Over the course of the last year, I have slowly transitioned from a rebellion steeped in words and animosity to one rooted in endearing actions and empowerment; one that cannot be dissuaded by Supreme Court (In)Justices nor the antics of a narcissistic child who has been overwhelmingly (but not shockingly) reelected to run our country. Now, I have a plan.
Read MoreWomen everywhere are FURIOUS and not just because of the Supreme Court’s decision to end women’s constitutional rights. If you’re a fan of expletives and would rather feel enraged than sad at this moment in time, this blog post is definitely for you. I’ve never been so angry and I’ve also never written anything this fast.
Read MoreAt 42, instead of listening to music and having a few beers on a Friday night, I would much rather fawn over my houseplants for 30 minutes and then retreat to our bedroom with the dogs and a good book. With this in mind, I thought I’d give my readers (I like to think there’s more than one of you) a glimpse into the best and worst of the 51 books I’ve read or listened to since December. Enjoy.
As adults, we expect anyone younger than us to both have the same experiences we had and suffer through them with as much nostalgic angst as we feel now. But perhaps instead of regaling them with our woes and sometimes even wishing them the same fate, why not reflect upon our own hopes and dreams and believe that maybe, just maybe, the experiences of today’s “entitled” youth will someday match or surpass our own.
Read MoreHere are my top 10 favorite books of 2023. The following books may not be on your radar or appear on another much more reputable list (especially since a few were published prior to 2023), but they’re my personal favorites based on the 40 or so books I read this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as me and consider giving them a shot if you haven’t already in 2024. Happy reading!
Read MoreLet us commence the airing of grievances! That’s right, my friends, it’s Festivus, that magical time of year when we tell the world how we really feel, and I share my top five semi-lighthearted injustices that I think you should be enraged about too. Enjoy!
Read MoreI love to express to others, and especially women, how beautiful, wondrous, admirable, funny, smart, and outstanding they are not because it benefits me or because I expect to receive a compliment in return, but BECAUSE THEY ARE! All around me I see women I know and don’t know absolutely killing it. From outward appearances to professional attributes, women are, as the Gap Band so knowingly said, making me want to shout, and if we don’t tell them, who will?
Read MoreI, like most women in their 40s, am planted firmly in what I believe to be The Middle. Characteristics of those belonging to The Middle include, but are not limited to, the list included in this blog post.
Read MoreAfter 15 years of marriage and 21 years of partnership, I’d like to think my husband and I have learned a thing or two about what makes our marriage work. Even if the following only applies to us, I thought others might like to read some of these lessons too (on the day we said “I Do”).
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot lately about identity. Who are we as people? What contributes to how we define ourselves as individuals? How do others view us and, more importantly, how do we view ourselves? What I’ve come to realize is that regardless of whether it’s a stranger defining your place in this world based on the role you play or YOU who assumes an identity based on that same role, it is the role and not you that has and will continue to create the largest chunk of how you are perceived by others and also how you perceive yourself.
Read MoreNearly two weeks ago, we were informed by our veterinarian that our 11-year-old dog is in end-stage renal failure. At an appointment where I thought he would receive a simple diagnosis of dehydration I unexpectedly learned of his terminal prognosis, and now I’m forced to confront the various stages of grief and the reality of saying goodbye to the most sincere and loyal companion I have ever known.
Read MoreOne year and a handful of days ago I turned 40-years-old. It was around that time when I initially started working on this blog under the assumption I knew something, anything, about middle age. Included in this blog are several mid-life topics with my thoughts from just a year ago along with how I feel about them now, a year and some change later. Enjoy.
I recently made the commitment to run 62 miles in January on behalf of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I signed up for the personal, physical challenge, until I realized my “why” for raising funds for such an honorable cause was much more involved than I initially expected. Now 7 days in and 27 miles down, I am honored to be even a small part of such important and meaningful work.
Read MoreThat’s right, folks, it’s Festivus, that magical time of year when we’re encouraged to air our grievances and tell the world how we really feel. 2022 marks my fifth annual Festivus blog, one I spend nearly an entire year writing and refining for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Read MoreAs the lyrics in the title track of this blog suggest, so many of us wonder, “Is there a place for the hopeless sinners?” and the answer is a resounding yes. Whether it’s on the death spiral that is Twitter, in a well-meaning Facebook group, through a local organization, or with existing friends you connect with virtually by way of a podcast network or gaming platform, your community is out there and it’s filled with good-hearted, hopeless sinners just like you.
Read MoreAlthough Black Sabbath’s masterpiece, “War Pigs,” was inspired by the Vietnam War and not the war on women, the song still resonates with me on an eerily familiar level. As our elected officials continue “making war just for fun,” read why both the lyrics and voting in Tuesday’s midterm election are more important now than ever before.
Last week, my student loan debt, a total of nearly $55,000, was entirely forgiven. All of it. Gone. Poof. Good riddance. Buh-bye. Although the timing of my loan forgiveness aligns nicely with President Biden’s cancellation of up to $10,000 in federal student debt , my own loan forgiveness has absolutely nothing to do with his historic announcement. Rather, my forgiveness is due entirely to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) temporary waiver the same president put into effect in October 2021.
Read MoreLast week, on Mother’s Day, I found myself poolside in Las Vegas oddly thankful to be a woman at this exact moment in time. Despite the draft decision of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to overturn Roe v. Wade having just been released, l realized, while standing in the bathroom line at the Flamingo Hotel pool, that we, as women, have more collective strength now than we have ever had before.
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