Birthdays are always hard. We threw big parties. Adam cooked a lot of food. I feel his absence. Not just for me in all the planning and prep, but for my children. I hate that he is not here to see how much they have grown. It hurts my heart to know the young ages they lost their father: 6, 10, and
Read MoreIf you missed it, we took the train to Whitefish, Montana for a spring break ski trip. The train was so much fun and I loved it for a carefree one-day trek. We stayed in a village condo halfway up the mountain. None of us had skied Whitefish before so we had to get familiar with the easy slopes - find the greens and
Read MoreOur actual spring break from school was going to be spent at the Bantam State Hockey tournament in Plymouth, Minnesota, so we had to skip out a week early to get a ski trip in this year. It was the first time my kids would ski on actual mountains, instead of ski hills in Minnesota. I was nervous for them and excited. I love exposing them to new...
Read MoreMy relationship with time is forever changed. When you lose your husband so suddenly, unexpectedly, with decades ahead - it is the harshest of realities. I make less plans. I do not look so far ahead.
Read MoreI am making room for new things. Making it a priority to say yes. To go, learn, and do. I tried Nordic Thermal Cycling for the first time at Moonglade. Hot sauna. Cold plunge. Rest and recovery. I was a bit apprehensive about the cold plunge portion because I loathe being cold, but decided to give this experience a try. In 90 minutes, we cycled...
Read MoreI’ve always loved taking photos. I scheduled the newborn photo shoots and made sure we had family pictures for our annual Christmas card. I loved sending them out, but after losing Adam, I stopped. No more family photo shoots. No more Christmas cards. I look back at these and ache for the family we once were and for the pain we didn't know was...
Read MoreTraditions. Some I can maintain. Others I cannot. Early on I described letting go of the annual cutting of our Christmas tree. I attempted it that first year after losing Adam and it was just too much.
Read MoreWhat makes us think we know where we are going and when? Is it because we are the schedulers? The ones who sign everyone up. Put things on the calendar. Figure out the logistics. Or maybe it is easier when you have a vague notion of the path you should be on. Graduate high school.
Read MoreGod puts people in your life long before you know you’ll need them. Our last season of hockey as a family of five brought new and closer friendships. One man was a delight to get to know and Adam and I enjoyed talking to him. He was wheelchair bound, which isn’t easy in a northern climate. Snow, ice, dicey roads and tons of travel for hockey, but...
Read MoreI recently shared about fun times at Victual in the small town of Crosby, Minnesota. It wasn’t my first time there. I took my kids for our first Memorial Day weekend trip in 2022 as a family of four. We survived the first anniversary of my husband’s sudden death and then I packed up my kids and headed to Crosby, determined to enjoy the long...
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