Photo by Dustin Riehl Breathless and tired, I paused on the rocky landing and turned to look at my progress. In the distance I could see...

One year and three months ago, I made the decision to give up alcohol forever, a decision that I had contemplated for a long time. I am...

Last night I dreamed about grief. I only remember a sliver of the dream now. My mother wasn't there, and it wasn't about her sickness, or...

The second time I drove to Pittsburgh alone (in 2016) I got lost for over two hours. I love the city, but I am a country gal. I mean a...

I bought red and black plaid patterned wrapping paper this year. It was cheap—the kind that will probably tear here and there when I’m...

Today I woke up alone. Late morning hues of golden light filtered through the window. Above my purple hibiscus duvet hung an invisible...

Last week I flew to Iceland with only a small backpack and a deep thirst for the unknown. It was the perfect time for me to go. Job...

In the last eleven years I have had ten addresses. Ten of those yellow DMV cards that go with my driver's license to prove I've moved....

I was 26 the first time I traveled alone. I was 26 the first time I boarded a plane, entered another country, and navigated unfamiliar...

Over the past few weeks I have seen Pennsylvania temperatures from -10 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (not including an insane wind chill that...

As December slowly fades to black, I'm doing what many others are doing this time of year. I'm scribbling down a list of...

I have not shared a Thanksgiving meal with my mother in over four years. She passed away in January of 2014. During her last...

Dear Mayim Bialik, I am not a perfect 10. I'm a plain, awkward, maybe-sexy-if-the-lighting-is-right goofball of a seven in the "real...

For the past two years I have been fortunate enough to have my writing retreats planned for me through my graduate program. This January...

"I have no fear, I have only love." -Stevie Nicks Writing has been an important part of my identity since the second grade. I wrote...