I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went to college in lower Michigan, but 15 years ago I moved away from my home state. Somewhere in the back on my mind, I think I assumed I'd end up back there someday. Here I am, though, settled in Ohio with little likelihood of ever living there ...
Life
My Mom is a 10 Year Stage 4 Lung Cancer Survivor!
I couldn't stop myself from typing the words into google, even though I knew I didn't want the answer. What is the survival rate for stage 4 lung cancer? I didn't want the answer, yet I had to know. I was 29 years old, barely married a year, and hadn't started having babies yet. And even though ...
How to Intentionally Plan Date Nights (Even If You Don’t Leave the House!)
Want to keep your marriage strong? Here's how to intentionally plan date nights and nurture your relationship!My husband Tim and I have been married a decade. Do you know how easy it gets to slip into a routine where we forget to nurture our relationship? I'm sure most of you married folk can ...
How Not to Lose Yourself In Motherhood
September 21, 2008 around 9 o'clock in the evening my whole world changed. That first moment when my daughter, brand new to the world, grabbed my hospital gown with her tiny hand I knew I was done. Motherhood took hold of my heart and it was never letting go. But what does that mean? When I gave ...
First Communion Weekend
We had a special weekend with family celebrating Meghan's First Holy Communion. My throat tightens up looking at this picture as it is a vivid reminder of how my baby girl is growing into a lovely young lady, much too fast. Always too fast. Here are more pictures of our weekend if you'd like to ...
Spring Break 2017: Club Med Cancun Yucatan
We spent last week on the beach in Cancun, Mexico. Want to see? I'd love to share our family vacation with you. Lots of pictures. More pictures than words. And I feel like I have to say this: there's a mix of crappy iPhone pictures with nicer shots with my big camera. Note to self: lug out the big ...
10 Reasons I Loved My 30s
Last week my birthday quietly passed by and I slipped into the last year of my 30s. Such are birthdays the older we get: less fanfare and more tendency to forget about them in the midst of our busy lives. I am one of those people who (annoyingly?) doesn't care too much about getting older. You ...
The Life-Changing Magic of Meal Planning
We all know that tidying up is magic, but did you know meal planning has the same life-changing magic? Does this scenario sound familiar? It’s seven o’clock, you just ran in the door after picking up your oldest from practice. Your youngest tells you he’s so hungry he might eat his arm and he ...
5 Things You Can Do Instead of Using Facebook for Political Rants
I love Facebook. Yes, it can be a time suck and sometimes I cringe at oversharers. But I love the way it has kept me connected to friends and family all over the world. I got to see a beautiful toothless grin when a friend in another state's daughter lost her first tooth, I was able to see a ...
Coffee Talk, Volume 6
The first Coffee Talk of 2017! It's been a while. How have you been? Have you gotten past the craziness of the holidays and settled into the New Year? I finally feel like I'm getting caught up. Sort of. Let's face it; I'm never really caught up. I'm happy to take a breather today and just chat with ...
Chopped Competition at Home
I know I'm not the only one who's watched the show Chopped and thought it would be such a fun game to compete in. Intense and stressful, but FUN! When my family was coming for a visit after Christmas, I knew it was the perfect time to create our own version of the game to play at home. We had an ...
Last Minute Gifts for Everyone on Your List
There's less than two weeks until Christmas. Is this officially "last minute" mode for you, or have you not even started yet? Some people consider it last-minute shopping if they aren't finished with their holiday shopping the first week of December. Then there are the folks who are calm as ...