{ Tulips & TShirts }

July is the heart of summer—warm weather, long days, and endless possibilities. Whether you’re planning time with friends, family, or a partner, there’s a summer-themed activity waiting for you. Here are some great ideas for July fun, organized by the kind of group you’re spending time with. FriendsFor groups of friends, July is perfect for outdoor adventure and festival hopping. Try organizing…

This summer’s food scene is bursting with bold flavors, playful formats, and nostalgic twists. Whether you’re a foodie, a curious snacker, or just looking to spice up your next meal, here are the top 10 food trends making waves in July 2025. Pickle EverythingPickles are having a moment. From Cup Noodles’ dill pickle ramen to pickle juice slushies at Sonic and pickle-topped pizza, the briny trend…

Lately, I’ve been kinda obsessed with AI. Who hasn’t? It’s featured in the majority of headlines across various industries. The best AI/LLMs to use, how to upskill, prompt cheats, and of course, the impact on individuals and careers. And then there is the type of AI: Google’s VEO3 for creative, Claude vs ChatGPT, and all the recent announcements of how major companies are incorporating the…

 “Paris is always a good idea.” Audrey Hepburn “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta Photo by Ono Kosuk This weekend, my thoughts began to wander to destinations unseen. It happens every year, multiple times a year to me. I get restless when “there is nothing on the calendar”. Unfortunately, no plans can be made until new employment is…

“A cardinal lives in a tree of hope and love. (S)He is the guardian of all our wishes and dreams.”– Unknown. Photo by Dmitri Sotnikov Day three. What have I added to my day? Exercise. A gym trip today is needed, and I will go with B. – maybe even N? Need a moment to do some college work for B. I am glad for the holidays, yet I am eager to return our home to its normal undecorated state. The…

A goal without a plan is just a wish. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Planning. We are on day two of this new year, and all those ideas need to be put into a plan. How do you break down an idea or a dream into a plan? What is the first step? Beats me. I am sitting here writing this entry, surrounded by my notebook, coffee, and lists of to-dos I’ve blissfully ignored during the holidays. I guess the…

Photo by Viridiana Rivera: https://www.pexels.com/photo/minimalist-2025-chalkboard-sign-on-vibrant-background-29996961/ Happy 2025!! It’s been about a year since my last entry. Journaling has always been a struggle. This time, I want to flip this on its head. I am archiving familial strife posts and moving toward gratitude and positive thoughts. One of my firm beliefs is that you get what you…

This post was written on February 17, 2024. As of 2 days ago, 34,000 people in tech, media, and advertising have been laid off. I am now one of those people. As the main income provider for my family, this has been my biggest fear. That makes sense, right – without a steady income, how do we live? How would we manage without that paycheck every two weeks? How would we save for college? Save…

One year later. Isn’t it funny how life brings unresolved lessons back to you? Thanksgiving just passed. It was the first Thanksgiving holiday with my family since 2019, and it was as I anticipated. My parents ‘family’ was together as they requested; they wanted everyone together. I am not clear if it was to see how everyone would relate or to hopefully squeeze one more holiday season altogether…

We had a quiet and kinda perfect New Years celebration- family dinner out. After, N’s friends came over while B spent the evening elsewhere with hers. A fire, an Italian film with subtitles lead us to the big count down. Yet, something is off.. 10, 9, 8… the holiday let down was coming in fast. 7, 6, 5… my sister acted as if I don’t exist this week, and my parents enable it. 4, 3, 2… here it…

Journal #6: Mediation Memories

N came home from school this weekend. He was here for 5 days and I enjoyed each minute. I had a deeper appreciation for time with our family partly because of his absence and partly due to a recent, unexpected death within our extended family. We attended the funeral last weekend – my parents did not attend. My sister did and as I understand it, she arrived late after a previous engagement and…

Not sure where to begin today. It’s been a few weeks. One of my dearest and lifelong friends lost a family member. My own recent loss still near the skin, so this week brought up recent memories of strained and, maybe, bad decisions. While this memory is centered on me and part of my experience with this loss, I am aware that during times like this, when a central family figure dies, many people…

Journaling… #3

Spring is springing in my neighborhood. Trees are coming back to life with colorful blossoms. Yellows, whites, pinks and purples dot the the perimeters of the homes nearby. Its reaffirming, spirit lifting and so needed. Image from ILoveNewYork.com Tulip Festival I am sitting in a state of contented happiness today. Typing away in the just completed home office (after two years of covid remote…

Journaling …#2

December 2020. To set the stage, as if we really need a reminder, this holiday season was during many lockdowns, as there were no vaccines available yet. The recommendation was to not be with family for this holiday season, especially if family included seniors and kids. This holiday was also at peak “stolen election” frenzy, prior to the insurrection. Given the political divide, I was very…

Journaling…entry #1

That argument changed everything. It had a seismic impact on me, him, us. And that is important to get to. But it also dropped a veil on how I’ve been handling everything. Which is to say, not as well as I thought. I type faster than I write, I think more clearly when I type. So in lieu of a journal, and because putting more beauty content in the word will not really help anyone, I am going to…

Today was a good day.

I do not love the hype around New Years resolutions. They are part of the negative diet culture I try to avoid. Rather, I try to exemplify a positive balanced look at food and exercise for my teen daughter. Try. Some days are better than others. Today was one of those days that I lived up to that statement. On NY’s coldest day in over three years, I woke up in the deep dark night (5:45am) to…