Greetings from Berlin! 

I wrote this note to you this morning as the city was still quiet, and my husband and daughters were fast asleep after a long and unexpectedly eventful journey. I had the lovely chance to enjoy some coffee and muesli as I thought about you! (I had intended to write this on t...

I hope you're all enjoying the summer as much as we are in my family! 

I’m at the Professional Development Consortium (PDC) conference in San Diego, but I wanted to pop into your inbox and share a personal story from our family’s Fourth of July celebrations last week that offered a beautiful lesson...

I’m writing this to you from my hometown of Franklin Grove, Illinois (population 950). I’m here visiting my family for Father’s Day weekend, so I get to see both my dad and mom, but also my 91-year-old grandmother who still lives nearby.

My family and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on politics, so I...

Last week, my neighbors moved away after several years of living up the street. Although we didn't know each other well, we occasionally encountered each other at neighborhood gatherings. They certainly seemed nice enough, and we always exchanged pleasantries and small talk at the mailbox or waved a...

As Memorial Day weekend approaches here in the United States, many of us in the legal profession are gearing up for a much-needed break. This long holiday weekend isn't just a time to honor and remember those who have served; it's also an opportunity to recharge our own batteries.

For lawyers and l...

I’ve been trying to see the Northern Lights for years. I have an app to alert me when a sighting is possible. I’m in the “Aurora Chasers” Facebook group. Every time I’d hear the lights might be visible, I’d hop in the car and drive north in hopes of seeing them, to no avail. Ever.

This past weekend...

Happy May! I can’t believe it’s already May and the first four months of the year are complete.  At the beginning of the year, Well-Being Week in Law felt so far away, but now it's right around the corner. 

Next week is Well-being Week in Law from May 6-10, it's a perfect time for those in the lega...

Earlier this week, I had an incredible (maybe once-in-a-lifetime) opportunity to take a road trip with my daughter, who's in her sophomore year of college, from Minneapolis to Indianapolis to witness the awe-inspiring solar eclipse. 

(Did you catch the eclipse from your location? I’d love to hear a...

Yesterday (March 20) was the “United Nations International Day of Happiness”, and it also marked the release of the annual “Happiest Countries” report. (Here’s the full report in case you are interested - fascinating stuff, but a hefty 158 pages!) This topic is always fascinating to me, and I haven’...

 The other day, I saw this quote by Malcolm Forbes:

 “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”

Wow - gut punch. How many of us focus much more on the things we “are not” or “can’t do” instead of all of the skills, talents, abilities, achievements, and potential we...

This past Monday was President’s Day, so our kids were off of school. We decided to grab lunch at their favorite place (Cane’s Chicken) and go see a movie (“Wonka”).

The box combo at Cane’s is a hefty meal, so we had a few extra chicken tenders. In my rush to get to lunch so that we could get to th...

It’s been a busy few weeks in our home! After the holidays, we got out of the chilly Minnesota winter for a bit to escape to Florida. And since then, we’ve been using at least one day a week to visit colleges with our youngest daughter.

This past week, we spent Thursday and Friday on an “Upper Midw...