2025 was the year of recovery. My Achilles tendon at gymnastics two weeks before the new year, and I spent the next twelve months healing and rehabilitating. My goal was to return to the "normal" version of myself as soon as my body was ready for it. One year later, I think I can safely say I've achieved that goal.
Tag: Writing
Waking Your Inner Child Through Adult Gymnastics
I've seen so many people awaken their inner child in my adult gymnastics classes. If you need to make a case for starting gymnastics, this is it.
What did the GG Beta Readers Think?
Ask and ye shall receive. This encapsulates some of the incredible feedback I received from the beta reading team for my upcoming book, Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery an Defining Life on Your Terms.
I’m on Substack Now!
Do I really need ANOTHER social media platform to keep track of? I suppose I do...
Help Shape Geriatric Gymnastics: Join Our Beta Reading Team
I'm seeking beta readers for my upcoming book, "Geriatric Gymnastics: Flipping, Recovery and Defining Life on Your Terms". Interested in joining the GG team? Read on!
First week, new studio
Sometimes, you need a little jump start in your career. This year, I received a huge one. Read on to see why after 30 years, I'm still excited to go back to work.
“Penguins don’t have wings”
Looking back at an old blog I had when my kids were young, I found this gem of a post. It almost makes me yearn for the days when my kids were small, discovering, and exploring the world through their smaller eyes. It recalls one of those lovely moments that are so easy to forget.… Continue reading “Penguins don’t have wings”
Giving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Time to write another book! When I started writing about gymnastics in this blog in 2020, there was a “someday I’ll write a book” vibe. I’d write about all of the feelings I was processing, the ups and inevitable downs I had experienced. If anything, it was a way to track and remember my journey. But… Continue reading Giving Voice to The Geriatric Gymnast
Growing older with you
Looking back on 37 years of loving you, we’ve navigated some really hard times together. These are some musings and impressions that come to mind when I think of you. I present: a GenX love letter. The early days We've actually known each other since 1984ish. You were the big brother in our high school friend… Continue reading Growing older with you
Returning to writing
I can't believe it's been over six weeks since I've posted anything here. No, I haven't lost the love for writing. Quite the opposite. I've actually been working on another book project. As I closed out my 29th teaching year, I had to decide how to spend my time during summer break. We didn't have… Continue reading Returning to writing
Parenting 101: Recalling “The Talks”
Back in 2013, I started a blog called The Second Half. I was in my early 40s and my kids were 11 and 7. One of the entries shared a couple of those important "serious conversations" with my pre-pubescent kid. I'm thankful that I had the presence of mind to record those moments. This is… Continue reading Parenting 101: Recalling “The Talks”
Empowering English Language Learners through Performing Arts: An Educator’s Experience
High school musical season presents both challenges and victories for all involved. For the second year in a row, English language learners performed a musical show for an audience in a foreign language. And they did it syllable by syllable. This success story transcends the show itself. When you direct high school play productions, it… Continue reading Empowering English Language Learners through Performing Arts: An Educator’s Experience
Weight Loss 13: Combatting Perimenopausal Weight Gain
Attention: perimenopausal warriors. Feeling the waistline expand? Yeah, me too. This is the yearly overview of my personal experience that includes helpful resources and health-management strategies. My last weight-loss post was a year ago. Sometimes, I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. I think it's safe to say that this year hasn't really been… Continue reading Weight Loss 13: Combatting Perimenopausal Weight Gain
Navigating Post-Surgery: Tips for First Day Recovery
Getting through the first night and day after surgery is one of the toughest parts of the early healing process. Here's how I managed the early obstacles. On Tuesday, I wrote Sometimes, You Break Yourself…Again, which told the story of rupturing my Achilles tendon at the gym. On Wednesday, I wrote Pre-op Hell and Surgery Heaven,… Continue reading Navigating Post-Surgery: Tips for First Day Recovery
100th post!
On July 13, 2020, I published my first blog post called “Who am I?” Almost two years later, I am publishing my 100th post. Crazy.
Writing about writing
I’m not sure I’m any closer to discovering my brand or if I’ve better defined my future-grown-up-self pathway, but at least I’ve put a lot of coherent words on a page. For today, that’s enough. Maybe tomorrow the next big idea will emerge; I'm looking forward to that "Aha!" moment.
Designing a book cover
Of course, when you are publishing a book, you have to make important decisions. Hard decisions, sometimes. This is the story of how my cover design for "What Ronnie Sue Knew" came to be.
Random Mom dream
I had a dream about Mom. It’s actually a pretty rare occurrence that I remember any part of my dreams, and even rarer that she makes an appearance in them. When those wake me up in the middle of the night, I think it bears recording.
Some birthday musings
My first 50 years have been educational and illuminating. Now, I'm excited to learn just how much I do not know. I just hope this brain has the space to remember it all.
Foam-rolling and wordsmithing
What do I do on a day off? Use the time to exercise my body and brain.
Authors connect
Part of being a writer and author is connecting to other writers and authors. Inspiration comes in all forms. Meet two people who have inspired me.
A blast from the past
Sometimes, random phone calls can actually be quite lovely. Read on to learn about a recent conversation I had with my childhood neighbor who shared his experience reading my book.
My very first book signing
Though not my first published book, this is the first book that I wrote that talks about parts of my life that have impacted me the most. More specifically, my mom. It is also the first one for which I have had the honor of having a book signing event.
Mom continues to inspire
I got a random instant message from a former student, Mona, who I'm still connected with over Facebook after all these years.
Big News!
Announcing the release of my new memoir "What Ronnie Sue Knew" in September 2021!
Navigating Writer’s Block
After a summer full of writing activities, I find myself in a space where I have a bit of writer's block. Here's how I am combating the pause in inspiration.
Stacey's Headspace 