The weather in North Carolina is crazy. I love that we normally have four distinct seasons here, but we often go back and forth between temperatures quite a bit even within one season. Take Christmas, for example: this year we had a 70-degree Christmas instead of a white Christmas. But this past week or so, the weather has finally decided to be cold. Continue reading →

We have a children’s book at my house that I really like called The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen. In this book, there’s a fish who’s just always gloomy and depressing (don’t we all know people like that?), and he thinks he can’t change it because that’s just the way he is. Continue reading →

Every fall I get super excited about the return of football season. The stretch from February to mid-September with no football is painful. As the season approaches, thoughts start to creep into my head. Thoughts like, “I think we have made some pretty good moves this offseason,” or “this could be the year we turn it around,” or “there should be no way that we miss the playoffs.” I have taught myself over the years to not dwell on those thoughts. Unfortunately, the teams I pull for have a certain way of crushing my hopes. Continue reading →