Brenda Steffen
I spent my twenties and a good chunk of my thirties living and working in various countries. I met and married a South African sailor and I was quite content to keep traveling without kids. We landed in Chattanooga in 2013 and our son arrived over the summer of 2014. We haven’t really slept since. Sometimes jet-lag gets the blame. Or Daylight Savings, or even a good book. Usually though, it’s the Peanut.
You can often find me charged up on caffeine, chasing after my son at Coolidge Park, the zoo or the library. You can also find me online on my blog.
Growing Old Gratefully
It took me nearly half my life to realize I perhaps cheated death when I arrived into this world.
In my twenties, I worked for a medical non-profit off the coast of West Africa. Because...
The Case for a 1980s Summer, Again
I didn’t have the most exciting childhood growing up. There were no trips to Disney, none to the beach and nary a trip to the pool unless it was a friend’s house. There were...
So You Think You Can Zoom?
It’s no secret that my greatest regret of 2020 was not buying Zoom stock before March. Over one year into a new virtual way of working, schooling and socializing, it’s safe to say that...
Life’s a Journal
The other day, on a group Zoom call, the moderator asked us to bring something for show-and-tell. I snickered to myself, because I remember being the absolute worst at show-and-tell in kindergarten. I was...
Out-of-Control Freak
If you’ve known me for any length of time, you’ll know that I have some control freak tendencies. They’re not over-the-top (in my head, anyway), and I’ve let go of a LOT over the...
Wistful Thinking: Nostalgia BC2020
Years ago, I had an elaborate trip planned for the summer. This was (and still is) not unusual for me. I’ve spent many summers overseas and it’s always a little odd for me to...
The Summer of ’89
If I’m being completely honest (and why wouldn’t I be?), I hardly remember the summer of ’89. I was 14 and we lived out in the boondocks, in an A-Frame house that wasn’t insulated,...
The Only Child
The other day, my son proved particularly exasperating. I say that as if it was his fault...when in reality, this introverted mama was simply tired of hearing an endless stream of consciousness about stuffed...
Sewing, Socializing, Soccer and Other Scary Scenarios
I knew a gal years ago who used to say you should do one scary thing each day. Her kind of scary sometimes verged on cheating death (there’s a backstory involving a photo shoot...
Flashbacks of a Poor Childhood: Hindsight is 2020
If you’ve been anywhere on the planet these past few weeks, you’ll know that grocery shopping has now become a spin-off of the Hunger Games, perhaps in more ways than one. Also, if you’re...