North Dakota Nice

Somehow, they manage | January 11, 2023

A month or so ago, Kyle texted me at work and said, “Do you want to be the team manager?” To which I replied, “I’m sorry, I regretfully have to pass; thank you for asking.” (I…
This is a story about karma. | January 4, 2023

Last week, Kyle took the boys to a hockey game and I stayed home to tackle the literal mountain of laundry that had accumulated after our Christmas vacation in Canada. I had no sooner tossed up…
Come in, we’re clean | December 28, 2022

Of all the household chores, the one I like the least is washing dishes (the best is folding towels). If I ever come into an inordinate amount of money, the first thing I’m going to do…
What I was doing when the Vikings had the largest comeback in NFL history | December 21, 2022

If you live in North Dakota or Minnesota, you are legally required to be a fan of the Minnesota Vikings (or the Green Bay Packers, but only if every other football team in the world quits). …
Eight Short Stories | December 14, 2022

My sister and I recently surprised our dad with “the gift of our presence” by crashing our family chaos into his Austin birthday weekend getaway with my mom. I love me a good Hallmark/-adjacent movie for…
Goalie Mom, or a brief lesson in unclenching | December 7, 2022

When my eleven-year-old was around seven, he came home from hockey practice and announced he wanted to be a goalie. “Great!” My husband said. “Erm,” I said.
The Turkey King | November 30, 2022

Holy buckets, tomorrow is December. Please say a prayer for Kyle, whose wife wouldn’t let him put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I know that “Christmas tree timing” is a hot topic and I really…
A Thanksgiving story | November 23, 2022

By the time you read this it will be Thanksgiving Eve and I will be pretending like I’m so overwhelmed with preparations while my mother “gives me a hand” by doing it all. I am very…
An apology | November 16, 2022

I’m very sorry, but I’m going to have to skip my usual story this week. My grandpa passed away and I’m just too sad. However, my grandfather absolutely loved telling jokes, and so I wanted to…
Kyle and The Shed | November 9, 2022

Kyle got a shed. I think I’m supposed to say “WE” got a shed; except that “we” wrongly assumed our garage would serve as a place for storing garage-related items and not dance parties (or whatever…