Somewhere around age 7, my mother enrolled me in a dance class. Ballet. I lived in small town Wisconsin where there wasn’t a selection of dance studios, YMCA’s or parks and rec offerings. But we had June, 50ish as my memory recalls, a retired dancer with a warm engaging smile of bright red lips, who tricked out her basement with mirrors, ballet barres and wood floors. She taught three classes – ballet, jazz, and baton twirling. Baton twirling? In a basement? Oh well, we were seven, and it was Continue Reading
Shopping for the Perfect Gift? Here’s your Guide
Ahhh, Christmas, that special time of year when too many people over stress, over shop, and over spend, all for the sake of giving the perfect gifts. Do we select a gift based on practicality, or is it something a bit more special, maybe something the gift receiver wouldn’t purchase? Do we ask for requests and then feel obligated to only give from that list regardless of the absurdity of the requests? Maybe the question to ask is “why am I giving this gift in the first place, and what kind of Continue Reading
Can You Ever Have Too Much Nice?
Everyone needs a Coffee Jam in their neighborhood. Think of it as the TV bar Cheers, where everyone knows your name, but without a liquor license, and instead of people bellying up to the bar, they hunker down in one of the over-stuffed chairs, or around one of the glass tables, and enjoy a delicious sandwich or bowl of soup with their favorite cup of coffee. I had driven past the place for a couple of years, but never felt the urge to visit as I don’t drink coffee. Then someone suggested Continue Reading
I Could Have Never Made it as a Cave Woman
I’ll acknowledge, hiding a package of cookies in my bedroom wasn’t a good strategy in my effort to lose weight, but I thought, out of sight, out of mind. The first night, I ate five; vanilla wafers cradling a double layer of chocolate fudge. Just one cookie quickly slipped into five. Perhaps I wasn’t quite as committed to this new weight loss plan as I had thought.For a long time… ok, basically, since the last time I walked out of gym class in high school, I have struggled with my Continue Reading