Introduction to This Blog

So I decided to get back into blogging, but with a focus. Just like I decided to get back into my life … but with a focus.

There are four things I love to do — eat, travel, jog and WRITE. They say when you travel you should do things that you love to do at home, so all of these things go together as necessary parts of my body do. I wouldn’t function properly if I were missing any of the parts.

With a Masters in Journalism and undergraduate degree in philosophy, I spend most of my time over-thinking, digesting everything around me (figuratively and literally) and inquiring. I’m that annoying toddler that is always asking “Why? Why? Why?” except I’m in my late 20s. After two glasses of wine I once politely asked a man why he was missing half of his face. I’m lucky to still be alive.

I used to be a full-time newspaper writer and currently teach an intro to mass communications course as well as a media writing course at the local community college. This keeps the devil from working on my idle hands, which keeps my husband happy. Now that I'm happily married and hanging on to a journalism job with dear life, there is only one thing missing from my life since I quit the newspaper — writing. It's what keeps my joints lubricated and the blood moving through my veins. So here I am writing about things I love to do. If nobody is reading, that’s OK. At least I’m writing again. Here it goes!

Big Bend Fall 2010

P.S. I also believe it is possible to travel in your hometown by doing things that are out of your routine. It keeps the mystery and adventure in your life. I was born and raised in Fort Worth, and am finding awesome and new things to do every weekend. So this blog will be about my adventures in and away from Fort Worth and places I love to eat along the way. Most of my trips are weekend getaways in Texas because my husband doesn't take much vacation time from work. Most of you are probably in the same boat (as most working people are), but this doesn't stop us from hitting the road and having the time of our lives at home! Follow me and I’ll give you ideas along the way.

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Piola's and Other Great Fort Worth Patios

Spring is making the transition into summer, and people are looking for a great porch to dine and enjoy the weather. My favorite porch in town is at Piola Italian Restaurant and Garden on the corner of Haskell and Mattison in Fort Worth. The restaurant is inside a little house and tucked in a neighborhood on the west side. It can be hard to find, but is worth the search. (Click for map) . It's even harder to find a place that has great food and a great patio that's not in a shopping center, which is why we love this place. The atmosphere is great inside and out. We went last weekend and enjoyed every bite of what we ordered. We can also be hard to please when it comes to the good-food-to-price ratio. We started with the giant calamari. It was fried and smothered in parmesan cheese and a sweet, spicy chili sauce. My husband ordered the baked ziti. He gave me some. The noodles were perfectly cooked al dente, and the five cheeses were rich and flavorful. Last week, I...

Big Sky No. 2, parts 1+ 2

By Jocelyn Tatum I have an affinity for all things that cause me to look up — mostly trees and clouds. When I walk the dogs or go for a long run, I often trip over something because I am admiring tree limbs reaching toward the ever-changing clouds, or the way sunlight plays with both. Komorebi is a Japanese word that doesn't have an English translation, which means the way light travels through the leaves of trees. I wonder if there is a word for the way light shines through the clouds. Fall Gallery Night 2019, I stumbled upon a magnanimous canvas of clouds with the sun piercing through. It knocked me back. I took a picture just to admire it from home but walked away knowing I would never allow myself to get it. A year later, it occurred to me that I still think about that art. The strange state of things and lots of extra time at home has encouraged me to do things I never thought possible. And I don't understand the correlation between the pandemic and my n...

My Marfa 2020

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Adventures in and Around Fort Worth

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