Once upon a time I had two blogs…one for family activities and one for my own thoughts related to anything else. In this connected world where personal and family life spills over into professional work, I wondered why I was trying to keep the two separate. In 2018, I combined the two blogs into this blog.
If you’re looking for the everyday life of a typical midwestern family – read these posts.
If you are looking for my ramblings about communications, marketing, moms, youth sports or anything else – read these posts.
This is my favorite picture of my little family. That’s our 1998 Camry, a car we’d had in the family for 20 years. We were selling it and decided to give it a proper farewell.

I’m a typical midwest mom living in the middle of America (the geographic center of United States is about 3 hours north of my home). I’ve worked full-time, part-time and have been a stay-at-home mom.
I married into the Air Force and six moves, seven jobs, two kids, and one dog later, I ended up two miles from my childhood home.
We bought a house two blocks from my parents, so my husband is living Debra’s life from “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
My boys are 13 months apart. Our dog Ali is our comic relief and provides a level of comfort in an otherwise crazy world.
One of my biggest pet peeves is animals wearing clothes. The other is the overuse of the word “utilize.” Many see it as a synonym for “use,” but it’s really not.
And now that I have brought this to your attention, you will notice any time someone uses the word “utilize.” You’re welcome.
Professionally
I’m a strategic communicator, a marketing and communications generalist, and self-proclaimed chief consistency officer.
I was a public relations and journalism major at Kansas State University and worked at three advertising/pr firms, two non-profits and a trade association.
I’ve worked in an office and managed remote teams. I’ve been a work from home worker since March 2020. I’m comfortable with strategy and high level plans, yet still enjoy creating at the tactical level.