Musings on life, parenting, Jesus, and more...

It’s out of control. Almost every day I’m hearing statistics about how much more we are paying for groceries, utilities, and insurance than we were even a few years ago. Inflation. I won’t get into the political side of things, but I will just say, this is what happens when the government gives away money that it doesn’t really have to begin with. I don’t know who in our history ever decided that was a good idea, but honestly it needs to stop. Our country needs to learn to live on a budget just like you and I need to live on a budget in order to be wise and healthy financial consumers. Anyway, I digress. Back to the cost of living. It’s out of control. Real estate prices are insane and add in the crazy high interest rates right now, homeownership can seem pretty unaffordable to many. A year ago, my ex-husband and I decided to buy property together and convert the daylight basement to a separate apartment. That way the kids could see more of each of us, not have to split their time, and...

Anniversaries help us to remember and acknowledge things in the past. They might not always be happy memories, but I do believe that remembering and reflecting is important. It was a year ago this Memorial Day that I found out my dad had cancer. Three weeks later he was gone.  These pictures were all taken about 2 years ago. We had no idea then that these would be the last memories with Grandpa.  I’ve wanted to write about his passing for some time now, but I just wasn’t ready until now.  His death has been hard for me to process in a lot of ways. I know death is never easy, and cancer can be a horrible way to die, so I don’t fault my dad for his decision. What I do wish in hindsight is that it wasn’t illegal in Idaho to end your own life, in cases of terminal illness. That’s the choice my dad made, rather abruptly in my opinion and like all grieving children I would have given anything to have more time with him. But I think he was afraid. I think he was afraid that he w...

Yesterday would have been my Dad’s 76th birthday. Today I celebrate my first Father’s Day without him, and Thursday will be the anniversary of his passing. In a way I’m glad the three are so close together, but it is proving to be a hard week, that’s for sure 😭😭😭 My dad was the best Grandpa and we miss him so much. He was a great example of how to love your neighbors, love the planet, and just love life. He was always down for an adventure and I love that I also inherited his adventurous spirit. From taking our family to Mexico when I was a kid for a month long immersion, to backpacking around Europe with me in my early 20’s, to coming back to Mexico in 2018 to help me and my 3 kids move back to Oregon (and many of his own trips to Costa Rica, Guatemala, México and Hawaii) he often seemed to live his life like he was on vacation. I love that attitude and have tried to make my life feel like a vacation as much as possible 😎 thanks to him. We don’t know how much time we have here on ...

I don’t consider myself an anxious person. I have suffered from anxiety at times in my life, but thanks to therapy I have been able to lead a pretty peaceful life for the last few years. I consider myself an extroverted introvert. I enjoy meeting new people and the occasional social gathering, but i definitely need my alone time to recharge and clear my head. I regularly meet with people for work, either new clients, potential clients, or professional referral partners. I rarely have any anxiety about these meetings.  I don’t have anxiety about going to my kids’ school or the grocery store, although those places use to trigger lots of anxiety before therapy. But the strangest thing happened earlier this week. Actually, it’s probably not all that strange. In fact, I’m venturing to say that maybe quite a few of you reading this post may have experienced something very similar (it will make me feel better if you have. lol) Last Wednesday, the pickleball club in my town was hosting a “...

Family dynamics have never been wonderful in my biological family. If you know me or have spent any time reading my blog, that probably doesn’t come as a surprise. My analytical brain, along with my degree in psychology and my fascination with human behavior keeps me speculating about the causes and reasons for the discord.  One thing I was struggling with and working through with my dad in therapy before he passed was the feeling that I wasn’t good enough, that he assumed the worst about me and couldn’t seem to see my good intentions.  We were trying to create space on his property so there could be room for all of us to gather together comfortably. Instead of receiving that as a loving gesture, he felt attacked and made the assumption and comments on many occasions that our intentions weren’t about spending time with him, rather we were insulting his lifestyle by wanting to create a space that was comfortable for our family and our standard of living. (We don’t like rodents ...

I just got home from dropping kids at school and was not expecting anyone to be at my house when I came back. However, when I pulled in there was a black car in my driveway that I didn't recognize. When I came in the front door, there was a vacuum cleaner that hadn't been there when I left. The cleaners were here! Only problem is that I had no idea they were scheduled to come today. Usually I make the kids pick up their rooms, we put away all our crap, organize, ect., that way the cleaners can come in and do just that... clean.  Realizing they are here and completely unexpected, I of course, panic. For about 15 minutes, I ran around like a chicken with it's head cut off, putting things away, clearing off counters, starting a load of laundry. Then, I calmed down, and had time to reflect on how silly the panic is, but also how practical "getting ready for the cleaners" really can be. I hear people joke all the time that they have to clean before the cleaners get the...