family | Diva Barbarella

Tales from the Vineyard Part 3: Finally, a bit of vacation

After we returned home from the island, a few friends and family members joked that we probably needed a “vacation from our vacation.” To which I said, in a serious tone, “That was not a vacation.” Sure,

Queen Mother

After a few years of hemming and hawing, my mother suddenly announced she’d be retiring at the end of the month. This elicited the same question, over and over, from family and friends: “What are you

Inner Fire Dragon (A Woman About to Turn 40)

I was a Bicentennial Baby, born a few months after the nation’s 200th birthday. Half a world away, 1976 held a different significance — it was the year of the Dragon, the only magical creature of

An Aunting Expedition to SeaWorld (I TOUCHED a PENGUIN!)

Olivia, having not yet attained whatever age and height one must be to ride shotgun, had been relegated to the backseat. As we passed the first sign for SeaWorld, I heard a little gasp, and saw

Four sisters + four husbands

Because I have two sisters who live in North County (one in Poway, the other in San Marcos), David and I occasionally trek north for dinner. The Barrel Room in Rancho Bernardo has proven itself to

Royal pain in the wedding

To say I was pleased we were the first to arrive would be an understatement. It wasn’t until my cheeks began to ache that I realized how hard I’d been grinning. It made sense, my smile

In love with the child-free life

Without trying to parse the babble, I allowed the familiar clamor to wash over me as I perused each face upon which my eyes happened to fall: my mother, David, my three sisters, their husbands, and

Resurrected

Last summer, my father-in-law almost died. In fact, he did die, but that’s only if you want to get technical about it. He flatlined while in the hospital and was revived for the price of a

Jackie & Jill

The air remained a balmy 80 degrees when the sun began to dip behind the Point Loma peninsula. The azure sky was festooned with wispy white clouds that hung low over the deeper blue of the

So you think you can Kizomba

Dad had been asking me to google the made-up-sounding word for weeks. “I’m not by a computer right now. I will later,” I said each time, but I always forgot. It was the name of a

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