Words from the Woodstove

O k, so most of you know that I've been passionate about writing in some shape or form for most of my life. When I was growing up, I loved to read other people's writing ( seriously... like every tween girl in the early 90s, The Babysitters Club series was my favorite). I've still got my beloved yet tattered 7th-grade (aka 1992) copy of To Kill A Mockingbird , one of my all-time favorite works. And even though its cover has been taped back together more times than I can count, I just can't bring myself to part with it. Did I also mention I have a thing for nostalgia? I loved to write poetry, fiction, essays, you name it. My 6th-grade teacher, Mrs. Donley, had us complete regular writing projects. Each month had a theme, and various elements you had to include, such as an essay about a historical figure or event; an interview-style write-up with someone famous related to that theme; a poem; letters to someone from that era we'd want to meet; and lots of others, but

Hey ya'll! It's been a busy few weeks in my world between big work projects, holiday happenings, a visit to Raleigh to visit my brother and his family (finally got to meet my newest niece!), a trip to Florida for a conference for work, and a fairly sizable snow storm for the south, so an earlier update didn't quite happen. But it's happening now! Progress on the 40-before-40 list has been happening in big waves, you guys. I'm super proud of myself for what I've achieved so far, and I can't wait to get busy with the rest of the list. A quick note for those keeping track: although I will officially turn 40 in September next year, my goal date for finishing the list isn't until December. I work for a camp for teenagers, and progress will slow down a bit during that awesomely chaotic time we call summer, so I've given myself an extension until the end of 2019. So, without further ado, here's what I've been working on lately: At the ove

When I turned 39 back in September, I decided that I wanted to spend the next 365 days trying to stay focused on living my life with more intention and purpose than ever before. So I spent the past two months crafting and refining my 40-before-40 goals, a list of the 40 things I want to accomplish before I turn 40 in 2019. I'm ridiculously good at crafting lists upon lists upon lists of goal-setting... it's my jam . However, I'm not always so good at actually accomplishing said goals. Because of this,  it was important to me that the list only include things that are attainable and within the reach of my current financial status. During the process, I brainstormed my own ideas, borrowed some I read on Pinterest, had some help from my friends, and then narrowed it down to the 40 I felt drawn to the most. My goal was to have my list finalized and published by Thanksgiving weekend, and here we are! My list, which is in no particular order, includes a variety of things, inc