Recently, my husband surprised me with a trip - alone with no kids. You may wonder why this is worth sharing, but trust me when I say it is.

This trip was the first vacation we had taken together without kids since we married, so 30 years is kind of a big deal.

We had a wonderful time restoring what can easily get lost with opposite schedules and parenting young adults.

To be completely honest, we have always enjoyed traveling with our children, and that's how we wanted to do it, and we still do.

But I discovered that as my children grew, so did the burden of finding solutions to their problems or challenges, and I began to feel burned out.

To be clear, I'm not talking about offering advice; I'm talking about laying awake at night, searching for products, practices, or whatever was needed to fix the problem instead of tending to my own needs at 54, which consists mainly of a good night's sleep.

And because I am someone who needs to be physically removed from a place or...

The caption marriage saver seems dramatic. However, you haven't lived with me lately

From what appeared out of nowhere, my husband decided to start snoring. At 54, this has become alarming, and I keep waking up each morning, shaking my head and asking, why now??

To clairfy, when I say waking up each morning, I mean I never fell asleep. The disruptive, loud noise that sounds like someone's firing up a chainsaw 2 inches from my head goes on...all.night.long.

So, finding a solution so I don't suffocate my husband with a pillow at night, is lifesaving for him anyway.  

I'm not sure if this is the male version of menopause or what, but I knew he was starting to fear for his life when he would get out of bed after his alarm went off and said, you look mean this morning. Did I snore last night?

In my husband's defense, he has tried everything, from Breathe Right strips to custom mouthguards to help eliminate this problem, but nothing worked until a last-ditch attempt from...

In today's fast-paced world, the message of slowing down resonates deeply with me. Recent conversations with friends have also revealed similar desires to embrace rest amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life.  

In recent years, I've shared that I've been rethinking my resolution approach and prioritizing restoration instead. This shift challenges the traditional notion that doing more equals achieving more and instead emphasizes the importance of restoring what has been lost or overlooked. Maybe it's because I've gotten older, but I've discovered that productivity requires rest and healthy boundaries.

A key strategy I recently learned from my podcast guest, Jennifer Dukes Lee, is switching from a mindset of "I can't" to "I don't." This linguistic shift empowers us to establish boundaries that align with our values and priorities without feeling guilty or apologetic.

As someone with people-pleasing tendencies, creating a thoughtful list of things "I don't" do instantly lays...

How Surrendering Your Fears Can Help Overcome Them

FEAR IS A LIAR

Fear is a joy stealer, a liar, and a waste of time. It has the power to blind us from all that is good and hold us hostage, in a place crippled with uncertainty and doubt. I know because it happened to me. After two tragic deaths of people I loved in my mid-twenties, fear, and anxiety consumed me. And worry became my good morning and good night.

Fear Of The Unknown Only Has The Power We Give It

Losing two people in my life at a young age, I began fearing my mortality. More often than not, the stillness of nighttime fueled irrational thoughts about dying. A simple cramp in my leg would immediately bring my uncontrolled thoughts to an unhealthy place, like an impending blood clot that I was sure would take me down or a headache that could potentially be a brain tumor or aneurysm. My heart would begin to race as I had just completed an intense high-cardio workout, and I would frequently check my rapid pulse. The fear was...