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The amazing human that was my father passed peacefully a week ago. It was not an easy road to get there. But when he was finally gone, he looked at peace, like he was finally done fighting and okay with letting go. He looked perfect in death. It was a beautiful end to a life well lived.

He had finally made the decision to go off dialysis. After nearly seven years, he’d had enough. He was coming home exhausted and irritated. He didn’t want dinner anymore. He’d try to sit at the table but found...

An Expose on Poop

Life has been weird this year. I lack a better word. A breakup. “Temporarily” moving back home with my parents. For some, it is a normal part of life. I left out the part where I was 57 when it happened. Now 58, I’m still here. That wasn’t the plan. It was only going to be temporary. Then my mom asked me to stay until my dad passed away.

My dad, my hero. The man I adore for his resolve, his determination, his giant presence. My dad has end-stage kidney failure. It’s been...

I write because I love to write. I have stories I want to tell. I certainly don't do it for the money. I spend way more than I make. Indie authors especially rely on reviews from readers and literary sources. They are such an important part of garnering support. But there's also that tiny little need for validation, that what you've written is received as you'd hoped. Even feeling good about the end product doesn't mean there isn't a sense of worry when the notification an editorial review is...

When I first introduced Missy Kinkaid in Finding Scarlet, I had no idea she’d resonate with readers the way she did. She was spunky—bold, opinionated, and fiercely loyal. A firebrand, really. The kind of woman who walks into a room and somehow makes everyone feel her presence before she even says a word. Readers loved her energy, and I did too. But even as she lit up the pages, I knew there was more to her than quick wit and bravado. I wanted to know what made her tick.

That curiosity became...

Solo Travel for Women Over 50 inspired me to post on Facebook recently. The post went something like this:

I love the honesty and openness of this group. I divorced two years ago after a 29 year marriage and went straight into a long term relationship - sharing his home. That ended a few months ago and I felt heartache on a level I had never experienced...at 57 years old. I suppose I was simultaenously mourning my marriage and that relationship ending. Ugh. My biggest struggle became figuring...

I am empty nesting. Redefining who I am. Parts of me were put on hold during those years when the focus shifted from me to raising my children. My children have successfully made their way to college and beyond. The immediacy of my day-to-day involvement has waned. And I have found those parts of me that were buried, scratching at the surface, clawing their way from the depths they were tucked away, and itching to be re-exposed. The athlete I'd been all my life wanted out.

I was a swimmer...

In my mid-fifties, I decided I needed to celebrate where I have landed in life. Even that came at an incredibly challenging time for me. I was about to release my memoir, and my nest was officially totally empty. I felt excited about the book but a considerable void about life without my kids around. I used the need for book promotion to do what I never do: put myself front and center of the camera – without my children as props. I played dress-up for a few hours. I had my makeup done, which...

I am passionate about many things, but my greatest joy has always been my children. I have successfully navigated the waters (and survived) of competitive sports. All three of my children parlayed their youth sports into collegiate athletic careers, running the gambit from Ivy, D1, and D3.

Years ago, I would spend idle time waiting for practices to end so I'd write my thoughts on recent struggles and victories as a parent of athletes. They were young then, only starting their journeys.

With one...

It is May 2022. My middle child is about to graduate from college. I had not taken a look at this archived blog in a long time. While I know the topic is so relevant, it felt so far removed once my kids all got to college. But then I read the last part where I mention kids getting burned out, injured, or just not having what it takes for college. And it hit home on such a deep level.

Facebook memories constantly remind me of the journey my kids took to get to the college level. In those...

I originally wrote the "Ignorance Is Bliss" blog when my daughter was beginning her water polo journey. And now that journey has ended. Last weekend my daughter played her final water polo game as a collegiate athlete. It is bittersweet to be at the end, knowing there will be no more games. It was a game she played with passion and heart until the very end. Her body has taken a beating from the years of training. She sacrificed many things along the way, but she gained more in return. She...

Memories of the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that accompanied the college decision-making process for my now grown and flown children were recently rekindled. Deciding where to go to college is not easy for anyone, but when you throw in the desire (and talent) to play a sport in college, there is so much more to that process. It goes beyond just being good enough to play in college, but at what level? Will my child have the chance to play? Do they mind the bench in exchange for the...

[This is my most read blog. Maybe because it's real and it resonates with so many?]

I have been there. I have been to the dark side. I have been that parent that explodes at their child for losing, playing beneath their standard level, for simply being human. It is the most horrible place to be. It tears at the soul. It screams of personal insecurity. It reeks of human error. It just plain sucks. On the bright side, I have never met anyone who hasn’t at least had one moment. I know I have...

Spring college sports are about to get underway for my two daughters. I marvel at their dedication to being athletes and students at D1 universities. Managing their academics with demanding training schedules, daily trips to the trainer so that nagging injuries don't cut their seasons short, and making sure they find ways to have fun outside of their daily obligations are all part of being a college athlete. They have both done well to balance those demands.

I often reflect on the journey that...

As my kids have gotten older and established themselves as legitimate athletes in their respective sports, I am suddenly being asked the question: Is the one as good as the other relative to their sport? The first time I was asked the question, I was left speechless. If you knew me, you would find that hard to believe. I truly did not know how to formulate the answer. Because they do three vastly different sports, I never thought to try and compare them.

It has always been important to me as...

The hardest thing I have ever done is be a parent. Being a parent of athletes just adds one more element of complexity to the mix. I know I am not perfect regardless how well-intended I may be. I always have my kids’ best interest at heart, even if I make a fool of myself in the process. God forbid, I embarrass them by what I do or say.

My kids are the most amazing people in the world. I believe in all of them, support their dreams, and encourage them to the point of utter exhaustion. I...