I really want to “go with the flow” but, I come from a long line of ladies who, with their curriculum of etiquette and cook books in hand, taught me that (most of the time) there is a “right” or at least, a proper way to do things.

It had been two years, almost to the day, since I had been in that burning hot room in Plaza-Midwood.

It was Valentine’s Day and a Friday and I really needed a yoga class. Several days prior, I received a call saying that my dad was severely ill and in the Intensive Care unit and I needed to come home. I drove to the airport grateful for my brother, knowing we would navigate whatever we were going to find, together.

The studio smelled like incense and lavender and the instructor smiled warmly at me as I set up for my practice.

I am not sure if there are any two people in the world who scare me more than these two.

I just love this time of year. As we all come from different traditions and backgrounds, I want to offer a brief explanation for definition of Advent. Advent is a period on church calendar leading up to Christmas when Christians celebrate the 1st coming of Christ. Advent is a bridge between what our Catholic friends call “ordinary time” and Christmas.

This is designed to be a time of anticipation and hope.

Jacob and I go grocery shopping together once a week, very early on weekend mornings.

Running has been an unexpected source of personal development in my life. I've been running for almost eleven years and have finished well over thirty races, three of which were full marathons. 

It's been a year and a half since I sold everything I owned and packed up my few remaining belongings into my tiny little Fiat

I love weddings. I love going to them, being in them, the whole shebang. Dresses, dancing, cake, epic toasts that go on and on. It's just the best. Where else can you witness your friend's drunk uncle KILLING IT on the dance floor while one of the bridesmaids is making out in the bushes with an old college roommate of the groom and the flower girl is asleep on her grandmother's lap. A microcosm of fun.

In September 2016 I was a bridesmaid in two weddings, two weekends in a row.

I like to name my years. It's like a theme for the year. Maybe it's semantics, but it matters to me. Some years have been called; Exploration, Awakening, and Joy. This have been a personal practice for over a decade. 

The other night, a friend and I were discussing names and their meanings. Curious, I looked up the meaning of my own name.

It was all the rage to discover one's "Love Language" when I was in college.

During my weekly bible study, it wasn’t uncommon to say things like: "Of course that was meaningful to you, your love language is Acts of Service" or "Everyone knows you're a Quality Time kind of girl"!