by Monica Wiant | Nov 5, 2013 | Uncategorized
1. They knew when I was lying, even if they didn’t always call me out for it.2. When my mom let me sleep with her on scary nights, it was as much for her comfort as for mine.3. My dad wasn’t just being contrary; he truly couldn’t fathom why anyone...
by Monica Wiant | Sep 19, 2013 | Uncategorized
When I visit a place from my past, I always carry two questions: What has changed? What remains the same?This week, I’m in Fargo. So I asked.My high school now has a water slide, but the strange dome on top of the building remains.The building across the street,...
by Monica Wiant | Sep 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
The summers of my childhood were LONG. I remember a vast expanse of hot days stretched out before me, wide open and full of boredom and wonder. I explored the woods behind my house. I played Atari and watched Nickelodeon and worked on jigsaw puzzles. I went...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 30, 2013 | Uncategorized
We did it.The Wiants drove from Minnesota to Washington, DC and home again. We did it without catastrophe: no accidents or speeding tickets, no burglaries or natural disasters. We avoided being those people walking to the service station for a can of gas (that was me...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
We drove 600 miles today and are more than halfway home.It was not a very exciting day.We had our first Waffle House experience, we saw a couple of possibly Amish families riding horse-drawn buggies across bridges, and we accidentally visited Cuyahoga National Park as...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 28, 2013 | Uncategorized
Our last morning with the cousins was bittersweet.We persuaded the kids to pose nicely for some photos.We recreated a group shot from 5 years ago, when William and Evie were still relatively new to the world.And then we let everyone loose for a dance party.If the...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 27, 2013 | Uncategorized
We’ve been in DC long enough where we’re starting to figure things out. Sort of.We can navigate the Metro with a fair level of competence. We have learned that nobody eats dinner before 7, and the liquor stores close at 10. We might try to navigate our way...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
I am proud to say I’ve kept up my goal of blogging each day of vacation. Writing is like exercise: it’s something I love having done, but starting can feel like a chore. The more I do it, the easier it becomes.Speaking of exercise, our zoo outing racked up...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 25, 2013 | Uncategorized
The kids are very happy at their second cousins’ house.There is a bounce house in the basement.There are toys and dress-up clothes and fun little kids to play with. Felix is utterly charmed by his cousin Charlotte, and it’s not hard to see why.We...
by Monica Wiant | Jul 24, 2013 | Uncategorized
Our morning started in Lexington, about as well as a morning could. I went for a run, we ate homemade raspberry lemon muffins, and we explored Washington and Lee University with our hostess, Sam’s aunt Sally, who teaches at the law school.Evie liked learning...
