Ideas and inspiration shared by husband/wife empty nesters
You land in Chicago. After hitting the first available bathroom, you walk through the concourse on your way to baggage claim. As you near the end of the concourse the signage directs you down a level to baggage claim. There's an escalator. Usually full of other travelers headed to the same baggage claim. There... Continue Reading →
Today, Lailan and I are fortunate enough to celebrate thirty years of marriage. And I couldn't be more blessed. I have the notes from the toast my maternal grandfather, Philip Schuyler Lyon (Papoe), gave at our rehearsal dinner. I thought it would be interesting to read back through his words, and I believe he summed... Continue Reading →
The Road Trip Ice Cream Challenge began earlier this year on a drive to St. Louis. We were with our son, Kai, and we were reminiscing about when the boys were young and how on every road trip they begged for an ice cream cone - especially when seeing a Dairy Queen sign. You don't... Continue Reading →
Spring is definitely in the air, and I don’t know about you, but it seems as though more and more of our nieces, nephews, and friends' children are getting married. It’s a wonderful thing, and yet mind boggling all at the same time! It's crazy to think we have children old enough to now be... Continue Reading →
In the past week alone, several of our friends have lost a parent. We even had one friend a few months ago lose both her parents in a tragic accident. There have been some beautiful tributes and even social media posts sharing absolutely priceless photos and videos. As our friends faced the difficult task of... Continue Reading →
Wow! Thank you for all the awesome feedback on our Trader Joe's post! We loved hearing your customer service stories, your favorite products, and your love of aloha shirts! Me too! Below are the items many of you shared with us. We are eager to try them, but to be honest, I am scared silly... Continue Reading →
Like many of you, Phil and I have been long-time fans of Trader Joe’s, and more so recently since we have become empty nesters. It's hard to believe our Leawood, Kansas store opened almost seven years ago! Yes, Phil and I have our favorite TJ items that we will share with you, but I first... Continue Reading →
The sport of pickleball has officially been in existence since 1965. But like many things that originated on the west coast, it took over fifty years for pickleball to find Phil and me. Now that we’ve given it a try, we have yet another activity to pursue in our empty nest years. Pickleball is a... Continue Reading →
When I reluctantly gave yoga a try several years ago at Lailan’s insistence, I absolutely felt like the Tin Man. I’m pretty sure I muttered “This is bullshit” out loud more than once. I easily violated every written and unwritten rule of yoga ever published. My fellow practitioners had valid reasons for slapping a lifetime... Continue Reading →
Kendra Mann-O’Brien was 35 years old when she contracted the flu on or about March 1, 2012. A month later, she was no longer alive, leaving behind a loving husband and two small children. In 2013, Lailan and I were introduced to Kendra’s mother, Joan Mann, who had just established a flu awareness non-profit... Continue Reading →
Think Beyond The Nest 