One of the most influential summers of my life…1996. It changed my trajectory. I went into the summer as a rising senior from Cornell University, bound for a profession in veterinary medicine. I had no idea that things were about to change. Or that it was perfectly okay to make a change. I came out, eyes wide open, bounding for something else. But what? I spent the summer…
I went out for my third Mom’s Day Weekend at Purdue, and what a weekend it has turned out to be. Purdue won their basketball game, and they are headed to the final on Monday night! It was a madhouse here last night. Poor Tyler having to manage his mother in all of it. 🙂 Needless to say, I retired shortly after the game with my travel companion…
Owning a small business is like wrestling with a beast every single day. It’s a beast that plays with your life savings, and toys with your retirement, daring you to jump into the abyss of failure when things get tough and you must get going. The Beast forces you to stare the balancing act of managing employees and wanting to give them the world despite what the numbers…
Every spring, I think of this poem. I go to my bookcase, pull out my book of Robert Frost poems, and turn to page 1: The Pasture. I go back to a simpler time, a clearer time. Clean and fresh, a bubbling spring brook. It’s like shedding the cloak of winter. I think of promise, freshness, and a new beginning. As we enter the week of the Spring…
Sam and I went on vacation last week with my entire family! We had a great time, it was so nice to get away. It has been years since I went someplace warm during the winter. Traveling to another country is an experience. Not to mention, doing it with your whole family is double the experience. With three different generations, there are a lot of things to…
A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with a dear friend. She reached out to me in an email and asked if I wanted to have lunch with her…at her house. She wrote, “I know it’s old fashioned and not very fancy, but my hearing is getting quite bad, and it’s easier for me in a home setting.” That sounded lovely to me. When I walked through…
If you are a mom, I am sure you have one. The picture that captures a moment in time when you are revealed. “I am dead inside from nurturing these children.” If you have been there, you get it. If you are in it, we get it, and we are here to tell you you will get out of it. If you haven’t yet gotten there–you don’t understand,…
Yikes! It’s cold! (Finally) Ooh, did I say that too loud? I hate the cold, but at the same time, we needed it here in the Northeast. It was time for the ground to freeze, the ticks to die, and the ski slopes to fully open. And I have kept walking every day, working out, fiercely getting my work done, and eating things like mac and cheese, chocolate cake,…
I love to bake. Baking is my first go-to when someone needs love and care. I immediately offer up homemade food. It’s what I want to celebrate with: Baked goods! It’s how I want to socialize: A cup of coffee and a freshly made pie. I am completely content and happy to wake up on a Saturday or Sunday morning in the winter, take up residency in my kitchen…
Insanity. “Hello.” What a trooper you have been, pushing me to accomplish and be more than I ever thought I was capable of this year. It was insanity that pushed me to “live skinny,” TO THE FULLEST! I have been insanely polar plunging all year long too. Truly, a blessing for me, keeping me grounded in this insanely intense year called 2023. But “livin’ skinny” was 2023… bye,…