The Rules Are Made Up

This is true for life in general. It’s difficult to escape the feeling of inadequacy when we don’t appear to have it all together, all the time, hitting whatever milestones society has made up for us. The appreciation for enjoying any process as it naturally unfolds seems lost. In exchange, we now seek instant results and then compare those results to everyone else.

A few years ago, I was watching a random Instagram Live. During the live, there were several questions about how to overcome not feeling successful enough. I will never forget the reply the woman gave over and over again. “There are no rules. The rules are made up.”

Time Divided

There are moments which impact our lives in such a way, we realize nothing will ever be the same. These moments can be joyous occasions or gut wrenching circumstances. Either way, they both have a way of dividing time into two parts: before and after.

Time is a wild concept. I had my mom for 16 years. There were countless happy times, but also several difficult ones. I now find myself on the other side of that point in my life where I have lived longer without my mom than with her, all while inching my way closer to the same age she was when she passed. What if the next few years were all I had left?

More Than Just a House

It’s been years since Andy and I unexpectedly sold our dream house and stumbled across the perfect piece of property. In 2020, we decided on house plans and broke ground on our forever home. I wanted to share the entire process in real-time, but I quickly realized working full time, designing and building a house, and learning how to be a content creator at the same time was not feasible. Behind the scenes, I continued to learn while documenting the entire process and now that we have moved in and projects are on a smaller scale, I want to share with you where we started, our progress so far, what’s to come, and most importantly, what we’ve learned along the way.

It’s Not a Happy Mother’s Day for Everyone

For many, Mother’s Day isn’t necessarily a day of joy.

Personally, I’ve struggled with Mother’s Day for almost two decades and in going through old social media posts, I realized just how much I’ve battled with this day. Today, I’m once again trying to grapple with my feelings, but I was reminded by my past self that it’s okay not to be okay.

My hope is that in sharing these words, you too remember it’s okay not to be okay. It’s okay if you are still reeling from the pain of loss, disconnection, hurt, and everything in between.

But I also hope that while you are in those depths of darkness, you find a glimmer of light that guides you to better days.