Stepfathers vs. “Real” fathers.

Stepfathers vs. “Real” fathers.
The other day, Alison and I were having a conversation about her final project for college.  She was writing a paper on her relationship with Rob.  We talked a little bit about stepfathers and how our relationships with them shaped our lives and the women we are today. Stepfather and real father were a term ...

A Woman of Contradiction Graduates.

A Woman of Contradiction Graduates.
I can’t write if I don’t run, and I hate running, but my self-imposed deadline of one blog post a week was looming on the horizon.  So I laced up my running shoes and headed out the door.   Two miles into my run it hit me, like it always does, A Woman of Contradiction Graduates.  ...

What Does It Mean To Be Blessed?

What Does It Mean To Be Blessed?
Blessed according to the dictionary means:  “Made holy; consecrated.  A title preceding the name of a dead person considered to have led a holy life, especially a person formally beatified by the Roman Catholic Church.” Or from gotquestions.org it means:  “Statements of blessing are a wish for God to restore His favor on others or ...

When I’m Gone.

When I’m Gone.
While running downtown on a gorgeous Spring day, you expect to die a number of ways.  Cars being the number one guess, but there are other ways.  Crazed, hardcore runners, all but pushing you off the sidewalk into the aforementioned cars.  The pollen so thick, you come home choking and covered in yellow dust.  The ...

Things I Love vs. Things I Hate.

Things I Love vs. Things I Hate.
Things I Hate people making fun of  the underdog rain people telling me what to do cleaning the house running Things I Love the underdog rain people telling me what to do cleaning the house running  I had the idea for this post when someone posted something I found offensive on Facebook.  Their response was, ...

The End…

The End…
As a parent, you usually live your life with one goal in mind, the end. Preschool graduation, Middle School Graduation, High School Graduation, College Graduation and then, the wedding; the End, finish line crossed.   You are semi-prepared for the “Empty Nest” syndrome to settle in when they leave for college or into their apartments, but ...

Tiny Cardboard Signs

Tiny Cardboard Signs
I handed all the cash in my wallet, which was only $2.00, to a lady at the exit ramp and she said “God Bless You”.  It got me wondering, would God bless me because I gave a stranger $2.00?  I’m not even going to get into the fact that I was urged by something deep ...

Are You Who You Want To Be?

Are You Who You Want To Be?
Are you who you thought you’d be when you grew up.  I was never one of those little girls who dreamt about her wedding day and how many kids she wanted to raise in her little yellow house on the corner with the white picket fence.  I never wanted to be a teacher or a ...

Time Passing…

Time Passing…
As I sit in the lobby of the Omni connected to the CNN building in Atlanta, I’m reminiscing of the time in late October when I was sitting in the same chair and same lobby, but with a very different life. Last time I was here, Rob was interviewing for a job, I was an ...

Comfortable… It’s A Good Thing.

Comfortable… It’s A Good Thing.
Five days into my month off has made me realize that’s all I need to be rested.  With the tour “retooling” itself, our next stop is unclear at the moment, and I am here, on my couch, asking the question “now what?”.  Seems like I should get that question tattooed on my arm.  However, this ...

166 Days…

13. February 2015 Gina DeNicola 0
166 Days…
There are more days than not lately that I am feeling happy, lucky and loved. I wish I could go back in time to September 1, 2014, and tell that Gina not to worry. In 166 days, you will be sitting by a beautiful pool in Southern California reading a book and am happy. I’m ...

One Word…

12. February 2015 Gina DeNicola 0
One Word…
While I was watching morning tv, there was a commercial for mental illness and it asked an interesting question. If you had to describe yourself in one word what would it be? Now while this post isn’t about mental illness, it got me thinking about what word I would use to describe myself. As I ...

Who You Are As A Woman Matters…

05. February 2015 Gina DeNicola 0
Who You Are As  A Woman Matters…
Who you are as a woman matters, especially to your daughters. I’m not sure how I raised a strong, smart, passionate, feminist for a daughter, but I did. She’s more intelligent than I am on any given day, and I often find myself having conversations with her that are over my head. One of those ...

Shouting In A Library

Shouting In A Library
“Is she a librarian?  I SAID is she a librarian?  You could have pointed me in that direction, you saw me standing in this long line”.  That is what I heard when I entered the downtown Dallas Library. It was so distracting; I almost missed the glorious smell that hits you in the face upon ...

She Said Yes!

She Said Yes!
She said yes, and just like that, Sweet Baby Raymond became a man. When you have kids, no one gives you an instruction manual. So, as a parent, you are fundamentally unprepared for any significant milestones in that sweet baby’s life. You have no idea what to do with that baby the second you walk ...

You Are Beautiful – A Letter to my Mother.

You Are Beautiful – A Letter to my Mother.
You are beautiful inside and most certainly outside. Please stop talking about things you want to change about yourself. Every wrinkle on your face is from a precious memory. When you look at yourself in the mirror, and you see your mother, that’s an honor. Your mom was the sweetest, kindest, loving woman I knew. ...

Caught Between Two Worlds

26. December 2014 Gina DeNicola 0
Caught Between Two Worlds
As I laid in bed Christmas night, after the kids went back to their apartment, after the kitchen was cleaned and after setting my alarm for 4:30 am, I realized I feel stuck between two worlds. My kid’s world and my world. It’s weird navigating these two worlds. I was used to having little kids ...

Day 1

16. December 2014 Gina DeNicola 0
Day 1
Today is the first actual paid day of work for me. A lot of you are a little confused as to what it is I’m doing, and honestly so am I, but let’s see if I can clear things up a bit. Rob is the Tour Manager for The Marvel Experience and I will be ...

Homesick

09. December 2014 Gina DeNicola 4
Homesick
This morning I woke up homesick. But I was confused because I couldn’t imagine being homesick for Nashville. I must miss my sweet, sweet children. But then I thought I miss my friends, I actually made friends in Nashville, and I missed them, I miss the familiarity of my little city. I miss watching the ...

Sitting Here With Nothing On My Mind

04. December 2014 Gina DeNicola 3
Sitting Here With Nothing On My Mind
As I sit in the airport waiting on my future to arrive in the form of a big plane, it dawns on me that I have nothing on my mind. No thoughts, no concerns, no comments about hipsters, nothing. My head is the emptiest it has ever been in a long time. I’m good with ...

Be Nice To Each Other, Every Day

25. November 2014 Gina DeNicola 2
Be Nice To Each Other, Every Day
I’m not a logical thinker; I’m an emotional thinker. But I often try to find the logic in things. This morning I woke up, like most of the World, to the disaster that is Ferguson, MO. After a one-sided debated with an unsuspecting, still half asleep husband on minorities, slavery and the American Indians (all ...

Cocooning Yourself Into Oblivion

20. November 2014 Gina DeNicola 2
Cocooning Yourself Into Oblivion
I’ve noticed that I count days – 81 days since I closed the bakery; 17 days since I stopped bartending; 9 days since my last blog post and three days since I left the apartment. In the last almost three weeks, I’ve read four books. While that may sound envious, it’s not good, it’s not ...