Jennifer Briggs

Fern Hollow Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down… Indeed. In case you missed it, on Friday morning a bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed. This bridge is approximately one minute from our house by car and five minutes by foot. I drive over it at least twice a day a few days per week to… Read more »

Basements and blahs are the things on my mind this morning. I have felt more blah-zay than usual lately. (Is feeling blah where we get blasé? Did we just make the spelling fancy to make it sophisticated?) I have had less enthusiasm for things than usual. I’m guessing it is either from too much time away from work… Read more »

Ah, Covid, we meet at last. Well, sort of. Last Sunday Sarah was notably sniffly so I tested her, and she was positive. Amy ran up to her room in tears. Carl and I double checked all protocols and rules pertaining to our regular lives, and I began canceling every single plan for my week…. Read more »

We are mostly unpacked and back in the swing of things. Sarah talked with her teacher about getting rid of the nickel system and seemed to have a good week. Amy had virtual school for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It was fine, but some things took her a long time so she was working at… Read more »

The remainder of our time in Florida was wonderful. Basking in the sun while eating at an outdoor restaurant at the edge of the beach, I was the most relaxed I can remember feeling in ages. Then one day we saw a dolphin swimming right near where we were sitting! It was amazing. I’ve never… Read more »

Merry Christmas, happy solstice, and peaceful winter! We are in Florida. I was nervous before we left for our trip, worrying that someone would get sick and the whole trip would fall apart. I often feel like I’m anticipating illness or a seizure, as if waiting for a shoe to drop. I am simultaneously worried… Read more »

I don’t know if I have mentioned that one of Sarah’s favorite songs is Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” More often than not that is what is playing in our house on repeat. When Carl and I got married it was the second song we played at our reception, so we don’t mind hearing it one… Read more »

Friends! On Friday, we saw Sarah with her school friends and it filled our hearts. Well, Carl’s and mine. Amy was rather jealous whenever Sarah was part of her school group getting pictures taken before their performance at the St. Anthony School Program holiday party. The way Amy expressed her jealousy was by complaining about… Read more »

Last Sunday we got our Christmas tree and decorated it. This process was less stressful than it has been in some years. I gave myself more time to get organized before the kids came to help, and I set up a card table with hooks and ornaments. This made for a more controlled process instead… Read more »

Happy Thanksgiving! This year was possibly the least stressful, most relaxed Thanksgiving I’ve had since becoming a parent. I kept thinking that I must have been forgetting to do something. I did almost all of the cooking ahead of time so it was just a matter of reheating for the actual feast. Carl facilitated packing… Read more »