One of the things I missed most about leaving Houston was my monthly book club meeting. Our group was much more than lively conversation, often on topics far beyond the book we were meeting to discuss. Book club prompted me to read books I might not otherwise choose and to explore issues I may not dig into on my own. It forced me out of my box. Parnassus Books, a tiny jewel
Each week has seven days, and someday isn’t one of them. Still, so many of us are waiting for just the right time to execute our plans. If we wait for that perfect time, it may never come….
Scenic Highway 30A, a 24-mile stretch of the Florida Panhandle between Destin and Panama City, is my happy place. Watching dolphins play in the emerald surf, I walk for miles on the beautiful beaches. It never gets old…. Here are some of my favorite things to do along 30A—and I know my list will change every now and then. I hope you enjoy checking out a few of these ideas—leaving
Over four decades ago, a retiring NYC doorman gave young Gabe Guzman some friendly advice. “He shared a secret with me,” smiles Gabe. “He told me if I could find work in a hospital or a job as a doorman, I’d have one of the best jobs in the city,” he recalls. Greeting me with his huge grin and a friendly wave, Gabe opens the door and welcomes me into
I’ve noticed today’s young couples don’t seem focused on accumulating stuff. Rather than decorating the perfect home, they tend to seize their moments and their days and jump into experiences. Deciding it was the ideal time in their lives to travel and explore, Alex Kaspin and her husband eagerly declared, “Let’s do this!” Shortly after their marriage, the newlyweds cleared out their Philadelphia apartment, stashed wedding gifts in storage, and
A hard-nosed, young Navy diver, Ryan Black was assigned to deep sea salvage and rescue missions in southern Japan. While stationed in the country, he set his sights on learning kendo, the sword fighting martial art. However, when he went calling at the kendo temple, he was informed – and not at all politely – the group did not care to have an outsider in their midst. Not one to
I almost missed them. Tucked downstairs, beneath the main staircase and out of the way of the crowds, I stumbled upon an assortment of tiny creations. Playful, charming, interesting, evocative, fun, and, some even say, “cute.” “They are the most powerful form of educational cuteness there is,” their caretaker laughs. In the 1930’s, Chicago artist Mrs. James Ward Thorne, and her team of exacting artisans, constructed tiny, dollhouse-like rooms depicting
Thomas Persinger’s love affair with Alaska – its glaciers, volcanoes, captivating wildlife – began a dozen years ago. Celebrating his dad’s 50th birthday, the family travelled to Anchorage and Seward and Port Alsworth, a tiny fishing village in the Alaskan bush. What was not to love? “We ate breakfast, hopped in a float plane, and caught fish all day,” Thomas remembers. And he was determined to return. Studying at Auburn
Personal happiness is a hot topic these days. We can find loads of books and podcasts on the subject. Checklists abound for what we need to do to be happy – count our blessings, get plenty of sleep, meditate, go to church, keep our homes organized. According to Dr. Bill Bellet, many of us work WAY too hard to find happiness. As we chat in his Nashville office, I get
The 21-day project, outlined by Dr. Bill Bellet, seems simple enough. Perform four, easy tasks each day. If you skip one of the assignments for the day, you must start over with the entire three-week cycle. Helpful to clients in Dr. Bellet’s Nashville clinical and organizational psychology practice, this “challenge” consists of four daily components. Every day, for three weeks, you: Write down three things you are grateful for –
Feeling like old friends, Mark Bilbrey greeted me with a big smile, a warm hug, and invited me behind the cheese case at Porter Road Butcher in East Nashville. We spent the next two hours laughing and talking and comparing varieties of cheddars and goudas. Tragically, 3 months later, on November 6, 2018, Mark lost his life in a one-vehicle auto accident on rain-soaked streets. For his family, friends, colleagues,
Sherry Hall marvels at how God took the assorted pieces in her life, arranged them for her, and showed her what to do. “It was hard and scary, and I didn’t think I was capable of making it happen,” she reflects. Guiding me through the new and improved, brand new barn in Defuniak Springs, Florida, Sherry points to a wooden sign hanging in the office—We are seldom qualified for the
Boarding a flight to Madrid, Mo Houston shoved her one piece of luggage, a backpack weighing less than 18 pounds, in the overhead bin. It contained two sets of clothes, a pair of shoes, flip flops, a rain suit, a head lamp, bandana, and not much else. All her supplies for the next month. For hundreds of years, people have journeyed to the Apostle St. James in the Cathedral of Santiago
Surrounded by posters and thank you cards and sweet messages from school kids, Jake Belair is a rock star at the Nashville Zoo. “I have a great deal of fun showing people, including a whole lot of kids, the glamorous side of my job as an animal keeper,” he says. Sweaty, grimy, and sporting rubber wading boots, Jake has spent the morning cutting tree branches for his parrots, hawks, and
Will your travel plans take you to Nashville this summer? When I visit a new city, I don’t necessarily want an overwhelming list of restaurant recommendations and tourist attractions to sort through and analyze. Just give me a few good spots to eat and fun places to go to get me started—leaving room for impromptu exploring and spontaneity. These are my current Nashville favorites—I know my list may change periodically. Hope you
In October 2016, one week shy of her first birthday, Mary Caroline woke up with a fever. With no health issues, the spirited and curious toddler appeared to have a childhood virus. Her parents and doctors saw no reason to panic. Until she did not improve. Three days later, this precious little girl with the infectious smile and big hair bows passed away from a non-vaccine strain of bacterial meningitis.
Strolling into the Rayback Collective on a bright, sunny morning, I spot an eclectic array of food trucks, bikers sipping coffee around a fire pit, folks clicking laptops at community work tables, and a vegan ice cream cart. Combined with a lounge, live music, and an adjacent multi-use trail, this place may be too cool for me…..
Not long ago, I came across a story about a highly successful drug sniffing police dog in Columbia, South America. It seems Sombra’s nose has led to numerous narcotics seizures and arrests in the country’s airports and ports. Due to her achievements, this gentle, friendly German Shepherd now has a bounty on her cute little head. Fortunately, extra security measures are in place to protect this valuable Columbian National Police
Two years ago today, on my 57th birthday, I embarked on a project. I pledged to do one new thing—every single day—for the following year. As it turned out, one year of novel activities, both large and small, rolled into two years of something new every day. Now, 730 days later, I realize what a gift my experiment turned out to be. Just as my grown sons were beginning their careers and evolving
Crazy about pretty clothes, great shoes, and lists of all sorts, I fell in love with Brittany Fuson and her long-legged girls. Dressed in fabulous dresses and carrying the latest handbags, her blondes and brunettes and redheads sport everything I ever hope to find hanging in my dream closet. As she finished up her Apparel Design degree at the University of Alabama back in 2009, Brittany wanted to give each of
To me, fly fishing seems difficult. Wading in chilly waters, you wait for a hungry trout to nibble on an elaborate gadget composed of hair or feathers. According to Jen Lofgren, the sport doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. “Besides,” she adds, “you learn to appreciate the outdoors, the tranquility, and your beautiful surroundings. After all, trout don’t live in ugly places!” In 1996, a fly fishing instructor took her
According to Matt Russo, “a gambling stick is an old Appalachian name for a stick used to hang a pig from the limb of a tree. Threaded through the heels of the pig, the stick supports its weight while the animal is harvested.” The gamble, and hope, is the stick can handle the pig’s weight, and the animal will not come tumbling down. In a parking lot in trendy East
Dylan Owens compares his job to owning a fast and sophisticated Ducati motorcycle. Both look really cool and seem glamorous to others. His career, and the sport bike, can get you to some fun places. Sometimes both will park you right outside the real action, peering in from a distance. And – truth be told – you have to really love them to be able to afford either
As we wander through the charming, historic Music Row building with the rickety staircases and old-world architecture, Dustin Williams proudly explains, “Everything we have here we fully expect to last 200 years.” The older they get, the more valuable. The more they are played, the better they sound. “We are lucky to be the caretakers of these beautiful instruments.”
Dodging cartons of cut flowers and drivers unloading boxes of tulips and hydrangeas, I maneuver my way along the crowded – and colorful – Chelsea sidewalk. Coffee in hand, this truly is a beautiful way to start my NYC day. As Troy Baksh says – “Who can possibly be unhappy when surrounded by fresh flowers?!” Located on West 28th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, New York City’s Flower Market
In a world where the daily news brings distress at a steady clip, Sandi Swiridoff found a way to warm hearts and make people laugh out loud. When you thought there couldn’t be anything cuter than the puppy’s antics in her imaginative photographs, she added a towheaded, bespectacled little boy to the mix. As she captured beautiful moments between the two, Sandi had no idea what a wild and philanthropic ride she
Folks with illnesses requiring time off from work, individuals with sudden Injuries or disabilities, seniors with smaller incomes, people who’ve lost their jobs, kids in at-risk homes. It is impossible to keep track of everyone who needs help. Many won’t ask for assistance. Some are embarrassed to seek aid. Others don’t know how to get support. One thing is for certain – many faces of hunger exist all across our
As the sun rises, Sharon Maxwell strolls along a beautiful mile-long stretch of beach in the Florida Panhandle. Carefully searching for evidence of night-time visitors in the dim morning light, this early morning walk is a type of peaceful meditation for her. And then she spots them – faint tracks leading out of the water, heading toward the dunes, and returning to the ocean. After two decades, she still gets
According to Frank Billingsley, “It’s coming, it is going to be a big one, and it is not going to miss us. This one is ours.” With Hurricane Ike charging toward the Texas Gulf Coast, his Houston audience filled bathtubs with water and piled blankets, radios, water, and dog beds into interior closets of their homes. They were ready to shelter in place. Since 1995, Frank, the chief meteorologist at
As we chatted with the baker at an upscale Italian bakery in a trendy section of Brooklyn, my son and I explained what we wanted. The gentleman, who had been baking panettone and cannoli and biscotti in this neighborhood long before it turned hip and cool, looked at us with a slight amount of distaste— and a whole lot of surprise. “You want two cakes at this wedding?” he said.
