I sang karaoke last night. Here’s why that matters.

I don’t usually sing karaoke. Let’s be honest: my voice is a light, airy soprano - sweet and well-pitched, but better suited for church choirs or Mozart arias than pop songs. (Someone once said I sound like a 10-year-old boy soprano before his vo...

I was enjoying a quiet morning at home, sipping coffee, basking in the silence and stillness, when I heard intense barking from the backyard - like, jolt you from your seat and make you spill your coffee barking.

Sadie, our sweet rescue dog, was in full-on alert mode - barking, tense, eyes locked. ...

In the legal profession, we’re taught to show confidence, control, and command of the facts. We research thoroughly. We write persuasively. We present our arguments with authority. That’s what we’re trained to do, and often, what we’re rewarded for.

But what we’re not trained to do is show uncertai...

When’s the last time you did something completely new?

For me, I found myself standing in an empty church sanctuary, surrounded by over 20 handbells, wearing fancy headphones, and trying not to mess up my part in a professional music recording.

Here’s the backstory: a friend of mine coordinates ...

Lately, I’ve been feeling the weight of complexity - both in the legal profession and in the world around us. Maybe you are, too. There’s so much happening at once, and it can feel overwhelming to juggle competing priorities while trying to stay focused, effective, and even-keeled.

In moments like ...

Recently, with many personal milestones taking place, I can’t help but reflect on the themes of endings and beginnings in our lives and careers. (You know me - never one to miss a metaphor!)

Why Endings and Beginnings Are Hard

Change and Uncertainty: Endings often mean stepping into the unknown. W...

True confession: Sometimes I care too much about what other people think. 

There, I said it. I know I teach this stuff, but I’d be lying to you if I said that I have some superhuman power to stand strong in my own confidence and self-worth all the time, not caring a bit what others think about me. ...

After almost two decades of living in our home, we finally decided to repaint this year. We’ve done significant remodels to the inside of our home, but the outside was always “just fine.”

So, we decided it was time for an exterior facelift. I went through the (literally) hundreds of paint samples, ...

As many of you know, one of my random talents is playing the piano and church organ. I’ve been playing piano since I was five years old and organ since I was 11. Being a church organist helped me pay my way through college, graduate school, and law school. I still sub on the organ at area churches b...

Spring has finally arrived here in Minnesota. It took longer than usual by a few weeks, and I almost wiped a little tear of joy from my cheek when I looked at the extended forecast and saw that our daily high was over freezing for the foreseeable future, even shooting into the 60's and 70's.

The ch...