. You’re great. I’m just not interested. I’m cool with yoga only because, for the most part, people keep their eyes closed in a meditative state and aren’t judging me for my middle-aged-mom-of-two-lover-of-carbs body. […]