life
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Surviving Myself
The last couple of days have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Earlier this week I really struggled. I had spiraled after an argument with my husband—even though we had already talked things through. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was a burden to my family, like I was holding them back. The thoughts Continue reading
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A Rocky Start
Well, today (Sunday) turned out to be kind of a terrible day to start working on goals. But here we are. I guess I’ll have to get used to not reaching all of them—that’s part of life, right? Here’s what I had planned for this week alone: So far, the only goal I’ve met is Continue reading
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Challenging Communications
I’ve come up with a new goal for my Midlife Challenge project — something that stresses me out just enough to push me outside of my comfort zone, but also sounds like it could be fun. Ultimately, it will help me grow. I’m going to reach out to people I’d normally feel uncomfortable speaking to. Continue reading
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I’m Here
After two months of trauma, I decided it was time to come back to posting here. I’m not sure when the last time I posted was, but I feel like I was healthier when I was writing regularly. So here I am. Before I begin, I’ll briefly say that I’m not going to post about Continue reading
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A Visit from the Veterinarian Followed by Contemplation
The vet came and went. She has an awesome game plan. She made me feel so much better about my grumpy old man, Rex. She completely understood his condition, and for the first time in a while, I felt like a weight had been lifted. I hadn’t seen her since before my old man Goose Continue reading
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Grouchy Tuesday Tally
Well, I’ve officially hit a plateau in my weight loss journey, and it’s frustrating. This is the third week I’ve been stuck at the same weight. I’ve been meticulous about logging my food to ensure I’m eating enough—but not too much. I think the best plan is to start working out twice a day. I Continue reading
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More Backyard Dreams
I’ve been thinking about my backyard a lot lately—maybe a little too much. It’s turning into an obsession, and I’m struggling to resist the urge to spend all my money on making it perfect. After countless spreadsheets and some quality time with a tape measure, I think I’ve finally figured out the layout. Instead of Continue reading
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A Blank Slate with Big Dreams
The backyard is officially cleaned up and looking fantastic! The guys did an amazing job—it’s truly a blank slate now. I can’t stop thinking about all the possibilities, and I’m so excited! As you can see in the above after photograph, there’s still one pallet along the West fence and a couple of garden boxes Continue reading
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Lessons for My Daughter: Trust Your Gut
When I was 12, a guest speaker visited my Physical Education class. I was in seventh grade, and she was there to teach the girls basic self-defense. Before demonstrating any moves, she gave us some critical advice. She told us that if we could help it, we should never let someone touch us—because once they Continue reading
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It’s Been a While
Two months, to be exact. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to write—I just haven’t had the words. But I’m here now, ready to catch you up on life and share some of the challenges I’ve faced when it comes to posting here or on social media. Rapid-Fire Updates Our Disney trip was fantastic—truly. It Continue reading
Ash Thoreau 