I love to laugh. I love to make people laugh. I love puns, and I have quick comebacks. I truly believe laughter is the best medicine.
So, it seems fitting that I wanted to take a comedy class, if not just to laugh more.
That is exactly what I did last night!
I headed downtown to a local comedy theater for an evening class. This particular session focused entirely on improv. Forget a boring lecture or a long talk about the rules of comedy—we just dove straight into the deep end!
We started with some high-energy improv exercises to warm up our brains. Before I knew it, we were paired up with partners to create a bit from scratch. The instructor tossed us a random topic, and we had to get right up on stage and perform on the fly.
Back to my love for competitions and all things Olympics! Today, J and I took a leap into something completely new and went to a fencing class. The verdict? We had SO. MUCH. FUN!
If you know me, you know I have a natural tendency to be drawn to learning the sports that do not get as much attention as others. Don’t get me wrong—running has been my lifeline for as long as I can remember. I ran track and cross country in school, and it stayed with me as my absolute favorite activity. Over the years, I’ve crossed the finish lines of numerous half and full marathons, along with a few shorter races. I also played tennis in high school and even picked it back up for a bit when Mercie started taking lessons and playing in high school too.
But while I still love and enjoy those classic sports, lately I’ve had a massive craving to learn the sports that are more technical and require a more strategic approach. Enter fencing. It is truly physical chess!
Our introductory class was over two hours long, and we got to dive into both saber and epee fencing. We fell completely in love with both styles and already know we want to continue fencing on a regular basis. (Side note: J was a bit surprised that I had some real fierceness behind the sword! ⚔️)
The best part? Our gym gives us a full month to go back for as many classes as we can fit into our schedule. We get to use the exact equipment they fitted for us today before we even have to think about joining as a full member. You can bet we will be maximizing that calendar!
If you are looking for a unique checkout-worthy challenge, this is another activity I highly recommend you try. Bonus: it is a phenomenal workout. It’s a great way to sweat and genuinely feel like you just spent time in a sauna! Plus, if you are a Princess Bride fan yo can have fun quoting the movie as you go for attack on your partner.
Surprise Murder Mystery Party! If you know me, you know I love a good themed party. Over the years, we’ve hosted countless game nights with friends, and I’m always down for any excuse to dress up and get competitive.
Usually, I’m the one masterminding the details, but this time, I didn’t have to plan a single thing. J and the kids took the reins and organized the entire murder mystery game for my birthday. It was the absolute best night, and seeing everyone fully commit to their characters was pure comedy.
I hope everyone has at least one friend you can be completely, utterly yourself with. And I mean your absolute goofiest, silliest self. The kind of friend who will pick you up after you fall—but only after you both finish laughing so hard you fall right back down again.
Pro tip: Do not sit next to this person at a funeral, a wedding, or any event where silence is required.
This past weekend, I got the ultimate blessing. One of my dearest besties surprised me by coming to town—which is a huge deal since we live 1,715 miles apart! When Sunnie and I are together, we are quite literally the “she” in shenanigans.
Our history is a beautiful mix of inside jokes and deep talks. We can trauma dump to one another, and a split second later, we are crying tears of laughter. We just share the exact same wavelength.
The surprise went down on Saturday morning. J took me out for a coffee date, and I was shocked when I saw Sunnie sitting there waiting for me. J had planned an entire scavenger hunt day for us, filled with my favorite local spots. After a perfect lunch, we headed back to the house for another shock: a surprise Murder Mystery Party surrounded by local friends and a few more favorite humans who flew in just for the occasion.
As I stand on the threshold of an empty house after 25 years of it being full of kids, the silence is loud. It faces me with a beautiful, stinging truth: time is incredibly fleeting.
For over two decades, it was all about the day-to-day survival and hustle. We get so caught up in the routine of living that we forget to just be with our people. Over the last year, knowing this milestone was coming, I made a promise to myself. I vowed to make every second count, to banish mindless screen-watching, and to intentionally manufacture memories with the people I love.
Time is precious, it is expensive, and I want mine spent wisely. Here is how I am fighting the empty-nest blues and filling my calendar with pure joy.
Monthly Date Nights (With a Twist!)
To keep connection alive, my girlfriend and I started a monthly tradition. Every single month, we go somewhere completely new. Sharing an unfamiliar restaurant, park, or activity keeps our friendship exciting, fresh, and uniquely ours. It gives us a dedicated moment in time that belongs just to the two of us.
Ditching the Screens for Quality Family Time
When family comes to town, or when I am spending days with J, sitting around the TV is officially banned. Planning interactive activities ensures we never sit our days away.
For example, when the family gathered for Mercie’s graduation, I skipped the standard living room hangout. Instead, I took everyone to a pottery studio. We each picked out a ceramic piece, sat around a table, and chatted the afternoon away while painting. The bonus? We all got a beautiful keepsake to take home. Now, every time we look at our ceramic pieces, we are flooded with memories of that laughter-filled afternoon.
Stepping Into His World
I am also using this new chapter to bridge the gap between J’s hobbies and mine. J loves golf, so I finally decided to take formal golf lessons. I want to do more than just hit range balls from wherever his ball lands! I want to actually play with him.
He is also joining me for a few things on my personal bucket list soon. I can’t wait for that shared time. Who knows? It might just give us a brand-new passion to share as the days go by.
Welcome to “Camp B”!
Just last week, my brother and his family came to visit with their four kids, ranging from ages 2 to 12. I took off work and decided to recreate the magic of when my own kids were little—but amped up to maximum capacity!
I officially launched “Camp B.”
I made custom camp shirts, gave them personalized canvas bags filled with surprises, and handed out bag charms and custom earrings. We packed the week with:
Splashing at local pools and splash pads
Making homemade Goldfish crackers and ice cream
Crafting holiday decorations to use this fall and Christmas
Building epic living room forts
Throwing a wild disco dance party
It was exhausting, exhilarating, and so much fun! I know for years to come, those kids will talk about the magic of Camp B.
The Adventure is Just Beginning
The house might be quiet today, but my heart and my calendar are full. Time moves fast, but when you fill it with intentional, screen-free, creative adventures, you learn to stretch every single minute.
Here’s to the next chapter—less empty nesting, and more memory making!
For most of my life, homemaking has been second nature. If something could be made instead of bought, I was already halfway to the kitchen or craft table. But the last eight years pulled me into full‑time work outside the home, and my creative projects shrank down to food only—quick, practical, necessary.
Somewhere along the way, I realized how much I missed those long stretches of daytime where I could create, experiment, and learn a new skill just because I felt like it. Now that the kids are grown and the era of afternoon shuttles, evening activities, and sideline cheering has wrapped up, I suddenly have something I haven’t had in ages: time. Even after a full workday, there’s space to breathe… and make things again.
🐝 Enter: Beeswax Candle Night
I decided to start simple. I ordered a basic candle‑making kit and a big bag of beeswax—nothing fancy, nothing intimidating. The method couldn’t have been easier. I melted the wax, prepped the wicks, turned on one of my favorite shows, and before I knew it…
We’ve all seen it on TV during the Winter Olympics. A group of people vigorously sweeping the ice with brooms, shouting instructions, while a giant granite stone glides gracefully toward a bullseye. It looks chill. It looks strategic. It looks… easy?
Well, I am here to tell you that it is a lie. Curling is harder than it looks.
This past weekend, I finally checked a curling class off my bucket list. I grabbed one of my sisters, laced up our sneakers, and headed out to the ice. The verdict? IT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN!
Did I turn into an overnight pro? Absolutely not. In fact, I am the exact opposite of a natural. Good thing I can laugh atmyself and not be too serious. Out of the 20+ other classmates i am sure I fell the most without question. I lost count.
The Strategy of Just Staying Upright
When you are watching from the comfort of your couch, you don’t realize how many moving parts there are to a single throw. You have to push off a rubber block (called the “hack”), slide out on one foot, keep your balance, aim the 42-pound stone, and give it a subtle twist at the exact right moment of release.
Oh, and did I mention this is all happening on solid ice?
For me, calculating the perfect trajectory or strategy wasn’t even on the radar. My official personal goal for the day was simply: Do not fall flat on my face after throwing the stone. I’m happy to report I survived, have a few bruised knees but I am ready to do it again!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved making things from scratch—especially food. There’s something deeply satisfying about creating something homemade instead of grabbing it off a store shelf. Still, there were a few kitchen projects I hadn’t tackled yet, and fruit preserves were one of them.
That changed last week when a generous neighbor with a thriving fig tree offered me about a hundred fresh figs. Suddenly, I had the perfect excuse to dive into the world of fig preserves.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved making things from scratch—especially food. There’s something deeply satisfying about creating something homemade instead of grabbing it off a store shelf. Still, there were a few kitchen projects I hadn’t tackled yet, and fruit preserves were one of them.
That changed last week when a generous neighbor with a thriving fig tree offered me about a hundred fresh figs. Suddenly, I had the perfect excuse to dive into the world of fig preserves.
I love to do things with my hands, craft, be creative and make things. So while in Montana, I found a class at a local farm where we could learn felting and make our own hat, mittens or slippers with wool. Because I love surprises J and the girls had no idea what we were gonna do until we pulled into the farm.
Kim, the owner, OB nurse, farmer and our teacher taught us all about wool and felting. She had fresh sheered wool for us to pick from to make the item of our choice. I chose to make a hat and the rest made slippers. We learned how to pick through the wool, lay it out on the pattern, layer it then clean it. Cleaning involved drenching it in water with bits of soap, Kim made, and petting it like you would a cat. When the wool was all flat and no crazy hairs sticking up we then began to press it as the water squished out. This was the most time consuming part as we pressed for a long time making sure all the wool fibers would intertwine. The next stage all the water was poured off and was wrung out by wrapping it in a towel. Then we took our piece and starting twisting and wringing it in all directions. This ensures the fibers lock with one another. Eventually we could begin to shape the piece for what it was to become. For the slippers they placed. a bag over their foot, then the slipper as the squeezed and molded it to their feet.
The process was easy and so fascinating because there is no sewing or stitching to take the wool from the sheep to a piece of fabric. I ended up making a cowboy shape hat and after it was formed we were taught how to needle felt to make a design on our piece. Another super simple thing to do. The best part is if I get tired of the shape of my hat or just want to turn it into a different hat altogether all I have to do is completely soak it, wring it out and reshape it. The needle felting I did you can just pull right off, no damage and redo using the same felt.
I enjoyed learning how to do this so much I ordered the book Kim recommended that has more instructions and patterns. Plus she even told us she would ship us some wool as they have more than they could ever use. So I might just be doing this again soon.
After the class was over we went out to the pasture to meet the sheep which provided the wool each of us chose. We also met all the goats and the baby cow on her farm as well.
While in Montana- “The Last Best Place” I knocked a few things off the list because the place was perfect for them.
Yellowstone National Park has been a place I’ve wanted to go and J has not been either. He has been right outside it many times traveling for work but chose not to go but to wait until we could experience it together. So we went on his birthday. There are no words to describe YNP. The pictures you see of it do not do it justice. It is a gorgeous place and some parts of it are like you are on another world. It is definitely a place that makes you stand in awe and realize the artist that God is when looking at it.
We spent 12 hours in the park, saw about 90% of it. Hiked to several places to get a better view. I stuck my feet in the lake, AKA ice bath. We sat and waited for Old Faithful to erupt. We saw almost all the wildlife that lives in the park. We did not see any moose or horned sheep.
If you have not been you need to go! It is absolutely breathtaking and phenomenal.
# 31 CURLING
This past weekend, I finally checked a curling class off my bucket list. I grabbed one of my sisters, laced up our sneakers, and headed out to the ice. The verdict? IT. WAS. SO. MUCH. FUN!
My crazy life with 4! 