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A Milestone I’ve Been Dreading
In three and half months, I have already been through some hard milestones already since losing my dad. My dad passed away on my husband’s 31st birthday. Mother’s Day was that same weekend. Then came my sister’s birthday, and Father’s Day immediately after that. Boom, boom, boom. There are still many “firsts” to come that I’m not looking forward to – more birthdays and the holiday season. There is one milestone, though, that I have been absolutely dreading. Like, sick-to-my stomach, can’t think about it, won’t let my mind go there, dread. I’ve put it out of my mind with such finality that when I realized it was here, it…
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Waiting on a Miracle: My Infertility Story
“Don’t feel upset or mad at all. Don’t feel regret, or sad at all.” My daughter is going through a serious Encanto phase. I’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite Disney movie. The music, however, written by Lin Manuel Miranda, is very catchy and good to listen to on its own. We’ve listened to the Encanto soundtrack so many times that I’ve practically memorized it. These past few weeks, every time I learn of another friend, or even celebrity that is pregnant or has recently had a baby, this song line from Encanto pops into my head. It’s not that I’m not happy for my friends. I am so over-the-moon…
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Telluride Summer Series Part 2: Our Trip Itinerary
Welcome back to my Telluride Summer Series! Don’t forget to read Part 1, which is all about preparing for our trip. In this post, I’ll be taking you day-by-day through our entire trip: where we visited, what we ate, and which activities were our favorites. Sunday For our travel day, we kept it easy with dinner right in Mountain Village at Black Iron Kitchen + Bar. Almost every single person at our table ordered the BIKB Wagyu Half Pound Burger, and it absolutely did not disappoint. After a long day of traveling, it was the perfect treat to get our protein up and prepare our bodies for the work of…
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Our Telluride Summer Series Part 1: Planning Our Trip
Telluride, Colorado is known in history as the world’s first city to produce and transmit “alternating current,” an electric current used by power supplies to produce wide-spread electricity. It’s also the spot where infamous criminal Butch Cassidy committed his first bank robbery. Today, this former silver mining camp is known mostly for its stunning views, outdoor activities, and world-class shopping and dining experiences. Telluride is a quiet favorite of reclusive celebrities for a reason: it’s difficult to get to and it’s hard to stay there. At more than 9,000 feet elevation, the Telluride Regional Airport is the highest regional airport in the United States. Commercial pilots are hesitant to land…
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My Hair Loss and Regrowth Story
For most people, hair is such an important party of our identity. For women, our femininity, security, and sense of self can all be wrapped up in those strands that fall on either side of our face. It’s one of the first things that people see when they look at us, and it’s also one of the things that we can mostly control about our appearance. We can use products, styling tools, cuts, and colored dye to express ourselves through our hair. For both men and women, hair loss can be very traumatic. At some point in our lives, we all expect to lose our hair or at least for…
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Top 5 Tips for Beach Trips with Toddlers!
Every summer, my in-laws host a trip to a little Panhandle beach town called Mexico Beach. Since I started coming with my husband, Mexico Beach has quickly become one of my favorite places to visit. Nicknamed “The Forgotten Coast,” the town has fought to hold onto its small-town charm and quiet beaches. When my daughter was old enough to start coming to the beach, we were excited to share this special place with her. Toddlers can be unpredictable, even during their normal every-day routine. With this being our second trip to Mexico Beach with our daughter, we were a little bit more prepared to enjoy the beach! 1. Prep, Prep,…
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I Wish I Could Celebrate You
A few days ago, I was messaging with a friend of college, who lost her dad several years ago. We were talking about Father’s Day. She said to me, “I try to celebrate (my husband) and my father-in-law but I can’t give them what I want to, not yet.” Boy, did she hit the nail on the head. My sister, mom, and I always made Father’s Day a big deal for my dad. I can remember, from the time we were really little, meticulously thumbing through every Father’s Day card down in the grocery store, trying to find the exact right one. My sister and I would fight over who…
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10 Baby Shower Gifts Your Friends Will Actually Use (& Love!)
This past week, I co-hosted a baby shower for a sweet friend. She is expecting her first baby girl after two sweet boys! It was so fun to get together with friends, plan a pink party and celebrate her. Watching her open her gifts made me think about my own baby shower. I found out I was pregnant with my daughter in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. My pregnancy experience was very different than what I expected it to be. I didn’t get to go into stores and test drive strollers or browse through baby aisles. Instead, I had to shop online and just guess what I wanted. Luckily,…
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How I told my Toddler about my Dad’s Death
One of the most gut-wrenching realities of my dad’s passing, was the overwhelming realization that my daughter won’t know him. Don’t get me wrong – my dad very much knew my daughter. In her two-and-a-half years of life, he spent as much time as he could with her. My daughter definitely knew (and still knows) her “Pop.” She talked to him and about him often, and brought him up in conversation even when he wasn’t around. Thinking about their relationship now, a very distinct memory comes to mind. In the first few weeks that I went back to work after maternity leave, my mom would pick my daughter up from…
