My life wouldn’t be what it is without my children, Melanie, Brooke, Max, and Zack.  Although I’m not the perfect parent, I work hard and try to provide a safe, loving, and stable environment for my kids to learn and... Read More

Visit Death by Design for more!... Read More

Visit Caregiver Dave for more!... Read More

Visit The You-est You for more!... Read More

Visit Love Talk Live for more!... Read More

The cards I’ve been dealt are overwhelmingly good ones, and I do my best to share the gifts I’ve worked for and the ones that have been bestowed upon me. I understand the value of focusing on one tiny good... Read More

As the country begins to process the shock of the sudden death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year old daughter Gigi, and the other families who lost their precious loved ones, many of us, even Kobe’s biggest fans, are struck by... Read More

I’m coming out of ‘lurker’ mode! It’s true, I confess, there’s no getting around it: I will soon have a memoir to promote—and so here I am, writing blog posts for the first time ever (late bloomer!), setting up new... Read More

A decade ago, when Kris Allen was singing his heart out to an audience of millions on American Idol, Season Eight, I was married to Brian. In our mid-thirties, we had three kids under the age of six and absolutely... Read More

And then everything changed… “12/22/11” is the title of a school lyrical essay my daughter Brooke wrote on December 1, 2017, six years after Brian’s—her daddy’s—death. The assignment was to illustrate how appearances are not always what they seem—a perfectly... Read More