I had the unique pleasure of spending two days with Laura Kaeppeler, Miss America 2012, this week. I'd interviewed her previously on the phone for one of our company's other publications, fourpoints magazine, and I had the sense that we were going to have fun. For...
Recent Blog Articles
Life Lessons from Kettlebell: If You Always Do What You’ve Always Done, You’ll Always Get What You’ve Always Gotten
Bathing suit season is approaching faster than I realized. In fact, I leave for vacation in two short weeks. So, when my neighbor asked me a few weeks ago to try Kettlebell, I decided it was a good idea. Anyone that knows me realizes this is not normal. I don’t like...
Customer Service Lessons from Mardi Gras
While wandering the streets of New Orleans, during what is their busiest celebration of the year–Mardi Gras–my sister and I noticed many local merchants rolling their eyes, sighing, and making snide comments about the chaos around them. They were done with the...
My 3-Day Juice Detox
This weekend was my first ever juice diet detox, and now that I'm coming out at the other end I'm hungry, slightly loopy, but nutrient-rich. I did the juice fast through Sip Organic Juice Bar, an awesome little cafe-style juice bar on Old 28th Street in Grand Rapids....
Wedding Details are Fluff Compared to My Groom
My wedding is seventy-one days away (I could give you the number of hours, minutes, and seconds until the ceremony, too…), and although the ambience of the day is unfolding exactly how I have imagined it since I was five, I can't help but wish it was over already. Not...
Trust Mom’s Intuition/Your Child’s Pediatrician
As a mom, you want nothing more for your kids than for them to live a long and healthy life (and for them to behave most of the time…). So, when your child is sick, your mom instinct kicks in. A couple months ago, my son started coughing strangely in the middle of the...
Baking: My Trials and Errors
There I was, running to the fuse box in my strawberry apron, and all for the sake of cheesecake. As an adult, I can count on one hand the times I have baked, and every time, something has gone wrong. When I cook, I throw things together, and work relying on my...
Weathering a Love/Hate Relationship (with my bangs)
With Valentine’s Day this week, I’ve been thinking about a love/hate relationship I have…with my bangs. Come on…you know you’ve been in this same relationship at some point in your life. For me, it started back in the 70s, when as a young girl I absolutely HAD to have...
Who Moved my Gouda?
If you’ve ever read the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” then you know what I’m communicating. The book is all about change, and how important it is to adapt to it. Change is inevitable in life. Some people can handle it better than others, but not many people welcome it...
A Small World and My New Car
I love a good wine, and I won't soon forget the complimentary bottle that led to the recent purchase of my new car. Last year on my wedding anniversary, my husband, Jason, and I went to the 1913 room for dinner. Prior to the meal, we went for a drink at Reserve. We...