Hygge at Beau Marché

Hygge at Beau Marché

The wine were accompanied by books and old tin cans, each with their own stories. A part of me wanted to stay here for a very long time. Old black & white photographs were mixed with sepia-toned ones, none of them aligned with each other, eschewing the American sense for intense intentional order, and on the contrary satisfying the European sense of ordering for disorder. Disarray was quite ok, preferred actually. The music was incredibly pleasant with its warm notes only adding to the ambience and colour. This was the place where everyone who didn’t know your name knew your name. Continue reading Hygge at Beau Marché

New Years 2020

New Years 2020

2019 was a truly epic year. One year ago today, Grace & I were engaged. Since that seminal moment, this past year has seen its share of ups and downs, the highest of the highs most certainly high and the lowest of the low tragically low. Through it all, my constant has been Grace and our dog Taylor. This is what the last year, and the years leading up to it looked like… Continue reading New Years 2020

Eleven Years Later

Eleven Years Later

As I do every year on this day for the past ten, I celebrate my second chance at life. 12/22/08 at 7:28 AM, I woke up again on the corner of the busy intersection of North, Milwaukee and Damen Avenues, after getting hit by a car going 30 mph, blessed that I was still alive. This particular day at this very moment has not been easy because Taylor is no longer with us, but with the warm embrace of God’s grace, Grace, and our loving family and friends, it’s a day to celebrate. I look back on pictures over the past couple months and am so very thankful for everyone that continues to hold us close to their hearts as we hold them close to ours. And so I enter this day and will leave it much the same way that I enter and leave most days — with love and thankfulness for the people I’ve been blessed to call my family and friends, whether I see them every day or hardly ever, the love I feel for them and the impact they’ve had on me, is a truly great and wonderful thing. Celebrate Love and Life! Continue reading Eleven Years Later

My Treasure Chest

My Treasure Chest

I have kept a “treasure chest” that entire time, collecting keepsakes of notes, cards, postcards, letters, and photographs from family members and friends, as well as ticket stubs, sundry miscellaneous items to remind me of all the great things that have happened in my life and the moments when someone was thinking of me as something great was happening in theirs. Continue reading My Treasure Chest