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It's been a hard few weeks here in Minnesota. Between the unrest in our community and what's felt like an endless, brutal winter, I think we're all carrying a bit more weight than usual. Sometimes, in times like these, we need to give ourselves permission to take a break—to find small comforts where we can. For me, that comfort has come in the form of my couch, a warm blanket, and the return of some of my favorite TV shows. Look, I'm not saying TV solves anything. But when th

I finally went to the doctor today because I just can't handle whatever is going on with my shoulder. Did I fall or have an injury of some sort? I don't think so. Was I in an accident? Not that I recall. Am I just imagining it with my normal fifty and seasoned body? I wasn't sure. Here's the thing: I am a klutz. Always have been. I can trip over my own two feet on a good day. A few years back, I sprained my ankle so badly I had to wear a boot. Want to know how? I was running

I have to be frank - I can't write my usual upbeat, humorous blog post this week. My mind has been swirling with thoughts that are making it hard to find the funny. And honestly, maybe that's okay. Maybe we all need to sit with the heavy stuff sometimes. In case you didn't know, I live in Minnesota. And in case you hadn't heard, it's been a little heavy around here lately. The hostility, anger, and sadness feels reminiscent of 2020 and George Floyd. I find myself mourning wha

Happy 2026 to you all! And yes, of course, as we start a new year, we all do that thing where we look at our lives and say, "What can I do differently or better this year?" If you haven't had that thought, good for you—your life must be more organized than mine! So here I am, going into a new year, fifty and seasoned, with a whole list of things I want to do, think, see, or just try and tame. I am not a big one on resolutions. I've read that the vast majority of resolutions d

The end of the year signals a desire to reflect on the past and start focusing on what the future may bring. This in-between time—where the past is now the past and the future is forthcoming—allows us to pause, just for a moment, and think a little deeper about life, purpose, love, sadness, joy, disappointment, and hope. My year has been a giant whirlwind, and the biggest word to represent it would definitely be CHANGE. But even that doesn't fully capture all that happened an

As December begins and we step fully into the holiday season, I find myself caught between two emotions: joy and sadness. They sit side by side, neither one canceling out the other, both feeling equally true. The joy comes from all the things I love about this time of year—the bright, twinkling Christmas trees, endless Hallmark movies where Mr. or Ms. Right find each other in some impossibly charming small town, and most importantly, the promise of time spent with the people

About this time last year, I blurted out something to my husband that I'd been holding onto for two decades. We were making our bed together one November morning—just a regular Tuesday—when it came tumbling out: "I haven't enjoyed the holidays in about 20 years!" Yup. I said it. Out loud. And my husband froze mid-pillow-fluff, completely stunned. "But you're always so into the holidays," he said. "The decorating, the gifts, the cooking, the baking..." He was right. I was ALL

It's hard to believe I'm fifty sometimes, especially when I'm going about my daily life—managing my business, writing this blog, living in my comfortable routines. But then I get together with old friends, and reality hits: we're all getting older. You know how your brain does that thing where it freezes people in time? You think about someone and immediately see them in a specific moment—on that vacation to the lake, at that New Year's Eve party, during that crazy weekend ad

Harvey Mackay once said what is now a famous quote, "Do something that you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Having been in the workplace since 1998 (wow, that's last century!), I didn't understand that. Wasn't work supposed to feel like work? Since 2000, I've been a working mom, so I really thought that work was just supposed to feel like work. My life was chaotic most of the time—balancing a job, a family, and maintaining a household on a daily basis. While I

Did you know that about one-third of the U.S. population does not celebrate Halloween? There are, of course, a variety of reasons — from cultural to religious. Some schools have even switched to celebrating “alternative” seasonal events. But not in my hometown! If you haven’t heard about the Halloween Capital of the World , then you’re missing out. No, I’m not talking about Salem, Massachusetts — I’m referring to Anoka, Minnesota . This small town of about 18,000 transforms e

Growing up as the oldest of three daughters in what I can only describe as a "loud" house, I constantly sought silence. And I don't just mean typical family noise—I mean loud . At least one (usually two) TVs blaring all day and night, including one in the kitchen that stayed on during dinner. My mom's preferred method of communication was yelling and stomping on the floor upstairs to let us know dinner was ready or she needed something from us downstairs. All I wanted when I

Fourteen hours in the car. Three states. Two hotels. Several heating pads. And one very important mission. This past weekend, my husband and I embarked on what can only be described as a marathon parenting event—helping our daughter and her fiancé move from Dubuque, Iowa to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, followed by celebrating our younger daughter's 21st birthday. Because apparently, we thought our fifty-and-seasoned bodies could handle back-to-back major life events without conseque

When my husband and I were dating, one of the things I loved most was that we could be together without feeling like we had to fill every...

All we keep hearing about lately is how AI (artificial intelligence for those who are not "in the know") is going to help or solve...

Last night, faced with the endless scroll of "nothing to watch" across our multiple streaming services, I did what any reasonable adult...

I imagine eating pasta and drinking wine in Italy! Okay, so the name "bucket list" is a little dramatic, but let's be honest—hitting...

Here I am, half a century into this wild ride called life, and I'm still  trying to figure out who I am. If you'd told my 25-year-old...

Here we are in September, and you know what I'm feeling? A little sad. We often don't want to talk openly about all our feelings,...

I try to start every day with positivity and gratitude. This has been my way of ensuring that things will start moving forward if I have...

This is the week—the Minnesota State Fair begins! For those who may not be familiar, Minnesota has one of the largest and best state...