A man in New Zealand literally grew a church out of trees. He carefully trained different species over an iron frame—leptospernums for colorful walls, cut leaf alders for a roof that lets light filter through. Started in 2011, now a living chapel in 3 acres of gardens. Absolutely stunning.

Missing those amazing Whisked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Whole Foods back in DC. Time to make my own! Found this recipe that looks perfect. Probably not vegan but that’s okay. Gotta hit the grocery store for ingredients first. So excited!

Just updated my About page! If you’ve been reading along and wondering who’s actually behind all this, I finally put some words down about myself. Nothing fancy, just the basics. Come say hi! 👋 About Me

My mamaw started a tradition of giving me a John Grisham book every Christmas. After she died, my parents kept it going. Grisham releases about one book a year, so I’ve got them all in my collection. Just got The Widow last Christmas and I can’t wait to read it. Such a special tradition to continue.

Just learned a new word and thought it was fun to create a sentence using that word … 😉

Looking at my subfusc wardrobe lately—all these dark, dull colors—and realizing I need more brightness in my life. Time for a change—add some color and energy.

ADJECTIVE 1. Having little brightness or appeal.

This chicken pot pie soup looks so good. Definitely going on my list to make one day. Perfect comfort food for winter—has all those cozy pot pie flavors but in soup form. My kind of meal right now.

The hardest part is letting go of what used to work." - Apolo Ohno, Hard Pivot: Embrace Change. Find Purpose. Show Up Fully.

Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash

Found a good article that really resonated with me. Forget grand New Year’s resolutions—meaning comes from small, consistent actions. One page read, one short walk, one message sent. Those tiny tweaks add up. Worth a read if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Read more here.

People who experience more meaning tend to report better wellbeing, lower stress and depression, and greater resilience when life becomes difficult.