My life after the 15 minutes…

So obviously, I’ve been posting a lot less lately. There are a few reasons for that. First of all—Ashley. She turned 15 weeks yesterday, and she’s unbelievably interactive now. I’ve tried to sit down and write a blog post at least a dozen times, but then she’ll smile or coo, or even throw a full-blown fit (which the baby books say isn’t possible yet, but trust me—there is some real intensity behind those cries). And suddenly I’m all in. I just want to sit with her, hold her, and soak it all in. The second reason is that I got to go home to Texas for about 10 days and just… be there. Be present. Take it all in. But maybe most importantly: the one-year mark passed. Almost without fanfare (aside from my post). And after everything that’s happened over the last year, something about that milestone felt quietly, unexpectedly cathartic. I didn’t know what I was expecting, exactly—especially since my viral moment was really just a blip—but now that I’ve eased into the comfort of family l...

Obviously, I’ve taken a bit of a break from blogging—and from Reddit. After the one-year anniversary of everything , it felt right to let things breathe for a while. And with the Fourth of July coming up, I was really looking forward to a lighthearted holiday here in Arizona. But just as we were getting ready to celebrate, we started getting messages that serious rain was expected back home in Texas. Let me say this up front—because I never want to leave people hanging in suspense when I build a narrative: everyone in my family is safe. The worst parts of the storm and the most devastating flooding happened about an hour northwest of where I grew up. But even though the Texas Hill Country is a big area geographically, it's one of those places where everyone is connected. Everyone knows someone who was affected. The bonds run wide and deep—through extended family, friends, church, school, sports, and of course, the Guadalupe River. I’m trying not to personalize this too much, bu...