Once again, it is Nutcracker time at our house. I have one less dancer this year, but the life lessons just keep on coming.

“I can’t really remember Grandpa Haddock anymore, Mom. What was he like?”

I saw it first in print. I was casually flipping through the pages of a random magazine, and stopped because the pictures were absolutely gorgeous. I looked closer. The Hiawatha trail.

I believe people can learn a lot from mistakes—improving and growing after failures. In my opinion, it is a crucial part of any successful life.

I also have children in the public school system.

These two things go hand in hand, right?

“We’re all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work.”

This is a line from a movie that came out years ago, but the truth of it lives on in my head. One small adjustment. A lot of products we use today needed a little tweaking first. Play-doh, Post-it notes, Coca-Cola, and the Slinky have similar origin stories where a little adjustment was needed, and then everything fell into place. So if this is true for business ideas, is it also true for us?

I have a few teenagers living in my house right now. I’ve had at least one teenager in my house for the past 11 years, actually. I am a little more experienced now than I was a decade ago. Although I’m getting better at riding the emotional roller coasters, I still need some practice.

I do dumb things sometimes. Really dumb things.

I don’t advertise all of the stupid decisions I make, but this one ended in me wearing a boot, which meant that I had to tell and retell the story many, many times. And when you have to tell a story so many times, it gives you the opportunity to really think about what you did wrong, and how you can be smarter.

About a month ago I was out running errands, like normal. As I left the store and spotted my car, I couldn’t help but laugh a bit. I felt so grateful for a car that I loved, and especially for my windshield sunshades that make it look like I drive Sally, from the movie, Cars.

I drove my daughter to college last week.

From Texas, it is a VERY long drive. Just under 19 hours, I didn’t plan to drive straight through. But that is exactly what happened.

The summer of 2024 was fast. A blur. It was filled with the normal things like sleeping in, family reunions, vacations, and hours of swimming and watching movies. But for me, the most memorable part of it was my cough.

Brian and I were newly married in the summer of 1998. We were both students, with no kids and no money, happy and so in love.

I tried to cheat, I think.

Or maybe I got bamboozled. I’m not sure.

We were living in Utah, and backpacks with wheels were the thing. Every kid had one, and if they didn’t…they wanted one. It was high on my daughter’s wishes for Christmas in 2010.

Is it possible that your heart can be broken, excited, and full of gratitude at the same time?

Yes, absolutely. It’s called being a parent.

My house has two Dr. Snows living in it. Are you surprised? Don’t worry, most people don’t know this. I’ve kept it a secret for many years. I figured now was the perfect time to be transparent. Here is the truth—I sometimes refer to myself as Dr. Snow because years of listening to medical stories and remedies has made me an expert. I’ve been given an honorable medical degree. 😜

I’m scared of dying.

Even believing in God and heaven and an afterlife hasn’t calmed my fears. I’m scared of leaving my kids, of Brian getting remarried to someone so incredible that he instantly regrets spending years with me, of leaving the earth without having done so many things I wanted to do. I’m just scared of the whole thing.

In the warmth of a perfect Idaho summer, my sister and I would spend hours trying to walk successfully across the fence that marked the end of our property. The fence was made of wood, two rails that ran horizontally between single vertical posts. Our fence was old and worn, and the rails were far from uniform. Some were solid, steady beams of wood, while others were rickety, unstable, and shook with every footstep.

“Every job looks easy when you’re not the one doing it.”

I love inspirational, underdog stories. I think we all do. The idea that failures are necessary, even good, for our lives is becoming more widespread and accepted.

My septic tanks got replaced yesterday.

This change has been needed for a long time. Really long. I knew about the problems we were having for a couple of years, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. It is expensive to replace the whole system, y’all.

Last year I decided to get the job done. I was going to redo the system we had and get rid of the poo sprinklers once and for all!