Legacies, Huck Finn, and The Million Dollar Highway - An Update

Hi guys! Have you missed me? May was a busy month, and so will be June!

Josh and I spent some time in Southwest Colorado for our anniversary*. We did some hiking and exploring Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Mesa Verde National Park, along with Durango and the surrounding areas. Josh successfully drove the Million Dollar Highway, with me by his side reminding him to "breathe, baby, breathe. You've got this. It's almost over."

*Hey! I don't know about you, but we've been married for 22! 🫶🏻

Then we returned home for three days before leaving again, this time for Hannibal, MO. Birthplace of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Wayne Turner (my GPa). It is also the latter's final resting place.

As a family, we Turners assembled in Hannibal with GPa's ashes and laid him to rest next to Grandma. We shared our stories and fondest memories and said our last goodbyes.

While in Hannibal, we did the touristy Mark Twain stuff, ate some expertly prepared catfish, and picked up some huckleberry saltwater taffy. We stayed in a filthy Best Western where, as a family, we congregated in the lobby, which was both extremely warm and humid, as well as obnoxiously loud. We Turners are a boisterous bunch and full of hot air! Just kidding (sort of). The conditions in the lobby were more likely a result of the old-school indoor lobby pool.

We had an extra day before our flight home to Colorado, out of Peoria, so we spent it with Josh's family. We got some super special quality time with our five-year-old niece, Josie, and some other people, too 😉. We jumped on the trampoline, swung on the swings, played with the baby goats, painted some pictures, and laughed hard enough to hurt our backs. Or was that the trampoline? That little girl filled my soul in a way I didn't even realize I desperately needed.

In a couple weeks, we'll be flying out again for the Pacific NW. We're hitting Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. If we're feeling lucky, we might risk crossing the border and see if we can get back into the US. We're going to hike Olympic National Park, eat a lot of seafood, visit the Space Needle, and try not to come back proud owners of a houseboat. I'm already thinking about the travel blogging I can do.

For now, back in Colorado, I've been writing. But my brain has been pulling me in all sorts of directions. There were a handful of projects I started before our travels that I have since (temporarily) abandoned. I am currently working on a piece about my GPa that is a lot of fun and overwhelmingly difficult at the same time. It will be ready when it's ready, and my heart will be the judge of that.

In the meantime, I have found myself mysteriously drawn to the notion of writing fiction. Maybe the truth is too strange for me anymore. I am working on a manuscript that, at present, I can see very clearly in my mind’s eye. I am very excited about the project but have no illusions that this will be a quick process. The muse speaks softly, and I am hard of hearing.

"So what now, then?" My little writer brain has been asking. "Right now, all you can think about is fiction, but you still have the blog. You're not going to abandon the blog just because you want to write a book, are you?"

And I know they say it's only crazy if you answer yourself, but for me, that ship has long sailed. So then my brain said, "No way! I can't abandon my hoards of readers like that!"

I should note that my brain is delusional.

Brain continued, "I will continue to write for the blog while simultaneously working on my manuscript. Except—PLOT TWIST—I'm going to try my hand at some short stories!"

If you're keeping count, that's a piece about my beloved GPa, travel blogging, a manuscript, short stories, and five (temporarily) abandoned projects that predate our first trip in May.

This is ADHD, ladies and gents! Thanks for sticking it out with me. I'm glad you're here!

If, like me, you're interested in seeing where I land this plane, stay tuned!

Trailers & Teasers

Here is a sampling of what you might be able to expect in the coming weeks/months (working titles):

Bet You Can't Do That: The Adventures of Wayne Turner, Golden Father

He was equal parts tenderness and tornado. A man who lived like he had something to prove right up to the end. This is not an obituary. This is a highlight reel.

No Place for Shame in the Dental Chair: Embracing Harm Reduction in Dentistry

What if dental professionals saw missed appointments and neglected hygiene not as failures but as opportunities for compassionate, trauma-informed care? Too many people skip the dentist out of shame or fear of being judged. We need to meet people where they actually are.

Let's discuss harm reduction and why it belongs in every operatory. Harm reduction has transformed medicine, addiction care, and mental health—but most dental offices are still stuck in a shame-based model. It's long past time for a change.

Time Enough for Us (A Short Story)

A tale of loss, longing, and the fragile threads that connect us. When hope arrives, it brings more than just light—it leaves shadows in its wake.

Burned Out and Used Up: The Quiet Collapse of Dentistry

Dentistry has long been regarded as a stable and rewarding career. But behind closed doors, providers are quietly unraveling.

Educated, Credentialed, Battle-Tested: Why Dental Hygienists Aren't Replaceable

Dental hygienists aren't just indispensable—they're highly educated, rigorously credentialed, and, yes, battle-tested. As some states move to cut corners on care, it's time we remind the public who's really protecting their health.

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