Recent Blog Articles
Having planned and executed my second daughter's wedding, I proclaim myself an "almost expert" Mother of the Bride. As such, I want to share my experience—complete with tips, regrets and irreverent observations. NOTE: Some of this is sarcastic. Please have a...
When you go through a tremendous loss, it's difficult to see how you can live the rest of your life without that person. Where do you start, where do you go and what do you do? All around you, everyone else's life seems perfect. It hasn't changed. Your friends can...
As each year flies by, how often do you find yourself saying how boring the past year was? Or that nothing memorable or great really happened? I can't tell you how many times I've complained about how monotonous my year was—or that I didn't do anything fun or...
"Work hard, play hard." "Living for the weekend." "Life in the fast lane." These common phrases have all been used to describe how we approach life and view the intersection of personal and professional. None of these statements represent my opinion of these topics....
My mother's cousin, Martin Waalkes, recently said, "For Grandma, sugar and butter were spices." (Referring to my great-grandmother, Sarah Ritzema Waalkes.) It's true: The Dutch are not known for extraordinarily flavorful food. In fact, I can't really think of any food...
I've got two men in my life who approach shopping the same way: They research like crazy, find exactly what they want and—seemingly unconcerned with the price—buy it. Upon receiving the item, they take care of it like a newborn child, keeping it in perfect...
For as long as I can remember, my mornings started with Matt Lauer on the screen. One morning, when my boys were young, one looked at the screen and thought Matt was my husband. (They have the same haircut. We giggled for days over that one.) For years, Matt was a...
When Jason and I first started dating, we made sure to travel together at least once or twice a year. We still travel as a family, but the mommy/daddy trips have certainly tapered off. So, for my birthday this year—the third week of October—we decided it was time!...
Happy Thanksgiving. We hope it's full of good food, good conversations and time with family and friends, near and far. Courtesy of West Michigan Woman
This Broadway season, Wicked debuted in West Michigan for the first time since the show's 2003 premier. The musical—following the tale of the Witches of Oz, rather than the Wizard and Dorothy—has garnered worldwide attention and accolades for its storyline, music, set...