Bittersweet
My 13-year old crushed me in my first ever swim event this summer. I say event because race would conjure up images that do not reflect the 4th of July bobbing I did in the open waters of ChurchPine Lake. This comes after he stuffed me during a mother son game of streetball and ran […]
Monday Madness
The day starts fine. Just another mundane Monday. An uneventful morning of pushing my kid out the door and buckling down to a laundry list of work to dos. Slowly, the day derails. The power goes out. A work project escalates in scope and my daily to dos are suddenly unchecked. My lunchtime walk evaporates […]
Bucket List Adventures
Spring break 2026. The Grand Canyon topped my bucket list for years. Yet, every year I found myself swapping my dreams of exploring the southwest with the pull of sand, sun and beaches. This year was different. For months, I carefully curated the ultimate southwest adventure spanning Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. It was a packed […]
Opt In
My dad and I often spent our afternoons debating the price of grapes, a pound of hamburger, and a gallon of gas. A close second was the temperature difference between his apartment in Cloquet, Minnesota and my home in Iron River, Wisconsin. Even Google, AI, the national weather service, and receipts were no help for […]
Ode to Joey
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” Roger Caras I never knew one of the most extraordinary love stories of all time would begin with 7 simple words spoken on a rowboat. “I think we should get a dog.” There’s much debate over why Steve spoke those words to me […]
Being Happier
“That’s because happiness is not a destination. Happiness is a direction.”― Arthur C. Brooks A year ago I devoured from a book co-authored by Oprah Winfrey and Arthur Brooks about How to be Happier. Not happy. But happier. It followed a year of work dedicated to creating more alignment and margin in my life. Here’s what I […]
To New Beginnings
I recently read the following saying in James Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 newsletter, “when you’re on the field, play as if nothing else matters. When you’re off the field, remember the game doesn’t matter at all.” I’m in the midst of a career change that is equally exhilarating and terrifying. This is partially because I enjoy […]
Taking the Plunge
At the end of a hard packed trail outside of Washburn, a series of cliffs beckon hikers to take a plunge into the cool, crystal blue waters of Lake Superior. By all accounts, it is a relatively easy jump. On this particularly hot August day, a couple of teenagers, along with a mother and her […]
For Sale By Owner
Folks often ask – why northern Wisconsin? Honestly, if you know, you know. Twenty-years ago, I landed in Ashland with the goal of working for a few years and then moving on to a larger city. I never left. Truth be told, I realized how lucky I was to live in a place people wait […]
The Perfect Ten
The world’s best athletes are currently congregated, competing to be the best of the best in the world. Impressive to watch, I’m amazed by their endless grace and grit to compete no matter the cost. The storyteller in me loves watching this drama unfold and is immediately brought back to an inconsequential moment that continues […]