NAVIGATION

BLOG:
recent posts

Category: Uncategorized

  • Freeze Time

    There is a specific kind of quiet that settles over you when you finally realize you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Lately, that quiet has a name. Whenever I look at Drew, I find myself wishing for the impossible: I wish I could freeze time. If I could pause the world, I’d…

  • The Grace in the Shadows: Lessons from Papa Don and Mawmaw

    The journey from the Pacific coast to the rolling hills of North Carolina is a long one, but not too long ago, the miles felt heavier than usual. I wasn’t just traveling across time zones; I was traveling toward a version of my world that had been fundamentally altered. My grandfather—Donald VanSteen, the man I…

  • Bravo Lessons: How the Housewives Schooled Me in Being Unapologetic

    Villains taught me how to survive. Call it scandalous, but the women Bravo pins as “trouble” taught me how to be loud about my needs, to armor up in sequins when the world feels cold, and to market my messiness as a kind of genius. For years, I felt like I had to dim my…

  • How to Meet Lisa Rinna Like a Normal Person (Except You’re Not).

    I scored a ticket to meet Lisa Rinna, and now I’m spiraling—should I be the calm, bookshelf‑respecting fan or abandon decorum and go full Rinna—statement jacket, bigger personality, and the kind of clap that clears a room? Getting Bravo-Ready:I’m in full pre-meet panic mode—over the next couple weeks, I’ll be pacing between my closet and…

  • Taylor Taught Me To Say My Name Louder.

    “Taylor taught me how to say my name louder.” Kindergarten me thought school was a magic trick; grown‑up me thought teaching was the same trick reversed. Somewhere between those two pictures I found Taylor Swift on a mixtape and then on a baby blue CD and then on every playlist that kept me from dissolving…

  • The Kid Who Loved School Became The One Who Stayed

    I have two “first day” pictures of school saved on my phone—one with a teal backpack and a forever‑wide nervous smile, the other with a stack of essays and the same crooked grin. Left: me, Kindergarten, 1991, proud owner of a teal backpack and socks that did not match the shoes. Right: me on my…

  • The Paper Towels of Memory

    “I take pictures to stop feelings from slipping away.” I know, I know—it sounds a bit dramatic, maybe even a little “main character syndrome.” But there’s a gritty truth to it: photos are the paper towels for memory when life gets messy. When the days start to bleed together, and the details get fuzzy, a…

  • Welcome to “Blank Space & Polaroids”: My Love Letter to Tiny Memories

    “I make pictures so I don’t forget.” It’s a simple mission statement, but in a world that moves at 120 frames per second, I find myself constantly reaching for the “Pause” button. That’s what Blank Space & Polaroids is: a collection of pauses. If you’re looking for a Taylor Swift or Bravo reference, you found…