Author: Emily Dickey

On Friday, March 13, 2020, an announcement came over the loudspeaker at school stating that starting the following week the Waynesboro Area School District would be closed. You remember this time, I’m sure. The beginning of the Pandemic – how our worlds would shut down and forever be changed. I don’t have to remind you what happened after that. In fact, on some level, we haven’t fully come out of this era yet. But I believe we are on our way. As news spread that afternoon, members of the All School Production cast anxiously awaited what would happen to their…

Sometime around 2008, I signed my mom, my mother-in-law, and myself up for knitting lessons at the Knitting Cottage in Leitersburg. Knitting has always fascinated me; the ability to create everything from a scarf to a blanket, from a pillow to a cozy cardigan, is mesmerizing.  I have never been a “crafty” person – but that’s not to say I am against DIY projects or fun creations. Most of the time it boils down to not having (or not making) the time. I have vivid memories of my grandmother, Lois Cavanaugh, crocheting blankets and snowflakes and filling her days painting…

Snow, ice, sleet, more ice, wind, and super cold temps … . Yes, that’s what Old Man Winter dealt to our area last week. To be honest, there is nothing motivating when you open the weather app on your phone first thing in the morning and see that the “Real Feel” is -5 degrees–NEGATIVE 5. My brain told me it was too cold to run. My body agreed. I crawled back into bed because yep, it was Saturday morning; I didn’t have anywhere to be and the electric blanket was still keeping my bed toasty. I slept like there was no…

Being a mom is my favorite role. Being a mom is also my hardest role. As my girls have grown older they have each developed interests much different than mine. Neither loves to run long distances. They don’t spend their afternoons with a book and a cup of tea. Sometimes they will tolerate my in-the-car concert to ‘90s music, but usually they prefer to choose the playlist. If I asked them to eat the Superhero Muffins I make on a weekly basis, they would politely decline. Of course, this is totally ok. I mean, isn’t that what we want for…

For years, I have been a coffee drinker. It doesn’t have to be Starbucks, but it does have to be in my mug first thing in the morning. Throughout the Pandemic my coffee consumption grew. Since I was home daily, my morning cup of coffee quickly became two cups and then spiraled into my morning pot of coffee.  Yep, the only person in the house drinking coffee is me, so I know I’m to blame for the empty mugs in the dishwasher and empty pot by afternoon. Back at school, my coffee consumption continued but had been limited to two…

What is it about a new year that makes us feel like we can take on the world? I’ll be honest. I often fall into the hope of a new year as well, thinking of dreams and goals I want to attain and habits I want to break in an effort to live my “best life”. But if roughly 80% of New Year’s resolutions are broken, according to The New York Times, how can I stand a fighting chance of being in that 20%? My close friends and I had this conversation just the other day. The group text thread…

I am one of the lucky few who has time off work the week between Christmas and New Years’. As a high school English teacher, my last day of work for 2021 was on Dec. 22. I spent those first few days catching up on all the holiday prep I needed to accomplish before Christmas – shopping, wrapping, a little baking, and even more shopping and wrapping. Once the big day was here, our family spent two full days celebrating with extended family members, eating lots of goodies, exchanging lots of presents, and engaging in lots of memory-making.Yes, it was…

About a week ago, I was hunting endlessly for the Dickey House Elf on the Shelf, fondly named Marty. For the life of me, I could not find that elf. I searched every box of the Christmas decorations and ornaments. I climbed up to the loft in our garage and rummaged around. I hoisted myself up on the counters in the kitchen and looked inside every cabinet, closet, and crevice throughout the house – but I still couldn’t find Marty. Eve, my 12-year-old daughter, walked in on my self-imposed hide and seek and asked me what I was doing. “I’m…

The holiday season has arrived and just like every other year my mind is filled with a to-do list about a million pages long: Hang up the lights outside.Pull out the Advent calendar.Address the family Christmas cards.Figure out what to buy for (insert name of family member).Stockpile wrapping paper and tape.Decide what to make for Christmas morning breakfast.Christmas cookies – buy them, make them, or forget all about them? It seems as though every minute leading up to Dec. 25th is filled with unrealistic expectations to create the perfect holiday experience – which, as a result, creates added stress, frustration,…

Over the holiday break, I was able to catch up with quite a number of important people in my life – mom friends, former students, close family members, and true blue, lifelong friends. It is not lost on me that I am lucky. Lucky to have so many blessings of support in my life. People who have seen me at my best and have cheered me on. People who have seen me at my worst and have loved me anyway. It’s also not lost on me how much relationships change with time. Friends I couldn’t wait to call when I…