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I walked into a boutique store the other day – the kind that sells things I’m pretty sure I don’t need, but that make for pleasant gifts. Fancily wrapped soaps. Scented candles. Dried flower arrangements. You know the kind of place. Men don’t hang ou…
3
Each time I drive home from church, my path takes me past Brady Street Stadium. Nearly every day, there’s one school practicing and another playing a game. On evenings when I get home late, I’m treated to the Friday night lights as everyone enjoys th…
6
A few weeks ago, my nephew and I were playing a classic game of “Would you rather?” The premise is pretty simple. I would make up silly questions for him, with two different options. And he would have to choose between them—which would he rather have…
5
Competition is in the air. Regular season football commences tonight, along with the highly popular interstate football rivalry game of Iowa vs. Iowa State. Soon, many of us will throw on our preferred colors and root for our team of choice. Subseque…
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I lost my watch this summer. I had just arrived at a Benedictine monastery in Minnesota, where I planned to write as much as I could. At first, I was worried that without my watch I’d miss when they were serving meals and the times of daily prayer. B…
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The transition from summer to the start of the school year brings with it a sense of newness. After a summer of relaxation, work, travel, or a mix of both, most parents are eagerly awaiting the change of pace and excited for the kids to start back to…
10
Mornings have a pretty predictable routine for me these days. I wake up with our 4-month-old and enjoy a few quiet moments together before her older brother starts to stir. While she enjoys a bottle, I turn the news on in the background. I move betwe…
2
The Smithsonian Institution turns 177 years old today. With its inventory of more than 154 million items in dozens of collections, it has been dubbed “the nation’s attic.” Its roster of 19 museums and 21 libraries lends itself well to the image of a…
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“Where did the summer go!? I can’t believe it’s already August!” Over the last few days, I’ve heard these sentiments (or something similar) several times. There’s something about turning the calendar to August that signals the rapidly approaching end…
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I’m pretty sure that one of the better moves my wife and I made while raising our kids was to prohibit use of the word bored. We committed plenty of parenting mistakes, but banning the word bored was genius. Every time a child felt contempt for how t…
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This summer, I’ve attended several live music shows. Great outdoor weather mixed with an impulse to explore local events here in the Quad Cities has led me to discover the many great local musicians and music venues. The words that come to mind in li…
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Over the last two years, I enjoyed a perfect view of Vander Veer Park from my office window in the 129 House. No matter the time of year, whenever I’ve looked out across the street, I could count on spotting at least one jogger making the approximate…