Last week, my dad celebrated his birthday. I messaged him saying I hoped he had a great day and I love him, and he returned the sentiment. We talked a little about plans for the holidays — the kind of small talk most people would consider normal. But that wouldn’t have happened two years ago...

One year ago this week, Carroll County Newspapers lost an incredibly talented graphic designer and I lost one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Melody Rust embodied adventure. She taught those around her to pause every now and then to enjoy the moment, especially in nature — the river was her absolute favorite place in the world. She was never more herself than at the river...

Each year, Carroll County Newspapers makes sure to have a presence at the Veterans Day ceremonies in our community. We cover school assemblies from Green Forest to Eureka Springs and citywide commemorations like the popular Veterans Day Parade and rifle salute in downtown Eureka Springs. We’ve done that since I started working here in 2014, but I wanted to learn even more about our local veterans this year...

I’m a firm believer in the power of a good vacation. Taking time off can help you clear your head, try yummy new food and see places you’ve always dreamed of. Last week, I did just that. Leaving Gideon and the kitties behind, I took off on a road trip with one of my oldest friends, Kasey...

Mid-term elections are creeping up on us, slowly but surely. Historically, mid-term races have had much less participation than the presidential election. Most of us are excited to vote for (or against) a presidential candidate, but we rarely talk about the local races that affect us most...

We’ve all heard it before. You get into an argument with someone in your bloodline, and someone else helpfully says, “Well, you can’t pick your family.” There are so many variations of this statement, including but not limited to: “She’s your mom.” “You can’t say no to your grandmother.”...

Dust off your boots and throw on a sweater, because fall is upon us. Like most basic white women, I love this season. I’ve been known to scour trees for a bushel of dead leaves. You might have seen me skulking around searching for the remnants of a bonfire. I need a sign that fall is here, and I finally have it: September has arrived!...

Back in middle school, I woke up every morning to the smell of hazelnut coffee. My mom loved hazelnut coffee. She exclusively bought hazelnut creamer for years, to the point that I thought all coffee was hazelnut-flavored. Every morning, I knew I’d find a half-empty cup of hazelnut coffee on the bathroom counter when I brushed my teeth. ...

To whom it may concern, It’s no secret I haven’t been the biggest fan of President Trump. You could probably discern that from reading my published work or my diary, so I might as well put that out there immediately. Sure, I don’t like Trump’s policies regarding immigration, taxes, national security and the environment, but that isn’t stopping me from reaching out to you today...

About a year ago, I decided I would learn how to juggle. It didn’t take long to find a so-called easy tutorial on Youtube, so I set my computer on a table and grabbed some oranges. While the video did not recommend using fruit, I figured it would up the stakes a bit and I could have a sweet treat once I was done. It was a win-win, right?...

Everybody’s got some talent. Even those of us who feel woefully untalented can do something better than somebody else, whether it’s singing opera, designing a beautiful flowerbed or unloading the dishwasher in less than two minutes. For me, one thing has always come easy. I can confidently say I’m clumsier than almost all of you...

Like many hard-working Americans, I spend an inordinate amount of free time watching horrible reality TV shows. Rock of Love, Married at First Sight, The Bachelor and all its spin-offs … you name it, and I’ve surely seen it. Recently, I’ve discovered The Proposal, an hour-long program that always ends in a proposal...

At the beginning of this year, I told myself it would be the worst year ever. I didn’t have any expectations for 2018, besides hopefully seeing the end of it. Frankly, 2017 ended on a sour note and there was no way 2018 could be a new year. It’s mostly been a continuation of the same old stuff … heartbreak, existential crises and loneliness...

Before I became friends with Melody Rust, I hated summertime. The heat, the bugs, the humidity … I couldn’t find anything good about it. To be fair, I grew up in Texas where you can boil an egg on the sidewalk in June. The heat became my adversary early on. I spent June through August indoors for most of my life...

When President Donald Trump ran for office two years ago, he promised he would build a wall between the United States and Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants from coming to our country. We don’t have that wall just yet, probably because it would be expensive and unnecessary. It doesn’t matter, anyway — between April 19 and May 31, the Trump administration has separated 1,995 children from their caregivers in an attempt to crack down on illegal immigration...

We have lost some of our most beloved celebrities to suicide, from comedy genius Robin Williams to rock legend Chris Cornell. Just last week, fashion designer Kate Spade wrote a letter to her 13-year-old daughter before hanging herself with a scarf at her home. ...

Each year on Memorial Day, I attend American Legion Post 9’s morning service. The service has got to be one of the most patriotic events in our county, featuring a rifle salute, performances of patriotic songs and guest speakers who know what they’re talking about...

A few weeks ago, I interviewed some Eureka Springs students involved in the high school’s Rotary Interact Club. All three were seniors, and I knew each of them by name. I have worked with them over the past four years, covering school plays, choir performances and countless special projects...

Last night, Gideon and I were scrolling through Netflix as usual. It seems there’s never anything to watch when you have so much media at your fingertips. We eventually settled on a documentary about animal hoarders, described as a glimpse into the lives of pet owners who open up about their “obsessive love of animals.” I put that in quotations because I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with a good obsession...

Sometimes I stay up all night on Sunday, so I drink a bunch of coffee on Monday to stay awake and end up sleepless yet another night. That’s when I start thinking about everything that has ever happened in the world. It’s the important things that keep me up at night, like the federal budget, the rights of minority groups and, of course, the age-old dilemma most of us face this time of the year. Should I cut my hair for summer?...

I don’t know about you guys, but I am great at discounting myself. It’s one of my best talents. I’ll write a poem and erase it because it’s not good enough. I’ll create a weird painting and stow it in the closet with the litter box, just to show exactly how I feel about it. Everything I do feels flawed...

This past Saturday, I didn’t have any plans. It was the first time in a while that’s been true. I figured I’d sleep in and catch up on some TV. Mostly, I planned to watch it rain with the cat, who loves staring out the window on overcast days. That’s one thing we have in common...

Two weeks ago, I sat with five Eureka Springs High School students in the cafeteria. That wasn’t out of the ordinary. I’ve been in that same cafeteria many times interviewing students about an upcoming school play or special events. It would have been normal to me, but this wasn’t your average day...

Last year on March 17, I went shopping with a friend in downtown Eureka Springs for Melody Rust’s birthday. She turned 42 that day. By that time, we had been close friends for a year. We met in 2016 when I took over day-to-day operations at Lovely County Citizen, where she worked on page design in the back room. She was so talented, and she constantly encouraged me to do my very best...

Unless you really know someone, it’s usually not a good idea to launch into a conversation about religion or politics. Most of us know that. My mom issued a warning about it before big family events until I was old enough to understand. Today, I do understand … so much so that I’ve got another topic to add to the list: reality TV...

At the beginning of most romantic relationships, everything is blissful. Your new partner can do no wrong. They’re the funniest, smartest, nicest, best person you’ve ever met. They are flawless. You wish you could clone them a few times over in case of emergency. When you mention this, it comes across as cute instead of creepy...

When you bring up Valentine’s Day, you’re bound to get one of two responses. Either it’s a holiday created by greeting card companies to make money, or it’s a fun way to show your sweetheart some love. I don’t have very strong opinions about the day...

Last week, our little community was rocked by the apparent suicide of a 15-year-old Green Forest High School student. When we got the news, everyone at our office was heartbroken. Some of us wondered how this could happen. I didn’t wonder about that at all...

This Sunday is the biggest day of the year, with the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots duking it out at the Super Bowl. I’ll be spending this landmark night with friends who know a thing or two about the old pigskin. That’s great, because I’m a huge fan of Super Bowl parties...

In news that surprises no one, I don’t party. I never have. Even in college, I spent most weekends watching TV alone or scoping out all the good equipment at the gym. Pro tip: People don’t go to the gym at 10 p.m. on Saturday. That’s when you can try any machine your heart desires, including the one where you’re supposed to swing your legs to the sun and hope you don’t dislocate something...

Growing up in southwest Arkansas, I knew better than to expect winter weather. We were lucky if we got a light snow shower, and that was only when the rest of the country was experiencing a particularly hard winter. That was the case in 2001, the year we received so much ice and snow that school was canceled for three weeks. ...

They say the first year of marriage is the hardest. When Gideon and I got married on New Year’s Eve last year, I was convinced we’d beat those odds. I was determined to have the best first year of marriage anybody has ever had. Famous last words, right?...

Two weeks ago, I sat in The Auditorium waiting for the Eureka Springs City Council to kick off its meeting. The agenda on my lap displayed the date — Nov. 27, 2017. I circled it and wrote a message underneath. “Four days without Melody,” it said. As many of you know, we lost our graphic designer and dear friend Melody Rust over Thanksgiving. ...

I heard about Melody Rust for at least a year before I met her. At the time, I worked at the Carroll County News office in Berryville, while she was stationed in our Eureka Springs office. My boss would always brag about how talented she was. “Melody Rust is the best designer I’ve ever worked with,” he’d say. “There’s no competition.”...

For the most part, this past year has been stressful and tiring. Gideon kicked off his second semester of graduate school in the fall, and he’s been working with the teachers at Eureka Springs High School to fulfill a requirement for his master’s program. That means he works his regular full-time job, goes to the school and returns home to complete assignments before the cycle starts all over again...

Like many of you, I grew up in a small Arkansas town where everybody knew everything about you. That made it difficult for those in the LGBT community to express who they were. If they were lucky, they could hide it. Most of them weren’t that lucky...

Now that it’s cooler outside, Gideon and I have been opening up the windows a lot more. We love the fresh air and how much it lowers our electricity bill. It’s the time of the year where we can fall asleep listening to the trees swaying and whatever re-run of Sanford and Son our neighbor happens to be watching. I’ve looked forward to it since May...

The women who raised me love dressing up, so you can imagine what Halloween was like for me growing up. Mom and Nana would go all out every year, putting as much effort into their costumes as mine. Some years we weren’t super creative. I remember dressing up as your run-of-the-mill ghost, a white sheet draped around my body with two holes cut out so I could see. One year, Mom hollowed out a laundry basket, put it around my waist and tossed in dirty laundry. I was a laundry hamper...

The time has come. Trees aren’t so green anymore. Leaves aren’t on trees anymore. It’s cold and rainy, and I think it’s about time to start carving pumpkins. I might be getting a little carried away, because the trees definitely still have leaves and it’s not super cold outside. That said, I really don’t mind over exaggerating right now. Fall is here. Fall has arrived...

A couple of years ago, my husband’s 11-year-old brother handed me a Christmas present he wrapped himself. I opened it fully prepared to lie about how much I loved it, but I didn’t have to lie at all. He had given me The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. “I got this for you, because I know you love the killing,” he said. ...

At least 50 people dead. More than 500 injured. That’s the news most of us woke up to on Monday morning after a gunman opened fire on concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas Sunday night. In many ways, it’s the same story we hear every time a crazy person kills a bunch of people with a gun...

For the second consecutive year, Carroll County Newspapers is sponsoring an essay contest on texting while driving. We offered the contest to Eureka Springs students last year through the Lovely County Citizen, and I’m super excited to branch out to the rest of the county. This year, anyone in Carroll County between 14 and 19 can enter the contest...

It was a day as regular as any. For a Tuesday in September, the weather was particularly pleasant. I couldn’t see a cloud in the sky from Mrs. Tubman’s fourth-grade class, gazing out the window after finishing that day’s journal entry. Mrs. Tubman gave us five minutes at the end of every class to write in our journals. ...

This past weekend, I visited my family in Texarkana. It’s the first time I’ve made the trip back to my hometown in a year and the first time I’ve seen my mom and nana since Gideon and I got married in January. Usually I’d visit much more often than this, but Gideon has been traveling a lot for his master’s program and I’ve been trying to keep up with everything going on at home. ...

Regular readers of this column know I am obsessed with my yellow tabby cat BJ. BJ is adorable, loving and kind … basically everything you would want in a friend. The best part is we never fight. BJ can’t speak English, but he does talk to me regularly...

On Saturday, our nation saw another nightmare come true. White nationalists met in Charlottesville, Va., for the “Unite the Right” march, which quickly led to violence between the protesters and counter-protesters. The violence escalated into the afternoon, when a car drove into a group of counter-protesters. One woman was killed, and at least 34 people were wounded at the march...

I don’t know about you, but I begin the year looking forward to the end of it. The fall is my favorite time of the year, mostly because it leads to Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s Eve. My family is big on celebrating holidays, big or small, because it means we can get together for a meal. This year won’t be any different, but it will be the first time I’ve spent Thanksgiving with my family in a long time...

President Donald Trump dealt another blow to LGBTQ rights last week when he tweeted that transgender individuals will no longer be allowed to serve in the United States military in any capacity. According to his tweets, the military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption the transgender in the military would entail.”...

Board games are a big deal in my family. When I say that, I mean it. My most vivid memories center around my grandparents’ dining room table, where we’d play every board game you can think of. Our favorite was Wahoo, a marble game most know as Aggravation...

Last week, a Van Buren man rammed down a statue displaying the 10 Commandments at the Arkansas State Capitol building. I’ve read a lot of misinformation about this case, and I’m hoping to clear it up in this column. Let’s start with the facts. Michael Reed, a born-again Christian who calls himself a “Jesus freak” on his Facebook page, filmed himself driving into the monument and live-streamed it to social media. ...

My mom raised me on her own, pretty much from the moment I was born. She did it so well I didn’t realize most kids have two parents until elementary school. That’s when I started making friends and having sleepovers, where both parents were present. The more I got to know kids my age, the more I saw differences between my life and theirs...

As of Monday, it’s been a year since the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. It is the worst mass shooting in American history, with 50 dead and more than 50 injured. It’s no secret that we have a problem with madmen having access to guns in our country, but this column isn’t about that. This column is dedicated to those 50 lives we lost last year...

Last week, my boss covered a story about the Eastern Carroll County Ambulance District. He reported the information given to him and continually updated the story as it evolved. He did exactly what a good reporter is supposed to do, and somebody still accused him of reporting fake news...

Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the Notre Dame commencement ceremony on Sunday, and several students silently walked out in protest. Some disagreed with the Trump administration’s actions. Some disagreed with the sentiment behind Pence’s speech. No matter their reason, they all had a right to do what they did...

This past Sunday, Gideon and I visited his mom in Fayetteville to celebrate Mother’s Day. We played a game of Catan, drank coffee and talked for a few hours before heading back to Eureka Springs. It was a nice day, but I couldn’t help but miss my mom...

This past weekend, our little community was hit by a series of storms so strong that some roads were still blocked off on Monday morning. The rain was relentless and never-ending, pouring down fast enough to create one of the largest floods Carroll County has ever seen. Several cars were lost in the flood, and one local woman lost her life. She was only 24...

At the beginning of my freshman year of college, I had quite a few friends. I was dating a senior, so most of my friendships were built in before I moved into the dorm. It’s always a good idea to pick your own friends. If I had realized that then, I might have graduated from college with more than three of them...

Earlier this year, I was accosted by a man in a van on White Street. He stopped the van, turned the music way up and started singing along to “Suspicious Minds.” When the song was over, he addressed me. “You’re so young I bet you don’t even know who Elvis is!” he laughed. With that, he drove away...

Sunday caps off the weekend, so it’s not usually my favorite day of the week. It means Monday is on the horizon and those glorious two days of binging Netflix are almost over. As you can tell, I’m not the kind of person who does much during the weekend. Some people, like my mother, look at the weekend as an opportunity to catch up on errands...

Two years ago on a lazy Saturday, I started watching Survivor: Caramoan. It was the latest season added to Hulu, and I hadn’t watched the show since Tina Wesson dominated in the Australian Outback. I remembered enjoying it. I had a full day to do whatever I wanted. It made sense to waste it by watching what I later found to be one of the lowest-rated seasons of Survivor...

Sometime in 2009, my mom had a really bad day. She quit her job after working more than a decade at the same company, and her supposed close friend weaseled her way into my mom’s position. This all happened in one day, but it had been building up for quite some time...

This Thursday, the monthly fundraising event Cocktails for a Cause will benefit The Purple Flower, a local nonprofit close to my heart. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know why The Purple Flower is so important to me. After all, it is the only domestic violence resource center in Carroll County...

Working in the public eye has its perks. You get to know tons of different people, some who share your views and some who don’t. Either way, you come to understand the world a little bit more. You might also get recognized at the grocery store, which is an experience I can’t seem to get used to...

The time has come. After a year of planning, Gideon and I are going on our honeymoon. We’re leaving on Saturday, and it couldn’t come at a better time. This past year has been stressful. I had to plan our wedding, vote for a new president and adjust to a new work schedule. Putting it lightly, I need a break...

This past weekend, women, men and children all around the world united to march for basic human rights. The Women's March has become one of the largest peaceful protests in history, with citizens from all seven continents speaking up during the worldwide event. This is something to be proud of. It's something I'm proud of, at least...

For some of us, a new year means the opportunity to change for the better. Maybe you want to exercise more or unplug from social media or spend more time with your family. Whatever it is, I wish you luck. That said, I must admit that I'm not exactly a shining example when it comes to keeping a new year's resolution...

We've all got one Christmas memory that stands out more than the others. I'm talking about the memory you look back on that makes you laugh or cry. When I think about my favorite Christmas memory, I can't help but do both of these things. It was a pretty normal Christmas day for my family. ...

As some of you know, Gideon and I will be having a wedding in the very near future. We will be officially wed on New Year's Eve, with all our friends and family there to ring in 2017. Of course New Year's Eve is a special day to get married. It's all about change and new beginnings, which is pretty perfect for a wedding day. ...

Two years ago, Gideon and I were getting ready to go shopping in Rogers. His paternal grandmother had given us a $100 gift card to Kohl's a few months earlier, and we had just gotten around to using it. We didn't leave Eureka Springs too often. It was a treat to go out of town and shop, especially since we weren't using our own money...

Last Thursday, we had a Thanksgiving potluck lunch at the Carroll County News office. We've done this every year since I've worked here, and many years before that. I asked one of my coworkers who has been here a lot longer than I have if she could remember when the lunch began. She said she couldn't, so it's safe to say it's been happening since the beginning of time...

By the end of today, we'll know who the next president of the United States is. That's not all we'll know. We'll also know if the proposed creation of an ambulance district in eastern Carroll County passes and if the proposed 1 percent sales tax in Eureka Springs is approved by the majority of voters. There's also the sheriff race, county judge race and several proposed bills to be considered...

Social media is a strange creature. Most people are bright and shiny on social media. They share photos of their kids or cats, and sometimes both at the same time. They talk about all the good things happening in their life, from receiving a promotion at work to ordering a really solid steak on date night. Pictures usually accompany these posts, so you get to see these happy people smiling with their extraordinary New York strip...

For most people, October means carving pumpkins, wearing sweaters and going trick or treating. I like all these things as much as the next person, but my favorite part of the month isn't popular with everyone. For me, it's all about Halloween. I also like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Sleepaway Camp, Scream and Black Christmas. ...

When I was 6, my mom bought me a Barbie coloring book. I was elated, and not just because I had an unhealthy obsession with all things Barbie. I desperately wanted to color the entire book on my own, from cover to cover, as perfectly as possible. My friends at daycare asked to take a page from the coloring book, and I adamantly refused. ...

On a hot day in May 2004, my mom took me and my friend Dora to my grandparents' pool. We were celebrating the end of sixth grade and the beginning of summer break. We played with the beach ball while Mom and Nana lounged with big sunglasses and hats on. Occasionally, we splashed them to be annoying. It worked...

If you've met me, you have probably seen a picture of my cat, BJ. Even some people who haven't met me know what my cat looks like. He's super cute, if you were wondering. He's a short-haired, yellow-orange tabby cat with a pretty killer personality. You can see his personality in his cute little green eyes, especially when he's feeling mischievous...

Next week, the presidential debates begin. The first debate is schedule for Monday, Sept. 26, and I hope all of you will be watching. That's pretty important. So far, we have seen the presidential candidates through the lens of social media. The headlines read the same as any other clickbait shared on the internet. ...

Two years ago on a hot July day, I saw the Carroll County News office for the first time. I had just graduated from college with a journalism degree and spent much of the summer searching for work in my field. Quickly, I realized I wouldn't likely find that work. I took an office job in Fayetteville instead, accepting the job the same Monday I heard about an opening at the Lovely County Citizen...

On Monday morning, I went to Walmart to buy some cookies. It was Labor Day, so the store was much more crowded than it normally would be on a Monday. People whizzed past me with carts full of food and various household items. I saw one woman pushing one cart in front of her and pulling another behind her. It seemed she had saved all her shopping for her one day off...

Election season has a special way of bringing out the worst in people. That's especially true this year, because a man who has some of the worst qualities a person can have is running for president. I know, I know. Here I am going on about Donald Trump once again. Can't those crazy liberals find something else to talk about besides Trump? After all, what did Trump do that was so bad? He has said and done so many terrible things that it would take a series of columns to cover it all...

Normally, Gideon and I spend Sundays at home watching "Forensic Files" and playing with the cat. That's been especially true lately, because it's been too hot to do much else. This Sunday was different. It was a Sunday for the ages. We woke up early and milled around in the kitchen for a while. ...

Last week, I interviewed Mary Jane Fritsch at Green Acre Lodge. Mary Jane recently turned 103, and she has spent most of that time in Carroll County. She moved to the county with her family when she was around 5 years old, living in and around Eureka Springs for a number of years. Mary Jane was quick to tell me that she felt "free as a bird" when she was an adolescent, recounting how her family purchased and cultivated several plots of land in the county...

If you watched the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, you watched history being made. For the first time in America, a woman has been chosen as the major party nominee for the presidential election. That woman is Hillary Clinton. I know many of you aren't huge Clinton fans. ...

Have you ever done something so embarrassing that you instantly regretted it? Maybe you fell at a public event or accidentally cursed in front of your grandmother or didn't realize your skirt was tucked into your underwear until someone had to point it out to you. How did you handle that situation? If you politely apologized, moved on and forgot about it, I envy you...

This week marks the second half of July. In one month, kids will return to school and we'll be gearing up for September. Boy, do I love September. September is the month that kicks off autumn, which is inarguably the best season of the year. Well, we can argue about it if you want, but I have to warn you that I'm pretty passionate about autumn...

To put it lightly, this past week has been a nightmare for Americans. Many of you have heard about the shootings that took place last week, beginning with the death of Alton Sterling. Sterling was apprehended by cops while allegedly illegally selling CDs outside a convenience store, where he was pinned to the ground by two police officers and fatally shot in the chest. ...

This past weekend, I traveled to Texarkana to visit my family, find a wedding dress and celebrate my nana's birthday. My family has lived in or around Texarkana for about as long as I can remember. It's the town where I ate my first solid meal, spent summers lounging by the pool and got my heart broken for the first time. It's home...

In news that will surprise no one, Donald Trump is a trending topic again. You've probably heard about Trump. He's got small hands, great hair and is the former host of "Celebrity Apprentice." Oh, he's also running for president of the United States...

In America, freedom is what it's all about. We are free to believe what we believe, love who we love and say what we want to say. We're also free to get murdered by a madman with a gun while seeing a movie, hanging out after a concert, going to school or praying in church...

In some families, the military is an institution. I bet you could strike up a conversation with a young person on the Berryville Square who has had multiple family members serve in the military. Perhaps that person might consider serving themselves. That certainly isn't uncommon in this area, and I'd say it's something that deserves respect...

This past Sunday, our talented photographer David Bell celebrated his 64th birthday. All of us from the editorial staff at Carroll County News took him to dinner, and it was a blast. That wasn't too surprising, though -- every day we work with David is a blast...

What comes to mind when you think of summer? Do you think of swimming in the hot sun or eating a cold treat at one of the shops downtown? Do you envision fishing or grilling or riding ATVs? All these things take me back to the summers of my childhood, a time when my biggest concern was finishing the summer reading assigned by the English teacher I'd learn from in the fall. ...

Donald Trump is most likely going to be the Republican nominee in the presidential election this fall. Last week, he won the Indiana primary, causing Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to drop out of the race. Unless something shocking happens at the GOP convention this summer, Trump will most certainly represent the Republican party in the election in November...

May is a bittersweet month for me. It's the month when the all things green come back in full force and everything seems to flower right before your eyes. It's so easy to think the world is beautiful and full of possibilities when nature literally opens herself up in every way possible...

Teenagers hear it from adults all the time. "Don't give in to that peer pressure!" a well-meaning adult will say. It is true that teenagers can sway their peers toward drugs or alcohol. I can attest to this, having been a teenager not too long ago. Peer pressure certainly exists in a tangible way, but I always felt more pressure from another age group. That's right: The adults in my life made me more nervous than my peers ever did...

It's awfully hard to be grumpy about getting up early when you drive through Carroll County to get to work in the morning. I find this especially true during spring and fall, when all the colors are changing and the new season starts to set in. We're smack dab in the middle of spring now, and it feels like some new color pops up every day. Purple flowers have begun growing along the road where I walk in the evenings, which makes exercise after a long day of work almost bearable...

In about nine months, I'll be getting married to the best person I've ever met. My fiancé is sweet, funny and too smart for his own good. He's also probably the only person I'd consider marrying in front of a lot of people. My job requires me to be an extrovert, but that doesn't mean I like being the center of attention. ...

A little less than two weeks ago, I was promoted to associate editor foe Carroll County Newspapers. That means I'll oversee the day-to-day operations of the Lovely County Citizen while still working with the team I've grown to love here at Carroll County News...

The clocks moved forward an hour last weekend, and I am not happy about it. If losing a valuable hour of trashy television on Sunday wasn't enough, it seems the temperatures are increasing too. That means it's almost spring. I don't mind spring. The flowers start blooming, the air is cool and it's finally acceptable to wear open-toed sandals. ...

When I tell someone what I do for a living, I usually get one of two responses. The most common -- and preferred -- response is something along the lines of how cool my job must be. I can't disagree with that. It is cool. I get to speak with and write about people from many different walks of life on a daily basis; this has helped me appreciate how important and beautiful our differences are...

The presidential primary elections are taking place throughout 12 states Tuesday including Arkansas. This election is important, and you should vote if you're registered to do so. It's taken a while, but I finally know who I'm voting for. That said, I'm not writing this column to endorse a candidate. ...

Out of sheer curiosity, I follow two reality shows. These shows feature surprisingly similar families, but many people probably wouldn't think so. What are the shows? "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and "19 Kids and Counting," of course. Most of us know about the Kardashians. ...

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed the three female deputies at the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. Cpl. Janet Galland talked about how it can be difficult for women to work in law enforcement and described her history as a law enforcement officer. It was an honor to speak with such a strong, professional woman; somehow, Galland spoke methodically and with passion simultaneously...

My mom will celebrate her birthday this Sunday. She was born on Valentine's Day, which means her boyfriend will be in twice the trouble if he forgets to send flowers. It also means she has had to share her birthday with a well-known holiday all her life. For as long as I can remember, Mom has shared her birthday with me. She has always given me a Valentine's Day present as if it isn't the one day I should be celebrating her...

Donald Trump could be our next president. That's a scary thought, but it's even scarier that it's taken so many people so long to realize how dangerous Trump is. When he first announced his run for presidency, I responded as many others did, by laughing it off...

"Kids don't talk on the phone anymore," a friend told me this weekend. "It's all text, text, text." She demonstrated this by rapidly pecking at her phone to imitate her teenage daughter. Her daughter, she said, equates an hour of texting to an hour of talking. I wasn't sure what to think about that. Should text messaging be considered a conversation the same way we consider actually talking a conversation?...

When you really love chocolate doughnuts, no healthy alternative can quite measure up. It's especially difficult when you decide to forego grains completely because you're getting married in the next 11 months and want to look back on the photos without finding a thousand flaws per glance...

Many people in my mother's generation like to point out how today's 20-somethings feel entitled for no reason. As a 20-something, I agree that my peers have an unreal sense of entitlement. I've seen it firsthand. My ex-boyfriend racked up $60,000 in student loans and constantly complained about how "the system" had lied to him. ...

Last week, Gideon and I vacationed in Orange Beach, Ala., with his family. We stayed in a condo overlooking the water and hoped to ring in the new year with a beachside picnic. That didn't quite end up happening. Early New Year's Eve, we ate lunch at a steakhouse and purchased items for our picnic at the nearby Publix, one of the three grocery stores in the area. Gideon loves Publix; he spent the eight-hour drive to Alabama telling me how excited he was to shop there...

Every Christmas Eve, my mom makes a big pot of vegetable stew. It's my favorite stew. It has huge potato chunks, baby carrots, green beans, corn and turkey in it. Mom uses some sort of tomato juice or soup as a base. My mouth begins to water just thinking about that stew. Luckily, that's just the beginning of my family's Christmas traditions...

This weekend, I saw the Eureka Springs High School production of Annie, Jr. The show was phenomenal, but what struck me most is how hard all the drama students worked on it. Because I'm writing an article about the show, I got a back-stage look at just how much work the students put in...

College was a bad time for me. The first two years were especially difficult. During this time, my boyfriend became increasingly more manipulative and eventually began controlling nearly every aspect of my life. He'd also point out how all my friends were in his circle, saying they didn't really like me. They thought I was crazy, he said...

My nana didn't work on Black Friday this year. It was the first year she's had the day off in a long time, and we spent it shopping in Branson. On the way home, I asked her how she felt about working on Black Friday. "It feels great not to do it, but it's a way to make money," she said...

While driving home from a late meeting last week, it struck me that I get paid to do something I genuinely enjoy. That realization hit me like a freight train. I spend so much time worrying about what I have to do at work, I realized, that I don't often take the time to be thankful for the job I get to do. Most of us dream of growing up to be someone important -- a doctor, an artist, a writer, a musician, an airplane pilot -- and accept it when our lives inevitably take a different path...

When I was in high school, I got into a huge fight with my friend Kasey. It was mid-winter and late at night. I remember closing my hands into fists to fight off the bitter cold; in hindsight, I'm happy Kasey didn't see this and assume I wanted to fight. I am not and never have been capable of winning a physical fight. It would have been a massacre...

We're not even halfway into November, and the war on Christmas has begun. What started the war this year? According to many people on social media, Starbucks is to blame. The overpriced coffee chain recently released a red cup to celebrate the holiday season, an annual event for the company. In the past, these cups have featured snowflakes or Santa Claus or gingerbread men...

November has arrived. Soon, it will be time for Thanksgiving and Christmas and more parties than you can feasibly attend. For many people, this is the best time of the year. Normally I would be one of these people, but I've been experiencing a bit of seasonal depression this year...

On this day two years ago, my life changed forever. I didn't think it was a huge change at the time. My nearly four-year relationship had run its course, and my then-boyfriend and I broke up amicably. Lots of things led to our breakup. He was disgustingly messy; I prefer order and cleanliness. ...

I should have known I wasn't going to fit in with my sorority sisters at our first official meeting. It was the spring of 2011, and we gathered in room with a big window overlooking multiple blooming rose bushes. We had started the sorority ourselves; as our founder so eloquently put it, we weren't "like those other bad sororities."...

Growing up in rural Fouke, Ark., I remember sitting next to my papaw and listening to the way he told stories. He was loud and boisterous, often telling the same story with new or exaggerated details each time. I realized fairly quickly that he wasn't aiming to tell true stories; instead, he was trying to entertaining others...

I lost a close friend this weekend. Our friendship probably ended months ago, but it became official on Saturday. Strangely, we didn't scream at each other. We didn't even talk about the conclusion of our friendship. Instead, she quietly deleted me on Facebook. Staring at the "add friend" button on her Facebook profile, I started to think about how our friendship began and how it eventually disintegrated. I met her my freshman year of college; she was a friend of my then-boyfriend...

As I've probably said far too many times before, I have an adorable yellow tabby cat named BJ. He's the most mild-mannered, loving pet I've owned despite my tendency to test his limits. My behavior never ventures near animal cruelty but rather animal annoyance, if that's a thing. I often wake BJ up when he's soundly sleeping just to move him closer to me. I also like tucking him into bed with me like a baby and cradling him as he silently plots my demise...

A favorite writer of mine once compared listening to U2's album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" to visiting his favorite childhood restaurant. I love that analogy because it addresses how nostalgic music often is. Songs can transport you to another time or remind you of long-forgotten experiences...

When I was a kid, my mom constantly told me that I couldn't take criticism well. I interpreted this as criticism, responded defensively and proved her right on all accounts. "You just don't understand!" I'd scream as if she had never been a teenager...

Last Wednesday, I sat in the bleachers observing the Miss Carroll County 2015 Fair Queen Pageant. It was the first pageant I've ever seen in person, and I chose a seat isolated from others to take the best notes possible. Ten girls competed in the junior miss division. ...

As an avid fan of the horror genre, I was upset to learn that legendary director Wes Craven died this weekend. Craven is responsible for horror classics like "The Last House on the Left," "A Nightmare on Elm Street"and the Scream series. I love all these films, but "Scream" is especially dear to me. ...

I'm beginning to believe the fashion industry exists to make life more difficult for women. I first suspected this when searching for prom dresses years ago. Never a fan of long dresses, I hoped to find a knee-length cocktail dress instead. This decision had many points in its favor; I wouldn't trip over my skirt, I could wear the dress more than once and I could dress it up or down depending on the occasion...

F or most of my college experience, I was in an abusive relationship. I was manipulated, attacked, criticized and put down more times than I'm willing to admit. Many of you know this from reading past columns, but you probably don't know that I've been working on a project to combat inaccurate perceptions of domestic violence. ...

Recently, I've realized that I use the term "guilty pleasure" to describe the things I like way more than I should. As far back as I can remember, I've liked television, music and books with questionable merits. I recall gleefully watching "Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?" on the Lifetime Network in 2001, a simpler time when Tori Spelling's face moved and studio executives believed a film called "Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?" would be a feasible theatrical release. ...

Mass shootings happen often enough to remind us that we haven't revisited all those debates that launch invariably circuital arguments lately. Subjects of these debates include gun control, race and religious freedom. Recently, the mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., even spurred debate about the Confederate battle flag...

Today is my one-year anniversary at Carroll County News. It has been wonderful. It's hard for me to believe that I was graduating from college a little over a year ago with no idea what I would do or where I would go. With a little money saved up, I planned to live as frugally as possible while searching for jobs. I didn't think this would drive me crazy but it certainly did...

I dropped my cell phone in the toilet Sunday afternoon. It played out like that scene in "The Brady Bunch" when Marcia gets nailed in the nose with a football, the phone falling in slow-motion as I helplessly screamed in panic. My panic was admittedly a bit more PG-13 than Marcia's, but what do you expect from someone who learned the art of flipping the bird before kindergarten?...

This Saturday, I won a first-place award from the Arkansas Press Association. It wasn't the award I had expected to win. Going in, I knew three of my pieces had won either first, second or third place in the state. One was a shared byline with my editor, one was for coverage of education and one was for a column I wrote on domestic violence last November...

Even if you live under a rock, you have heard that the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage equality nationwide a little over a week ago. I will proudly say that I am a product of my generation and completely accept and support equality. That's kind of scary for me, because 10 years ago I quietly accepted what I now know to be homophobia. At the time, it struck me as what I had always known. I grew up in a small town in Arkansas -- a town where everybody knew your name for better or worse...

When my mom moved me to my nana's house during my senior year of high school, I was upset. I felt I was being uprooted from my home and knew that my mom was in financial trouble. Everything in my life suddenly felt in transition; I would be attending college the next year and felt I no longer had a home. I was also 17 years old, which entails its own special kind of turmoil...

Last week, I fell apart in the seasonal aisle at Walmart. I was surrounded by Father's Day items -- balloons, power tools, oversize greeting cards, mustache-emblazoned party sets -- and realized all at once that I have never had a reason to purchase any of these items for my father...

Ginnifer Goodwin, an actress starring in ABC's "Once Upon a Time" and the hit movie "He's Just Not That Into You," stopped by my small college town this weekend to film a documentary on the school's campus. Many of my friends were super excited about this, sharing photos with Goodwin and stories of how nice she was on social media. Those who were not in town at the time lamented their situation, saying they wished they could have been there to meet Goodwin, too...

I heard it from everyone during my first semester of college. "Call your mom! She misses you!" my friend Dora said at the end of a lengthy voicemail in October. I sighed, rolled my eyes and put my phone away. The phone rings both ways, I thought, so my mom can call me herself if she really wants to talk to me...

My boyfriend, Gideon, turns 23 today. We met when he was 17 years old in a sequence of events that could have easily resulted in an unrequited "missed connections" post on Craigslist had I not insisted that we trade contact information. Every day I am more and more grateful that I did this...

When Josh Duggar of the TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting" was 14 or 15 years old, he molested several of his sisters and one girl outside of the family. His parents, the famous Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, found out and sent him to help a friend build houses for three months in lieu of therapy, then reintroduced him into the home where his victims lived...

The summer before my senior year of college, I worked at a radio station in my hometown. I mostly answered phones and interacted with customers at the front desk, though I did get to write some ads for the radio. While I enjoyed the work and got along well with my boss and a few other employees, I felt slightly out of place probably by the second day of work. It was because of a woman who worked sales in the office...

I'm a little late on this, but that shouldn't surprise my mom. After all, she was there when I broke my nose tossing a softball around. She watched as I chose my first boyfriend, a boy who appeared to shower and change his clothes only once a month. She listened to all the bad jokes I made -- and still make, if I'm being honest -- when I was beginning to develop my sense of humor...

I stopped watching "Grey's Anatomy" in 2007 after becoming bitter that it beat out "Lost" at all the major awards shows. I started watching it again in 2010 when all the shows I loved ended. I stopped watching it again two weeks ago when Dr. Derek Shepherd was needlessly killed off by Shonda Rhimes, a showrunner who doesn't seem to understand loyalty to fans or how a plot works...

This morning, I attended the second meeting of the Carroll County Health Committee. I expected to encounter articulate discussion about the health needs of the county, and I did. I did not, however, expect a long-lost friend to show up. It stared at me in the corner of the room, surrounded by dopplegangers wedged tightly in a square box. Iced with chocolate, it gazed at me with an especially enthusiastic, glazed expression...

Like most able-bodied adult women, I live in fear of intruders. The doors and windows to my apartment are always closed. When not in use, all vents are sealed shut. I've even strategically placed towels under doors and windowsills to ensure that those eight-legged creatures won't find their way in despite all my precaution...

When I was a kid, my mother always told me she feared I'd elope without telling anyone once I grew up. Hearing that usually offended me, because I assumed she was calling me selfish. I'm now 23 years old and in a long-term relationship headed toward marriage. Suddenly, I understand her assessment. You see, weddings are expensive. Engagement rings are expensive. Honeymoons are expensive...

Last fall's midterm elections resulted in a Republican majority. As a fairly liberal person, I was not incredibly pleased with this but tried to keep an open mind about it. "Nothing's happened yet," I thought. "The new legislators could surprise everybody."...

Some mornings, I curse the world while driving to work. Why do I have to be up this early? Why do those birds think it's appropriate to chirp this early and that loudly? Isn't it kind of tragic that we study the first part of our lives in school only to graduate from that and into a work schedule? For the love of Lost, the best television show of all time, when do we get relief?...

When I was an undergraduate, I took a course in critical theory. It's as bad as it sounds, if you're wondering. Most of my nights that semester -- and some of my days at my tutoring job -- were spent poring over theoretical texts with a dictionary and a thesaurus serving as my only other companions...

Three days ago, I was using my boyfriend's computer and accidentally dropped it. Like that time in The Brady Bunch when one of the kids knocks a vase from a table and leaps in vain to catch it, the scene played out in slow-motion for me. Plop! It fell so loudly I thought it must have been laced with lead. I didn't wait around to see Gideon's reaction, clasping my hands around my ears and eyes as tightly as possible. Unable to breathe, I thought I might be dying...

Last month, one of my friends on Facebook told me that I don't understand the difference between satire and journalism. We were discussing the shooting at Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine in France that has published controversial cartoons depicting Muhammad...

I didn't watch the Academy Awards on Sunday night, but I heard about Patricia Arquette's acceptance speech almost immediately after it happened. Arquette, perhaps stunned by the fact that she managed to win an Oscar despite being part of the Arquette family, thanked everyone from family to her favorite painter and finished the speech with a political turn...

My boyfriend, Gideon, and I got to know each other online over a period of three and a half years, so you'd think that I have great advice for anyone trying to strike up a relationship through a dating website. You'd be wrong. I'm a really, really weird person. I'm not saying that to be self-deprecating and inspire sympathy from all of you. I'm saying it because it's true and because it disqualifies me from giving any sane dating advice to anyone...

VI'm a pretty cynical person. When I loan someone money, I first make sure I won't miss the money in case I don't get it back. I've been known to curse at incompetent drivers on occasion, and one of my favorite hobbies is watching bad reality TV and screaming insults at the television...

When I first moved to Eureka Springs last August, I decided to start walking in the evenings. My larger goal was to upgrade to jogging and then, hopefully, to running. Having had a gym membership since I was 16, I rather enjoyed exercising outdoors. It was hot, but the air was clear and I didn't have to listen to weightlifters obnoxiously grunt every time they so much as looked at a dumbbell...

Director Rob Reiner and writer Nora Ephron struck gold with When Harry Met Sally, the famous romantic comedy that questions whether or not men and women can ever be friends. Romantic comedies have a bad reputation, but I don't think it's an opinion to say that the film is well-crafted. ...

An acquaintance of mine committed suicide a couple months ago. I didn't know him well and I'd never claim to, but he did live in the house Gideon and I lived in before we moved to Eureka Springs. He killed himself in the room adjacent to ours with our friends in a nearby room. ...

Last winter, I lived in Batesville, a town about three hours away from Berryville. Winter weather was so bad there that my college canceled classes for roughly five days, a landmark for a school that prides itself on academia above all. (This apparently includes safety, as several people broke ankles and legs trying to walk to class on ice during my first couple years at the school.)...

I met my boyfriend, Gideon, in the spring of 2010. Both in the top of our class, we were invited to a governor's reception in Little Rock. After I took a photo with Gov. Beebe, I retreated to the refreshment table. I first saw Gideon when I was drinking subpar lemonade. Standing in the back of the room, he wore a dark suit and an even darker expression. I couldn't figure out why a person could look so sad during a celebration like that, so I approached him...

An open letter to my ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend: I dated your boyfriend for three years, but I don't need to tell you that. You already know. I'm sure he's told you about the disintegration of our relationship and how I caused it. By now, you probably know about our constant fighting and my perpetually bipolar emotions...