I have been talking on self-care at our district for over a year now. I started included a section on the importance of boundaries at some point… I realized without boundaries and being able to say no, self-care is not ever a reality. All of these ideas came together as I read an article written…

Today I did an Ignite Talk (five minutes, 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds). I talked about Thriving with Anxiety. It was an honest talk about my struggle and journey with anxiety. It was hard being vulnerable and sharing failures… I really think stigma about mental health will not go away until we…

Three months ago we officially had an offer on our house… many wondered why we were selling with it only being four years old. We had built the house and picked out all the finishes… well as much as you can with the limits of the builder. We did not dislike the house, but many…

Most of my life I have wondered what it is I am meant to do… I weaved my way through various degrees and different jobs. While each step felt right at the time, I was always searching for what it was I was really meant to do with my life, time, career. It wasn’t until…

When Mandy and I registered for our first Overnight Walk, we picked the team name Love Louder. Mandy came up with the name…. The idea was in spite of everything we can choose to love louder. The idea has really been a beacon for us as we have processed and healed through our journey. This year…

This week our district leadership has been focusing on equity. Dr. Terrance Green led us in a remarkable time of looking at systems that were set up to oppress people and then empowering us to facilitate change. There was so much goodness from the two days, but one phrase continues to stick in my mind……

Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again…. these song lyrics ran through my head last night. I have been down all week. I attributed it to stress from us moving next week and having to pack our entire house… but I finally was honest with myself and admitted I miss…

One year ago today, our family made a big decision with Matthew retiring from coaching college lacrosse after 25 years. We knew it was the absolute best decision for all of us, but also knew it was a step into the unknown of what the future would hold for us. We knew we would stay…

About a year ago we knew we would be moving. Matthew nor I no longer worked in Georgetown and we knew we would put Keaton in a school in Round Rock ISD so his schedule would be the same as mine. We knew at some point that meant putting the house for sale and finding…

It caught me off guard, it was like a hit to the gut, ever part of my body ached….. Last week I got a text from a fellow AFSP board member to the news about one of our volunteers killing himself. He had organized the first ever Baylor Campus Walk after he lost his sister.…

Today was a day that in someway serves as a landmark for me… a moment in time when I am profoundly aware of how much I have grown, evolved, and lived the last 19.5 years. Today is a day I think she would be proud of me. When my mom killed herself 19.5 years ago,…

I never really gave public education much thought for most of my life. Through fourth grade it was just what you do and I knew not one person who went to private school. In fifth grade our family moved to a small town in Texas for my dad to go back into education after 14…

Last week I was invited to talk to a few high school health science classes about mental health. The teacher wanted her students to learn about mental health and I was so excited (and scared) to talk directly with students. I carefully created a PowerPoint to guide us through talking about current statistics on mental…

From the time I can remember, I watched fairytales and read stories about the perfect life that awaits me once I am older. As the years went by, I clearly knew my own family was not perfect, yet I still bought into the idea of the “perfect life” out there that I needed to attain…

This will be the 21st Christmas without my mom… and oh how she loved Christmas. She loved the decorating, wrapping presents (all in matching paper), cookie baking, and general holiday cheer. The holidays were a jolly time at our house and this part of the year causes me to remember her at a deep level.…

On the way to taking K to school this morning we were listening to Neil Diamond’s America (he loves it and I have to admit I am a little proud). As we were singing along, he asked: “If we are already here, why are we coming to America?” I responded: “We have not always been…

As Elton John walked onto stage and tears filled my eyes. I looked over at my sister and couldn’t believe we were having such an amazing experience once again together. My mind races back almost four years ago when we were in Paris (France not Texas). We were at the Louvre and had just seen…

Like many others, the last few years I have decided to pick one word to be my focus for the year. For 2018, my word was ACTION. The word was a deliberate choice. It is funny how when picking the word, I had one thought in my head of what would happen, and how now…

Growing up in a small, rural, Texas town you really aren’t aware of any other options but the public school. You don’t even call it the public school… it is school. There is no debate about school choice or what is best. In all honesty, you are thankful for the school in your town. The…

A few weeks ago I blogged about being broken. Tonight I completely understand why I share so much about my own personal struggle with anxiety and depression. I had a friend reach out because she is in the throes of depression. She is struggling and shared because she knows from my sharing I would not…