“I love being alive.” These are the words that came from a commercial on the TV a few weeks ago. As Jeff Bridges walked through fields and forest, reflecting on how much he missed while he was getting chemo and then when covid began. The words were so simple, but they’ve stuck with me. I’ve…
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The Best Parts of Halloween
I love a reason to celebrate. Whether it be a birthday, or a holiday, or getting out of work early on a Tuesday. I’m never going to turn down a sparkle of joy. Here we are in the last week of October, and Halloween is literally right around the corner. This month has flown by!…
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The Quest for the Best Cookie Recipes
I have been on a bit of a cookie quest this year. A quest to find the best cookie recipes. I love to cook and bake all kinds of things! (Pasta is a particular favorite.) But I’ve always really enjoyed baking cookies. I’d love to say that there’s some deep reason for that, that cookies…
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How to Plan the Perfect Family Movie Night
Let’s be honest – the last couple years have been hard. So in my family, we’ve been looking for little pockets of joy everywhere we can find them. And sometimes, we create the joy for ourselves. This year creating the joy has come in the form of family movie nights! My sister and I have…
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Harry Styles and Other Great Concerts
I am a concert person – that’s a fact. I went to my first concert (Hilary Duff – Most Wanted Tour) when I was 6 years old, and after that I was hooked! There’s nothing quite like seeing music live. I know – it sounds snooty – but it’s true! The energy of a room…
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Summer Highlights and Hopes for Fall
Today is the last day of summer 2022, and writing that feels bittersweet. I saw a meme the other day that said ‘Can we go back to the start of summer? I wasn’t ready yet.” And that’s how I feel! This summer was good, but ever since the beginning of the pandemic time hasn’t felt…
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The Joy of a Rescue Kitten
“Can I have him?” “He’s already yours.” Those are the words that my Mom said to me the day we went to pick up my cat Max. That day was almost 17 years ago, a number that’s really hard to believe. Back then, I wanted a pet of my own so badly. I’m the youngest…
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Little Reminders for Keeping Perspective
Starting this blog has been a conscious effort to practice optimism. Each week each post is centered on looking for the positive, around planting a flower in the cracks. The past few years have been hard, and they’ve taken a toll on my mental health. The idea of planting flowers in the cracks is something…
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Top 10 Backyard Games to Play This Labor Day
My family has hosted a tournament of backyard Labor Day Games for the past three years, and it has become one of our all time favorite family traditions! Read more about how we created the Labor Day Games here. Having this tournament is a perfect way for our family to end the summer! Here’s our…
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The Beginning of the Annual Family Labor Day Games
Let’s think back to summer of 2020. We’d been in the pandemic for a few months, and we were all growing very weary. The time of official ‘quarantine’ was coming to an end, but covid didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. We were in the midst of the 2020 election cycle, and stress…
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