As the hours of planning mount up, I've succumbed to the urge to give this big trip I'm planning for the end of the year its own special brand name. It's not only a shortcut in conversation, it's also a useful naming convention for the file...
Planning continues for our three month year end adventure. For years I’ve collected hotel reward points from business travels, and we pretty much run our life on American Express, so our plan to avoid sticker shock is to put them to good use....
We've taken vacations, but only over long weekends We've taken vacations, but only in the low season or shoulder season We've expanded our long weekend-week to two week splurges We've digital nomad-ed, which isn't snowbirding because the work comes...
Our holiday season traditions have changed over the years, but one of the things that is emerging as a favorite is visits to Chicago area light shows. I think the COVID years pushed us to explore these events that of course were always there for...
I’ve written before about Meredith Hite-Estevez, who leads an online cohort through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, is a mom, professional oboist, a coach for artists and creatives and about to be a published author. AND a podcaster. This...
I have a new favorite thing. Problem is, I don’t know exactly what to call it – virtual co-working, body-doubling, lots of terms for it. In a nutshell, I’ve gotten very attached to a new productivity habit. In its simplest form it involves...
See this little girl? When I look at this picture of myself at a long-ago family holiday, she seems a little, I don't know, stunned and overwhelmed. Not unhappy, just in some kind of shock. Apparently the holidays have always been a bit of a...
October passed me by too quickly to get this post out and included in my month-end summary email. It’s important to me, marking the passage of time even if no one else ever read it. October is a long month, but it felt short. I met my own...
Summer always feels short, and there are always things we wish we had done when the weather was just right, regardless of the season. This picture might be surprising to a lot of people who have an idea of what life is like in a big northern city,...
Well, I sort of stayed home in August. One quick day trip from Chicago over to Grand Rapids to attend a quilt exhibit and show. Great inspiration pieces and a great opportunity to do a little exhibit hall shopping as usual. This was the...