“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33 Alternatively titled Five Days After the Earthquake OR The Day Before Kindergarten…Maybe What a week. Sometimes we get so busy surviving the day to…

I have four posts I intended to write today. To be honest, three of them I intended to write earlier this week, but the unexpected earthquake and subsequent clean-up in my house left me feeling discombobulated and unproductive.  Then yesterday the reality of my baby going to kindergarten hit me like a ton of bricks…

I’m feeling introspective and yet uncharacteristically short-winded in this week leading up to back-to-school.  Today I’m thinking not just about the things I want to do with the kids in their final days {hours} of summer, but also what I’d like to do in the time I hope to have left here on this earth….

Wordless Wednesday Linky

Work outside of the home…businesses inside of the home…childcare…school functions…permission slips and other endless pieces of paper…sports team sign-ups…music lessons…doctor appointments…dentist appointments…playdates…sleep overs…cleaning…vacation planning…memory keeping…memory sharing…holidays…birthdays…employees…friends…family…remembering, finding, knowing everything. What are you juggling? What has become just too much?

I grew up going to a lake in west-central Pennsylvania every other weekend and usually for a week at the end of the summer.  While I spent a lot of time just sort of floating around on my parents’ boat, I also enjoyed tubing, jet skiing and water skiing.  By the time I was a…

Thirteen years ago this Saturday, I sat across from a skinny kid at a Whataburger somewhere between San Antonio and Austin and said these words while dipping Texas Toast into a puddle of white gravy, “You know, we should really just go ahead and be a couple because if we don’t decide at some point…

The first conference I ever attended was the BlogHer Reach Out tour in Washington, DC.  It was a one day event, and I had a chance to meet some amazing women like Erin Kotecki Vest, Cecily Kellogg, and Joanne Bamberger.  I learned so much that day including how to hack my HTML thanks to my…

One last outing with mom before kindergarten and second grade begin… Wordless Wednesday Linky

About a week ago I was talking to a friend about a problem I was having.  The problem likely seemed trivial, but to me it was serious enough to warrant the conversation.  After going over and over the situation, looking at it from multiple points of view, he said these words to me, “You should…

I’m going to start with some positives: I feel great. I look better than I have in years. I have new energy and enthusiasm for life in general. Losing weight, exercising, and changing the way I eat has changed my life for the better. But now I have to deal with the elephant in the…

With kindergarten just weeks away, I can’t help looking through old photographs… Wordless Wednesday Linky

This year’s BlogHer Conference was outstanding, just like the previous two BlogHers I attended.  I met with clients, made new connections, and enjoyed the occasional pampering that made me forget for just a moment that my feet ached from walking miles each day in adorable and not-at-all sensible shoes.  But there was something different and…

Last weekend I traveled to San Diego for the BlogHer Conference, and while I checked in on my family every day, the fast pace kept me from talking to them very often.  Last night I stayed up half the night getting caught up with my husband not only on what happened at the conference, but…

My bed is phenomenally comfortable.  After countless nights getting a better night’s sleep in hotel beds than in my own home, I spent some time and money and created a little slice of heaven I like to call MY BEDROOM.  Yes, my husband lives and sleeps here, too, but let’s be serious.  He could sleep…

Though the intense July heat has taken its toll on the tree in front of my house, we are still enjoying these beautiful pink blooms. It’s incredible to realize that it was just a few months ago that snow and ice nearly killed my favorite tree, a third of it snapped completely off, leveled by…

My pastor has a way of saying things during his sermons that I’m sure are meant specifically for me.  No matter how far back in the sanctuary we sit, his words find me with laser-like precision, cutting past the little old lady who has fallen asleep and the child scribbling on the bulletin to find…

No, this is not the defensive line of a World War 2 league of their own type all-female football team.  These women are my relatives.  The second lady in from the left is one of my favorites, my great-great Aunt Hilda.  Her little brother Albert who annoyed her so much that she told me about…

Early last summer I noticed in the church bulletin that a mission group was planning a trip to an orphanage in Africa.  Our church is very active in mission trips throughout the year both in the states and abroad, but something about this particular mission called to me.  My heart began to race.  I always…

A couple weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our tenth anniversary with a four day getaway to Walt Disney World. When people asked me why I chose Disney, I gave many reasons from the incredible service to the beautiful pools, but one of the main reasons is the food.  One of the hardest parts…

As of today I am no longer a woman who just lost 15 pounds over the first half of the summer. I am a woman who needs to lose 15 pounds and is going to start from scratch preparing to run a 5K. While I’m thrilled with my progress so far, the fact is that…