One of my family’s holiday traditions is making Christmas cookies. So, in the spirit of the season, a couple weeks ago I invited a few friends over to decorate cookies. In the planning stages of the party, however, my perfectionist brain faced a dilemma. Should I attempt to create decorated cookies that tasted delicious but didn’t look professionally made, or […]

You’ve heard the quote, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take”? I’ve referred to it many times, mostly when trying to prod myself forward with less fear of failure and more tolerance of risk. For some reason, though, I’ve always framed this quote in a basketball context. As in, if you don’t shoot the ball, you’ll never […]

This week, a world champion will be crowned in Major League Baseball, as the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers battle for MLB’s highest bragging rights. Anyone who reads this column knows I am a Kansas City Royals fan, and, as such, I’ve had to select another team to cheer for this October. That team is the Houston Astros. […]

I never knew sports could make me so emotional. Yet here I am, at risk of melting into a puddle of tears each time I watch a Royals game or read a reflective piece on some of the best years in recent franchise history, as each game brings us one day closer to the impending free agency of all-stars Eric […]

For the past four-and-a-half years, I have had the privilege of serving as sports editor for the Hillsboro Free Press. Last week, I started a new chapter in my working life. For someone to whom words tend to come naturally, I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts on paper. As I reflect on my time at the Free Press, […]

What’s on your bucket list? This summer, I checked off an item from my list of things I’d like to see, experience and accomplish in my lifetime: photographing an ice cave. I have always been fascinated by photography, and one particular photo I’ve always wanted to capture is the glacial beauty underneath the ice. This summer, that dream became a […]

Have you ever paused to consider the spaces in between? Let me explain. Some time ago, I was privileged to interview a couple that had walked more than 300 miles on an ancient pilgrimage route across Spain. (Read the story, “Walking the ancient way,” online at hillsborofreepress.com). We spent a delightful hour visiting about their journey, but it was a […]

When I was a kid, I had a swing. It was a simple swing, really, a board hung from a sturdy tree branch with two strong ropes near the corral on our farm. It was a nice play to play and unwind. In grade school, my friends and I hit the swings at recess. Whenever we’d swing in unison, matching […]

Conditions weren’t exactly great for a 5-k. I awoke to the sound of thunder and with a sinking feeling realized the weather forecast calling for rain on race day was, unfortunately, accurate. Wind blew water droplets against my second-story apartment window. Just the thought of the low 40-degree temperature awaiting me outside made me want to stay in bed just […]

Rain. I like rain. Rain makes me want to escape to a coffee shop with a soothing ambience and even better steaming mug of happiness. Rain is wonderful for the fields and especially for those parched areas of the state that have been battling fires. When it rains in the spring, however, it wreaks havoc with my sports reporter’s schedule. […]