I have led a life full of plentiful EMWA. From growing up in the suburbs of Detroit and spending my summers on Michigan’s Lake Charlevoix to attending Northern Michigan University (in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula), serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer on Antigua, recruiting for Peace Corps out of offices in Detroit and Chicago, living in LA […]
4 months ago, my beautiful grandmother was dying and the world as I knew it was slowly beginning to unravel. I started a blog piece shortly after her death on April 19th about her being a constant force in my life, but have not completed it; however, the idea of this ‘constant’ in my life […]
Since October 2011–when I went to my gynecologist for a long overdue physical check-up, which led to a baseline mammogram at 43 that identified suspicious growths in my right breast, which also happened to be malignant–I have been averaging at least one doctor’s appointment or procedure a month. Even though my ‘active’ breast cancer treatment was […]
I have a much longer tribute to my Grams Cooper in the works, but it is going to take awhile to get just right. Instead, I need to share that my beautiful grandmother passed this week at 96 years of age. The past year had been a tough one after she fell last spring, but the past […]
My ancestors were not Red Diaper Babies during the McCarthy Era or protesters involved in the Haymarket Riots of 1886 here in Chicago. I don’t come from a long line of social activists involved in protest movements or general acts of civil disobedience. I remember there being talk of a great-grandfather who was a union member while […]
Last month, my Aunt Anna passed. After being in remission for over 10 years, her breast cancer had returned and metastasized, unknown to anyone until Thanksgiving. It came as a shock, since everything seemed to be going well–and she was starting to make plans to celebrate her 90th birthday in May. She was one of my […]
I wrote this post this last week on an evening I was feeling really low. I’m feeling better now and was leaning towards not posting it. However, a number of blog and Facebook posts this past week reminded me that the ‘Holidays’ are stressful for a lot of people and that I am not alone in my […]
Sunday Morning Winter ROW Practice Where: ROW HQ at the Bridgeport Arts Center When: Bright & Early Perfect Work Out Tunes: Sunday Morning Soul on Spotify Temps in the teens, but rather than hiding out in bed under the cozy covers, I was at ROW HQ on time for my first Sunday indoor workout of the […]
A number of bloggers that I follow have taken Nancy’s suggestion to write a post of 15 random facts about themselves. Well, I’m jumping into the mix, but rather than just a general post of details from various parts of my life, I’m going to use this spark to jumpstart an update post. It’s been awhile. Here goes: 1. […]
In the past, to me, the most amazing sunrises in Chicago were viewed from high-rise apartments that look out over Lake Michigan, while the most spectacular sunsets were seen from the deck of a sailboat while coming into one of Chicago’s harbors after a Wednesday night beer can race. Since beginning to row this spring with the organization Recovery on Water […]
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