Category: About

back in time

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We were completely alone.  I don’t even know how that was possible given how crowded the park was, but here we were alone.  All was quiet except for the birds, wind in the pines, and of course, the river.  The river,never quiet, just tirelessly moving forward.

Craving a day without crowds we had hiked back to a schoolhouse in the middle of the woods.  The drive was a bit out of the way and then the hike required a climb up a steep road still closed off for the season, but it was worth it when we realized nothing was around.

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Continue reading “back in time” →

my big naming fail

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My name is Heather.  My mom swears she had never heard the name before and named me after a song from Brigadoon, but everyone from my generation is named Heather.  Either that or Jennifer, Michelle, or Melissa.  My roommate in college one year was named Heather as well.  People would call our room and ask for Heather!  It drove us crazy so we would just start talking to whoever it was until they realized it was the wrong Heather (kind of awkward with the boyfriends!). Then, when I started working, my counterpart’s name was Heather.  It got very confusing for the doctors that we called on!

So, when I started having kids, I wanted to name them names that not everyone had.  I completely struck out with my first child.  Continue reading “my big naming fail” →

an unlikely adventure

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If you have kids I’m sure you know how quickly you can reach that moment; that moment when things suddenly cross the line.

The other day I was home with my kids and things were going well.  The girls had dressed up and were having a tea party and the boys were building robots and swords.  I was curled up reading a book when I heard a sniff next to me.

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I looked up to see my son standing there crying because his brother had made him (made him??) eat a rubber ball and the girls were “being mean”.  I got up at went into the other room to find my youngest daughter holding our 17-year-old cat upside down while her sister had managed to find every single nail polish bottle we own.  My other son meanwhile had decided that the family room was a good place to eat chips.  The room was trashed!   I mean stuff was everywhere.

We had reached the line!

“That’s it” I yelled, “it’s time to get out of here.  It’s time for an adventure.” Continue reading “an unlikely adventure” →

stand up and live

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“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.”

-Henry David Thoreau

I love this quote because writing comes from life.  Life, with its ups and downs, challenges and sorrows, is what makes our writing interesting.  It’s getting out there and experiencing life that makes us interesting!

One of my favorite commercials is of a woman who is commenting that it is sad that her parents only have a couple of friends on Facebook.  The whole commercial shows her on Facebook looking at pictures of tiny puppies, etc. while her parents are off having fun with friends out in the “real world”.

It’s so easy in today to know everything yet experience nothing!

Fight the urge, even during these cold, dark winter months, to rest in a virtual world.

Get out there and live!

snow day

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Can you still remember that feeling?  It was the main topic of conversation at school all day.  You actually watched the evening news so you could see the weather report.  Homework was more difficult than usual to focus on because you were sure that it wasn’t going to matter because, rumor had it, that the next day would be a snow day! Continue reading “snow day” →

what’s your limit?

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“You don’t have to push

past your limit-

you just have to reach it more often.”

– Ironman Andy Potts  (quote in Outside magazine)

I read this quote the other day.  It’s reassuring; good I don’t have to go beyond my limits.  I don’t have to go beyond what I can handle.  But then I read it again and realized that it makes me question what I do.  Why don’t I reach my limits more often?  Why is this so difficult to achieve? Continue reading “what’s your limit?” →

I’ve been published!

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I’m so excited!   One of my blog posts has been published in an online magazine, Bucket List Publications!  It’s a publication that writes articles about and helps people achieve the items on their bucket lists.  It’s a great site that lets you dream and motivates you to reach the items on your own personal bucket list.

I wrote an article, Conquering the Mountain, about our hike up the tallest mountain in New York with our two oldest kids.  You can check it out here.

find your adventure, a how to guide (part 2)

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I am sure you were waiting with bated breath for the follow-up to “find your adventure, part 1”.  I had a very busy week, especially with work, but it’s finally here!  Now that it is Friday and the whole weekend is stretching out beautifully ahead of me, I want to put some of these recommendations to use and create an adventure for my own family!  I really hope they are helpful for you too.  If you have any other ideas, let us know! Continue reading “find your adventure, a how to guide (part 2)” →