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Do You Do Weird Things?
Just the other day, I texted my husband a picture of fresh thyme posing on a cutting board, with the caption, “Do you do weird things?” Now, before your mind plunges into the gutter, you should know that there’s nothing dirty about this text. When my husband and I first met, we were one month…
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Nursery Dreaming
Our house has a hallway that leads to a nursery. For many, this is an ordinary sentence. For us, it’s extraordinary. We bought a house down a quiet lane from a man who doesn’t believe in hallways. He called them corridors. “I don’t believe in corridors,” he said. I have never forgotten it. I spent…
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There Is Purpose in This Paint
“I can give you something productive to paint,” my husband says. “Like the walls of our house.” I’m showing him my new hobbies: coloring and painting. I’m also reviewing the fact that I spent about $40 on colored pencils, a coloring book, composition notebooks, and a watercolor paint set. “Productive is the opposite of what…
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If You Don’t Mind Me Asking
We say hi, hi, how are you, good, how are you? I don’t think she answers. And if she does, it’s a muttered fine or a shrug of her lips as she looks away. I comment on the weather with the mail of mostly coupons for oil changes and credit card invitations in my hand,…
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I Need to Know How Many
It’s the middle of 2020 and I’m writing a grocery list for my husband. He has been shopping for our groceries since the day we all realized how people sneeze all over carts then abandon it for the next set of gullible hands. Sometimes I save our grocery lists and I mix them in with…
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How Did the Pandemic Change Your Friendships?
This post is an excerpt from my latest story for HelloGiggles, “Is This Normal? I Talk Less to My Friends and I’m Happy” Dear Is This Normal?, It’s no secret that the pandemic has changed our lives. But now, with vaccines available and everything starting to open back up, I’ve spent a long time wondering…
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A Story: One Winter Day in the Life of a Writer
In our house, taking out the trash involves scooping cat litter and adding a week’s worth of poop to our trash. This is usually my husband’s chore. Today, I decide to help my stressed-out husband who is in back-to-back meetings at the office. He says he doesn’t have enough time to take sips of water…
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Why Mondays Feel Perfect for Hitting Refresh
“I need to drop off some cake,” my mom says over the phone. “We have so much cake and you forgot to take the cake.” “I want the cake, but I don’t want the cake,” I say. “I’m starting a new program on Monday.” It’s Sunday. I debate if there’s still time for her to…
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For the Ones With a Unique Voice
My husband replies, “What?” like a reflex after 98% of what I say. This isn’t something new for me. My entire life, my mom would read warnings from my teachers on slips of paper tucked inside our take-home folders, “Ashley is very sweet, but she really needs to speak up or her grade will drop.”…
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I am the pan that will change your life.
If you haven’t heard about me by now, then you must live under a rock. I am everywhere. I will pop up on your Instagram feed multiple times a day, held by my handle by smiling women with loosely tousled beach waves. And now that you have read this, you will see me even more…
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Ashley Fenker 