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We Are More Than a Single Story
Michelle: Recently for work, we watched a TED talk titled, “The Danger of a Single Story”. The presenter, a Nigerian author, shared that she left Nigeria as a 19-year-old, to attend a university in the United States. Her roommate knew, before they met, her age and where she was from. When they met for the first time, her surprised roommate asked her where she learned to speak English so well. She responded, “Well, English is the official language of Nigeria.” Her roommate also asked her if she had any recordings of the tribal music that they listen to. The author shared that she tremendously disappointed her roommate when she produced a tape of Mariah Carey. Her roommate had…
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Holiday Traditions
‘Tis the holiday season, full of hope, joy, and expectation. For many of us, it’s the perfect time of year to have expectations clash with reality and make little grinches of all of us. No! There must be a way to see Christmas is coming. With Jen in her kerchief and Nick in his cap, we soon settle down for a short jaunt into… holiday traditions.
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The Empty Nest Revisited
With the holidays right around the corner, our empty nest is about to be repopulated as all of our kids come home for Christmas. While we love having them here, it can cause tension and stress when they forget they are adults and fall back into their familiar patterns as siblings and kids. How do we deal with this so that we can keep the peace in the nest and make merry memories together?
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3 Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress
Like it or not, the Holidays are upon us. Jack-o-Lanterns may still be on the porches, but Christmas will be here before we know it. Here are 3 practical tips to reduce Holiday stress and find Joy as the Countdown to Christmas continues.
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Advice From My Future Self
Stop… for just a minute or two. Think of yourself 20 years older than you are now. What advice would the “future you” give you? If “you” could do it all over again, what would “you” have done differently? A Different Angle Ken: Perspective is everything. I know there are a lot of things I’d do differently if I could go back in time. But what about my current life… what wisdom from the future could help me see things differently now? One of my challenges is worrying about the future: where will we be, what will we be doing, when will we retire? I think One thing my future…
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Was it Bad Parenting or Making Memories?
A few years ago, we watched as our daughter, Taryn, spent an exorbitant amount of money on a Halloween costume. When asked why, she said that we had ruined every Halloween by having her be creative and come up with a costume, rather than getting a store-bought one. Upon reflection, we wondered, was it bad parenting or making memories? Thanksgiving: When Taryn was five, she was watching Sesame Street as Chris and I were in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner. She walked in the kitchen just as Chris was pulling the turkey out of the oven to baste. He said, “Wow, that’s a big bird.” When we turned around, Taryn’s eyes were full of tears…
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You Don’t Bring Me Flowers 💐
There’s an old Barbara Streisand / Neil Diamond song “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” that sometimes hops to mind when we’re in a rough patch or we see other couples we know in a rough spot. Who would know how much a simple gift can impact your relationship as a couple? But beware! Even bringing flowers home can be more complicated than you’d expect.
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Time with Friends
Julie I just got back from spending time with friends on a long “girls’ weekend.” I’ve known these amazing women for almost 40 years, significantly longer than I’ve known John. We had a fantastic time together in Florida reminiscing about those early years together in college as well as catching up with what’s currently happening in our lives. There is something so indescribably comforting about being with people who knew you when, who suspend all judgment, and who are more like sisters than friends. We really enjoyed being able to rekindle and renew our friendships in person, especially after these past few pandemic-dominated years.
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Choose Your Hard
“Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Choose wisely.” – Unknown Marriage Enrichment? Really? Is your marriage one of the most important gifts you have? If a friend told you, “My wife and I went to a marriage class,” would you say, ‘Oh no. Are you two having trouble?’ Or, would you say ‘How was it? We’ve been wanting to do something like…
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Rewind
Michelle: I find it interesting to hear people say that we are coming out of COVID. Sure, the numbers are down, hospitals are seeing fewer deaths and having more open beds. But, for some of us, we would rather play a game we have created called Rewind. Chris: To understand our game, we need to share why it was created and to explain why it was created, we need to tell you about my brother. David, my brother from another mother was my partner in crime and the guy who was all in! He would give you the shirt off his back or go out in the middle of the night/wee hours…
