I haven’t straightened my hair since January 2016. One Sunday at church a gorgeous African American gal ran her hands over my flat-ironed hair and said, “You don’t have to do this, you know. You could wear it the way God made it.” I squinched my nose at her. Because I was pretty sure my
“Since I would like to officiate in the NFL someday, I am wondering what steps I need to take.” Twenty-eight years ago my husband Tony, currently an ACC football official, read those words in the Dallas Cowboys Weekly and began his officiating football journey. Since Tony says West Virginia currently needs officials in all sports, I
Mrs. Burdette, the lady who had been old since I was a little girl, was a bit like a grandmother. We met her at our church where she “adopted” us. She had no grandchildren and only two grown children—a son who visited infrequently and a daughter with Downs Syndrome who lived in a group home.
I used to be a grocery store snob, shopping only at Giant Eagle and Kroger. I never set food inside Aldi even though I heard a lot of buzz about their “awesome produce” and “super low prices.” At the time I thought: Surely low prices mean low quality. I was so “bougie” about grocery shopping
Confession: I peeked inside my daughter’s diary once. I didn’t intend to, but there it was, wide open on her bedside table. Instead of disclosing her crush-of-the-moment, her fifth-grade handwriting read, “I wish Mom didn’t care so much about how the house looks.” Her secret ran me through like a skewer. The constant clutter in
Happy Blogiversary to you! Happy Blogiversary to you! Because really, without you, this blog would only be a journal. April 7, 2017 was the birthday of my blog, dianetarantini.com. On that day I rolled out the first post. Determined to be all official and everything, I even conducted a reader survey in which you assured me: I
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friend! Today I’m offering up travel tips for the emerald, patchwork-quilt island known as Ireland. Specifically, the southern region. First and foremost: Pack a high-quality rain jacket. Maybe even test-drive it in the shower. Because the weather in Ireland can be super rainy. Unless you visit in May or June, their
I can’t remember if I trembled when they asked. I’m pretty sure I did. The request arrived in an e-mail but would’ve been cooler if it came via telegraph. Coming to your town for five days –(STOP)- Can we stay with you –(STOP)- Or at least share one good Italian meal I cupped my hand
For more than 16 weeks each year, I am a football widow. Not because my husband is an avid fan, but because he is an excellent collegiate football official. You can learn some interesting stuff hanging around football officials. Believe it or not, I’m not just talking the technical definition of targeting and was-that-offensive-pass-interference-or-wasn’t-it? You
When I first learned about The Mile Ground movie, I quickly donated to the crowd-funding effort for the project. Because it was written by my friend and Morgantown native Jessica Shannon. And because it deals with the opioid crisis–a major threat to my beloved West Virginia. Shannon’s vision is for a film that “…uniquely examines loss, the
