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The more I learn about people... ...the less I think any of us are actually living as ourselves. That's probably a pretty bold statement. Honestly, I don't even think I would've agreed with it a few years ago. But the more therapy I've gone through... Whoa... I said the "T" word again. Oops. Seriously though... therapy, reading about psychology, and becoming more self-aware have completely changed the way I look at people. Not in a judgmental way. Actually... probably the opp

It's been excruciatingly hot lately. The kind of heat that makes you question every decision that led you outside. The kind that drains your energy before the day has really even begun. As I stood there, I looked down at my Twisted X's covered in dust and my jeans streaked with dirt. For a second, I thought about how easy it would be to wish them clean. Then it hit me. Maybe we're doing the same thing with our lives. We spend so much time wishing things were easier. Less mess

The morning after Father’s Day hit a little harder than I expected. Not because anything dramatic happened. No big blow-up. No emotional scene. No Hallmark movie moment with rain on the window and sad piano music playing in the background. It was quieter than that. It happened while I was sitting at the counter at my parents’ house yesterday afternoon, just taking in the normal chaos of family. My sister was there with her family. Kids moving around. Conversations happening o

There are some kids you meet and you just know. You know they are not built for small thinking. You know their fire is bigger than the town they come from. You know their story is going to stretch far past the school hallways, the hometown arenas, and the little places where people sometimes forget that big dreams can grow just fine in small zip codes. She’s only fifteen. Fifteen. A sophomore this fall at a small-town high school that doesn’t even have its own football team,

I was outside the other day looking at my flower beds, and I swear to God, I almost took it personally. The flowers I intentionally bought? The ones I picked out because I could already picture how pretty they'd look? The ones I spent actual money on? They're fighting for their lives. One of them has about three leaves left and looks like it's one mildly inconvenient breeze away from giving up entirely. And I'm over here thinking, Come on, girl. I'm trying. Meanwhile... The w

Today was the last day of school. And naturally, we treated it like a full-contact sport. The twins did make it out the door before the bus came. Barely. There were almost tears, mostly from the tiny people who were being asked to do unreasonable things like eat breakfast, put on clothes, brush teeth, and locate shoes before 7:15 in the morning. Camp Kikiwaka was on, which means Lou and Jorge were doing a much better job parenting than I was at that moment. Those two had the

Can I be honest with you for a minute? I don’t think I’m actually living my days. I think I’m getting through them. And there’s a difference. I catch myself in the mornings… not dreading the day exactly, but already leaning toward the end of it. Like my body is here, but my mind is already asking, “When do we get to rest again?” And I had to sit with that for a second. Because what does that mean? It means I’m wishing time away. Quietly. Repeatedly. Every single day. And I do

Have you ever just stopped? Not the fake kind of pause where you’re scrolling your phone while half listening to someone talk. I mean a full stop. The kind where you’re sitting in your car before work. Hands on the steering wheel. Coffee getting cold in the cupholder. Your inbox already owns part of your soul and you haven’t even badge-swiped into the building yet. And for one second you look around and think… What in the hell is all of this? I had that moment recently. I was

Alright… sit here for a second. Car’s still running. Radio low. Coffee’s not strong enough. You’re staring at the office like… do I really have to go in right now? It’s Wednesday. Not close enough to Friday to feel good about it… but far enough into the week that you’re already tired. And the weather? Yesterday we’re out here acting like it’s summer. Full 80 degrees. Windows down. Sun actually hitting your skin. Today… back to the 70s, clouds rolling in, and of course… storm

You ever live with the results of someone else’s “good enough”? Not the kind that’s chosen on purpose. Not the kind where it makes sense to keep it simple. I’m talking about the rushed job. The “I don’t feel like fixing it right” job. The “it’ll be fine” job. And now you’re the one looking at it every day. Walking past it. Fixing around it. Cleaning up after it. Carrying the mental load of everything that didn’t get done right the first time. That hits different. Because th

Some friendships don’t make sense on paper. They start in places that feel random at the time. A girls night. A county fair concert. A band that doesn’t even exist anymore. One of those nights you go into with zero expectations… and somehow walk out with a person who stays. That’s how I met Nicole. Through another Whitney, through a night that turned into years of stories only we understand. But Nicole… she’s the one this is about. Nicole is the Mary Ann to my Wanda. The Thel

You ever catch yourself in a quiet moment and think…am I actually growing… or am I just surviving the day and calling it progress? Because I’ve had that thought more than once. I’ve always said I want growth. I’ve said it out loud, I’ve written it down, I’ve built plans around it. Growth as a mom, growth in my work, growth in how I handle things when life gets messy. Not surface-level, check-the-box kind of growth… the kind that actually changes you. The kind where you look b

There was a time when life felt slower. Not easy. Not perfect. But slower. And somehow, fuller. If you grew up in the 90s, you know exactly what I mean. Now set it down for a second. Tailgate dropped. Warm metal under your legs. Sun slipping behind the trees. You crack open a Coke. That sharp hiss. Cold glass in your hand. Crickets start up like they’ve been waiting on you. And then it comes on. Fishin' in the Dark Not loud. Just enough. And suddenly you’re not here anymore.

Alright… let’s talk about something I don’t think people say out loud enough. Every single morning… and I mean every single morning… I wake up, throw the covers off, sit on the edge of the bed, and I ask myself the same question. “What is my worth today?” It’s automatic. No thought behind it anymore. Just part of how the day starts. And before my feet even hit the floor… my brain starts building the answer. It pulls from everything. From the job that’s waiting on my computer.

Parenting is hard. Parenting multiples is harder. Parenting multiples with a five year gap… no one prepares you for that. I have twin six year olds, turning seven in June. And my oldest is twelve. Three different stages. Three different worlds. All under one roof. Well… half the time for one of them. Because my oldest splits her life between two homes. So when she walks through my door, I feel it. There is this quiet pressure to make up for time. To make sure she feels it. Th

There are horses you own. And then there are horses that mark you. Gibbs was one of those. We brought him home in August of 2018. Out of Iowa. Off Facebook. Got out of the truck. Looked him over. Loaded him up. No test ride. Just took him home. Freezing cold. Tornado warnings. The kind of trip that makes no sense but you do it anyway. Not the greatest idea. But I had a feelin about him. I didn't question it. By October, I found out I was pregnant with the twins. Life shifted

There’s a certain kind of Monday that doesn’t ask how you’re doing. It just shows up. And you either meet it… or you get dragged through it. Today, I’m sitting behind my computer, no camera on, looking like something that should’ve stayed in bed. Kids are in the other room making breakfast, Overboard playing in the background, and I’m over here cycling Sudafed like it’s coffee. Chest still tight. Nose running. Body weak. The kind of sick where even breathing feels like a tas

I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. You know the kind of night where sleep feels just out of reach. Tossing. Turning. Fixing pillows. Pulling the comforter up, kicking it off, pulling it back again. And then finally … you land in that perfect spot. The blanket is heavy in the right way. The pillow supports everything just right. Your body softens. And then the alarm goes off. Kids have to get on the bus. There’s something about that moment that feels personal. But

There’s something I keep coming back to lately. The little things. Not the big wins. Not the milestones. Not the stuff you plan for or work toward or post about when it all finally comes together. The small, almost forgettable moments that slip in during the middle of a regular day and end up meaning everything. And I don’t think we talk about those enough. Because if you really think about it, most of life is made up of those moments. Not the highlight reel. The in-between.

I almost didn’t write this. Not because I don’t have something to say. But because there’s always that voice. The one that goes, “Who do you think you are?” And if you’re honest… you’ve heard it too. Let’s just sit here for a second and talk about it. Because imposter syndrome is not loud most of the time. It ’s quiet. It slips in when you’re doing something that should feel good. You hit a milestone. You get invited into a room. You watch your students succeed. And instea