The last two weeks in July were pure summer scramble—baseball dreams, taco diplomacy, and smash burgers gone rogue. But tucked between the grease clouds and fangirl squeals were ice cream breaks, health check wins, and the kind of selfie moments that remind me why “LyLy” matters. Buckle up.
I tried The Lift Box after spotting it on Instagram, hoping to discover healthier snacks for my on-the-go days. My box didn’t include a shirt—just consumables—and it arrived looking like it had gone twelve rounds with the postal system. The Lift Box follows a no-choices model: you don’t pick what goes inside, so every month’s a surprise. That’s great if you like sampling new snacks and supplements without overthinking, but it can be hit or miss depending on your taste. The bright side? You can cancel anytime, so there’s no pressure to stick with it if the lineup doesn’t hit…
From fro-yo runs to a 50th birthday bash, here’s what life looked like lately around our corner of Auburn. July 5 LA turned 5 months…I mean how is it going by so fast?!?! My in laws throw a 4th of July party every other year. This year the party was actually on the 5th. You can read about it here>>>Celebrating Independence Day 2025 July 6 We went to visit our friend Marc at his church about 30 minutes away. We got to hear his sermon and then went to the parsonage to visit with him and his family. July 10…
In our corner of Alabama, my in-laws’ Fourth of July party is a biennial celebration complete with fireworks, laughter, and enough food to feed a marching band. But this year, we kicked things off the day before with a brand-new tradition: making the homemade ice cream ourselves. Usually, the churn duty falls to the seasoned pros in the family—but this time, we rolled up our sleeves and took the reins (and the rock salt). We arrived around noon, the house already buzzing with my nieces and nephews and some of their friends darting in and out. The charcuterie boards were…
LIFE Happenings Here’s my weekly posts to catch you up. Week 23 & 24 Week 25 & 26 Loving that I have gotten back into meal planning. Happy when she’s around… Excited to celebrate Rob’s 50th birthday next week. Reminiscing We’ve been talking about what we’re doing for 4th of July next year since its a big one for our country. 250 years!! Its made me think about our 4th of July during Drew’s high school graduation trip in the Pacific Northwest. That day in 2016 we explored Mount St. Helen’s as well as Lava Canyon and the Ape Caves.…
1. What does freedom mean to you? Wow! When I hear this question it evokes so many emotions. Across the country, conversations about freedom are emotionally charged—whether it’s the right to vote, bodily autonomy, what books kids can read, or how history is taught. These aren’t abstract debates; they shape people’s lives and futures. America is a place where “freedom” has meant radically different things to different people. That contradiction—between the ideal and the reality—can be frustrating or heartbreaking. And when the word is used as a shield or a weapon by those with opposing views, it can feel like…
Snapshots from the Past Two Weeks From granddaughter giggles to wedding vows, birthday candles to eye charts — these past couple of weeks have been full of sweet moments. I’ve gathered a few favorite photos, each with a little story to go with it. Thanks for joining me on this small stroll through recent memories. June 18 Time for another eye check. Gave bifocal contacts another shot, but the difference just wasn’t worth it—so it’s back to my usual lenses, plus readers when needed. Getting old is a bummer. June 22 Sunday sweetness. My girl came to Sunday lunch with…
Another month down and I actually kept up with my again. I’m impressed! I think the format makes it easier for me to wrap my brain around each day. I am write them in my Day One journal on my computer and then just copy them over here. Another month down, and I actually stuck with my Sentence a Day Who even am I? The format just makes it way easier to wrap my head around this task each day. I type them up in Day One journal on my computer like a responsible adult, then copy them over here…
1. What does adventure mean to you? Adventure sparks personal growth by pushing you out of your comfort zone. It builds confidence, adaptability, and resilience through real-world challenges. You gain broader perspectives, discover hidden strengths, and often redefine what you’re capable of. Growth happens in the stretch. As I grow older, I find myself holding back from adventure out of fear—and I really can’t stand that about myself. 2. What are your thoughts on tipping? What businesses or service providers do you regularly tip? Do you resent being asked if you’d like to add a tip? What about when a…
Another two weeks down. There was a lot that went on in the last 2 weeks from conference ending that Rob was in charge of to the determination of what trip was going to be taken. Of course, some LA time. If you missed the last weekly post, you can find it here. June 2 Snapped this on my afternoon walk through of the building. This is from the added on Mell building that was built on to the front of the library looking out at the original facade front of the library. June 4 This day was the last…
1. Summer officially begins this week (in the northern hemisphere)…what was your favorite thing to do in the summer when you were a kid? What do you like most about summer now? I loved swimming and since we didn’t have a pool at home or somewhere to go swim, I always swam on vacation. With that being said, I also loved to travel. My Granddad (who raised me with my Grandmother) was a traveling salesman, so I often went with him. We also went on family vacations most summers. 2. Something you’ll celebrate this summer? Not sure, we’re celebrating anything…
1. June 10th is National Herbs and Spices Day. Besides salt and pepper, what herb or spice container do you reach for most often? Is there a spice you truly dislike? What’s a recent dish you made that called for more than salt and pepper? Garlic powder and red pepper flake are my go to spices. I also use a lot of basil, onion powder, and cayenne. I am not a big fan of fennel seeds. I make a taco soup that calls for taco seasoning, which I typically just make my own and that has a lot of seasonings…
Time to sum up another month. Here we are for May already! LIFE Happenings Here’s my weekly posts to catch you up. Week 19 & 20 Week 21 & 22 Loving the weather lately. It hasn’t been super hot here and I’m loving it! Happy So happy my Cologuard came back negative. No colonoscopy for me!! PTL!! Excited to hopefully get the ball rolling on more projects in the backyard. Reminiscing This from 2003 when Drew was in Kindergarten, with his best friend at the time Austin. They are both Daddy’s now with kids just a few month apart. Crazy!…
If you missed the last weekly post, you can find it here. May 23 I’m never alone… May 24 Memorial Day Weekend was different this year. We made the decision not to camp at the lake, but instead just go up on Saturday. It’s always a good time at the lake. It was LA’s first time. Kayleigh even enjoyed getting in the water Such a great day! I love getting to see ‘firsts’ of LA’s. May 23 A few days later we decided to check out Waldo’s Chicken and Beer. Pretty good My boss has an unhealthy fear of Big…
1. What do birthdays look like in your house? How are they celebrated? Any special traditions? What about birthdays growing up? Birthdays now are usually dinner at a place of our choosing and for the boys we come back and open presents and sometimes have cake. Here’s some photos of my boys on their birthdays. And to clarify bc I have new people visiting today…I have 2 boys. These are them at different ages. My birthdays growing up were always fun. In upper elementary and middle school, I usually had friends over for a spend the night party. I think…
I got motivated this month to start back with a sentence a day. I did a few S-A-D posts in 2021. I am actually writing these in my Day One journal that I love so much. And I am using a template I made that has 3 prompts -Thankful for: -Sum up today in 1 sentence/Or one memorable thing from today: Number of Steps: -1-Th- -Negative Cologuard test results! -I enjoyed my discussion with Marty (co-worker) about the student council seniors who are able to tell their biggest wishes for the job…now that they’re leaving. 6,434 -2-F- -My work team…
1. What’s your favorite room in your house and why? Now that we redid one the larger of the 2 kids rooms last year, it is my favorite. Even though I’m not in there much. I love it because with the new paint and new crown molding makes it feel ‘clean.’ There’s also no clutter. It’s not ‘lived in.’ 🙂 2. What’s something that will instantly annoy you? Bad drivers… 3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day…will you celebrate? How do you like yours? If you’re not cooking at home is there a favorite place you like to go for…
If you missed the last weekly post, you can find it here. It’s a good one!! May 5 LA turned 3 months today and her mom went back to work after 12 weeks off. That evening Rob and I went to Montgomery to see 2 of our preachers get ordained as deacons. The 2nd and 4th guy from the left. This is our clergy team from our church. These guys are awesome! May 6 Alex has been telling us for a while that the restaurant he worked at was going to be closing it’s doors soon. We wanted to go…
1. May 20th is World Bee Day…what’s something that’s kept you ‘busy as a bee’ lately? This past Sunday we got to have LA at our house for most of the day while her parents went to the lake with her sister. With a baby around, you are busy as a bee, but I couldn’t have been happier. It was lovely. She’s out of her fussy stage, which is nice. 2. Do you like honey? What’s something you make or enjoy that calls for honey? Although, I haven’t made this in years much to my husbands chagrin, this is a…
1. What’s something you’re curious about right now? I recently started playing around with ChatGPT and I’m curious about more productive ways to use it. I made my dog into a human…so that was fun. 2. If you could plan the perfect girl’s weekend getaway, where would you go and what would be on the agenda? Do you have anything like this on your calendar in the next few months? I’ve always dreamed of having a girls’ weekend in Key West (because Rob hates it and I love it.) I think its a great place to just hang out at…