I’m continuously amazed at the products and services that pet owners are willing to buy for their animal friends. There are toys, clothes, photo sessions, organic foods, birthday parties, massages, pet funerals/cemetery burials, daycare, etc. I’m also amazed at the lengths folks will go to in order to provide medical care for their pets. I … [Read more...] about Do We Take Our Love for Pets Too Far?
current events
Dare to Prepare: Why You Really Should Say Something If You See Something
“If you see something, say something” is a common safety motto across the U.S. The phrase was developed on September 12, 2001 by advertising executive Allen Kay (source). A few months later, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in NYC needed a safety slogan, he passed it on to them. Since that time, law enforcement agencies and … [Read more...] about Dare to Prepare: Why You Really Should Say Something If You See Something
Why You Should Dare to Prepare for a Disaster
Even though it’s not something that most of us want to think about, the reality is that every single day we face the possibility of experiencing a disaster. This is because disasters don’t respect geographic boundaries and they come in a variety of forms, including natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, etc.), … [Read more...] about Why You Should Dare to Prepare for a Disaster
How to Destigmatize Mental Illness in Your Community
A number of celebrities have committed suicide in the last several months. This has turned the spotlight to the topic of mental illness. While I wish the suicides hadn’t happened, it is a good thing that people are thinking about and talking about mental illness. Why is this? Mental illnesses carry a stigma that most physical conditions … [Read more...] about How to Destigmatize Mental Illness in Your Community
Avoiding Discouragement in Our Volatile Political Climate
We get so carried away with red, white, and blue desserts, parades, picnics, and fireworks that it’s easy to forget that the 4th of July isn’t just a day for relaxing. It’s Independence Day—a day for celebrating our nation’s history, namely our independence from the British Empire. When I look at the political section of the news these … [Read more...] about Avoiding Discouragement in Our Volatile Political Climate
Why I Don’t Care if I Have a Gender Balanced Family
My husband and I have two wonderful girls. We’re expecting a third child. We don’t yet know if this baby is a girl or boy, but since we first started sharing about the pregnancy, we’ve been hearing questions and comments like these: “Trying for a boy, huh?” “Maybe you’ll finally get a boy.” “You must really want a boy.” “Surely … [Read more...] about Why I Don’t Care if I Have a Gender Balanced Family
Seeing People, Not Problems
My church had a speaker in a few weeks ago who addressed the topic of diversity. When my husband and I heard that this was going to be the topic of discussion, we began trying to guess what he would say. To be honest, we weren’t all that excited to hear him speak. Because we are a mixed-race family, candid discussions on race and … [Read more...] about Seeing People, Not Problems
Excited as Can Be
We’re excited as can be to share that we are expecting baby number three! We will welcome our third little one in September. My sister, her husband, and their three boys visited us last week. My parents asked us numerous times to capture some pictures of all of the grandkids together. As far as they knew, they had five grandkids, so we were … [Read more...] about Excited as Can Be
