Courtenay Rudzinski

Houston-based freelance writer specializing in lifestyle essays. 

All articles

Next Avenue •

My 'Old School' Photo Album Will Outlast All My Digital Devices

Requiring thought and effort, a photo album is the best way to compile your life's greatest hits in images and create a time capsule for future generations

I met a friend for lunch the other day and asked about her recent trip to the Galapagos Islands. She reached for her phone, opened Photos and handed it to me. "It starts here," she said, granting permission to scroll.

I think there were 300 pictures. By the seventh replica of a sunset (with no end in sight), I handed it back to her.
Grown and Flown •

Why I Don’t Wait for My Kids to Call Me on Mother’s Day

One year when my kids were little, my son asked me to drive him to the store a day before Mother’s Day. He brought his velcro SpongeBob wallet and wanted to get me a gift. I was touched.

We both loved Reese’s peanut butter cups, and I watched as he carefully counted out his money for the large orange bag of bite-sized chocolates while the cashier waited. I thought it would be the sweetest Mother’s Day gift and wondered how he’d wrap it.

The next morning, I walked into the kitchen to find a tin
Grown and Flown •

Six Ways My World Relaxed When I Became An Empty Nester

A perfect afternoon to me at 56 is sitting in my backyard with a good book, listening to the windchimes and watching the birds. I’m not expecting anyone to drive up from school or ask what’s for dinner. And dinner can be a bag of popcorn or three frozen eggrolls I pop into the microwave at 9 o’clock at night. It’s sublime.

Of course, it wasn’t always like this. I loved being a mom (still do) and seeing my kids’ faces every day. I ran a tight ship between my part-time job at the library and volu
Insider •

I read my grandparents' love letters from the 1920s. It was a gift to see how their relationship began.

• I found my grandparents' love letters when cleaning out their house.
• Reading them gave me insight into what dating was like 100 years ago.
• Some facets of life in the 1920s are still relatable today, like selfies and mail-order catalogs.

When my 89-year-old grandmother moved out of her home, I was tasked with going through her personal belongings. I didn't know where to start. Her house was small and tidy, but she had no use for minimalism like I did. She'd kept everything.

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Slate •

How I Learned to Love Going Out Alone

When my friend called to say he couldn’t make the Madonna concert that night, I was devastated. He was on Nantucket island, the concert was in Boston, and the ferries had stopped running due to severe weather. I had two tickets and didn’t know anyone else to ask. For five minutes I agonized over what to do and then made a decision. I’d go alone.

Still, going alone made me nervous. It wasn’t my safety that scared me—I could arrive early, par
The Ethel •

My Mom Had the Same Hairdo for 60 Years

I was 12 when I bought my first beauty book, Cheryl Tiegs’ "The Way to Natural Beauty." It was 1980 and its glossy cover photo sold me — a close-up of Cheryl with her wavy, perfectly feathered blonde hair. That’s exactly what I needed my hair to do. I was going to study this book like a bible.


My thick, wavy hair presented a daily styling challenge, and my mom was no help in this department. She kept a perfectly coiffed, immovable hairdo with weekly appointments at the beauty shop. She’d told
MarketWatch •

This simple gift-giving rule can help you spend less during the holidays

This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org.

One December when my kids were small, I decided we would have a blowout Christmas like you see in a Hallmark movie. I made sure each of my two sons had a dozen or more beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree.

I was sure they would be thrilled by this abundance, which had not only stretched my budget but required multiple trips to crowded stores, standing in long lines.

To my amazement, on the big day they both lost interest in open
Morningstar, Inc. •

This simple gift-giving rule can help you spend less during the holidays

We downsized holiday gifts and spending, and it made my life so much easier

This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org.

One December when my kids were small, I decided we would have a blowout Christmas like you see in a Hallmark movie. I made sure each of my two sons had a dozen or more beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree.

I was sure they would be thrilled by this abundance, which had not only stretched my budget but required multiple trips to crowded stores, standing in
Scary Mommy •

My Destination Christmas Was A Complete Disaster

Two years ago, my husband and I road-tripped to Colorado with our kids for Christmas. I’d always dreamed of a destination holiday somewhere snowy and festive, and a previous skiing trip had been a huge success with both us and the kids. So I Googled “most festive places to spend Christmas” and found the ski town of Durango was in the top 10. It looked adorable and was the polar opposite of Houston, where we live, with its year-round heat and humidity.

My mom had passed a few months earlier and
WIRED •

10 Apps That Make Traveling Solo Easier—and Fun

I was driving alone through Montana, 1,900 miles from home on a two-lane road in the sticks, when my phone lost its signal. I was near my Airbnb cabin but may as well have been in Oz, with no idea what road to look for or where my next turn was. Did I mention it was getting dark?

Luckily, I’d jotted down the directions in my spiral planner, old-school style, that lay on the seat next to me, but with a little preplanning, the right apps can make solo travel safe, enjoyable, and easy. Having driv
Scary Mommy •

Being An Empty Nester Is Great, Actually

Recently, I ran into an old girlfriend I hadn’t seen in a while at a wedding. Her youngest son had just left for college, and she tearfully told me how quiet her house was.

And all I could think was: Oh, you dear sweet flaxen-haired newb. You have no idea the glory that awaits you.

I’ll be honest. Obviously, I love my kids. But I’d been waiting for my moment of peace and quiet and rest since I realized two decades ago that I’d be responsible for three meals a day for two disinterested people f
Newsweek •

My aunt dated Elvis—they were inseparable

"Elvis just died! Elvis is dead!" my friend Robin's mother screamed out the back door as we played on the swing set in her yard. I was 10 years old and knew it was time to go home.

My mother was quiet when I told her the news—she'd been ironing and the TV wasn't on. Elvis Presley had been to her house, dated her sister, and ate dinner with her mom. It was quite a shock.

Before there was Priscilla—whose namesake movie comes out November 3—there were many other women, including a petite young br
Insider •

I only book private Airbnb rooms in a shared home. My friends think I'm crazy for bunking with strangers, but I love it for 10 reasons.

Over the past few months, I've stayed in more than a dozen private rooms in Airbnb homes across the US. I find it to be such an incredible experience, I don't book hotels anymore. Two years ago, I became an empty nester. But as a remote worker with a case of wanderlust, I hardly wanted to sit at home. Eager to take more solo road trips across the United States, I made a list of places I wanted to see and off I went, from Zion National Park in Utah to the rolling hills of Vermont. Since then, I'v
HuffPost •

I Brought My Mom Home To Help Her Die. I Had No Idea What I Was In For — Or What I'd Gain.

With my mother in hospice, I didn’t know if it would be days, weeks or months, but I knew her death was imminent ― that much was clear. I asked her advice on everything that was currently going on in my life. I questioned her about what she wanted me to do with her jewelry, her money, her car. I apologized for all the times I was an ass to her, from grade school to the present day. She forgave all of it as soon as it happened, she said. I asked how she’d always stayed so optimistic and upbeat af
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