This book was given to me by a very good friend at a time when I didn’t even realize how lost I was. I actually had to read this book a couple of times before I could see and receive the little gifts that it gives. My top 3 nuggets from this book (which is so much more than following your dreams) are:

People will try and steer you in the direction that they think is best for you. We are the only ones in control of where we go and what we do.

Every decision we make has lead us to where we are. The good ones and the bad ones. The journey is really just as important as the destination.

Define your own definition of success. When this is clearly defined it gives us purpose and direction and is our own to strive towards, rather than comparing ourselves to others.

I remember reading this book for the first time and soaking up every word, every character and could not put it down. J.K. Rowling created a story that took me into the depths of imagination and visualization. I could see the characters on the page, I could feel the magic, and everything about it was brought to life in my mind. This book took me back to my childhood and teenage years where I would spend hours and hours captivated by books. It was not uncommon for me to grab a bunch of blankets on a crisp spring day and sit outside on our sundeck reading. It was here where I escaped into the stories and developed my love of the written word. Reading the Philosopher’s Stone reminded me of my love of reading and the escape from reality that it provides. The Harry Potter series became something that my husband and I looked forward to and then when we were able to share these novels with our children it really did feel like a full circle.

When my kids were quite young I signed up for a memoir writing class. (The class was called momoir) I loved it and I became obsessed with memoirs written by woman. There are so many good ones out there. Nothing compares to how Tara Westover wrote Educated.

For me this book was about the human spirit and what we are able to endure and overcome. It was about the belief that I have always had, which is that we all have the ability to change our story and to create new ones that work for us. It also spoke to one of my core values of growth. The importance of always learning and growing, and moving forward. We can not change our past, we can appreciate what we have learned from every experience and acknowledge that each thread that is trailing behind us has had an impact on where we are right now in this moment. That is the power of telling our stories.

I remember watching this movie with a very good family friend one new year’s eve. I was probably around 13 or 14 years old. It was very impactful to me even at that age. I guess in many ways there were some similarities to things that were going on in my life at the time and so it was relatable. I have lost track of how many times I have actually watched this movie and it has become a movie of the ages for me.

The music, the amazing acting, the setting, the story get me every single time I watch this movie. Even though I know most of the lines of the movie and know what to expect at every turn, it takes me on an emotional journey each and every time. Probably worthy of a whole blog post. This movie for me at its core is about two things: Love and the value of being seen.

Okay so this movie had me from the first moment I saw the cast. Then when I watched it I knew it would be a Christmas classic in my world. The stories of life, heartbreak, love, even though done in Hollywood style, were relatable to all of us.

I have done some traveling over the years and airports have always been a place of curiosity, wonder and hope for me. Thousands of people in one place trying to get to different destinations for so many different reasons. Playing the game of “I wonder where that person is going or where they have been”. The stories you can create for each person and the anonymity of people not knowing who you are, what you do, where you have been or where you are going always feels like an adventure to me.

“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love, actually, is all around”.

I love a good Disney movie. When it was just my mom, brother and I we would all snuggle up on the couch on Sunday nights and watch the Wonderful World of Disney. Special moments where my love of Disney was born.

For me the Little Mermaid and many other Disney movies is that opportunity to escape to worlds that are not real. The ability to pretend, and to feel child-like somehow in a strange way restores me. It is like being in this alternate world for 90 mins that makes coming back to reality just a little bit easier. Are they cheesy, unrealistic and sometimes behind the times? Absolutely! They are perfectly imperfect and for brief moments give me space to connect with the little girl inside of me. Also I have a huge love of all things ocean so it just connected with me on so many levels.