#20 Choose to Love, part a

I believe that love is a choice. Sure, you may not be able to choose who, when, or how you fall in love. But once you find that person who completes you, you have to wake up each morning and choose to love your significant other. What I mean is, you have to choose to […]

#19 A Legacy of Love and Respect

People can be cruel. My husband and I strive to leave our kids a legacy of love and respect so they can help spread positivity in the world. Since she was born, I’ve been Emmy’s primary caretaker. She has never gone to daycare. She has never been watched by anyone outside the family. I have […]

#18 Comfort Food for the Soul: Mac and Cheese

Sometimes we just need a good comfort food—whether it’s to soothe our broken souls, reenergize our tired bodies, or just because it sounds tasty! I grew up on that blue box of mac and cheese. It didn’t matter how many times I’d had it, I wanted it again—every single day at lunchtime. I was a […]

#17 A Legacy of Being True

A few days ago, I came across a video of Michael Vaughn, a dad who went viral on TikTok for calling out the sexualization of girls (check out what he has to say here). It took me back a few years to before my oldest daughter Ember had even turned one. I was on a mommy […]

#16 You’ll Always Be My Favorite Cowboy

NOTE: Depression is a dark monster who tells you nothing but lies. “Do the next right thing” and just take it one step at a time, knowing you do matter, you are loved, you are needed. Please seek help if you suffer from depression. Find an outlet like journaling, sketching, or hiking. Evaluate and change […]

#15 Springtime Grill Time: Slow-Smoked Ribs

The weather is rapidly warming up here in California—the temperatures have been in the 70s and 80s lately. Spring is my second favorite season. It’s not too hot, not too cold. It’s perfect for playing outside with the girls, horseback riding, beginning the camping season, and dining al fresco. It’s also ideal for some slow-smoked […]

#14 Equine Therapy, part d (FINAL)

When Prince passed away, I knew I would want another horse. After all, horses had become an essential part of my life and well-being. Riding provided me with a form of therapy where I could clear my head, let everything go, and just be. It was only a matter of time until I could find […]

#13 Equine Therapy, part c

Prince and I shared a few happy years together before I got the dreaded call. The owner of the boarding facility called to tell me Prince was acting lethargic and she was concerned. My parents and I went straight out to see him and called the on-call emergency vet as it was a Sunday. When […]

#12 Equine Therapy, part b

A few years later, I was a freshman in high school suffering briefly from depression. I say briefly because, fortunately for me, it lasted less than a year, while I know many people who constantly struggle with it. I had no reason I could point to and say, “This is why I am unhappy,” – […]

#11 Equine Therapy, part a

For longer than I can remember, I have always loved horses. It’s every little girl’s dream, isn’t it? To have her very own horse (or unicorn!) would be a dream come true. But for me, it was never meant to simply be a phase. When I sat on my very first pony at the fair, […]