Surround Yourself With the Positive

Growing up girls were placed into two categories: Those who were popular and those who were not. In the 1980s if you were popular you most likely wore designer clothes, kissed a lot of boys and flung your hair from side to side a lot. At least that’s what it felt like. I was a … Read more

Recapturing Joy

It’s been a long two months with my mom in the hospital. The drive back and forth to see her is long and I’m both physically and mentally exhausted. We are told that life is short, but throughout our day to day lives we tend to forget that fact. Rather than embracing the hours ahead … Read more

Smiling More Often

Just before closing the book on 2013 I set a goal for the new year. I suppose I could call it a resolution, but I really prefer to think of it less as an end state and more as a new state of mind.  It’s a remarkably simple idea: my goal is to smile more … Read more

A Very Lucky Year Indeed

I started keeping track of the money I earned from online contests and giveaways in 2012. That year I won $149 in online contests and $750 from two writing contests. In 2013 my luck continued and I won a total of $1,775! Do you see the large turquoise section of the pie chart below. That’s the amount … Read more

Answer the Phone You Idiot

Have you ever felt lucky? Have you ever walked up to the roulette table at a casino and known, just known, that your number would come up? No, that’s never happened to me either, but I have felt remarkably lucky my whole life. I’ve never won the mega millions but I am the kind of … Read more

All Good Things Must Come to an End

It’s true what they say… all good things must come to an end. After a glorious three and a half weeks at the beach it’s time to pack up and head back home. I think this is one of those vacations I’ll remember forever. I got to spend time with my immediate family, (husband and … Read more