Love letters to my siblings

Love letters to my siblings

Two years ago today, my youngest brother Bryan was taken from us suddenly and without warning. We didn’t get a chance to say goodbye or to tell him how much he meant to us. Shortly after his passing, I wrote him this letter, hoping that putting the words out in the universe would somehow comfort….

Decisions, decisions: how to set priorities

Decisions, decisions: how to set priorities

This weekend has been a lesson on how to set priorities. I took Monday off from work, so Larry and I could take advantage of the 4th of July holiday for an extended stay at Hawkes Landing. Usually, Hawkes Landing is a perfect place for me to write, so I figured I’d have no problem…

Friday favorites potpourri

Friday favorites potpourri

This week brought a wonderful mix of things to smile about–a Friday favorites potpourri, if you will. Let’s start with a visit from these beautiful grandchildren. We have an agreement: one “nice” pic and then they get to make silly faces. (Anyone else notice Wells’ face didn’t change at all?) More grandchildren — this time…

A runner is born (guest post from my sister Cindy!)

A runner is born (guest post from my sister Cindy!)

This week’s post is a special one–my first guest post, written by my multi-talented sister, Cindy. In addition to being a wonderful sister, she is a mother, wife, grandmother, educator, cancer-survivor, and now runner and writer!  So without further ado, Cindy describes her first 10K experience. I signed up and paid for two races before…

Friday favorites: sweet, sweet summertime

Friday favorites: sweet, sweet summertime

Here it is, the first Friday favorites of sweet, sweet summertime. Few things say summer like watermelon. I got a jump on the season with watermelon themed fingernails. As always, this design was hand painted by Meghan at Color My Nails. And, of course, summer means weekends at Hawkes Landing, complete with little furry visitors….

Friday favorites: fantastic from start to finish

Friday favorites: fantastic from start to finish

This week was fantastic from start to finish. Starting with my beautiful nails by Meghan (Tiramisu and Rose Glitter) and my new book. My sisters and I are reading this book together–an online book club! Saturday was the Girls on the Run 5K Celebration. It was so fantastic, I did a whole blog post about…

Girls on the Run is so much fun!

Girls on the Run is so much fun!

Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” — Marilyn Monroe This past Saturday was the annual Girls on the Run 5k celebration. The GOTR 5k is so much more than a race—it is truly a celebration of the girls—their strengths and accomplishments—and the people who love and support them. My…

Friday favorites: these are a few of my favorite things

Friday favorites: these are a few of my favorite things

Another week of good food, family time, and fickle Mother Nature. These are a few of my favorite things from this week. Starting with the first barbecue of the year. Thanks Larry! Spending Mother’s Day with some of the people I love most. And this lovely gift, hand-painted by my Saira Bear. (How appropriate that…

What should I do about Mother’s Guilt?

What should I do about Mother’s Guilt?

Sunday was Mother’s Day—a fact that you are probably well aware of, if the statistics are any indication. More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with Mom often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent. In the U.S., $21.2 billion…

Friday favorites: feeling the love

Friday favorites: feeling the love

I love Friday favorites, because it’s a chance to focus on all of the little happy moments that occurred during the week. And there was a lot to love about this week. What’s not to love about getting your nails done–especially a beautiful baby blue! You know I love running outdoors, especially when the weather…