As I snuggle up next to you and say prayers, I can’t help but notice, you smell like summer. That familiar smell of sunscreen. That outdoor smell. Your cheeks are lightly sun kissed. Too young to remember the events of the day for long.  Exhausted from our day of fun.   You want snuggles before you fall asleep, pretty much every night now.  I know many say that I shouldn’t do it.  It spoils you.  But to be honest,  I enjoy those nightly snuggles as much as you do.  Maybe even more. For just a couple minutes every night I lay down next to you and you wrap your tiny little arms around me. The worries of the world disappear. You smile at me and close your eyes. The smile lingers on your face for a few seconds more.  Sometimes,  I lay there for only a few minutes.  Then, I give you one more kiss and we say good night before I leave.  But other nights, nights like tonight, I lay here and watch you as you drift off to sleep. Tonight, you smell like summer.  A fresh reminder of the fun day

Happy International Women’s Day, no wait, it was yesterday.  Like many moms, I am a day late. Honestly, I forgot.  But the sentiment is still the same.  Sometimes being a little late, well it's just a reality that I am dealing with these days.   This “I can do it all, by myself, with heels on” culture is really hard on women.  I have fallen into that trap one too many times and the outcome hasn’t been pretty.  Though I agree shattering that glass ceiling is important, so is shattering the idea that all women have to do it all to be successful.   Frankly, we are enough just with who we are; the way God made us.  What we choose to do, or not do, doesn’t define us. So, I am proposing that we take a step back and decide from this moment forward to only lift other women up.  And if we find ourselves tempted to pull them down, kick off those heels and run the other way. One thing we need to do: normalize asking for help.  Typically, as soon as a woman shares a struggle or asks for help,

  Our first Valentine’s Day together was sweet. Ten years ago now.  It seems like a lifetime ago. We had a romantic dinner and cute, little, thoughtful gifts for each other.  I still remember picking each individual gift and writing a note to go with each one.  It was all about the two of us and our new and exciting love. The next few years we started this tradition of making dinner at home together.  But it was a pretty elaborate dinner.  There were always gifts and making a pretty big deal about spending the day together.  He was busy trying to make up for all the crappy past Valentine’s Days I had with old boyfriends and I was trying to spoil him.   Things have really changed.  The past several years, I can honestly not remember what either of us has gotten from the other.  I think we haven’t done presents for some years.  We definitely didn’t this year.  Well, actually I told Jay that he got me a Starbucks coffee today, that I picked up at the drive thru on my way home from the pet

I wasn’t sure I was going to comment about the recent events in our nation. I have started so many blogs about the dissension in our country, but never finished. Felt lost for words.    Where are we?   Who are we?   What I am about to say may make some people unfollow me or angry.  But, if it does upset you enough to do that, I would like you to take a minute and question why.  If you are offended...does it mean I hit a cord?   Over the past year I have simply watched kind, loving christian people turn their faith into their political party.  I may have been guilty of this myself.  Politics has gone from something that people can disagree on to something that defines a person.       And before you try to stop me and say “well wait, maybe you don’t understand or know about this,” I have taught government for the past several years.  I understand the government and work really hard to know the facts, so that I can teach my students in a completely unbiased fashion.  I pride myself on the