Category: Stories & Fiction

It was the summer of 2006, and we had just been hired by AMR, the parent company of American Eagle. To say we were excited would be a gross understatement. We were THRILLED. We had worked so hard and given up so much, and it finally felt like something good was coming our way. I…

TEN YEARS! 💙 I can hardly believe it’s been that long. This milestone comes with mixed emotions. Deeper Waters was born after the death of my precious mother. We were extremely close, and this blog became a place where I could sort through my emotions and grief. So many of you have been on this…

Let me start this final installment in my Alaska series by saying this trip was a dream come true; to share it with family made it all the more special.  As the days slipped by we found ourselves nearing the end of our time at sea.  We’d planned for it for a year and spent…

Skagway. I had looked forward to this excursion since we signed up for the cruise. It was in Skagway we would ride the White Pass & Yukon Railroad up the White Pass Summit; it climbs nearly three thousand feet in twenty miles.   It passes over bridges made from wood, through tunnels and along the side…

The ship was glamorous, seriously.  The piazza was like something out of a magazine, and everything was so very clean, we were impressed.  Once we’d come in out of the weather, gotten checked in on the ship and found our room, we took some time to appreciate the beauty all around us.  Not just inside…

I had a conversation with my kids recently about how God makes such beautiful things; the evidence of his beauty is everywhere.  And, remarkably, some of his creations will never be seen by human eyes, he creates them entirely for himself, the ultimate artist.  What an incredible notion, I can’t think of many things I…

I still remember how it felt when Jeff came home from the interview with American Eagle; we were cautiously excited for the chance to interview with a commercial airline, and simultaneously disappointed it wasn’t the one we’d hoped for.   But, after talking with Jeff, he told me that because he wasn’t sure he wanted to…

Instructor Jeff Carlson has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? But in truth, he was still a long way from having the hours he needed to apply for a commercial airline.  And that was the goal.  There was no time to celebrate the small wins, we had to keep going.  It was spring…

Merry Christmas! It was the winter of 2004 and Christmas was wonderful!  Time together as a family was just what we all needed.  But, much sooner that we would’ve liked, it was time for Jeff to go back to Florida.  The kids and I had made a life in Brewton, the schools were great, living…

Leaving Jeff in Florida was the hardest part of this whole journey.   It was a sacrifice we were willing to make because it meant the kids would be in a school system we trusted and Jeff would have unlimited time to focus solely on training.  In hindsight, it was a good decision, but in the…

Airsickness. Of all the problems and potential obstacles we talked about, airsickness was never one of them; it never even occurred to us.  This was a difficult blow.  I felt this could be the end of a dream that hadn’t even really started, but, Jeff didn’t agree.   Taking something over the counter wasn’t an option…

The summer of 2004 our adventure into flying became a reality.  It was no longer just a dream or a prayer, it had become the current situation of our life.   We were crammed into a one bedroom apartment on the third floor of a massive apartment complex; our belongings strewn across two states and we…

In the months that led up to leaving, we made a lot of hard decisions.   Jeff applied, and was accepted, to Delta Connection Academy in Sanford, FL so we knew we had to find a place to live near the training center.  He made dozens of phone calls in an effort to find an affordable…

Once we arrived back in Iowa, the next few months were a blur.   Jeff applied to Delta Connection Academy, in spite of recruiter’s advice, and was accepted.  He would start training in the fall, in the meantime the pastor of the church where we worked was leaving, and that left us with minimal options about…

As I think back over all that transpired during this time, I can’t help but be so grateful.  You know, when you’re going through something challenging, you don’t always have the strength to be thankful, just trying to survive consumes all your energy.  There’s something powerful about going back and writing it all down, you…

Unemployed.   Again. It stung, as you can imagine. But, let me fill you in on some of the backstory that might help you understand why we weren’t devastated.  About a year earlier, Jeff and I were in Barnes and Noble with the kids, something we did often, when Jeff noticed a book that felt…

There are seasons in life that teach us valuable lessons.  Often, these lessons are the ones we’ve fought hardest for, and they’re the ones that shape us the most. “Okay, now, let’s all stay together.”  Jeff said it as he buckled Travis into the seat on the back of his bike.  “Does everyone have their…

It was 1999.  The cusp of Y2K and there weren’t many discussions that didn’t involve whether or not the world was going to end.  Prince’s song 1999 was making a comeback, the Back Street Boys and Brittany Spears were in their prime. The movie Matrix was released and Who Wants to be a Millionaire played…

Dothan, Alabama. The heart of the South, where sweet tea is a staple and each year there is a festival to celebrate the peanut harvest; where southern belles thrive and college football is a religion.  It was in this place we learned to truly serve, and found a love for the church that we carry…

Church wasn’t just a part of our lives, it was our life. It’s taken me a long time to have the courage to tell our story. The more I get into this, the more I realize telling your story is complicated.  The facts of the story don’t just involve you, they also involve others, because…

It didn’t take long for Jeff and me to become great friends, maybe even the best of friends.  We would sit for hours in the “student center” and talk or play games.  Which, I have to confess was me being totally disingenuous because I do not like games at all.  But, I did like this…

I spent my childhood wiggling on the front pews of small country churches, the kind that pepper the hills and valleys of the Deep South.  The ones with steeples that stand proudly above the roofline and a sign by the road that boasts the church name and a quote a well-meaning member thought was appropriate…

Hello Deeper Waters Community! I have some personal news… I am going to attempt something over the next few weeks that intimidates me.  I love this blog and for years I tried to keep it relatively generic, I didn’t mention my husband’s name or my kid’s names or post any pictures of us.  I mean,…

So, I’ve been keeping a secret for a year now and this week I was finally able to share the news!! WE WERE ON HOUSE HUNTERS!! I can hardly believe I’m typing those words, it feels so surreal.   I want to tell you as much as I can about it and still honor the NDA…

Wow! Does anyone else feel December was a bit crazy?  I love the holiday season with all its hustle and bustle, but by the time it’s over, and the Christmas decorations are safely tucked away in the attic, I feel emotionally and physically drained.    By the time it’s January I’m living on coffee and…

As I reflect back over the last year, I can’t shake this feeling of anticipation. 2024 was hard in so many ways.  I learned a lot, I can tell you that.  I learned how to practice happiness even when I didn’t feel it, I learned how to speak positive words over my life when little…

We crave adventure. We need adventure; it keeps our souls alive and invigorated. I looked up the word adventure and basically it means what you think it means, “an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.” I would like to put my own spin on the definition and suggest that not all adventures are…

I don’t think I told you guys about my fall at the airport I don’t go to the airport a lot, which is ironic since my husband flies airplanes for living. I am trying to travel more, so I’m hoping to be an airport expert before too long. Anyway, I’m telling you this because it…

Nervous flyer here! My longtime friends know this about me, but for those of you who don’t know me well, let me tell you that flying is not my favorite. Interesting, since my husband is a pilot. I am determined to overcome this, though, which is why I found myself in the airport a few…

The airport. Quite possibly one of my least favorite places. But, it’s a necessary means, so here I was again facing the fear that haunts me. After I made it through security, which was a breeze, I might add, I headed straight for Starbucks. I needed distraction. (Hint: coffee.) As I walked I noticed one…

A few days ago, life looked a lot different. It was before, as in before Hurricane Helene ravaged much of our city and many others in her path.  We woke up last Friday to pelting rain and seventy mile an hour winds, honestly as a Florida girl, this wouldn’t have been something to be very…

I had the sweetest, and most unique, encounter recently. His name was Trace. My daughter and I were standing in line at a coffee shop we found while on our girl’s trip. Let me interrupt myself here and say, isn’t it wonderful to find a really good coffee shop while on a trip? One of…

We have a Golden Retriever.  His name is Jake. He’s one year old and beautiful.  At least on the outside. I question his inner beauty sometimes.  Just kidding.  (sorta) Jake is a bit big for a Golden, weighing in at ninety pounds and is as strong as a mule.  He is rowdy and our trainer…

I sat in church last Sunday behind the tallest guy in the entire building.  We have screens at our church so the silhouette of his head was perfectly centered covering much of what I needed to see.  “Ugh!” I thought and I might have even let it slip through my lips as we stood for…

Trevor headed up the stairs to his room and shut the door.  Did that really just happen?  Did he just agree to give up his senior year of football and move to Iowa? IOWA??   All the years he’d worked and the things he’d given up so he could be on the field went up in…

Vivian pulled into the driveway but didn’t immediately get out of the SUV. Instead, she unbuckled and slowly turned to face Thatcher in the backseat. “Thatcher, honey, there are some things we need to talk about.” Thatcher sat quietly as Vivian cleared her throat. “You know, sometimes decent people make bad choices. Remember that time…