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The Winger – aka Chuckit! Ball Launcher
If your four legged buddy loves playing fetch as much as ours and you don’t have a Chuckit! Launcher, I’m about to change your life. I’ve owned labs all my life and each and every one of them has held fast to the motto “ball is life”. Hours and hours spent tossing a tennis ball […]
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Older But Not Up – Keeping The Spark Lit
Today marks my husband’s and my 24th wedding anniversary. But we’ve literally been together for 30 years which has earned us the nickname “long haulers” from a dear friend. In those 3 decades we’ve moved back and forth around the country, bought and sold 7 homes and raised two wonderful young adults. We’ve also had […]
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Padaro Beach, CA
Looking for a little slice of paradise? Check out Padaro Beach in Carpenteria, CA. Also known as Santa Claus Beach, this place is truly a gift! The water goes from azure to almost turquoise, with soft sand for playing games or strolling the shore. The visitors seemed to be a great mix of families, young […]
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Happy Birthday America
America is 247 years old today. That is a long time for this “experiment” to have continued and also a very short time in terms of history – two things can be true. And that is what I’m thinking about today: How we can all be patriots who love our country AND have differing ideas […]
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You Want A Piece Of Me (too)?
I know I’m not alone in sometimes feeling like everyone needs something from me. Sometimes it feels like if you let your guard down for one minute the world will collapse. Maybe someone you love has something big going on and you want so badly to hold their hand through the moment and yet, your […]
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Mom
Mother’s Day is here once again and first I would like to send love to new moms, older moms, aunts, grandmas, to families with two moms, to families who have lost their mom, foster moms, adoptive moms, women who chose not to have children but are wonderful friends and teachers to the young ones in […]
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Check Out The View From Here
We’re all talking about division these days. The nation feels divided, communities and families are divided. Growing up as the youngest of four girls, I got pretty good at navigating divisions and one thing that always came up in the “peace process” was getting each party to be able to understand the motivation of the […]
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Allow Myself To Introduce Myself ~ Austin Powers
Hi! Thank you for visiting my site, I am humbled and flattered and I hope I can share some joy and some laughter discussing a few things I’ve learned through my life as a woman, wife, mother, and daughter. My hope is to put something positive out in the world. It may not be ground-breaking […]
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S’ko Sports Team!
The NBA and the NHL playoffs are happening as I write this. Visiting my dad recently, we had the games on in the background as we tried our best to beat the pants off each other in cards. Watching the Golden State Warriors battle the Sacramento Kings, giving everything they had down to literally the […]
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Family Time
Before I start rambling, I want say that if family brings up a lot of stuff for you, just skip the rest of this, and also when I say family is hard, please know I do not mean unsafe – if you or someone you know is in an unsafe family dynamic please get help, […]
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WeDigBio
Last October I was lucky enough to catch a call for volunteers at our local Botanic Garden to participate in WeDigBio (Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections). I was still new to town and thought this seemed like a great way to meet some people as well as help out. What I found was a world […]
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A Wisconsin Love Story
In my final summer of college my boyfriend and I took a trip from Madison, WI to the beautiful Mackinac Island pictured above. It really is a wonderful place and according to The Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, I’m not the only one who thinks so: “Mackinac Island is one of the world’s best travel destinations. […]
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In Defense of Self Help
Self help advice and guidance has been around for 1,000s of years – the ancient Egyptians called it Sebayt: an entire genre dedicated to instructing ethics and morality leading to a way of “living truly”. Cut to today and it is a $10.5 billion industry, expected to reach $14 billion by 2025. Everyone I know […]
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J’aime la France
Oh Paris, you have my heart! The buildings, the flowers, the markets! Some of the best days of my life have been spent sitting in a little cafe in the Latin Quarter watching people stroll by on their way to the markets or school. Walking along the Seine where sweet little old French men hold […]
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Stir Crazy For Popcorn
You know how you go to an amusement park and suddenly the smell of hot, delicious popcorn served in boxes hits and you know you are in for a good day? Or you’re minding your own business, walking down the street NOT thinking of popcorn when the buttery, salty scent wafts out the doors of […]
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Can Music Save Our Mortal Souls?
I’ve been thinking about music a lot – well that is pretty much always, I’ve never NOT thought about music a lot. Anyway – I came up with a few reasons I believe playing an instrument moves us forward on our spiritual journeys. Vulnerability – Creating and playing music forces you to get over yourself. […]
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Am I Right?
Technology brings us together with people all around the world. News hits us almost the moment it occurs. Social Media keeps us in touch with friends and family near and far. And yet, doesn’t it feel like no one actually has discussions anymore? There is a lot of commenting, sharing, and canceling to be sure but […]
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Rules Of Engagement
Everyone knows that parenting comes with many challenges (my husband and I like to call them “opportunities to improve our parenting skills”). One particular opportunity my friends and I talk about a lot is how to get our kids to come out of their rooms and hang out with us. Even if you are spoiled […]
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Resolving Resolutions
Do you do resolutions for the New Year? I can’t seem to make up my mind about them. I like goals and think it’s important to have an idea of where you want to be in your life AND I have commitment issues with rules. There is no half-way for me in most things. I […]
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Doggos
“Whoever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend, never met a dog.” What more is there to say? I love all dogs – all dogs are the best dogs.
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Consistently Inconsistent
So this is about exercise and a few basic principles that work for me. I’ve generally always managed to stay, or at least look like I’ve been in decent shape. I’m definitely lucky in many regards. But I’ve also found and then ingrained a few habits that fit into my lifestyle and serve me well […]
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Happy Technology
One of the happiest pieces of technology I’ve seen is Skylight. It’s a digital picture frame that allows friends and families to email pictures to loved ones who may not have any other devices. My dad is close to 90. We lost my mom, his beloved wife of close to 75 years, the fall before […]
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Oh What Fun
Stepping out of our comfort zones can feel so scary that most people avoid it whenever possible. To that I would say, SAME! It is not something I consciously choose. Yet I find myself doing it more and more and here’s why – in recent years I’ve really begun to understand what people mean when […]
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Roll Out The Rollouts
Something about rollout cookies just says Christmas to me. My family devoured them as quickly as my mom (and her poor back!) could roll them out. I never remember, ever, running out of rollout cookies at Christmas. And we were a big family! It didn’t stop with my mom either, my kids and my nieces […]