Local Best Coffee Shops in Lancaster, Pa I love coffee. I love food. Living in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania requires this of me. Because of my addiction to the strong black brew, I have loved exploring the fabulous coffee shops in downtown Lancaster, Pa. Prince Street Cafe, located at 15 North Prince Street in Lancaster, Pa, is a
About Me Am I going to make it? The world continues to spin even after death despite feeling like it has stopped. Life moves forward even after death despite our want to go back in time or to never take one more step. Last evening I went to dinner with 2 widows: one who is 3 years out like myself, and one who is 6 months out. Late
Life How to Find Jobs in a Tough Economy I have had numerous jobs over the past 10 years, everything from dining room hostess to Mary Kay consultant. I tend to start, and never go anywhere. For those of us in the same boat, or for those who have found themselves unemployed due to this tough economy, there are
Life Trust to Empowerment Trust is fickle (been itching to use that word). We give it. We tell people they need to earn it. We test it. We take it away. We use it to manipulate. To taunt. We question it. I don't know why I lacked trust after Kevin died. Kevin
Uncategorized Climbing to 2012 Even as 2011 rolls bumpily and noisily on its way to 2012 I see that life, God, everything that is "planned", continues to remind me that life is not a plan. It is certainly not what I planned anyways. 2011, much like 2008 but thankfully not nearly as
Uncategorized Freedom from... Paul Atkinson shared this today: You have been called to live in freedom but don't use your freedom to satisfy yourself, use your freedom to serve one another - Gal 5:13 The word "Freedom" has been more pronounced in my world as of late. I
Uncategorized Degree in Life Today's post is inspired by my widow friend Kim. Kim is a bit insane, like most of my great widow friends. We all have something that ticks a little different. Kim is back in school for a degree in Marine Biology (I believe) and today she posted this:
About Me Mistakes Why do words affect me so? They create drama in my brain that I can't shut off. I use other people's words to torture myself. If I make a mistake, and it's pointed out, I go over it again and again and feel the
Life Crying Won't Kill Anyone When the article about my story came out this week. The reporter stated "She said her support system dropped off months after Kevin died. Friends stopped communicating with her and later told her they didn't know what to say or do." While I was fortunate to
Life Grateful Mentality As I bitched about my job yesterday I realized that it was inappropriate, but I didn't care. I wanted to complain. I wanted to be annoyed at the situation which is out of my control (reminder Bren, everything is out of your control). Even when a widow friend
About Me Grief & Social Media Big thanks to Leigh of the York Daily Record for featuring me in an article about grief and social media. Take the time to read and also view the video to learn more about the other family featured, the Dolins. Social media, a place to share life events, becomes a
About Me Guest Post at Gray Hair and Acne Today you can find a blog post from moi over at Gray Hair and Acne. The Case Against "Couldn't. Stop over and weigh in on your "couldn't"s.
Leisure You Will Not Be Forgotten - Supporting a Historical Project Imagine your life having no marker on earth. Buried in the ground and 100 years later, no one knows your body is there. Passed away without a record of your life except for the ticket of sale for your body. This is where my friend Andi comes into this scenario.
About Me What Would I Be if I Weren't the Crazy Widow? Defining yourself is not one easy task. It is ongoing. You evaluate all the things that bring you to this point in life. You ask around about the characteristics that people believe define your existence. I don't believe any one of us wants to be labeled as any
Local When Death Leads to Life - a Guest Post by Shawn Smucker I'll admit, I have a writer crush on Shawn Smucker. Don't tell his wife Maile, but truth be told, I kind of have a crush on her too. They are a powerhouse team, and I know this because without doing life together, I don't
About Me Trusting my Decision I realized today that I really suck at make decisions on my own. I can't just speak out "YES" or "NO" without seeking further input on a decision. Maybe it's because I've been known to be too spontaneous for my
Life F in Grief A friend on Twitter posted this tweet this morning "It's amazing just how restorative and re-centering a long weekend can be." I think the exact opposite. I knew this weekend would be busy. I knew I'd have 2 days of semi-rest and relaxation and
Life The First Boitson Thanksgiving Excerpt from the memoir "Keepin' it Kevin" on our First Thanksgiving as a married couple: For the first time in as long as I could remember we had no Thanksgiving plans. My grandmother was having knee surgery, and my Mom’s side was waiting to get together
Life Your Facebook/Twitter Status Brenda Boitson is looking forward to seeing her friends tonight. Brenda Boitson has diarrhea. Which do you think is more appealing to an audience of 627 of your "friends"? Your status on your choice of social networking sites becomes you. Once it's out there in cyberspace,
Life Safety Vortex There is this vortex of grief that you don't know you're in until you somehow manage to break through and sneak a peak of the outside shell. Anything can set it off really. I knew that choosing to sleep in one of his old Jerseys the
Uncategorized How to Have a Girls Night Out on the Cheap We all know that hanging out with "the girls" can be budget breaking. In an economy where every penny counts, it has become harder to go out with our favorite friends without going over our spending limits. Here are a few suggestions for ways to find cheap but
Life How to Begin Going Green You hit the snooze alarm, boom, boom, boom. I know I have done it at least 1000 times, but this time, you are using a solar alarm clock. You crawl out of bed, and instead of turning on the lights throughout your house, you open up the blinds and let
non profit Fitness and Cancer Today's guest post is from David Haas: I am a cancer patient advocate who has seen friends and family members struggle from all different types of cancers. I write and research in order to find information and share that information in order to help better people's
Life Taking Time to Find Yourself So much of my grief journey has been engulfed in trying to find myself, to find time to recreate who I am or I thought I was, and to identify what I have become in this process. My friend Dianne recently brought up the topic of identity on her blog
About Me Savvy Auntie Guest Blog - From Widow to Auntie I am so proud to have a blog featured on the Savvy Auntie website! I was ecstatic when Melanie Notkin, Savvy Auntie founder, replied to my email inquiry asking if I could share my story about how Monkey (my niece) changed my family and I's world after a
