My mother always told me our history was important, but I never really listened.  I did what I wanted without thought of the past and sometimes without thought of the future.  When I was thirteen, she got very serious about our ancestry and started going to the library several times a week to use their free version of Ancestry.com. She became…

I had never used the excuse of my dog eating my homework until now.  At the worst possible time.  I had been about to type my essay for grad school on my laptop, but Tank, my lovable but idiotic pug, had eaten it.  I always do my writing on a typewriter first because I love the sound…

My father refused to take us to the beach for vacations when we were younger.  We would beg and beg and one day we thought he had given in.  Instead of saying absolutely not, he said, “I’ll be right back and then you’ll have your beach vacation.”   My sister and I ran to the room we shared to see…

“Do you remember when they got married?” I asked my brother.  We were shopping for Christmas presents for our father and stepmother.  I sometimes had nightmares about coming home and all of their stuff being cleared out and my parents being gone without a word.  My stepmother had been nothing but a great mother to…

“Do you remember when they got married?” I asked my brother.  We were shopping for Christmas presents for our father and stepmother.  I sometimes had nightmares about coming home and all of their stuff being cleared out and my parents being gone without a word.  My stepmother had been nothing but a great mother to…

I let the cold mountain air float all around me before I went back inside.  I told Max I was trying to acclimate to our new life in the mountains, but I hadn’t told him the entire truth.  Not really.  I did want to try and get used to the cold, but I also found…

I knew I would never be able to atone for my mistake.  Never.  I knew the fact my entire family fell apart was completely my fault and no one could convince me otherwise.  I left the house after curfew by sneaking out my bedroom window, just like I always do.  Earlier in the evening, I swore to…

Growing up, I was never really certain about what I wanted to do as an adult.  My parents were never around too much since they both usually worked two jobs to keep food on the table so my brothers and I took care of ourselves.  When it came to our education, our parents were serious, but not overwhelming. …

For whatever reason, the town I live in will not accept ‘newcomers’.  Which makes life for me a bit harder when I could not fit in if my life depended on it.  I moved to Maryville last year because I got transferred to the only bank they had in town.  I was told it would be a temporary position…