I talk about my dogs a lot in my blogs because now that my boys are grown and off “adulting,” I have naturally taken a back seat in their lives. I’m not intimately involved in their day-to-day lives like I used to be when they were growing up which leaves me with a relationship gap–a hole that used to be filled with caring for my children. I have found that caring for my dogs and spending time with them each day helps to fill that emptiness just a little bit. I have three dogs, so when you...

I love the Christmas season, as do most of us, for so many reasons: the anticipation of special time with family and friends, the excitement of gift-giving and sharing with others, the sensory overload of Christmas decorations to admire and enjoy, and the pure and humble experience of celebrating the birth of our Savior and all that His coming means to us. It’s my favorite season of the year, despite the somewhat hectic schedule that I tend to put on myself (I’m such an overachiever, but...

About two weeks ago, I started my day a little on the grumpy side. Now this is very unusual for me (insert my husband’s eye roll!), but I must admit I was having a bit of a pity party for myself. Again, very unusual!! (Ha! Ha!) I had decided to pick up an extra shift at work a few days prior, not realizing my week was going to go sideways so to speak, so I was regretting the decision to add that shift to what had become an unexpectedly hectic week. And to make matters worse there was road...