Life on your terms

    June 1, 2017

    A couple weeks ago I witnessed my stepdaughter graduate high school. It was a celebratory moment, a time when I saw her genuinely happy and excited about the future. It was hard to believe that ten years earlier, I met a strong-willed, 8-year-old little girl who loved to dance, workout and be incredibly helpful. I love her focus, ambition and independence. While visiting, I also celebrated my other stepdaughter’s 16th birthday. Weeks leading up I was in shock that our…

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  • How I built my stepdaughter’s money cake

    I surprised my stepdaughter with a money cake for her graduation because she’s been a hard worker her entire life and is leaving for college soon! She knows I can’t gift her with a…

    May 21, 2017

  • Birth of the Belly Ball

    For years I struggled with bloating, whether it was from my latest sugar binge, upcoming period, love for beer or inability to efficiently process fake sugar, lactose or certain vegetables. The discomfort of a…

    February 7, 2017

  • I’m thankful I lost my wedding ring

    I lost my engagement ring last week. As we were driving to the employee holiday party, I reached down into my purse where I had left it last and couldn’t find it. I only…

    December 21, 2016

  • Marriage in a Mustard Seed.

    November 15, 2016 Our first argument was about mustard. Exactly this time in November many moons ago, my boyfriend and I fell in love. We had a long-distance relationship and were excited to plant…

    November 15, 2016

  • A life lived in limbo…

    Oct 2, 2016 Months ago I separated from my husband. Every day since, my moods have been volatile, colorful and constantly changing. I’m either up or down, angry or ok, upset or calm, tearful…

    October 2, 2016

  • What is Love?

    August 22, 2016 I write while standing at a life crossroad. I never knew I’d be standing here, re-planning my world and wondering which road would be the wisest to take. I’ve thought about…

    August 21, 2016

  • Testing my Endurance

    As I ran passed Mile 23, my moistened eyes emotionally grasped that this moment had finally arrived. I was going to complete my first marathon. All the training, early mornings, hours on the treadmill…

    May 11, 2016

  • Developing My Grit.

    April 17, 2016 I created this website over ten years ago because I wanted to start telling my story. Since I was little my shyness was perceived as snobby, my confidence was considered arrogant,…

    April 19, 2016

  • Living with No Regrets

    I started my fitness career at 24 hour fitness. It was a new gym, just a few miles away from my parent’s home in Elk Grove, CA. Since I never played a sport, as…

    February 1, 2016