Carrie Talbott Carrie Talbott

Jesus Follower | Word Stringer | Avocado Eater

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  • Courage,  Faith,  Honesty,  Humility,  Judging

    Boring Testimonies: No Drama Necessary

    March 7, 2020 / 14 Comments

    My second boyfriend acted like a goody-two-shoes, but mostly wasn’t. My third boyfriend had a long scar on his face. I never asked why. My fifth boyfriend lived in a group home and wasn’t that into… talking.  My sixth got kicked out of school, but I don’t remember why. My husband tells stories of his past that make you wonder how and why he’s still alive.  He sold pot in middle school, went to church hungover, and almost blew up his high school gym, but eventually, he grew up and started a nonprofit ministry. He also got stuck on the back of a motorcycle while the driver flew through the…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Two Cops & a Black Eye: Our Up Close & Personal Encounter with Physical Abuse

    February 4, 2022

    Dear Stay-At-Home Mom: I Figured Out Your Problem

    October 1, 2016
    Perfect Piano Practice Perfection

    When Daily Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

    March 19, 2021
  • Attitude,  Courage,  Honesty,  Humility,  Judging,  Pride

    Dear Gray Hairs: Stop Yer Moanin’

    February 11, 2020 / 26 Comments

    Nothin’ like receiving a personalized letter from my healthcare provider to make me feel cared for.  And geriatric.  Dear Carrie, The recent x-ray of your neck shows degenerative disease. Arthritis, also called osteoarthritis, is a breakdown of the cartilage that cushions your joints.  How can you care for yourself at home? Use a cane, crutch, walker, or another device if you need help to get around. These can help rest your joints.  You also can use other things to make life easier, such as a higher toilet seat and padded handles on kitchen utensils. Fantastic. As soon as I slide down from my higher toilet seat I’ll pad all my…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    The Circus Next Door

    March 5, 2016

    8 Things I’m Teaching My American Pre-Adults in Mexico

    November 12, 2016

    Dealing with Disappointment: 5 Things I Learned from a Rough Family Vacation Last Week

    August 5, 2022
  • Bullying,  Courage,  Judging,  Stress

    October Bullying: White Boys in Baja, Brown Girls in Cali

    October 12, 2019 / 10 Comments

    He acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but we knew otherwise. “I got kicked in the stomach today.” I felt objectivity fly out la ventana while my blood pressure rose.  “Why, buddy?” “I don’t know. I couldn’t understand them.” When we sent our tall, pale, strawberry blonde boy to school in a black-hair-rules culture, we knew it might be rough. Not speaking the language basically made him feel deaf and mute.  Whether the other kids talked, whispered or yelled didn’t make a difference; our child had no friends and no idea how to make them. So he climbed trees, ate, walked, colored and played alone.  The learning curve of…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    No Language, No Voice: Going to School in Another Country All Alone

    January 30, 2016
  • Gossip,  Honesty,  Humility,  Judging,  Missionary Secrets,  Missionary Shenanigans,  Pride

    Above Reproach: 3 Stories with Men That Changed My Ways

    June 29, 2019 / 10 Comments

    At the ripe old age of 16-ish, I’m pretty positive I couldn’t have told you what living above reproach meant.  Fifteen years later I moved to Baja and lived above a roach (a colony of them actually), but that’s different.  The appearance of evil is a tricky thing. If you’re not actually doing anything evil/wrong/illegal, it’s easy to argue it’s no biggie. How it appears to outsiders looking in is whole ‘nother ballgame.  I didn’t realize it for years, but I’ve had three similar experiences that could’ve flipped me on my head and changed the trajectory of my life. They didn’t just happen to me though—I chose them. I just…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    I Like it When You Say That. Now Please Stop.

    February 22, 2018

    Lord of the Flaws

    October 6, 2018
  • Attitude,  Faith,  Humility,  Judging

    What the What? Didn’t See THAT Comin’

    March 30, 2019 / 24 Comments

    I cooked in my kitchen when the house phone rang. “Sharri has cancer.” I sat in his Jeep when he told me we were done. “I’m loving you more than I’m loving Jesus.” I stood on my college campus when I read, “You have not been selected for the position.”  I walked through a Costco parking lot when he called. “Carrie? He’s gone.” I soaked in a jacuzzi when I realized I was the only one not invited to a party. I rode in a van when her voice shook through my cell. “She’s probably not going to make it through the evening.” You didn’t see life comin’ either? It’s…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    8 Things I’m Teaching My American Pre-Adults in Mexico

    November 12, 2016

    Dumbing Down Our Kids: 11 Rules of Life to Challenge the Teens in Your Life

    September 21, 2019

    The Circus Next Door

    March 5, 2016
  • Attitude,  Gossip,  Honesty,  Humility,  Judging,  Pride

    Lord of the Flaws

    October 6, 2018 / 2 Comments

    Though some exasperated parents might joke about dropping their sassy Tweens on an island, I’m fairly certain no parent would want the experience to resemble William Golding’s version.  My son brought home his 7th-grade required reading list last month. I scanned it, unfazed until I reached the one title that zipped me right back to my 7th-grade English class and made me cringe.  Lord of the Flies still remains one of my all-time least-loved books. Ever.  Visions of being totally grossed out to the max and putting it down after reading each chapter still linger. Bloodthirsty boys painting their faces, stalking a beast, killing pigs, and eventually turning on some…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Working Moms: Killin’ It or Barely Makin’ It?

    February 16, 2019

    Dumbing Down Our Kids: 11 Rules of Life to Challenge the Teens in Your Life

    September 21, 2019

    The Circus Next Door

    March 5, 2016
  • Attitude,  Humility,  Judging,  Neighbors

    I Moved Into Our New House and Met 19 New Neighbors on Our Street! It Was Weird.

    July 7, 2018 / 11 Comments

      It started five months ago with the people who share our fence. They were nice and we were new, so the conversation revolved around our dogs, mail for the former owner, and if the HOA is strict about paint colors. They are.  Handshakes and names quickly moved to swim invites and baked goods, with a walk for the ladies and a beer for the guys.  Southern California fence culture says, “That side’s yours, this side’s mine. Keep your tree limbs trimmed.” But since I’m not originally from here, Carrie culture says, “Let’s knock the fence down and have a BBQ!” The first thing we noticed about our new neighborhood…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    The Circus Next Door

    March 5, 2016

    Dealing with Disappointment: 5 Things I Learned from a Rough Family Vacation Last Week

    August 5, 2022

    Working Moms: Killin’ It or Barely Makin’ It?

    February 16, 2019
  • Honesty,  Humility,  Judging,  Mexico,  Parenting

    Classy Smut: TV Shows That Suck Us In

    May 26, 2018 / 4 Comments

    I walked by the dilapidated Baja house with the window open and heard it. I visited Porvenir friends in the middle of the afternoon and saw it. Almost every time we ate tacos early, like old people, we saw it again—at our favorite stand, just above the raw meat. Ask any woman in most Latin American countries what rules the mid-mornings and afternoons at home and they’ll probably say the same thing: Novelas. Known as Soap Operas in English, the name originated from the squeaky clean stuff we call soap. Since most women worked at home in the 1930s, daytime dramas targeted them and their cleaning needs. The networks required…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Dark Chocolate Lies

    April 16, 2016

    Lord of the Flaws

    October 6, 2018

    Dumbing Down Our Kids: 11 Rules of Life to Challenge the Teens in Your Life

    September 21, 2019
  • Honesty,  Humility,  Judging,  Pride

    Your Hoopie’s Showing

    May 12, 2018 / 4 Comments

      My grandma. So sweet and helpful. If you ever wore a necklace in her presence and the clasp slid around toward the front, she was your girl. “Oh here, honey, let me help you. Your hoopie’s showing.” I naturally learned from an early age how hoopies should be on the back of my neck and only the back. Letting them rotate to the front looked unkept/disheveled. I also learned wrinkled clothing was a no-no. From t-shirts and jeans to knickers and parachute pants, everything qualified. Does this give you hives?   Let’s be clear though: I’m still a fan of ironed clothes if I’m going somewhere that demands a grown-up…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Dealing with Disappointment: 5 Things I Learned from a Rough Family Vacation Last Week

    August 5, 2022

    Lord of the Flaws

    October 6, 2018

    The Day I Deleted Her Info: Saying Goodbye to a Lifelong Friend

    June 18, 2018
  • Judging,  Parenting

    ‘Adulting’ Just Grew Up. Please Follow Along, Gen Z.

    October 1, 2017 / 8 Comments

      “The kid called the officer a pig. To his face.” “A student challenged me in the middle of class about how my assigned homework was unnecessary.” “A parent told me her son can’t pass P.E. because he has a reading disability.” Wouldn’t you love to see the research that connects Shakespeare to dressing out? ‘To change or not to change: that is the question.’ These real-life examples and similar instances are popping up all over middle and high school campuses. But that shouldn’t cause any old people to murmur, “Dang those teenagers,” while shaking their heads and alphabetizing their VHS tapes. If you’re of a certain age and hold…

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    Carrie Talbott

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    Dear Stay-At-Home Mom: I Figured Out Your Problem

    October 1, 2016

    The Circus Next Door

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    Lord of the Flaws

    October 6, 2018
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Welcome!

You’re here! And I’m Carrie. From full-time camp kid to unconventional missionary for 12 años in a 3rd-world country, I’m now a profesh organizer and writer who loves plants and guac. Life is short, so I’m smiling while I have all my teeth, but I still have issues. Always remember… when life hands you lemons, give them back. You deserve avocados.

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