What Brene Taught Me

Katrina and Brene Brown

I had the honor of meeting the smart, sassy, and gracious Brene Brown last week. If you don’t know who she is, go ahead and spend a few minutes watching her first stunning Ted talk. I’ve spent the weekend trying to sum up my experience, but it’s still bigger than I am at the moment. […]

NO!

Kids at Abrams

One of my very favorite songs to listen to when the kids were younger was the catchy “They Might Be Giants” tune, “NO!” It opens with this: “No is no. No is always no. If they say no, it means a thousand times no.” Pretty good preparation for life, methinks. We face a lot of […]

Upon Further Reflection

Flowers in a Jar

Sometimes my brain works better in lists — random, scattered, unordered. Today is one of those days. That said, I’d like to share 42 thoughts and observations… one for each year of my life thus far. And an extra eight… just for verbosity’s sake. Apparently, I have more than 42 things to remind myself of. […]

Note to Self

Katrina and Friends

“CBS This Morning” kicked off its new series “Note to Self” yesterday morning with the beautiful 83-year-old soul, Maya Angelou, whose words always enfold me in comfort and grace. It’s like liquid sunshine, that voice. I love CBS’s new project, and I love Maya Angelou, and I was inspired to write my own letter to […]

The Recipe for Success

Katrina and Jenny

I’m mesmerized by those who do it well. The assurance, the graceful and fluid movements, the alchemy, the aroma, the moans of pleasure that inevitably result. But alas, cooking remains a mystery to me. When I’m in the kitchen, I spill things, burn things, forget to put eggs in the meatloaf (thus resulting in the […]

The Secret

Katrina and Chris' Wedding Recessional

People often ask me what our secret is. Chris and I have been married for 17 years, have been together for 24. We are happy, content, have settled into our lives with grace, love, and acceptance. That doesn’t mean it’s all been sunshine and unicorns. When we were first married, I was a bit of […]

2012

2012. I like the sound of it. 2011 was a year of Big Changes. This one is going to be a year of Grand Adventures. I love the possibilities. We wrapped up the Old Year in high gear. Lots of visits with wonderful new friends and treasured old friends. Hugs for grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles. […]

The Spaces In Between

Sunset at the Beach

The lovely, spiritual, intuitive Amy Oscar is hosting a December Writing Circle. Every day (give or take a few), she is presenting participants with writing prompts to do with as we please. We can use them, ignore them, choose to eat Oreos instead. I love that kind of freedom. Today’s prompt, however spoke volumes to […]

A Festivus Miracle

Katrina and Chris

Today, I’m honored to share a guest post with you. The fabulous health coach, Crossfit addict, and all-around great guy, Craig Spinner, asked me to share my weight loss journey on his blog, cSpin Healthy. Shockingly enough, I was able to do it without any profanity. (Another Festivus miracle.) Thanks, Craig, for the opportunity. It was […]

Adventures with Shmee: Part Two

Alligator in the Swamp

On the second day Shmee was here, we went to the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge for the day. Armed only with Subway and bottles of water, we drove into the Refuge and were immediately greeted by a 7-foot alligator. “There’s a gator,” Shmee said nonchalantly. “Holy shit,” I replied as I pulled the car over. “Are […]