Creating Engaging Online Platforms
We were playing a version of the $20,000 Pyramid's Winner's Circle recently with some tween-aged girls at the After School Writing Club I lead with BreckCreate. The category was, "Things Parents Say." The first thing the clue-giver said was, "No!" Is that what parents are known for? The nay-sayer, the joy-kill, the hammer. We all laughed, but … Continue reading Say, “Yes”!
For those of you who know me well, you know what I love: family, the outdoors, music, friends, adventure. For this holiday season, I thought I'd share a "few of my favorite things" that are a part of my every day world that could also offer unique gift ideas for others. National Parks National Parks … Continue reading A Few of My Favorite Things
Has something ever taken you out of life for a season - perhaps an injury, a loss, or even a bad decision? I can only imagine as shock starts to slowly bleed into reality. "This is real. This is happening." It's probably like watching a movie and wishing you could push rewind to rewrite the … Continue reading Broken
Our family has always enjoyed hiking. Since the kids were toddlers, we took them exploring on trails and jumping in rivers, lakes, and streams all over Texas. As they've grown, the distances of our hikes have also grown. Over the last four years, we've chased popular trails all around the Western US, hiking through most of the National … Continue reading Take Them Hiking
As we near the end of our active winter season, I gave myself a treat and holed up in our snowglobe of a home to put together our family fall slideshow. It evoked so many different emotions I wasn't anticipating. This was the first year our boys went full-time to public school, and their absence … Continue reading Seasons Change
If you asked me on Monday morning what I was doing on Wednesday, I would not have known. By mid-afternoon, I had plans to play tennis with my friend, Amy. By Tuesday morning, our plans had changed, and we were going to snowboard/ski together instead at Keystone! And then Tuesday afternoon, I got a text … Continue reading Staying Flexible
Today we got a little treat. It felt like a reward for 13 hard-earned years of parenting a very passionate child. I had planned to take this middle son of ours out to dinner for his monumental 13th birthday, some special time with just Don and me. We had gifts to shower on him. But I … Continue reading A Reward
Several years ago, I thought of a mantra to share with my middle child: Work Is Hard. Work Is Good. Work Takes Time He would repeatedly get frustrated when his schoolwork or chores were more challenging or time-consuming. I felt like it was because he had wrong expectations and beliefs. Most of our frustrations in … Continue reading Work is Good
When we were married, we asked a special mentor couple of ours to share some words of wisdom and encouragement to us during our wedding ceremony. Brenda shared many wise words with me, but what I remember most was her saying to "Be a Memory Maker." To me, that meant setting up the scene for … Continue reading Be a Memory Maker
Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign. . . to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is … Continue reading Love Leaves Its Mark
