Olive Noodles

Hey! Surprise! I've taken a writing hiatus from this blog and most all social media, save Instagram. I've recently been drilling down deeper and deeper to do some serious re-evaluating of my life, focus, and the direction I'm heading in. Writing is one of my passions. It's also highly therapeutic. I've recently returned to the practice of "morning pages" with a digital spin. Some of you may be familiar with Julia Cameron's, The Artist's Way practice of morning pages. I enjoyed the exercises but found it hard to be consistent. I've recently found this great website  750 words . Using the digital version has been helpful in being consistent with my writing practice. When I wrote in a notebook, I easily exceeded three pages, but I didn't know how many words I actually typed. The site is free, counts words, offers challenges and tracks the writing by the day. I'm not a big stats person but I am enjoying the data on this. As I crank o

My brain is barely able to register that we are down to a few weeks left in 2018. The year has really flown by. It's been a WONDERFUL year. I've been blessed with such amazing experiences and am happy to be closing out the year on a high note. Our November seemed like it happened in the blink of an eye: Parker received honorable mention in the One-Act play and started trapping. Pryce started basketball and played in her first junior high game. Pake had hand surgery to remove two tumors. We enjoyed a FUN Thanksgiving with our sweet family! It is always a lot of fun to spend time in the "north country." Thanksgiving Day was absolutely gorgeous this year. We drove down to the river, listened to the water and enjoyed the sunshine. Later, we dined on delicious ham, filled our bellies to the brim and then took a glorious (and needed nap!) We got to visit with my Aunt Patty, Uncle Neri and sweet cousins! It was such a fun, relaxing weekend, exactly the kind I always hope

I love the sights and sensations of October. I tend to resist fall, only because I love summer so much. It snowed on October 14th, so that helped usher the transition. We didn't travel as much this month, although we did get to the ranch a few times.  Fishing was the theme this month. Joe caught (and released) his Master Angler Bass. He also surprised me with a fishing license. I typically read a book when the family is fishing, but he thought I should join in the fun. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Saturday and Sunday and caught some trout.  Pryce's team won their volleyball tournament and she played in the fall concert.  Parker completed his football season and is now focused on One Act play competition and weight lifting.  Pake had his MRI and will have surgery to remove the tumor on his right hand. He's had many, but according to the doctor, this one shouldn't be as complicated.  This month was very emotionally challenging for

This past summer I set the intention to spend less time on social media. There was a lot happening in my world and I didn't want it to go by with my head in front of a screen.  While there is nothing wrong with being online, and I do enjoy the instant connection, I found that I was wasting a lot of time on my phone/computer. We all 24 hours in a day. At least eight of mine are dedicated to sleep. That means I've got 16 hours to enjoy the people I love, take care of responsibilities, tackle to-do's, make things happen, exercise, create and/or travel. To hit targets, I had to look at how I was spending my time, personally and professionally. I didn't think I was that addicted to my phone. I did notice that I had a habit of reaching for it first thing and the am scroll began. I observed my patterns, asked how I wanted to feel?  Strong. Healthy. Focused. Energized. Excited. Grabbing my phone upon awakening didn't make the list. I won't say that it was an easy