Out of all the family trips, my favorite by far was out last trip together in August of 2016. Along with my Mom and Dad, all four siblings were able to make the trek out to California for my nieces wedding.

“Nothing happens until you decide. Make a decision and watch your life move forward,” - Oprah Winfrey. I don’t know about you, but I often find myself in a quandary over an important decision.

Recently, my first grand child turned one. How is that even possible? I swear it was just yesterday my son was having his first birthday, wasn’t it?

“I hate being sick, I feel like a superhero with no powers.” – Unknown

How’s your mood when you’ve been feeling sick and under the weather? Recently, I’ve been dealing with a nasty little cold bug that’s been hanging on for dear life.

“When we come full circle there is a feeling that we have come to a familiar place but we are somehow different” - Daily OM.

In my adolescence years, my Mom enrolled both my sister and I into the Wendy Ward Charm School in hopes of teaching us all we needed to know about manners and social graces. In those early days after we graduated, my Mom would often refer to the school and lessons if she questioned how we completed a task she was sure we were taught during class. She’d say something like, “Didn’t you learn how to do that in Charm School?”

“Love is in the air everywhere I look around. Love is in the air every sight and every sound,” - Tom Jones. If you’ve followed me in the past, you may remember how much I love Valentine’s Day and February; the month of love.

Shortly before the baby was born, Andrew asked if I would be willing to watch the baby one to two times a week. Although my head was telling me no, my heart was telling me yes. I didn’t have much help when my children were babies and I remembered how that made me feel. I felt alone, overwhelmed, and heavy-hearted.

I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions lately; creating new ones and remembering the old. It could be because the more time that passes, the more I reflect on my life and what I want my legacy to be.

Christmas Day is always celebrated at my brother and sister-in-law’s home. Each year we plan some sort of fun gift exchange. To date, this past one is my favorite. To set the stage, let’s go back a bit, actually several years to bring you up to speed.

My favorite part of Tuesdays, the day I stay with my grand baby, Emery, is when she is in my arms sleeping and snuggling close to my heart. At least once a day when she naps I rock her to sleep.

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere” - Albert Einstein. Recently, a friend of mine sent a link for a 7 Day Creative Visualization Challenge she thought I’d be interested in. She was correct.

“She embraced the chaos as it painted her life with purpose” - JH Hard. I don’t believe people purposely seek out chaos. Life just happens, and with it naturally comes some disorder and on occasion, complete pandemonium. Over the last several weeks I’ve experienced a bit of anarchy myself.

When my daughter and I found out my son and his wife were having a baby we were beyond excited. Of course we wanted to know what names they were considering or adding to the mix. They told us they wouldn’t be revealing the names until the baby was born, and didn’t really want any suggestions.

Just the other day I was at home and heard a loud racket coming down the road behind my house. In an instant I knew what it was as I scurried to the patio doors. Thundering down the road was exactly what I expected, and a warm wave of emotions filled my body.

“When things don’t work out the way you planned, maybe life has bigger things planned for you. You just don’t know them yet” - David Cuschieri.

My son and his wife were due with my first grand baby May 26, 2022 and had decided they wanted to know if their baby was a boy or girl. It didn’t matter to me in the least but once I learned it would be a girl, I was excited for all the things we would experience together in the coming years.

This year marks a significant birthday for my Mom and we deemed it as the Year of Kate (the nickname my Dad gave her). She moved from Illinois to Virginia 18 months ago to live with my sister and she started to organize a special celebration and asked Mom how she would like to spend her birthday.