Local The Power of Community - Guest Blog by Tim Kreider A few years ago I heard the story like everyone else in the area: a boy and his parents murdered in their home. No one knew who had done it. It sent chills down my back. When I heard the boy responsible for the murders was a teenager, I felt
Life Ask the Big Questions Wednesday night I'm meeting with a group of like-minded women to talk about life. I have too many big questions. I don't want a bible study. I don't want a book group. I want a big life questions group. I want to ask all
Life The Year of Bravery 2013 was amazing. Here are some of the highlights: -Moved out of the city and into suburbia with my husband -Ran 2 5ks -Got Married! -Traveled to Arizona and checked another National Park off my list - Saguaro, and also visited Antigua, Shenandoah National Park, North Carolina, and a local
Leisure Top 5 Treats of 2013 I really love online shopping. As the UPS man found out this year, I have a much better paying job than previous years, so I had fun with that! I realize Christmas is less than a week away, but I wanted to share with you some really wonderful quality products
Life 9 Years of a Crisis of Faith Questions of faith keep whacking me over the head. For the past 5+ years I've gone from gung ho believer, to angry at God, to asking all the big questions with no big answers, to feeling the church was hypocritical, and ultimately I've landed here -
Life The Power of Research The Sandy Hook 1 year anniversary is on Saturday, and thinking of my own life losses around this holiday season, it's hard not think of what can be done to prevent this violence. I believe in prevention, which is why I'm so passionate about cancer research
Leisure Fall Foliage Driving Tours - Lancaster/York The forecasters lied. TODAY is the prime day to view the Fall foliage in Lancaster County, at least from my vantage point in Northwestern Lancaster. The oranges are extreme and brilliant, the yellows subtle with brownish tones, the reds vibrant and warm, and the browns are beginning to hit the
Life Accepting Anger I think I'm angry. This isn't an emotion I've ever really let myself feel. I've allowed myself to be sad, depressed, miserable. I've been overjoyed, happy, in love. Anger has always been pushed down, refused, resented, not allowed. When I
Life A Change in Scenery Yesterday I did what I would have done 4 years ago - I went for a hike, I ate my favorite foods, I watched a movie. Yet, I felt fairly unsatisfied most of the day. The things that once gave me relief and solace have changed. I am in the
Life 5 Years Since He Died This morning around 8 am, it marked 5 years since Kevin took his last breathe on this earth. The past month, maybe two, I've been riding this intense wave of grief that I refused to believe was grief. I just figured I was moody, hormonal, annoyed from a
Life 35 hours left, $498 to go, an inspiring story that the world needs to read. 35 hours left. $498 to go. It was on this date 5 years ago that Kevin and I were in a hospital room in Johns Hopkins hospital overlooking Baltimore yet again. It was our second time in this hospital, and throughout the day we were anxiously waiting on news from
Life Kickstarter Progress and Emotional Setbacks You can't get anywhere forward without tripping along the way, and trip I have. The past couple weeks I've been feeling the tug and pull of the grief waves, but have refused to really let them bring me down. Yesterday, they did. I ended up bawling
Life The Smell of Hockey I toured a nice hockey facility in Annville today for my daytime job, and in the locker room, the stench hit me. Sweat. Sweaty gear smell. Hockey stench. Kevin. Just a couple of months after Kevin died, I went through his hockey gear bag and the stench flashed me back
Life Support the Kickstarter project and be a part of the book! The time has come and today the Kickstarter campaign to publish my love and loss memoir Ebb from the Shoreline - How I found Hope in Love, Anticipation and Loss is waiting to get funded with your support. Now through October 28, 2013, the 5th anniversary of Kevin's
Life Kickstarter Accepted - Project Launches Sunday On Sunday, check back here for the link to my Kickstarter campaign. It was approved by the Kickstarter staff and from September 29-October 28, 2013 you can pledge anything from $1 to $2500 to support editing, publishing, printing and marketing my love and loss memoir. We have to hit $5,
Life Ebb from the Shoreline is Coming! Today I launched a Facebook Page and Google Plus page to raise support and awareness for the Kickstarter campaign I hope to launch at the end of this month! I'd love for you to support the goal to raise $5500 minimum which will help fund editing, publishing, printing
Leisure Stopping for the Moment instead of Capturing It So many of us have smartphones now, so nearly everything we do, from eating a delicious burger at a local joint, to taking our dog for a walk around the neighborhood, is documented with a picture. A while ago I began realizing that by taking the time to try and
Leisure In its Natural State There's a reason that the Paleo "diet" has become so huge - it's a way for us to draw on the instincts of humanity to eat whole foods. As hubby and I prepared foods from our CSA and a friend's garden yesterday,
Leisure This Land is Your Land Warning I'm about to geek out on you, again, National Park style. I tend to have some of my best thinking time while mowing our lawn, and tonight, those thoughts surrounded why I feel so in tune and passionate about land preservation and the parks. This Land is
Leisure Planning for the Future Sometimes you just know that what you are doing in your day-to-day life isn't necessarily what you were "meant to do". Sales is probably one of those things for me. I'm great at it-better than most in my profession, but it doesn't
Life Being Bold When I first began blogging about widowhood, and letting it all hang out, many people remarked to me how honest, passionate, and in depth my entries were. I shared with my blog readers exactly what was going on in my life with the emotions of having lost a spouse. As
Life Weighing in on other's Lives I have always thought that I was independent. I began living on my own shortly before my 20th birthday, I held a variety of jobs since I was 14 years old, I'm a fairly free-thinking person. But at 29, I finally am feeling that my decisions and life
Leisure Evolution of Camping The first tent I owned...and admittedly still own 11 years later, was a small 2-person tent from Sears that my Mom purchased for me so Joz and I would have a place to sleep on our road trip through the Wild West following high school graduation. It looks something
Life Self Care My search to take care of myself and my own needs continues to be a strong theme in my life; which Caleb Wilde reminded me. I am recognizing that I’m doing too much, giving up too much of my time to others, and not putting my needs first. I
Leisure The Importance of National Park Week It's a time of celebration for me - National Park Week. National Park Week offers everyone the chance to experience any National Park of their choice fee-free. With fees for vehicles around $25 at some of the major parks, some visitors may find National Park fees too expensive,
