A Wrinkle in My Sock

Many years ago, when our four kids ranged from ages three to thirteen, my husband and I decided to graduate from our usual Midwestern ski slope vacation and take it up a notch. After some research, we settled on Big Sky, Montana, aptly titled “The Last Best Place.”

If you have ever undertaken a family ski vacation then you know the rigors of planning such a trip: packing everyone up, navigating airports, praying for seamless travel, the rental car line, renting ski gear, outfitting the kids in ski gear, and then dropping them off at ski school. It’s a whole thing. A roller coaster ride of frenzied preparations, excitement, frayed nerves, and notable meltdowns. Even now, decades later, anxiety descends as I contemplate the joys and mayhem of that process.

Back then, my husband and I had a “divide and conquer” agreement. I organized breakfast while he coaxed (more like barked) at the older three to get out of bed. While he warmed up the car, loading it with helmets, skis and poles, I hustled our little troupe along. Normally, it was my job to outfit our youngest little darling, a vivacious and verbal little gal, who at three years old was either delightfully happy or outrageously upset. Her morning routine was set in stone. Or else. Flyaway blond hair needed to be braided. Only the bright pink snow pants would do with the matching balaclava. And then there were the socks, getting them on just right so her fat little feet slid seamlessly into snug boots. Sigh.

For some forgettable reason, on one of those hustle-bustle ski vacation mornings, after a hasty breakfast, the set-in-stone routine changed. Dad oversaw the gearing up of “herself” while I tended to some other tasks. Despite the shift, we made it to the resort’s base camp, located the kids’ ski groups, and deposited them with their ski instructors. 

With a sweaty glow, my husband turned and gave me a satisfied grin. “Let’s go have a real breakfast in the lodge.”

I nodded. But wait. Not so fast. We were three strides into ducking off for a precious parent getaway when a familiar squeal had us whipping our heads around.

“Daddy, I have a wrinkle in my sock. Dadddyyy come back.” 

My husband’s chin dropped to his chest; a favorite curse mingled in his chilled breath. I snickered. She wanted him not me. Hurray. I will skip to the end of the story. Herself ended up joining us in the lodge for breakfast, a special moment that delighted her to no end (It wasn’t a fake out—she did indeed have a wrinkled sock.)

I share this lovely bit of nostalgia for several reasons. 

Every time I reach into my shoe and adjust a sock, this same memory floods in, a smile brightening my face. Yes, “Daddy, I have a wrinkle in my sock,” signifies ultimate parental frustration: a task not done right, an unhappy child, a missed interlude with a spouse. But it has also come to mean something else. 

On that gorgeous, bluebird ski day, our daughter missed her morning ski session because dismantling the boot and straightening the sock was a tedious, timely process, one that would have held up her ski group. But. Instead, herself got to have a second breakfast, one comprised of her favorite things: silver dollar pancakes smeared with butter and doused with maple syrup, sausage, and a glass of cold, chocolate milk. She earned something else that perhaps her little heart had unknowingly desired more than scrumptious comfort food. She got her parents to herself. We indulged her. We laughed. We listened to her without the chirping of three, bossy older siblings. 

Sometimes a minor inconvenience provides a hard to forget and unforeseen little blessing. Wishing you an abundance of those moments.

News & Follow Me Here

February 4: Julie’s new memoir, Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood hits the bookshelves. 

February 6: Julie will guest on the 8000 Promises: Cycle Breaking and World Changing From the Inside Out podcast with Adi Tilford.

February 6: Julie will celebrate her book launch in “the Loft” at Sarasota Bookstore1 from 6-7 PM ET. She will be in conversation with fellow Sarasota author, Simone Knego, answer questions, and sign books. Here’s the link to sign up. 

February 7: Julie will discuss her new book on Blog Talk Radio as a guest on “Conversations LIVE!” with Cyrus Webb. 

February 8: Julie will discuss her adoption journey on DNAngels Lost and Found: No More Secrets Podcast.

February 13: Julie will be a return guest to Thriving Adoptees podcast with host Simon Benn. They will discuss Julie’s forthcoming memoir, Twice the Family.

February 18: Julie will appear in-person at Anderson’s Bookstore in Downers Grove, IL to discuss her new book, answer questions, and sign books. Space is limited. To attend the event, please register here.

February 26: Julie will present a workshop on memoir, “So You Want to Write That Story,” at the St. Pete Beach Public Library from 1-3 PM.

March 1: Julie will be Max Bowen’s guest on the Citywide Blackout Radio Show.

March 6: Julie will be Irene Weisberg’s guest on the Grief & Rebirth Podcast.

March 11: Virtual Author Panel: Inside the Adoption Experience: Expert Authors Discussing Adoption’s Impact featuring Julie McGue, Diane Wheaton, Simone Knego, Laura Engel, and moderated by Diane Dewey at 4PT/5 MT/6 CT/7 ET Free via zoom with registration, here.

March 14-16, 2025, Julie will attend the Tucson Festival of Books. You can find her in the Adoptee Authors booth where she will be signing her books.

March 21, 2025, Julie will be signing and selling books to benefit the Longboat Key Library at J McLaughlin’s on Longboat Key. Come out and show your support at this popular “Sip ‘n Shop” event.

March 26-29, 2025, Julie will be at AWP Conference and Bookfair in LA where she will greet readers and sign books at the Muse Literary booth. Hope to see you there!

Follow Julie by visiting her website, subscribe to her bimonthly newsletters, and listen to previous podcast recordings where she discusses topics like adoption, identity, and belonging.

Don’t miss a blog post!

Receive my blog posts directly to your inbox.