It remember it like the scene out of "A Christmas Story." The child stands at the window early Christmas morning to discover it had snowed outside overnight. A fresh blanket of snow covers everything — glistening in the early-morning sunrise.I recall a Christmas morning just like that as a child. It was truly magical. In... Continue Reading →

Disclaimer: The Santa Text referred to in this column is a statue — an animatronic version of Santa. The actual Santa was not harmed in the antics mentioned in this column.Santa — or our Santa statue rather — is a bit of a legend at The Emporia Gazette.Santa started his pranking adventures here at The... Continue Reading →

Christmas and New Year's are probably my two favorite holidays of the entire year. Perhaps my birthday is a close second...perhaps. :)Christmas is such a magical time with all the glitter, glitz, giving and just the general holiday spirit. I love the holiday commercials, the look on a loved-ones face when they open a gift,... Continue Reading →

This afternoon I was working proofing a page for Wednesday's paper. I looked to my left and I noticed a beautiful blue prism of light spilling onto the wall next to me. It took me a minute to figure out where it was coming from. The light from another window was reflecting off my cup... Continue Reading →

 So I have a bit of a confession to make: I am addicted to the automatic car wash. Let me explain.My addiction began earlier this fall, after I leased a new car — which I call Tuxedo (but I won't go into all that). Who doesn't want to keep their new car clean, right? I was... Continue Reading →

Earlier this month I had the honor of walking in the Emporia Christmas Parade.This was my third time walking in the parade and every time I've enjoyed it immensely — even on parade nights where it's so cold you can't feel your fingers or toes at the end of the walk.It was such a joyful... Continue Reading →

Sometimes it's easy to fall away from something that takes so little time but brings so much joy. That's the case with my little jar to the left. I found this  jar in an antique shop. I had gone there in search of a jar to place one happy memory a day in. This jar already... Continue Reading →