300 Days of Sunshine

I just returned home from a memorable weekend in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, celebrating my sister, Katie, who is getting married in just a few short weeks.  Four years ago she, as my Maid of Honor, planned the most unforgettable and fun-filled bachelorette weekend for me:  San Francisco and Sonoma Bachelorette , and now it was my turn to do the same for her!  We gathered together a group of twelve women from Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Manchester, Santa Fe, Denver, and Seattle to celebrate the Bride to Be.  I wanted to have some organized, pre-planned group activities, but also plenty of down time for games, lounging, and drinking wine.  While we wanted most of the weekend to be spent at a cozy cabin overlooking the serene water of Puget Sound, we wanted one exciting night out on the town, and I think we achieved that balance.  Here's the breakdown of our weekend events: 1)  Night Out in Capitol Hill We arrived...

Being a parent is hard, and full of paradoxes.  You want to keep your child safe and protected at all times, while at the same time giving her wings to fly.  You want your baby to explore her world and discover its secrets, yet you don't want her to discover anything that could cause her pain or sadness.  You worry constantly, while telling yourself that everything will be fine in the end.  You want your child to be happy and confident and joyful, but you realize that sadness and guilt and hurt feelings are necessary emotions for learning compassion.  Most of all, as parents we want our babies to thrive, to grow into successful, smart, compassionate children and adults.  The expectations are constantly evolving and intensifying.  As my little one continues to grow and learn, I envision how I will parent her, how I will teach her life's important lessons, and what kind of person I hope for her to become.  I think about how to incorporate our family...

Welcome to my new-and-improved blog site with an updated format!  I have been writing here for over five years now and it was time for a facelift.  My goal was to have everything look more organized and less cluttered.  I'm still trying to find the best place for my reading list, so there may be some revisions yet to come.   Stay tuned for some upcoming posts about feminism, bachelorette party planning, and yarn projects!  Happy spring!