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Hello my sweet friends!
Oh my goodness, what a whirlwind the last few weeks have been! Tis’ the season, right?
Feeling festive, ready to soak in what is to come in this last month of 2025.
Each year feels different, for obvious reasons. This year I feel lighter, feeling the need to really deck the halls. This season is bringing all the merry, all the happy…because why not?
Y’all, seriously there are many things in our world at this moment that feel heavy.
This season, find the light and share it…we all need that warmth and joy.
To cry or to dance? I have told this story before, it is a core memory that keeps coming up in my life. During our wedding reception a guest came to hug me holding a glass of red wine. The bottom of the glass hit my shoulder in turn spilling some wine. I felt the wine drip on my hand as we left our embrace. That moment I knew it was on my gown. I didn’t react-I knew if I did that was it. That would be the story of the day.
I went to the rest room with a sorority sister to see the full extent of the spill. Yep. Top to bottom on my white silk shantung gown, a maroon spill. In that moment I made a choice. I smiled, and headed to the dance floor. What was I going to do? Spend the rest of the night in the bathroom crying about it? Miss out on all the fun we had planned for two years?
It is all perspective. Life happens, right? We seriously had our dream wedding, everything I could have asked for…one thing at the end of the reception happened. Placing focus on the joy over a stain is where I would rather function.
At the time I didn’t realize the impact this one event would have over and over on my life. It really has. When a hot mess happens, I pause and think “to cry or to dance”? In most cases I would rather dance…not missing out on life to cry in a bathroom over a stain.
That night I danced my heart out with my new husband, our family, and friends. A red wine stain down my dress marked that perfect summer evening.
FIND ALL MY FAVS HERE:
KODIAK PROTIEN WAFFLES-BUTTERMILK AND VANILLA
COACH BENNETT’S PODCAST-A MUST LISTEN FOR ALL RUNNERS
SOUTHERN CHARM-ANOTHER ONE OF MY GUILTY PLEASURES
WICKED FOR GOOD-IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YOU NEED TO
MOM LIFE WITH BIG KIDS
Finding time to connect is crazy with schedules etc…Tuck and I found a simple way to spend time together that we both really look forward to. Once a week we pick a local coffee shop to go to. He drives, being the passenger is wonderful! We each get a coffee/latte of our choice and we share a sweet treat. We sit, chat and connect with each other uninterrupted. This experience is priceless and something I am grateful for. At the end of our time in the shop we rate our java experience…atmosphere, coffee and sweet treat. Nothing we totally keep track of but a little something fun to add to our new little tradition.
Momming BIG KIDS is different is so many ways…this way is one of my favs. It is so important to me to know them as they grow, as they mature. It is also important to me for them to know me in ways they haven’t before. That they see me as more than their Mom. Having this coffee time to share ourselves-I wouldn’t change it for the world.
In the blink of an eye fall is complete…I packed up all the fall decor within 30 minutes and started hauling out the holly! There is a certain glow and buzz in the house now. Fall was warm and subtle…little bits and pieces decorating our main space. Christmas, is bright and loud. Each room getting cheer.
The warm browns, oranges and yellows are now replaced by sparkling reds, greens and golds. We are a warm white light family…all trees and outside lighting shine with an angelic glow. Everything then placed within the lights has it’s own show and is not completing with other colors.
Pulling out all the Christmas boxes is like finding a treasure chest every year…forgetting what we newly acquired the year before or what we have had for years is such a gift. I am one that decorates over days instead of an all in one. The creative in me needs time to step back, look, rearrange etc.
This is also of season of baking for me. Not so much everyday meal cooking but real deal holiday baking. I have cookie and mini bundt cake recipes I have used for 20 some years, we all have our favorites. I also have my Mom’s recipes that she used every Christmas. I have not attempted her famous poppy seed lemon cake but my sister has-which I absolutely love. The kitchen is a place of all the hustle and bustle during this month…lots of coming and going, cooking and cleaning and cooking again.
Growing up with a Mom that made the holidays magical has instilled in me how important that is. Our home was overflowing with merry and bright. It is easy to get caught up in matching what that was. I really don’t know how she did it all. I try to keep things as slow and peaceful as I can…creating the merry and bright with the magic of the season in the forefront of my mind.
INTO THE WEEK AHEAD
Friendships are everything. Friendships that become deep enough to become family and life lasting are precious. Keep them close and work hard to nurture them. In the week ahead text, call, email etc that friend or friends that feel like sunshine. Lift them up.
Start this week shining your light on that friend. May your light inspire their light to shine. We need each other in this world. You all know we do. In this giving season the most important gift we can give is ourselves to each other.
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Hello my sweet friends!
Starting again, here in this space. ON THE BLOG is back…each time a new, growing and evolving version. As I ebb and flow so does this brand. I am figuring it out-wanting it to feel me. To feel authentically me. I have gotten close but the flow felt clunky and rigid…I want to write colorfully, boldly and brightly without boxes to fill. Crazy enough, I am the one that created those boxes thinking writing within them was what I wanted. Not so much.
When things don’t feel right, pause, get quiet and let it simmer. The next right thing will show up when you need it to. That is what I did…time brought me back to here. I am ready for the next journey here with you. Let’s go.
I have been in such a running low…this past summer/fall training season was hard. Like a hard I have never felt before. Emotionally I felt anxious a lot, physically my body was fighting tendonitis -so side knee pain and hip pain. All new to me. It has been a lingering issue for the last year. My mind shifts to the injury quickly when moving and it is hard to shake. That free feeling when running erased this summer.
I experience anxiety in my daily life. A sweet little happy pill called Lexapro helps take the edge off. Grateful for it. This pre run/pre race anxiety was new to me. It wasn’t crippling, but it definitely sucked the joy out of my experience. I became ultra sensitive in my self talk and more self critical than I have ever been. I would guess that not many noticed. I show up for myself. I also show up for the runners I coach and surround myself with. Not hiding what I was feeling but putting it on pause for the miles I committed to. My heart was not giving up on running it just felt lost…and I needed to find it.
Not racing this fall was healing. Spectating, being on the other side sparked me. Sitting on the sidelines cheering others onto their accomplishments was inspiring. Sometimes it is just the change in perspective, the pull to look outside yourself that brings you back. Observing grit, resilience, joy and determination brought back that feeling, that feeling that I have missed.
There are hills and valleys in everything. Recognizing a valley, honoring it, feeling it fully and finding your way back up the hill is courageous. It is brave. I am brave. Not walking away from what I love because of the valley…I am fighting to get back to the top of the hill.
FIND ALL MY FAVS HERE:
NEW BALANCE 860: FLEET FEET COLUMBUS
PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST LATTE: COFFEE CONNECTIONS HILLIARD
SERVED WITH ANDY RODDICK: FIND PODCAST HERE
BELOW DECK MED: BRAVO TV
THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL: TAYLOR SWIFT
MOM LIFE WITH BIG KIDS
I am loving this moment in time with Marin and Tucker. They are both growing into amazing young adults and I am soaking it all in. Mom-ing looks very different than what it did when they were wee-ones…they are not dependent on me for much. Which I guess means that Marc and I have done our jobs as their parents.
I should be missing those dependent days, the squishy faces, the snuggles etc…but to be honest I don’t so much. I loved that moment in time but it was hard…it was a down in the arena, in the dirt daily time. It was moments of feeling depleted, of not having the coping blocks to function properly…it was Mom-ing with everything I had.
This “big kid” Mom life is free and fresh. I am a different Mom as now I have time for me…I have built myself back up and have even more to give. Connecting and loving them on a new level…it is fun. We are now experiencing life together side by side. Cheering them on from the sidelines as always but also jumping in a particpating along with them. Creating a unique bond that didn’t exist before.
A new journey that I am thrilled and fulfilled by. One I am excited to share more about here.
A change in seasons brings about change in our home, what we cook and how we move within our days. Fall is here and a warm and cozy feel has covered our house. I am such a summer girl but this season flip has me loving the warm browns, yellows and oranges. I have been craving comfort meals. While planning our dinners, I am caught by the pics that look like fall on a plate to try.
I have cleverly placed little touches of fall throughout the house, just enough to mark the season. Love filling containers with fake gourds/pumpkins and real buckeyes. My Mom collected a ton of buckeyes from the many park adventures she and the kiddos used to go on. Using them as decor makes me smile, makes me think of her and those sweet memories she gave the kids.
This season always makes me want to cuddle in…lots of blankets, movie watching, early bedtimes and extra warm showers. Prepping for the winter months ahead. I have found myself really leaning into this fall and the changes it is bringing. Letting go of the summer and its gifts, letting it rest within my heart.
INTO THE WEEK AHEAD
Meet my badass friend Morgan. She just ran the NYC 26.2, her third world major. Oh and did I tell you she ran NYC 6 months post brain surgery?! Yep, that is right. She is a warrior and a human I am inspired by and admire greatly. She is the prime example of what a true fighter is. One that fully understands and exemplifies what rising up means-not only plotting her come back but acting on it.
In those moments this week when you are in the suck, rise. Find the warrior within and know the moment of suck is just a moment. Look to the light and find the joy…as there is joy in everyday. Some days you have to look a little harder for it.
To learn more about Morgan and her story follow her on IG: @mainstmorgan
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Y’all, we spent last Thursday in the HEART OF TENNIS! What a special day and experience! We go every year but this year…WOW! The new renovations at the CINCINNATI OPEN are spectacular! So much thought was put into every detail of this tennis center. We were so close to the players and had so much access to them! For ones that love tennis as much as we do this was the very best day. We saw so much tennis, our favorite players as well as a legend. Core memories made.
I AM. Two words that together are crazy powerful. What you put after them is even more powerful. These words become thoughts and these thoughts shape your day, your week, your month ahead. Using positive, strong words after the I AM shapes a space within you that lifts. That levels you up. Even when you aren’t feeling it, it is important to make a conscious effort. Change the negative I AM’s to the positive. I AM is self love. Start your day with a strong I AM and see where it takes you.
ICED LATTE ON A WARM DAY– Ahhhh…there is just something about it. Especially after a morning run, it hits perfectly!
NEW MERCH FROM THE CINCY OPEN– My collection is strong. Each year I love the merch even more than the year before. This year I came home with a super cute pink and green sweatshirt. I also got a baseball hat to add to my stack.
Dublin Farmers Market with Marc. One of our favorite things to do in the summer. The first time we have been this season. The crowd was large, the vibe was fun. I always hunt for a little sweet treat to walk around with…found amazing donut holes that literally melted in my mouth as I ate them! This is a simple and fun way of adding fresh ingredients to our kitchen. The best part-they are all local and home grown. Supporting these creators, farmers and gardeners is important to us. Everything we purchased made our kitchen and cooking better within that week.
This summer has flown by. The gardens have been without rain for a moment until last night’s storm. It has been hot and humid. Which has kept us inside on most days…missing time on our patio. Hoping as summer fades into fall we will be able to spend sometime outside. We have created such a lovely outdoor shaded living room. Spending time in the fresh air is healing to me.
Outdoor living has gained in popularity and rightfully so…there is just something about it. Some of the best memories come from patio living. Maybe we are more relaxed, more joyful, outside. I seriously have had the best naps on our patio couch…am I the only one?
Cheers to summer outdoor living. May we see a lot more of it before the fall season begins.
Super simple and thoughtful. When dining wait to start your meal until everyone at the table has food in front of them. It is always appropriate to ask if you may start to those at the table without their meal. Most of the time the answer will be yes, please start. The question is thoughtful as well as the answer.
Celebrating a new season. BACK TO SCHOOL! Who has Back to School traditions? So many of us do. Some traditions have carried over from our childhood. Others we created especially for our kiddos. Some just seem to be treading. Whatever the case this season is filled with milestones and I am here for it all.
Since the kids were in PRE SCHOOL we have always taken a FIRST DAY/LAST DAY PIC. It is so fun seeing their growth within a year and over time. For Marin’s High School Grad Party I made yard signs of each year…from Kindergarten through her Senior year. What a special touch that was.
Next week Tuck will start his last year in high school. We will move Marin back to college for the start of her junior year. These years simply fly…enjoy doing all the back to school things. It is a lot and a bit overwhelming. Take time to soak it all in. Create a special, simple tradition you as a family can look forward to every year.
May this year be a year of learning, growth and fun-HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL!
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