Drinking from the Garden Hose

The holiday season brings so much joy - twinkling lights, cherished traditions, and precious time with loved ones. But between the travel, rich foods, and packed social calendars, it can also leave us feeling depleted just when we want to be our most vibrant selves. This year, my husband and I made the intentional choice to have a quiet Christmas at home. After an whirlwind of work travel, celebrating my brother's stunning Costa Rican wedding with family, and hosting Thanksgiving for my in-laws (trading our usual snowy Idaho visit for an earlier celebration), my body was sending clear signals that it needed rest. As someone who travels frequently both for work and to maintain connections with friends and family spread across the U.S., I've learned to recognize when I'm running on fumes. Rather than push through, I'm embracing this week as a time for deep restoration. My days have been filled with simple pleasures - losing myself in books for hours, taking long therapeut...

Today's a travel day. I'm back in the groove of traveling just about every other week for work. Last week I was home in San Diego, the week prior I was in Las Vegas for the IMEX conference. See pics from the Beyond the Bar panel! We had a great discussion about the importance of including non-alcoholic options at events... something I will write a separate blog post about...  In 4 hours I'll be in flight to Dallas, Texas; visiting THREE different corporate offices tomorrow - Amazon, Toyota and Ericsson. Tis the season for conferences and customer visits!  I've had the opportunity to speak on a number of panels this year. Before you have experience it's hard to get the invite, but once people see you or notice a LinkedIn post of you with a microphone in hand, the asks start rolling in. Public speaking does not make me nervous, it's something I enjoy. If any part of speaking gives me nervous, it's the quotes and recordings that will be on in the internet, pote...

My maternal grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, a day I always knew would come, nonetheless still felt like a surprise. I miss her so much and I wish I could fly myself to Georgia and hear her witty quips in her strong Southern accent, but my heart will always feel the love we shared. As far as dying goes, she went out in a way that gives me a lot of peace. Her last full day on Earth was spent celebrating her 94th birthday with her 3 month old great-grand baby [thanks lil sis for making that dream come true for her ;)], eating cupcakes and ice cream with family, then she died simply watching television in her room the following day. She wasn't sick, had no diseases, and was simply ready to call it. Since my Grandad passed in 2012, my Gmom has had many suiters in her assisted living home but she would always reject them stating "My husband is waiting for me in heaven!" My heart is sure their souls had a joyful reunion.  Birds have a special spiritual significance, to ...

 I love love love love love love SUMMER! Right now, I'm sitting in my backyard enjoying this beautiful July day in San Diego - sunny and 75. Here's what I'm loving for summer: 1. Spending time outdoors . The only thing I get 'fomo' with is sunshine. If the sun is shining, I must be enjoying it. As a 9-5 corporate America worker, I still find ways to get outdoors while getting my work done. Working from home or in the office, coworkers have become accustomed to my video conference backgrounds being flora and fauna. There is a spectacular garden onsite at the Amazon San Diego office location, which I frequent. Suntanning is my 'guilty' pleasure, leading to the next thing I'm loving... 2. Super Goop Sunscreen. I'd been quite loyal to Sun Bum sunscreen products the past few years, but recently I've been OBSESSED with Super Goop products. Especially their Glow Screen and CC Screen . Combined or stand alone both products give you the perfect "no ...

I ’ve had a few days to simmer on the Benedictine College graduation commencement speech delivered by Kansas City Chief’s kicker, Harrison Butker. Vocation is a word he used 13 times throughout what my corner of the internet is referring to as a tirade of Puritanical bigotry. My mind has been stuck on this section, where he speaks to women, on womanhood: “For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this wor...

"Do you have a shopping problem?" a coworker asked recently at a meeting, to which I responded "I don't have a shopping problem, I have a shopping interest." This question was provoked by my Balenciaga jeans, which I did purchase from Net-A-Porter about 4 years ago, hopeful that I would get the $700 price tags worth of wear out of them... and definitely I have. Also, I married into a Basque family which Balenciaga was founded by a Basque man, Cristóbal Balenciaga, so I appreciate the cultural connection when I buy from this brand.  I've loved dressing up since before I could walk. My costume closet was overflowing with princess gowns and dance costumes, my mom would even hand sew me and my American Girl Dolls matching outfits in the 90s *super cool*. But why does loving fashion and expressing yourself through what you wear become associated with a "shopping problem?" The problem with shopping is if you do it to constantly acquire material things th...