By Ricinda Perry Anybody else get a dose of this here and there? I’m not sure if it was the upswing in work, getting back into my health kick-sugar detox, new community needs, or a combination of it all, but I got hit with a good dose of irritability. It came on so suddenly along
By Ashley McIlwain I was talking to a friend the other day who recently got engaged. She looked at me and said, “I just feel so emotional about getting married. It’s like an identity crisis because who I’ve been and known myself to be is changing forever. Am I crazy?” My reply was, “Of course
By Ashley McIlwain One of the most common problematic areas for couples centers around the in-laws. It’s no secret that marrying into a family means adjusting and adapting. How things operate for each family of origin varies, and the dynamics change when a son or daughter becomes a husband or wife. Unfortunately the transformations that
By Ashley McIlwain I was running to grab a black almond milk tea at my favorite tea spot, and on the way something caught my eye. There was an elderly couple with their walkers at the frozen yogurt place next door. At first I simply smiled at their cuteness as I continued on my mission
By Ashley McIlwain From across the room I watch him. There’s a gentleness in his eyes and an ease in his movements that bring me comfort. The concentration on his handsome face puts a smile on mine. Somehow he embodies strength and tenderness all at the same time. As he strums away at his guitar,
By Ashley McIlwain The other night my hubs, Steve, and I were cuddled up having a movie night, and I was especially struck by the movie we were watching. Most of you have probably either seen it or heard about it; it’s called Taken. The premise of the story is that this girl goes to
Foreword by Ashley McIlwain Over the past several months, I've been really wanting to add a special feature that included recipes. It seemed to make sense because we all need to eat, and who doesn't love a good recipe? But what stirred me the most to launch this culinary feature is the fact that there
By Ashley McIlwain When we think about dating, what often comes to mind are two, young, single people searching for a spouse. We may think about movies and dinner or a fun outing full of laughter and flirting. Whatever it is that comes to mind, it’s usually not a married couple out and about. That’s
By Ashley McIlwain “Babe, let me be a man.” That’s one of the many jokes my husband, Steve, and I playfully throw around in our day-to-day relating to one another. We find playful banter to be an absolute must in our life together. Anyway, he says this in a couple of different scenarios. Mr. Fix-It
Hubs here. Recently Ashley and I had two fantastic weekends with our parents: one weekend with my parents, one weekend with her parents. For our weekend with my parents, we were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. We met them in the central California coast area and spent the weekend sightseeing, wine tasting, and eating some
