Author: Emily Sara Smucker
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My Book Reading, and Other Events From My Week
Every week at work I’m required to submit a “weekly report,” in which I list my “weekly high,” “weekly low,” and “anything else you’d like to add.” I often use this space to write funny stories from my week or random interesting facts I’ve discovered lately. I’ve thought before that this could be an interesting…
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Five Short Stories of Life in Chattanooga
The Mysterious Package My mother loves to send packages. If I ask her to send me something small I forgot at home, a hefty flat-rate envelope stuffed with goodies will arrive at my doorstep. One such package arrived at my new home a few weeks after I arrived. Eagerly, I ripped it open. But what…
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Sydney Wiese: Faith, Basketball, and Life in the WNBA
Back in my college days, I became friends with Sydney Wiese, the star of the Oregon State University women’s basketball team. We did group projects together and sat in the back of class watching games on her phone, but didn’t necessarily have a lot of deep conversations. Sydney went on to play professional basketball, both…
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Why I Became a Writer
When I started college in 2010, I thought I’d end up as a missionary, a housewife, a teacher, or some combination of the above. I assumed I’d write a little, but I didn’t foresee writing as my main career. By the time I graduated in 2017, I’d cast aside my missionary, housewife, and especially teaching…
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I Moved Again (November 2024 Life Update)
Hello hello, dear blog readers. It’s a crisp, cool, sunny day in Chattanooga, TN, and I’m here to tell you that yes, I moved again. Probably not for the last time, but hopefully for the almost-last time. In the last few years, I’ve grown weary of explaining my life to people, which is why I’ve…
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First Impressions
I’ve always had a desire to be viewed as “interesting.” I’d like to think that has faded with time, since “main character syndrome” is a little cringe, especially when you’re in your 30s. But once I casually mentioned my weirdness to someone I’d recently met, and they kindly said “you’re not weird!” and I got…
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June 2024 Life Update
Do you remember when I used to blog about every random little thing that flew into my head? I miss those days sometimes. Not often, though. Anyway. Here’s a life update if you’re interested. Where I live I came to Oregon in mid-April to And then never bothered going back to Houston. After all, I…
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Dolly + Zeb
Saturday morning I got up, leisurely sipped my tea, and then finished making a pasta salad and a goofy-but-cute card. It was a typical Oregon April day, chilly and drizzly, and it was the day of Dolly and Zeb’s wedding. Well, their reception, rather. They like to do things their own unique way, so only…
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April Birthday Week
There’s a particular week every April when most of my close female friends have birthdays. First Ashlie on April 16, then Phoebe on April 17, then Esta on April 20, then Jenny on April 21. (If your birthday falls on April 18 or 19 maybe we’re destined to be close friends someday, lol.) For today’s…
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The Eclipse 2024
It’s hard to describe just how much the 2024 eclipse mattered to me. Seeing the 2017 eclipse was one of the top highlights of my life. Maybe even the best moment of my entire life. Not just the uncanny, indescribable, mind-bending beauty of the eclipse itself but the whole day—from camping with my cousins to…
The Girl in the Red Rubber Boots 