Everything’s coming up lilacs!

Besides being one of my fave colors, lilacs are one of my favorite flowers. They’re beautiful and so fragrant, and this time of year they’re hanging heavy all over my hometown of Spokane, Washington. (Graduated from Mead HS in ’80. Go Panthers!) Each year on the first Sunday in May, Spokane is home to the largest road race in the country: the Bloomsday 12K (7.5-ish miles) race. And every year for the last several years my mom and I have made the trek across the state to run it.

My mom will be 77 in a couple of months and had her hip replaced last year.

Any time I’m not feeling up to a workout I let that fact sink in.

While in Spokane mom and I will meet up with a gaggle of her old high school friends (seriously, these ladies are a hoot), have dinner with our extended family members who live here in Spokane and in nearby Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, visit the farm where she grew up, and spend time at her parents’ graves.

It’s a weekend filled with sweet and bittersweet memories, silly girl-time, and a seriously good sweat too. And I can’t imagine doing with anyone but my mom.

Speaking of which, next Sunday is Mother’s Day! Are you ready??? Check out the video below for a fun idea to make a container garden for mom. She’ll appreciate your kindness each time she picks greens for a salad, all summer long.

Have a happy, healthy week!

PODCAST: The Messy Middle, Episode 1

Welcome to the premiere episode – both audio and video – of The Messy Middle . My partner-in-crime (or sister in psychosis, as she so graciously refers to me) is… Read more…

PODCAST: “Female Friendships” Naked Broad View, EPISODE 15

New research shows that the quality of our friendships affects not just our happiness and overall mental health, but our longevity.  Pull up a chair as Jill… Read more…

PODCAST: “Women & Money” Naked Broad View, EPISODE 16

Women are earning more than ever, though women who work full-time, year-round still earn only  78 cents  on the dollar compared with men, and during the last… Read more…