I went to bed last night wondering what I actually accomplished. I was doing things all day, and felt like there wasn't a whole lot of down-time, but there really wasn't much to show for the whole day spent. As I thought more about it, I realized my day was full, but it wasn't focused . That resulte...

We bought a home 4 years ago with a beautifully landscaped backyard... that would be perfect for a family with no kids. Several features were impractical for our crew, so we're in an extended DIY remodel. 

It's hard.

And not just the physical labor. What I didn't expect is the emotional work required....

Yesterday concluded our mother/daughter NYC trip, and goodness did we have a great time. Our feet were like limp noodles; our bellies full of bagels, pizza, and cheesecake; our brains were on overdrive from all of the lights, sounds, and smells of the city... and we couldn't be happier. 

As we waited...

Chris cut a tree down in our yard yesterday. It was quite a big project! 

He fortunately had a chain saw to help him, but I kept thinking about how much harder it would have been (not to mention the huge amount of time added) to try and do it on his own, with a hand saw or an axe. It would definitely...

Today is graduation day at our local high school, and the word "commencement" is on my mind. 

The dictionary defines the word "commencement" as "a beginning or start." While I'm sure some high school students would rather call it "conclusion," the focus is very much on the new chapter. I love how muc...

I've been thinking a lot lately about the New Testament story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. 

If you're not familiar with the story, I'll give you the quick version. After a big day of feeding 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish -- which took some serious miracle power, Jesu...

I'm immersed in a creative project right now that has been on my heart for over 5 years now. 

I've chipped away at it little bits at a time, with some progress made but not much. 

It sat dormant while other priorities flowed in (new baby, amazing but rigorous school program, global pandemic, helping t...

I had a very simple but important topic on my mind yesterday: showering. 

Showering is something we do regularly (at least I hope so!), for the purpose of cleansing our bodies of any bacteria, oil, and dirt. It's also an opportunity to get rid of any unwanted hair and exfoliate our skin.

There are tim...

A friend of mine was telling me about an amazing tour of Radio City Music Hall she took during her last New York City trip. Her group got to go behind the scenes (literally) and see the whole place, including the costumes, Rockettes dance room, got to spend time on the actual stage, and did a meet-a...

There's a hero in my life who is fighting an epic battle right now (keeping her identity anonymous for privacy's sake).

She has kept the most powerfully positive outlook on her fight (doing things like calling her treatments "ammo-therapy," for example), which has been truly inspiring to watch. 

I'm t...

I asked a question on Facebook the other day, which has been opening some really interesting thoughts and conversations for me. 

The question was simply: What are you craving right now?

I expected to receive a wide range of responses, but I frankly didn't expect people to be so open and honest. I'm ...

I got to sit in on auditions yesterday, to help my friend with casting for a children's musical. 31 adorable kids walked in and out of the room, each showing up with their individual gifts and a full spectrum of nerves/comfort levels. I tried to give my biggest, most friendly smile to ease their min...