Age, getting old

I’m in my ma’am era.

You never forget your first time.

The first time I was ma’amed, I was in my 30s, in a Starbucks in Westport, Connecticut. It was the afternoon, and I had walked down with some coworkers for an afternoon pick-me-up during a new business pitch. The barista finished my order, handed my drink to me and said, “Here you go, ma’am.”

Um, excuse me?

I walked away in a daze. I had been ma’amed. If you worked at the Westport, Connecticut Starbuck downtown around 2005, you made a very big impression on me. And not in a good way.

Was I old enough to be a ma’am in my early thirties? Did I LOOK like a ma’am? I’m on the short side, so I often hear that I appear younger than I actually am. Did that barista ma’am everyone and I was just lumped in with the general public? Did I look like the general public??

I chalked it up to a severe misjudgement on the barista’s part.

Shortly after that scarring experience, I was a grocery store and the lovely cashier handed me my receipt with a sweet, “Here you go, Miss.” And all was right in the world again.

I knew I couldn’t hold onto my Miss-dom forever. There would be a time when it just wasn’t feasible anymore: my crow’s feet would be too visible; my gray hair would give me away; I had that look of someone who has lived half a century and wasn’t taking any bullshit.

And that time has come.

This past summer I was picking up Little Mister from camp. The slew of camp counselors this year looked like they were barely out of middle school, let alone old enough to be responsible for 10 year olds. On a particularly hot July day, I rolled up to the pick up line and a young man approached my car.

“Hello, ma’am,” he said to me, proud of his politeness.

Now, his parents should be proud of how cordial he was. And there is a chance I looked slightly haggard after a day of meetings. When Little Mister came out and jumped into the car, the counselor shut the backseat door and leaned in my open passenger window to give me a wave and a little “Have a nice day, ma’am!” before I zipped up my window and peeled out of the parking lot.

I had been ma’amed not once, but TWO times. In the span of 5 minutes!

What was happening? After that horrific episode at camp pick up, I started hearing it everywhere people were talking to me: the airport, restaurants, delivery people! I was being ma’amed left and right.

It seemed I had transitioned to ma’am territory, and there was no going back.

Amazon, shopping, Target

The best things I bought this year

If you ask Mr. KK, we have boxes delivered to our house every single day. And while I think that’s a slight exaggeration, the delivery drivers are so familiar with our house they know they can drive right down our driveway and have enough room to turn their big trucks around.

As a professional shopper, I have made some AMAZING purchases over the last year. And I’m going to share them all with you right here!

Image from Amazon.com

Cabinet water bottle organizer.
If you own more than 2 water bottles (and honestly, who doesn’t?) this is the perfect organizer for you. I knew we needed this when Mr. KK kept opening the cabinet and swearing when water bottles would either fall on his head, or he couldn’t find something behind the sea of water bottles.

image from eddiebauer.com

Black summer dress by Eddie Bauer.
This dress is deceptively comfortable and can be dressed up or dressed down. I’ve worn this to date night with sandals and around a city with sneakers. It’s especially great for hot weather because the material has wicking and doesn’t cling.

image from amazon

Small pizza peel.
I know this one isn’t for everyone, but we have an Ooni outdoor pizza oven and Mr. KK needed this! The peel we had was too big to do the quick rotation of the pizza that you need to do so you don’t end up with a burnt hockey puck. This was probably the best thing I bought him this entire year.

image from amazon

A set of grown up luggage.
It was time to have a set of matching luggage so I didn’t look like a college spring breaker headed to cancun with mismatched bags. I love this set. The tote is very room and unzips for extra room. The roller bag is durable and fits a full long-weekend of clothing!

image from amazon.com NOTE: this is not me.

Soft pajamas.
I love these pajamas so much I bought a second pair! They are soft and just the right kind of loose to be uber comfortable. I’m going to see if they come in long sleeves/long pants for the winter!

image from Dicks sporting goods

Pool slides.
When I first saw these, I said NO WAY. But then after going to pool day after day, I needed something rubber that wouldn’t slide off my wet feet. It was the watermelon color that got me, and then they turned out to be super comfortable! I wore them every day to the pool.

image from rothys.com

Rothy’s loafers.
It wouldn’t be a list without a pair of Rothy’s! I LOVE THESE MULES. They are super comfortable and the perfect fall shoe. The leopard goes with so much, and it’s like wearing a slipper out in public (that’s my kind of shoe!)

image from rothys.com

Rothy’s clogs.
And…a second pair of Rothy’s! These clogs are so very comfortable and the perfect slip on shoe to run errands. They run big so I sized down and they still fit with cozy socks. They provide great support and this color goes with everything!

image from instagram

ReciMe recipe app.
If you save recipe posts on Instagram, or any other platform, this app is for you. It’s so easy to use: just download the app, and when you find a recipe on instagram that you love, you hit the share button and choose the ReciMe icon, and the recipe can be immediately imported into your account. From there you can file it in your themed “cookbooks”, such as “desserts” or “soups” or in my case: “cocktails”. Your recipes are always easy to find and at your fingertips! There is a minimal cost for an annual subscription.

image from target.com

Duster cardigan.
Long cardigans are everywhere this year, and this version from Target is lightweight and comes in a variety of colors. And the price is always right. It’s not too long on my short frame.

Happy Shopping!

food

The password is: protein.

2024’s word of the year better be protein.

My feed is filled with news about protein:

How much protein do you need to eat to lose weight?

What foods have the most protein?

Are you getting enough protein?

Eat more protein!

Protein for President!

(too soon on that last one?)

Over the last year, I have been working with nutritionists to help balance my food intake, manage my weight, and counteract the M word. In the last few months, I have been tasked with focusing on eating more protein, in order to meet a certain goal each day. I’ll tell you, some days, I don’t want to even look at more protein. But I have learned a few things.

My Personal 10 Thoughts About Protein

  1. Eggs do not have a lot of protein. So if that’s what you’re hoping to get all your protein from, you will be very disappointed. Or, you will be eating 20 eggs a day and likely have other issues.
  2. It takes advanced math skills to balance the amount of protein you need without going overboard on fat and carbohydrates. Be ready to spend half of the day doing calculations.
  3. If you are a vegetarian, good luck!
  4. I hope you like cottage cheese.
  5. Start drinking bone broth. Not chicken broth, but BONE broth. It’s the same, but more expensive, and like double the grams of protein in a cup.
  6. Buy Greek yogurt in bulk.
  7. Factor in nuts! Then see how how much fat are in nuts and cut your nut intake in half. Realize you are short your protein goal. Repeat.
  8. Eat meat. Then more meat, topped with meat and with a side of meat. Fish also works.
  9. Meal plan. Plan your whole day’s meals out ahead of time. This helps to eliminate you crying in front of the fridge when your dinner is ready and getting cold, and you realize that you still need 20 grams of protein in your meal.
  10. Eat beans. But make sure you won’t be in public, or that you work from home.

So am I getting the 120+ grams of protein I should be eating in a day? Sometimes.

Luckily, I eat meat and fish. And yogurt. And cottage cheese. And bone broth.

Do I make my protein goal every day? Nope. Can I easily go overboard on my carb and fat goals? Yep. Because carbs and fats are delicious.

That statement could not be more true:

Some days I find myself not meeting my macro nutrient goals, but I’m not hungry. And the number one rule is DO NOT eat if you’re not hungry. So on those days, I miss my goals. When I find a magic combination of breakfast/lunch/dinner, I do a little dance, and then I tend to try and replicate that.

Tips for Eating Enough Protein

I’m not an expert, but this is what I’m trying:

  • Find a protein-rich breakfast that works for you, and eat a variation of that.
  • Have something high in protein that you can snack on. Last week, I made a batch of turkey meatballs and when I needed a little boost or addition to a meal, I snacked on 2-3 of those. Or beef jerky.
  • Make one recipe each week that you can quickly and easily grab as a meal. For me, I make a soup each week that I have for lunch. Something with – you guessed it – meat and vegetables of some sort.
  • Try a new recipe each week. I bought the Macros Made Easy cookbook, and I’m trying 1-2 things from this each week. This week it’s the Sunday Quiche (makes an easy breakfast!) and the Blackened Chicken Caesar Cobb Salad, which packs a hefty 42 grams of protein in a serving!
  • Do your best. Make conscious choices (yogurt is better than potato chips, that sort of thing).

Now get out there and eat some protein!

election

Get Your Vote On

There are a few topics I tend to stay away from in group settings: religion and politics. (And also sports, because I cannot contribute).

Today is election day. The last election day post I wrote was during COVID, when an orange, egotistical madman was running for President. Little Mister was just six years old, and we had a very honest conversation about what the presidential election means, and who the candidates were.

Fast forward to today, and that very same “not nice” candidate is running again.

Our polls opened at 6am today, and I was there at 6:10am. I knew the polls would be crowded and that the day would get away from me, so I made voting the first thing I did today.

There was a beautiful sunrise, which I’m optimistically viewing as a light of hope on a very big day.

Today is a day to do your civic duty, and then find something to occupy your mind – work, a run, shopping, binge a show, cook something, anything – so you don’t fall down a mental rabbit hole. Personally, I’m going to happy hour for cocktails.

As a woman, I’m remaining optimistic that we will elect a President that will protect our rights, and the rights of our children. I’m optimistic that we will move forward as a society, and not backwards.

Now go get your vote on! (And make the right choice!)

Computer

I Was Mixed Up in an Underground Computer Theft Ring

Part of my “Year of kk” was finding a new job where I felt challenged and spend my days exercising my creative brain. In March I received a job offer that brought me back to my creative agency days.

As I was untangling myself from my marketing director role at the surrogacy agency, I was preparing to give back my Macbook (before getting my computer from my new company), and I decided that I wanted to have a personal computer separate from my work computer.

I purchased a brand new Macbook that was to be delivered that week. I was so excited – I don’t know the last time I had a new computer that was not a work computer!

Computer Delivery Day

I was in meetings when I got the UPS email that my package had been delivered. Squee!

I texted Mr. KK: “My computer got delivered and I’m on calls for the rest of the afternoon. When you get home from work can you bring it in?”

Mr. KK came in from the garage with no computer. “I looked everywhere,” he told me. “No computer.”

Hmm. I went back to the email from UPS, and it did, indeed, say it was delivered. I texted our neighbors to see if by chance my computer was delivered to their house by mistake. Nope.

Where was my effing computer? We live down a long driveway, so it’s not as if someone would be walking by on the street and see a package and take it.

I then logged into the UPS website for more info and saw that not only was my package delivered that afternoon, but the notes said, “Package was given to resident.”

And that’s when things got interesting.

The investigation.

That night, I filed a claim with UPS and alerted Apple that while UPS is saying my package was delivered – to me, apparently – that was not the case. Apple was very understanding; so much so that I wonder how many times computers that are delivered aren’t actually delivered.

The next morning UPS sends an email to confirm that there was truly a problem with my shipment, and that another family member was hoarding my package, or that I didn’t check every door at my house. When I confirmed that yes, my package truly was not delivered, I received a phone call from the UPS claims department.

UPS: “I’m calling about claim 12345. Can you relay in your words what the problem is?”

ME: “UPS is saying they delivered my package and it is not here. The website actually says it was given to the resident – that’s me – and that is not true. I never received the package from a delivery driver.”

UPS: “I’m going to call the driver of the vehicle and call you back.”

5 minutes later…

UPS: “I spoke with the driver, and he said that he gave the package to the resident.”

ME: “That is blatantly not true. I was the only one home, and he did not hand it to me. I have video proof that this did not happen.”

UPS: “Uhhh…let me call him back.”

5 minutes later…

UPS: “Ok, the driver said that he gave the package to your boyfriend.”

Oh, Mr. KK was going to LOVE this story.

ME: “My boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend!”

UPS: “He said that he gave the package to your boyfriend, who came up to the truck before a few streets from the destination and gave the recipient’s name and told the driver what was in the package, and then told him to give the package to him because he wanted to surprise you with it for your birthday.”

What in the actual eff? Either someone has been tracking my movements and knew I was getting this delivery and what it was and knew my name and address (CREEPY), or the delivery driver stole my computer and made up this ridiculous story.

This UPS guy was admitting that he gave a package to someone who was NOT the recipient, at an address that was NOT the delivery address.

I shared all of this info with Apple, who probably already knew where my computer was and who stole it because of the serial number and I’m sure some high-tech tracking device.

Apple – who should be named Cucumber because that’s how cool they were with all of this – said, “No problem, we’ll send you another computer.”

But the drama doesn’t end there.

When I received the delivery date for my new computer, I called up UPS and told them to hold my package at the facility and I would pick it up. I was NOT going to lose another computer to an unscrupulous delivery driver.

I safely brought my beautiful, new computer home. I opened up the box and turned it on and connected my Apple ID. Finally, my very own computer! It was so shiny! So fancy!

And then…I heard from a family friend that they had also just bought a new computer and wanted to know if I wanted their old Macbook, which was a few years old but in great condition.

WHAT?

While my new computer was awesome and still a virgin, the thought of having a computer that was lightly used AND FREE was very appealing.

Mr. KK: “Maybe you can return the new computer? You haven’t even used it!”

This was true. I once again contacted Apple and told them the situation.

APPLE: “You want to return the computer you just purchased?”

ME: “YES! It’s not even used. I just put in my Apple ID but we can clear that out.”

APPLE: “Which computer are your returning? The original one or the replacement one?”

So Apple apparently thinks that I now have TWO computers from them – the original (stolen) computer and the second (paid for) computer that was delivered the day before. They must think I’m running an underground computer ring.

ME: “I’d like to return the second computer that was sent to me as a replacement for the first computer THAT WAS STOLEN. I only have ONE computer. And I didn’t even use it!”

APPLE (likely tired of people stealing computers, ordering new computers, then returning computers): “We’ll send you a shipping label and refund you.”

So in the end, I didn’t get a new computer after all (but some random UPS driver did!). UPS also never followed back up with me, so perhaps that driver was fired. At least, that’s what I like to think instead of the thought that someone was tracking my computer delivery and knew all of my info and truly did claim to be my boyfriend when he intercepted the truck.

Did I mention how much Mr. KK liked the story of my boyfriend accepting my package?

Age, getting old

Feet don’t fail me now.

I could easily fill 30 days of blogging with posts about getting older – every day focusing on a new ailment. (But really – who wants to read that?)

Over the summer months, the side of my right foot started to hurt. There’s a bone there (go ahead, find it on your foot) that was sensitive and painful. I was wearing lots of flip flops and pool slides, so perhaps that was the cause? When I consulted Dr. Google, it said I’d likely have to amputate my foot. And after 3 months of hobbling around in excruciating pain, I decided to get a second opinion with an actual foot doctor.

One of the many jobs I had while in high school was working in a foot doctor’s office. My job consisted of me standing at a counter for hours punching holes in pieces of paper, adding them to the patient charts, and then putting all the charts back alphabetically. This was the early 90s, so there were no iPhones/spotify/airpods/audiobooks to be had. I would have had to bring in my (rather large) Discman (!!) and wired foam headphones if I wanted to listen to music. If I had head phones on, I’d miss the juicy office gossip that swirled all around me. And, I wouldn’t be able to hear the misogynistic doctor who owned the practice walk into the area where we were all working, clear the phlegm from his throat while openly scratching his man parts through his thin scrubs yelling out patient names so I could fetch the charts for him. Did I mention how glamorous this job was?

While the doctor was an asshole who I would never let touch my feet (or any other part of my body) there was a sweet, young female foot doctor who also saw patients, Dr Wong. I have no idea how she put up with him, but she was quiet and professional and I liked her very much. Over the last 25 years when I did need a foot doctor, I did some sleuthing and found Dr Wong! She has her own practice in Cheshire and was always so gracious when I would go in.

I was four month deep in my foot pain, and it was bad enough that I had to go see my old friend Dr Wong.

I made an appointment and after having to cancel it twice due to work travel, I finally made it there in October. Dr Wong was thrilled to see me (her memory is unbelievable, she told me stories about myself I had zero recollection of).

She inspected my foot and listened to my woes and declared that I have tendonitis because my foot bones are off (?) and I’m overcompensating for something and pulling on the tendon on the outside of my leg. (This detail is about the extent of what I take away from a doctor: vague diagnosis and unclear cause). I left the appointment with a taped up foot (“Don’t get it wet – shower with a bag on your foot” Dr. Wong advised) and the insole of my sneaker doctored up with arch support.

Spoiler alert: that didn’t fix me. I went back three weeks later, and that’s when she really gave it me straight.

“Both of your feet are problematic,” she told me. “Your right foot the bones on the bottom are uneven and it’s pulling on your tendon. On your left foot, your foot leans in.”

“So what you’re saying is,” I say to her, “is that I’m falling apart? I’m old and my body is breaking down?”

“Not your whole body!” Dr. Wong exclaimed. “Just from your ankles down. The rest of you looks good – and you have great hair!”

As flattering as the hair compliment was, Dr. Wong went on to explain that I needed additional support in order to walk properly and pain free. She picked up my New Balance sneaker and folded it in half. “See this?” she said. “No support!”

“But those are actual walking/running shoes!” I exclaimed.

“This is just a sock with sole!” she said shaking my sneaker at me. True story: I love my New Balance sneakers so much – and they are so comfortable – that I have purchased the same sneakers the last 3 times I needed a new pair.

“You need shoes with more support!” Dr. Wong said, pulling up ugly, geriatric sneakers on Amazon. “Like these!” she said.

The sneakers she was showing me were pairs that my grandmothers (rest their soles) would not be caught dead in.

“And you need inserts!” she exclaimed, typing furiously into her browser.

With each declaration, her diagnosis and suggested plan of action got worse and worse. I sent this text message to Mr. KK:

It just kept getting worse and worse. Old age was now affecting my favorite feature: my feet!

I tried to explain to her that I wore a lot of fashion sneakers and other shoes (read: Rothy’s) that would not fit these bulky orthotics. But she had a solve for that too! Half orthotics that are perfect for “going out” shoes.

“Try these inserts in your shoes,” Dr. Wong instructed me. “And if those don’t work, we will try the heel lifts.”

If my foot didn’t hurt so much on a regular basis, I may have ignored her. But I was literally in pain 24/7, and limping around like an invalid. I already walked like I was 95 years old, so why not wear shoes like a 95 year old?

That afternoon, I ordered the old lady sneakers, and the insoles. I drew the line at heel lifts, because I was just not ready for that commitment yet. Today, everything arrived in the mail – stay tuned.

Fashion

Putting my best foot forward.

I love my feet.

When we lived in Boston I was working in the advertising department at Filene’s (remember Filene’s??). One of the perks of the job was having access to the sample sales to unload merchandise that was photographed for the catalogs, since it couldn’t go back on the selling floor. Each department would hold a sample sale down in the buyers’ “offices” (cubicles) and all the advertising folks would scamper down from the 8th floor to be first in line (if you didn’t get there early you would be left with slim pickings). I would come home with $15 comforters, $2 towels and $10 handbags.

The best sample sale BY FAR was for shoes. You see, I am a sample size 6 shoe. When photographing shoes for a promotion, they would shoot the smallest size which was almost always a 6. Once shot, the shoes usually didn’t go back on the selling floor (they were marked with a big X on the bottoms) and they’d be at the next sample sale.

The beauty of the shoe sample sale – compared to the bedding sample sale – is that while everyone could use a duvet, very few people had size 6 feet.

On shoe sample sale day my friend and forever shopping partner would get the call from the shoe buyer that the sale was on. I’d grab an empty shopping bag and we’d sneak down the back staircase, through the maze of cubicles until we reached the small conference room which contained one long table covered in never-worn shoes, all a size 6 and all $5 a pair.

That’s right. $5 a pair!

Leopard calf hair ankle booties! Red kitten heels! Pink ballet flats! Black Mary Janes! I bought them all. I had a very impressive shoe collection for a twenty-something making $30k a year as a copywriter.

When I left my job at Filene’s and we moved out of South Boston (7 boxes of shoes in the moving van), I arrived at my new job with an impressively strong shoe game. And I loved wearing every pair. Each day I’d dress and show up to work in heels. Not only was I able to walk around the office all day in pointy toed boots and platform wedges, I drove the hour to and from work wearing them! Wearing heels make me feel glamorous, but they also enabled me to wear pants without hemming them to fit my 5 foot frame.  I was literally wearing heels from 7am until 8pm every day. I was, apparently, slightly insane.

Fast forward a decade or two, and you will have a hard time finding a shoe with any height in my closet. Waaay in the back I have a pair of black heels that make my feet weep after wearing them for only an hour. I could potentially get a few hours out of a wedge, but that’s about it.

My closet is filled with flats and sneakers. I might as well own stock in Rothy’s I have such an embarrassing number of pairs #sorrynotsorry.

Back to my feet.

Once, I was coming home from work on the T in Boston (wearing jeweled kitten heeled thong sandals) and a very nice homeless man was staring at me until he finally drunk shouted at me: “You have really beautiful feet!” I was flattered.

My feet are small and proportioned. My toes behave accordingly, and are in perfect descending order of length. My feet look good in any shoe, because every shoe looks good in the prototype size 6. In the summer, my feet turn a beautiful bronze from the sun.

And the best part about my feet? They always stay the same size! So while I have bins of pants that span 4 sizes, my shoes have always fit perfectly and never disappoint me.

I could always count on my feet.

That is, until my feet started failing me.

More on that tomorrow.

Age, Life

The Year of kk

HELLO! Happy November! I’m back! (for 30 days, anyway)

Every year when November rolls around I think to myself, “How has it been an entire year since I last blogged?” Mostly because so much has happened, but sometimes time is tricky, and it can feel like I literally just stopped blogging a week ago vs a year ago.

On our last episode, I may have mentioned that 2024 was a BIG milestone birthday for me. And that I was going to celebrate all year long. I did my best to live up to that declaration. And let me tell you, it has been A YEAR.

I traveled!

While I didn’t leave the country, I made my way to some of my favorite places, and found some new ones:

Boston with my Misters.
West Palm Beach. I tagged along with a friend on her work trip, and basically spent 3 days poolside sipping frosé, and then dining among the rich and famous (I’m looking at you, Kelsey Grammer).
Disney 2.0. This warrants its own post, but we made our way back to the Mouse House.
Nantucket. Just me and Mr. KK on the birthday trip that was everything I had hoped and dreamed (and planned!) it would be, and so much more.
Cape Cod. Our annual family vacation.

I celebrated!

Happy birthday to ME! Drinks and dinners, parties and presents. I felt the love this year, I appreciate everyone so much.

I focused on ME.

Health and nutrition, exercise and mindfulness. It truly was the Year of kk.

I saw the shows!

From Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in NYC, to Nate Bargatze at the casino, to the icing on the cake coming up in December: Ina Garten.

I switched jobs!

It is markedly difficult to change jobs when you are of a certain age. Plus, I work in an industry where the threat of being replaced by someone younger and cooler always looms. But I took the leap, back to my creative agency roots. It took courage and a little bit of crazy, but it was the right move.

It’s my cancerversary!

At the end of this month…20 years!

Let the 30 days of blogging begin!

Christmas, Elf on the Shelf

Last Post: Trees, Wrap-Up and The BIG Year Ahead

This last post is a few days late, thanks to the flu that took me down the week after Thanksgiving. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but I’m slowly coming back to life.

It was hard to lose a week of my life in prime holiday time, but it wasn’t as awful as last year, when after avoiding Covid for two years both Mr. KK and I tested positive the beginning of the second week in December. And on top of Covid, I also had the flu (I have always been an over achiever), which was a super fun time. Miraculously we were able to keep Little Mister from getting sick (and inevitably missing Christmas), but we did miss out on quite a bit of festivities during the month because WE were sick. My goal was to test negative by Christmas Eve, and I did – on December 23 – when my Mom and I held our cookie making day (which had been cancelled from a week earlier). I was thankful to be able to have that day and then enjoy Christmas and Christmas Eve.

One Balsam and One Frasier Fir

Balsam on the left – check out the difference in color between the 2 trees.

We secured our trees this past weekend. I was still feeling pretty crappy so we didn’t venture too far from home, and the selection wasn’t huge, but we found two pretty great trees. We’re normally a Frasier Fir family, but this year we’re mixing it up and bringing a Balsam into the mix. Right now we have 2 naked trees up in our house and they smell amazing. And, in true kk fashion, I’m more in love with our second ‘kitchen’ tree than I am the tree in the big room. It’s just so round and fat and green.

The Elf Is Here

He arrived on Thursday, a nice surprise for Little Mister when he got home from school. He’s already up to his shenanigans.

The Year Ahead

2024 promises to be a big year. But before I look ahead let’s look back and see what your Unwrapped looks like when you only listen to Spotify when driving your 9 year old around. The fact that Imagine Dragons isn’t listed here is shocking. I remember when each of these songs became an obsession that we listened to on repeat throughout the year. Thanks, Spotify.

So, the year ahead.

First, it’s a milestone birthday year for me. And I have decided that we will celebrate all year long. We’re planning a long Birthday Weekend Spectacular (BSW) a few months after my actual birthday, and planning that will be almost as fun as going. If there’s ever been a time to reflect on life so far, next year will be it for me.

Second, next year is my 20 year cancer-versary! It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years, the memories are so vivid it feels like yesterday. So thankful for my doctor and the amazing team of nurses at Dana Farber.

So that’s it – another month of blogging in the books. I missed a few days, but I’ve made peace with it! I hope you enjoyed reading…until next year!

Christmas, Elf on the Shelf

Our Elf Arrives Tomorrow!

As the last day of November (and my blogging) draws near, the long-awaited arrival of our Elf is here. He will make his appearance tomorrow while Little Mister is at school: find himself a spot in the house and leave a package on the front steps with Christmas pajamas and ornaments for the tree.

If any of you also have an Elf that visits your house, I thought I’d share some of our Elf’s shenanigans from last year for inspiration.

Welcome back, Jack!

Happy Elfing!

(and happy almost last day of blogging!)