Every morning for 14 years, I have stared at Spider-Man swinging his way past Doc Ock.  I cannot give you a good reason why. It’s more by chance than something I sought out. As one of the oldest...

Dinosaurs, castles, spaceships and stormtroopers inhabit containers and shelves throughout my household, scattered like remnants of some lost empire. They once stood proudly over my desk, covered the...

The most fascinating place I can be in is a museum. I would happily trade hours out of my day to walk along rows of dusty objects. In my room, I have a modest collection of my own.  A French...

Berries. Claws. Honey. These are iconic objects, maybe even a signature. Roaming through the Americas, Europe and Asia, bears have always piqued my interest. I have always been fascinated...

Some people explore for experiences. Excitement. The fast paced stride through bustling cities with buses, trains and planes. But I often prefer a quieter, more scenic approach. My excitement comes...

To me, the gym beckons thoughts of heavy weight. Plates stacked side by side. Rattling. Clinking. Squeaking. In this orchestra of iron, there is a type of plate making these feats possible. It is...

I do not think anyone in my family thought our 2001 Mercedes ML 320 would survive 24 years. Of the 130,786 (and counting) miles it has covered, a mere 89.5 hold the most value. My dad’s drive back...

I am a drink lover.  Nothing motivates me more than when I have one of my favorite drinks in hand, ready to take on the day. Of course, the type of drink depends on how I am feeling, but I always know...

My favorite animal is a donkey. Yes, I know, shocking.  From Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh to the donkeys I see along farm roads, I have been an avid supporter of donkeys for many years.  In fact,...

For as long as I can remember, my family and I have watched movies together every weekend. There was never a spoken rule or agreement, but every Saturday and Sunday, without fail, we grab our food and...

As I sit in my AP Calculus AB class, I stare intensely at a worksheet filled with equations and tables. Even though my teacher explained the concept just minutes ago, I have forgotten everything. All the...

Recently, my family’s trips have followed a pattern of visiting places where nature is the main attraction. Last spring, we drove up to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and we traveled to Colorado over...