Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun The Joy of the White Elephant Sale at Our Lady of the Lake Churches have always understood something simple and beautiful: community thrives when people share what they have. That’s why Our Lady of the Lake’s annual White Elephant Sale is more than a fundraiser—it’s a tradition rooted in generosity, stewardship, and the belief that even the smallest gift can make a meaningful difference. Every summer, a trailer appears in the...
8 days ago • 3 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun MY DAY Of CELEBRATION 250 YEARS I found myself wondering: How on earth do you make the 250th celebration of the Declaration of Independence memorable? With absolutely no plans, I did what any responsible adult does — I searched the local papers and the internet and hoped inspiration would leap off the screen. It didn’t. If I wanted a memorable day, clearly I’d have to manufacture one myself. On the third, Rich and I went to the...
14 days ago • 3 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure. and Fun July 4, 1976, wasn’t just a birthday for the country; it was a moment in our own lives when everything still felt wide open. Many of us were teenagers or young adults then, standing at the edge of adulthood with the whole world stretching out in front of us. The Bicentennial gave us a reason to look forward, to imagine the next 200 years, and to imagine our own futures too. Gerald Ford was President, the tall ships were gliding...
22 days ago • 2 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun It seems like Father's Day is always sunny and mild. Today is no exception. It is fitting, most fathers would like a day outdoors, a day free from stress and the enormous responsibility that comes with being a father. So let them relax and do whatever they want. Me and My Dad Treasured Photo I had a great Dad. He was usually quiet, but when he spoke, people listened. He was solid, always there when I needed him, and my sense of...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental tales of love, Adventure, and Fun Tech Advice from Someone Who Shouldn’t Give It This week, I had a full‑blown tech adventure — the kind that ends with me driving out of Wi‑Fi range in my pajamas, clutching my laptop like a misbehaving toddler. All because I was afraid to touch the router, which feels like cutting the wrong wire on a bomb. If you don’t know what DNS or SPF mean, trust me, you’re better off. They sound like sunscreen ingredients, not something that...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun Call me crazy, but I have a simple rule when buying k-cups for my Keurig - the coffee has to be on sale. Because of my stubbornness, after a few weeks without a good deal at the food store, I found myself frantically looking for a k-cup the morning I ran out. I needed my cup of coffee! I desperately searched for something that would satisfy the longing. I had to settle for the instant coffee my husband brings on camping trips. It...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of love, Adventure, and Fun For those of you who’ve been with me through Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun, this week brings a new milestone. “Faulty Impressions,” the first book in the series, is getting its hardcover release on June 1. As we get close to that date, I wanted to share a small behind‑the‑scenes update and a way you can help the book find its way into more readers’ hands. “Faulty Impressions” is now officially cataloged with the Library...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun I think of the grandfather I never knew on Memorial Day. The only record of his life is a wedding photo, a memorial document from France, where he is buried, a citation from the United States Army, and a street sign that bears his name, placed in his hometown. He died on July 15, 1918, while fighting in WWI, fatally wounded by a high explosive shell. Joseph was 23 years old. He left behind a wife, an infant daughter that he never...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Joanne's Sunday Perks Dental Tales of Love, Adventure, and Fun I tend to assume everyone has already seen my favorite comedies. Last week I watched 'All of Me', a crazy film with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. It was laugh out loud funny. After a crazy ritual to transfer a dying woman's soul, a mistake is made and Lily is transferred into the right side of Steve's body. An early Steve Martin film, he shows his comic genius with his physical comedy as he tries to cope with the will of the...
2 months ago • 2 min read