5 Things I’ve Learned About Love & Dating (repost)

This is one of my most read posts. So I thought I’d share it again on this year’s Valentine’s Day Eve. The other night, Tony and I were telling each other about some of the dates we went on in high school. I shared a time I went on a date with a guy even though I knew he wasn’t good for me.  And he talked about borrowing his mom’s mini-van to pick up a girl for a dance, which reminded me of my first real date with a boy. He too picked me up in his mom’s mini-van. We [...]

By |2020-02-06T15:56:22+00:00February 13th, 2020|Categories: Fear, Friendship, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, perseverance, Relationships|Comments Off on 5 Things I’ve Learned About Love & Dating (repost)

A Single Person’s Bucket List

When I was in college, a relationship expert came to speak at our Chapel* one day. As the historical joke/motto for our school was to expect "a ring by spring” if you were dating someone, it seemed fitting. Though I went to college for my education (and maybe, to meet a boyfriend), many of my peers were already looking for a spouse. During the talk, the expert encouraged us to do something I’d never heard before: to write a list of the characteristics we wanted in the person we’d marry. To think long and hard about the qualities we wanted [...]

By |2020-02-06T15:39:52+00:00February 10th, 2020|Categories: Fear, Freedom, Hope, perseverance, Relationships, Self Care|Comments Off on A Single Person’s Bucket List

Confession: I’m a Bad Neighbor

Last week, while I was working in our apartment, I started to hear these loud noises coming from the down stairs unit. At first I heard the pounding of a hammer. Then it sounded like the cabinets in the kitchen were being ripped out of the walls.  I peaked out the window to find two maintenance vehicles parked outside. I shrugged my shoulders, and figured something went wrong with one of our neighbor’s appliances. Then, I went back to work.  The next morning, I got a text from Tony:  “Did you know our neighbors downstairs moved out?”  I told him [...]

By |2020-02-06T00:20:34+00:00February 6th, 2020|Categories: Adulting, Change, Conflict, Friendship, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Relationships|Comments Off on Confession: I’m a Bad Neighbor

What The World Needs Now

A couple of weeks ago, I sat on my couch with my closest friend. With mugs of tea and coffee in our hands, she asked me about my writing. As January was rather busy and hard, I shared I didn’t know what I’d write about on the blog this month. Then offhandedly, I said: “Probably something about relationships as it is February.” Then I added, “But that feels so cliche.” As this is the month of Valentine’s Day, it is kind of the “month of love.” Yet joining the chorus of other bloggers and online magazines sharing tips on how [...]

By |2020-03-26T16:41:26+00:00February 3rd, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Calling, Change, Conflict, Friendship, Hope, Relationships|2 Comments

When Your Social Situation Changes

It’s so easy to take the leap into the job or dream we want, and not realize until later what we’ve lost. That somehow by moving toward something fantastic, we could also be moving away from something equally important. I can think of a few instances in my life where that happened, and most notably the loss was often Friendship. When our friends have always been there for us, we kind of assume they will be there in our next phase as well. That like our favorite pair of jeans or that blanket we got in Mexico, we can pack [...]

By |2019-09-04T13:20:24+00:00September 23rd, 2019|Categories: Adulting, Change, Friendship, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off on When Your Social Situation Changes

Three Questions to Ask After Rejection

As I shared on Monday, I recently joined a new writers group. The very first time we got together, I was so nervous. I was the first to arrive at the coffee shop where we met, and as I waited in line to order my coffee, I had a realization. All my nerves centered on this one question: “What if they don’t like me?” I felt like I was in junior high all over again. But then I realized, I probably wasn’t the only one who felt nervous about showing up to our newly formed group. Putting ourselves out there [...]

By |2019-07-25T15:12:05+00:00July 25th, 2019|Categories: Fear, Friendship, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Rejection, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Three Questions to Ask After Rejection

Five Great Ways To Connect With Friends

A few years ago, I remember going to the movies with a new friend. We had both realized we were reading the same book in hopes of finishing it in time to see the movie when it came out in theaters. So, we decided to go see the movie together.  The week it came out, we got to the theater really early. As the two of us sat in our seats, in the dark, waiting for the previews to start, all of a sudden, I felt nervous. What are we going to talk about? I began to wonder. Then I [...]

By |2019-06-19T13:11:02+00:00June 27th, 2019|Categories: Food, Friendship, Habit Making, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Five Great Ways To Connect With Friends

This Summer, Have People Over

“What people are craving isn’t perfection. People aren’t longing to be impressed; they’re longing to feel like they’re home.” —Shauna Niequist, Bread & Wine Have you ever wondered what it is about your favorite TV shows that you like so much? For me, I’ve noticed that in almost all of mine, there is a close friend group. But more than that, they all do this one thing: They eat together. One of the most recent examples I can think of is The Big Bang Theory. Though Leonard and Sheldon didn’t have a dinning room table, in close to every episode, [...]

By |2019-06-13T14:25:56+00:00June 24th, 2019|Categories: Courage, Food, Friendship, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off on This Summer, Have People Over

Five Ways to Better Communicate With Your Spouse

It was a warm, sunny day, and the stone streets felt hard under my sandaled feet. There was an event going on in the city so there were people everywhere I looked. We were on a small and winding medieval street in the middle of Siena, Italy. Tony was walking a little ways behind me, but I didn’t stop.  I was upset. Only I wasn’t even sure why. All I knew was it felt like Tony and I were speaking a different language. I felt unseen, and like I could cry any minute. That is why I was breaking one [...]

By |2019-05-23T13:53:55+00:00May 30th, 2019|Categories: Conflict, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Five Ways to Better Communicate With Your Spouse

The Real Secret To Our Marriage

Do you remember, in high school, wishing you had the answer key to a hard exam? Even though you knew cheating was wrong, there was a part of you that wished for an easier way.  For me, it was always my chemistry exams—which is ironic as here we are talking about a different kind of chemistry. That of love and marriage.  But now, even as adults, many of us are still looking for that answer key. We’re looking for the easiest way to lose weight, get that promotion, and even understand our spouse. With so many things to fill our [...]

By |2019-05-23T13:38:53+00:00May 27th, 2019|Categories: Character, Conflict, Faith, Marriage, Relationships, Uncategorized|Comments Off on The Real Secret To Our Marriage

ABOUT ME

I’m a life coach and writer who loves coffee, adventure, and the ocean. I want to live a truly good story, and I want to help you do the same. 

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