A Cuppa Cosy Reads – 2nd Quarter 2026

Where has the time gone? The 2nd Quarter of 2026 was a busy one with work, lots of travel, and closing out several organization years. I’m not sure how I found the time to read, and it definitely wasn’t my strongest reading quarter, but I managed to read 17 books and gave an average 3.13 rating (oooffffff). Reminder- I am listing all of the books and ratings below, then highlighting my tops 

Your Knife, My Heart by K.M. Moronova 3 Stars

Daydream by Hannah Grace 3 Stars

The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score 3 Stars

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 1 3 Stars

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 2 4 Stars

Sovereign by Raya Morris Edwards 1 Star

The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman 3 Stars

Reality with You by L.E. McQuinn 3 Stars

In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde 4 Stars

Game On by Navessa Allen 3 Stars

Dungeon Crawler Carl Graphic Novel by Tevagah NR

Black Ties & White Lies by Kat Singleton 3 Stars

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani 3 Stars

Just for the Cameras by Meghan Quinn 3 Stars

Heat Clinic by Alexis B. Osborne NR

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke 4 Stars This book is causing quite the controversy, and unfortunately, I can’t really share my full feelings unless you too have read this book. Most of my issues stem from the “twist” and how the author has inserted a smidge too much of their own biased opinion (aka I don’t need to be hit over the head with what I already know). But it’s an intriguing and thought-provoking book. 

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham NR A nonfiction has made the list! Over the last month of so I’ve been working through some NASA specific books, and I found this one to be particularly well done. 

Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe 4 Stars I’ve got to say, this fantasy romance gets the hype that it deserves. I loved this! I saw some of the twists, didn’t see others and overall had a delight of a time. I cannot wait for book two! 

And that wraps things up for the 2nd Quarter of 2026!

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Military Families – Attention Please!

While at the MSOY Town Hall at the beginning of the month (I know- lots to catch up on, working on that), Moni Jefferson (AMSE Agency) said the following words “Just post the thing. Just post it.” I wrote that down. And so here I am, just posting the thing…

I’ve been quietly working on something behind the scenes for a while now; a dream initially I had several years back that I’m now actually starting to build out and work through. That dream relates to how we support and connect with community during transition periods (specifically PCS transitions). 

It’s still in progress, so I’m just quietly working in the background, but I wanted to continue that work by listening (especially to spouses and families at other installations or in other branches). I created a short survey to better understand what people are wanting, experiencing, needing, or missing during those transition times. 

All my fellow military families and spouses (or if you’re not, but you’re friends with one please send this to them)…PLEASE consider spending 5-10 minutes of your time sharing your thoughts/experiences/hopes on this survey. Then PLEASE share it with your own community and with your friends. This is a public post- simply click share and ask. This survey is completely anonymous and will feed into and shape a much larger framework to hopefully create some change. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!! 

Survey link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2ICRfBJoNIAWwD-DEs60tSNzw8lfw1gPF3tXef0DqYPiAVw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

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Winter to Spring – April 2026

We made it through winter. Seriously. We made it through. It was a winter for the record books (and I wish I was just saying that or exaggerating, but no it really it was). We broke records this winter of ‘25-’26 (yes, I was going for a geezer moment there- indulge me in this, I just lived it- thank you kindly). 

This winter is going into the record books as the all-time coldest winter since temperatures started being recorded in Fairbanks (1904!!!). Being heralded as a sub-zero marathon of a winter, we spent 152 consecutive days below freezing, with 31 days of those at or below -40F. That would be the fourth highest amount of -40-degree days in a single winter. 72 of those 152 days were spent at or below -20. It was WILD to experience that’s for sure. Sadly, yes sadly, we only tied the record for the latest “first day above zero”. On top of that, we got 92.6” of snow, which is the 12th snowiest winter on record. 

All that to say…winter was not terrible. It was a thing to experience. 

When we moved up here, I said I was excited to experience an “Interior Alaska” Winter. I wanted to feel it all- from the darkness, to the frigid harsh temps, to the snow; I wanted the full experience…and I got it.From Winter Solstice Celebrations, to eating dinner with a moose, to seeing both light pillars AND The Northern Lights, to experiencing extreme cold and Ice Fog, to going dog mushing. Winter offered a little bit of everything and I honestly loved every minute of it. So, let’s break it down and talk about what life and the weather looks like now.I’ll pop some pictures in so you can experience some of it too.

First off, the darkness. Yes, it’s true we get down to the point where we only have about 3 hrs. and 30-45 minutes of “daylight”. Yes, that is INSANE to experience…and yet it’s also so cozy. We break out the sun lights first thing in the morning to help us get up and go and re set our circadian rhythm. At night we cuddle up on the couch with all the lamps and cozy lighting you can imagine and hunker down. Life moves slower, more intentionally. There isn’t any “let me just run out for this” and yet you never really feel stir crazy. The Northern Lights are OUT and out constantly. We could see them some nights from our windows and would just lay and watch them. We have fireworks in the dead of winter- in fact the Winter Solstice Celebration is one to experience and to remember.

When the daylight comes, most of the time it is full sun. If it’s sunny it’s a dry cold and it’s bearable. Bundle up in all your layers and go outside for 5-10 minutes. It resets you. You may only see that sun for 3 ½ hours, but you’re seeing that sun. It’s incredible. 

Then there’s the snow. Yes, it’s a lot of snow. Yes, it compacts on the road and for 4-6 months you’re driving on compact snow mixed with gravel and ice and no pavement. Yes, it means you have to get used to how your car handles in those conditions or look at getting different tires. BUT it’s beautiful. It’s white. It’s pristine. It’s crisp. It’s literally like living in a snow globe while it’s snowing. The amount of time I spent in my window seat just watching big white flakes come down…unreal. The snowblower was definitely a necessity just for the sheer relocating purposes of all the snow. It was wonderous. 

Finally, there’s the extreme cold. I will admit- there are times when this feels brutal. I did hit a brief period where I just wanted winter to end. I was tired of the cold, I wanted to wear dresses again, and I just wanted to be able to get out. Thankfully this only lasted, at most, two weeks and right in the middle the worst of the cold broke and we started to see more reasonable temperatures. The thing to note about Interior Alaska is it’s very dry.  So, the cold is very dry. Which, in turn, makes it very manageable. Am I saying I want to live at -40F forever? Absolutely not. Am I saying, that -40 is wild to experience and I’m glad I got to? Absolutely. 

Something I will forever remember is that with -40 temps, comes the fog. The frozen fog. This thick, can’t see half a foot in front of your face fog that doesn’t let up. It’s like being in a horror movie, but in a cool way because you can only experience it by being here and experiencing it. We had several days of this (and in hindsight probably contributed to my winter irritation when it came back around for a second go) and it’s not something I will be forgetting anytime soon. 

So, now that winter has “passed”, what does it look like? Well…almost the same. We still have snow everywhere, though our big berms are being taken down as part of the snow removal efforts (to ease and quicken clean up), the roads are, for the most part, pretty clear to drive on (so no more driving on hard pack snow and ice), and the temps are very slowly rising…though what would have felt warm this time last year is now very different. We’re in the low forties for our highs every day and its very much a “leave the jacket inside” temperature at this point for us. I’m not quite breaking out all of the sundresses, but I’m in some sort of long sleeve dress almost every day OR a jeans/tee/sweater combo. I’ve been known to utter the words “I’m so flipping hot today” several times over the last couple weeks. We’re starting to see some {dead} grass, which is a comfort, and our daylight hours are extending noticeably (as I’m writing this, we are well over 14 hours of daylight). There is a lightness around- like everyone is coming out from the winter hibernation, fresh and ready to start again. Life is coming back, and you can feel it from the longer days to the warmer temps, to the smile and lightness afoot in everyone.

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Anchorage – March 2026

We decided that we needed to travel for Spring Break. We didn’t travel over the winter holidays, choosing to spend our first winter hunkered down (which was the correct answer), but we were desperate to travel over Spring Break. With the timing of Spring Break being the same time of the start of the Iditarod, we decided that we had to go to Anchorage and Willow to see the ceremonial and official starts. 

The Iditarod is a dog sled race that honors the Iditarod Trail- which was used as a point of contact for Nome with the rest of the world, most famously in 1925 Serum Run to give lifesaving serum to the community of Nome in the middle of a diphtheria epidemic. This was not the first time there was a serum run, this was the most famous and was run completely by mushers (the dog sled teams). This initial run was 674 miles and was run as a dog sled relay (if you’ve ever seen Balto or heard the story, this is the history). The Iditarod race exists as a way to ensure the culture of mushing AND preserve the Iditarod Trail. 

The first time the Iditarod was run was in 1973 after many years of dreaming of the race. With The Iditarod, there are also many other dog races across the region, one of which we’ve seen (the Yukon Quest Alaska). There are two different trails, a northern and a southern route, which alternate years. At every stop the dogs checked and tended to, the mushers and kennels keep the dogs health and wellbeing as the utmost priority. In fact, this year (as I ca say this as the race is winding down as I’m writing this), several teams dropped out just due to animal health- not even major health problems, just general needs. 

It’s incredible to see these teams, the care they give, the dedication to both the dogs and the history, and how the community really comes together to celebrate and honor this tradition. 

There are two “starts”- a ceremonial and an official. The ceremonial start is just that- ceremonial. It’s a short race, but a chance for the teams and community to honor the history and give a little “send off” to the teams. The second start, the “official” start takes place at Willow, on the lake (which is fully iced over), and is very much a “party”. Fans bring out entire picnics, ice shanty’s to stay warm, snow machines, and we even saw some fire pits as well! The atmosphere was just one of joy and excitement for all these teams to finally take off after the lead up training. Both were incredible to see and be a part of and if you can make it to both I would! 

Anchorage lights up for the full week leading up to the ceremonial start, there’s the Fur Rendesvouz, several other expo center events, a fur auction, the snow carving competition, Running with the Reindeer- it’s a fully packed week. I was super excited to be able to be down there and be a part of the fun, and for us to just experience this event as a family. It was also super fun to then follow along with our favorite racers and the one’s we were cheering- we even had ridden with a team prior that was racing.

Once the excitement with The Iditarod concluded, we still stayed a couple days in Anchorage just to see the area a little bit. Unfortunately our days mis matched  with when some of the things I wanted to see were open and the weather didn’t work out (time of year wise), but nevertheless we made it work. We walked through downtown (ish), wandered into the Ulu Factory and stopped in to both the Alaska Public Lands Information Center and the Anchorage Museum. Our second day we visited the Alaska State Zoo, and The Aviation Museum.

The Alaska Public Lands Information Center is located inside the Old Federal Court Building, which is still an active courthouse. The museum breaks down the different animals, ecology, and issues that exist within Alaska. It was really interesting to walk through and there is a short video to watch too (which changes, but was about the 1964 Earthquake when we went there). 

The Anchorage Museum covers everything from art, to ecology, to history within Alaska. There is a discovery center that allows kids to get hands on with different concepts- volcanos, wind speed, earthquakes. Then the second and third floors are devoted to history and art work. It was a really great experience and we spent almost an entire afternoon wandering the rooms of the museum. 

The Alaska Zoo is small, but mighty. You can expect a pretty good variety of animals, both zoo and rescue. It’s definitely intended to be visited in the Spring/Summer, but we were able to get some pretty good views and animal action on the day we visited. It should be noted, if you visit in the “off season” there aren’t very many food/snack options, nor are there any inside options (though the inside portion is a year round situation).

We also went over to the Aviation Museum. This covers aviation history for the entirety of the history of Alaska. There has actually been a lot of pioneering in the state of Alaska when it comes to aviation and a lot of interesting history. The museum also touches on the battle at the Aleutian Islands- which is some World War 2 history a lot of people don’t know about. Alongside that, the museum itself is situated right next to the airport, so you get to see the standard flight airport, AND the water planes taking off and landing. It was really cool to see.

On our final morning we took the coastline drive out of Anchorage- over to Beluga Point, along Turnagain Arm, and over to Whittier before heading to Seward. 

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A Cuppa Cosy Reads – First Quarter 2026

We are doing book reviews a little bit differently this year! Mostly because I just haven’t had the time to sit down and write my thoughts out on all the books, but also partly because I feel like sometimes it’s good to switch things up a bit. I’ve found lately that I don’t always have a lot to say about a book- sometimes that’s because I find it’s just average and I don’t have a lot of thoughts (a lot of this was fine- which I don’t feel like I should really waste your reading time on that) OR it’s because my thoughts are conflicted (which lends itself to a whole other situation). 

So, this year we are going to look at my reading wraps up in a quarterly perspective. I’m going to rapid fire list the books that I’ve read along with my rating and then I’ll review the one’s that I have the most to say about at the end (I’m trying to do a couple I love, a couple I didn’t particularly care for…). I read a total of 19 books with an average 3.27 rating.

Alright, let’s give this a go and see what happens… 

For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn 4 Stars

You Wanna Be on Top? A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America’s Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne NR

Before We Came by Sloane St. James 2 Stars

Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry 3 Stars

Valentine’s Slay by Navessa Allen 2 Stars

Most Eligible by Isabelle Engel 3 Stars

Bonds of Hercules by Jasmine Mas 3 Stars

Wolf.e by Paisley Hope 3 Stars

Brutal Billionaire by Laurelin Paige 3 Stars

The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore 3 Stars

Fifty-Fifty by Steve Cavanaugh 4 Stars

Body Check by Elle Kennedy 3 Stars

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman 5 Stars

Savage Hearts by J.T. Geissinger 3 Stars

A Tongue So Sweet and Deadly by Sophie St. Germain 2 Stars

Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score 4 Stars

A Tongue So Sweet and Deadly by Sophie St. Germain 2 Stars We will start with my least favorite of the quarter. It wasn’t that this was bad, it was just that it didn’t do…anything. It wasn’t original, there wasn’t depth, and when there was the potential to do…well anything, it shirked away from the hard choice and just went easy. I wished the author had taken a chance to really do some things that were out of the ordinary options, but she stuck with a copy/paste formula that was very disappointing. 

The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage 5 Stars I loved this book. We are looking at royalty and aristocracy, but from a…unique viewpoint. We are following someone forced back into the fold, trying to decide if she wants this life, this responsible, if she can handle it, OR if she wants to renounce it all and live a quieter life. I highly recommend this one, even if it’s not in your normal wheelhouse. 

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 5 Stars If I had to pick a standout favorite of the quarter, hell probably of the year, it’s this book and series right here. This is just downright good fun. There is never a dull moment and the number of times I laughed while reading was too many to count. I highly recommend- in fact I’ve been pushing it on everyone I know, and I really hope we will one day see a TV adaptation. Read it!!!!!

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Military Spouse of the Year Nomination

Screaming, crying, throwing up. 

I’m proud to announce that I was nominated for Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the year.

Anyone can vote, you simply need to register at msoy.afi.org and you will be asked to use ID.me to verify (this is a super easy process and allows voting to remain secure). You can find my profile linked below (VOTE HERE)

This is such an honor and if you choose to vote for me, I’m beyond grateful!

I want to share what one of my pillars in this lifestyle is- community. Our family tends to choose the smaller, more “remote” installations. Hohenfels, Fort Drum, Fort Wainwright. Installations that require that sense of community more so than others. Spouses rely on that community for everything from friendship to information  to an emergency contact for registration. 

At Fort Drum I worked on building community through our SFRG program, PTO, and local installation programs (think ACS, library, school). Here at Fort Wainwright I’m working on building that sense of community through our Fort Wainwright Community Spouses Club, a thriving book club, and our installation USO. I am also working with our broader Fairbanks tourism office to create opportunities for spouses to learn about the area upon arrival to Fort Wainwright. 

Something I want to amplify is the resources and community for military spouses, especially when it comes to “remote” locations. Military spouses are really good at “taking care of our own”, but we also need to be backed up by resources. In some cases those resources exist and are just not communicated well, in other cases those resources do not exist in the location, if at all. 

Fort Wainwright/Interior Alaska is so beautiful and amazing, but can also be incredibly harsh. From the actual geographical location, to the weather, to the makeup of families and service members. On top of that, you can prepare for everything, and still not realize what -45 with 4 hours of daylight really is like. OR when items that you need for your household take a week plus to arrive by shipping (that is if they are able to ship in the first place). In these cases community, resources, and information is EVERYTHING. From learning the ropes, to pulling each other out of the depths of winter, to just passing knowledge along. I am trying to push forward in different areas to see what is lacking in these areas and either find or create what’s needed. 

This nomination is a massive honor. I’m truly grateful to even be considered, especially when reading the profiles of those nominated beside me. The opportunity to both grow the community here locally at Fort Wainwright, as well as network and gain knowledge from others to bring back to our community is incredible. 

What’s next? Well, voting closes February 1. The base level winners are announced on February 9. Those selected to move forward to the branch level will be announced on February 19 (which is where some of this voting plays a role). 

 I plan on continuing to work and advocate for the spouses community- something that we can continue to build on and grow. I really appreciate all the support and incredible people I’ve met over the past 14-15 years. I’m simply honored to be nominated alongside so many wonderful spouses who do hard and often unseen work. 

VOTE HERE

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6 Months In

We have lived in Interior Alaska for 6 months now. Which, honestly if we hadn’t moved with somewhat regularity, would be very hard to believe. The time has gone by so fast! 

I was asked this week if I felt like we were “settled”. It’s an interesting question. When you move as frequently as a military family can, settled carries varied levels. Do I feel like we are building our community? Yes. Do I feel like our house is set up and I’m happy with it? Yes. Are we adjusting to the new schedule and work life my husband has here? Sure…maybe…yes? So, I guess my answer overall is yes, we feel settled, but we also feel the knowledge that we could move this summer or in three years. And that’s just where we are at. We just have to enjoy what we get in each place. 

So, what were our first 6 months in Interior Alaska like? Stunning. Incredible. Cold. A little dark. But before we get into those last ones, let’s talk about Late Summer/Autumn- which were stunning. 

We arrived in Interior Alaska in the middle of July. The fireweed was still in bloom, the trees still green, and the temperatures still mild to warm (though not hot post El Paso). The sun was still shining at 11:00PM and life was good. It wasn’t the height of the summer, the height of the heat, but we got a little taste of what Summer can feel like here and we very quickly fell in love. 

Autumn lasted approximately 2 weeks, but those two weeks were so wonderful. It’s not the stunning reds/oranges/bright yellows of the Adirondacks, BUT it is this beautiful muted yellow that just sets the tone for the lead up to winter. The sunlight is starting to fade, and the trees just give this…muted but still cozy vibe. It very much adds to the feelings you get with winter approaching here. 

And Winter, ah winter…

Is it strange to say that I was actually looking forward to winter the most? Not because I was eager for the cold and dark that we had heard so much about, but I was interested in what it would actually be like. I wanted to experience it all and what did -40 really feel like? What did 3.5 hrs. of sunlight feel like? I was looking forward to that. 

I can say, with certainty, that Alaska did not disappoint. In fact, Alaska rose to the challenge and delivered us the COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE 1980. It was also the coldest month overall since January 2012. Oh, and also, we are in the SECOND LONGEST stretch of subzero temperatures since 1904. So……..ask and ye shall receive? (Though we could debate that I didn’t actually ask for this level of cold- more so just for winter here, but it’s neither here nor there…).

With all of that said, I loved winter. There’s just something incredibly special to experience extreme temperatures, learn how to adapt, and what needs to be done when it is extreme. We learned about plugging cars in or leaving them running. We learned about how to dress for the temperatures and when to get out of the house…and when it’s really just better to stay cozy. Ultimately, we learned just how well we, as humans, can adapt to mother nature. 

The daylight of it all is really not that terrible- it’s actually been nice to be honest. Most of the time we are able to still see the sun, it’s only when it’s snowy or ice fog (yes that’s a real thing and honestly probably the most miserable part of winter here) that you feel the lack of daylight. I started taking some extra Vitamin D in November and started using a sun lamp around the same time. I feel like that’s been key to my “get up and go” drive. I also use a sunlight alarm clock-which is debatable on if it works, but it certainly just sets the vibes for the day. 

The snowfall has also not been terrible. In part because it’s dry fluffy snow, but also because it doesn’t leave. It stays white and pristine and beautiful through the season (don’t worry- we will check back in at break up season and see how I feel then). It always looks and feels like a winter wonderland- especially when that sun comes out and blesses us. We’ve got a lot of snow, but it’s been spread out throughout the months, so it’s been manageable. 

Finally, the real question- the cold. It’s not…terrible. There I said it. It’s not exactly enjoyable, but if you layer up properly and have things covered, it doesn’t feel terrible until you get past around -35. Which feels wild to say. But we went and watched the Winter Solstice fireworks at -35 and we were alright for the 20-30 minutes we were outside for it. Plus, that was just a really cool experience to have. I will say, once we drop below that you will not catch me enjoying any amount of time outside…at all. But at that point as long as your properly covered then it’s fine. When running in and out stores I usually don’t even get into full gear- just a winter coat, single layer wool gloves and that’s it. 

The only really downfall is that when it gets beyond cold (so -40 and beyond) we get ice fog. And that can be rough at times. Beyond that though it’s been better than I thought it would be! 

So, all in all we LOVE it here. We are absolutely contemplating a retirement here. The community is great, the location is great, the scenery is incredible, the wildlife is amazing…we just love it. 

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A Personal Curriculum for 2026

Something I touched on and wrote about in 2025 was course curriculums. In the Autumn, I had really big plans of diving deeper into some topics that I’ve found great interest in and structuring it out and sharing it…and then life took on a whole new level of busy. I struggled to balance it all and a bunch of things fell through the cracks- the curriculum plans included. So, here we are, trying this again. But this time I am going to try and plan the whole year out…we’ll see how this goes. 

I like to think that I am a lifelong learner- I seriously just love learning about new things, or diving deeper into things that are known, but maybe looking at a different angle. This whole concept of “personal curriculum” really just gives a structure to what I already want to do and gives me a chance to have some output (because if you think I’m not going to share about this as I go along- well you would be very mistaken). 

Ultimately, I’m trying to divide this up into 3 or 4 semesters of study. While I think we could find an overarching theme to what I’m looking at, that’s not what I’m going in with. I’ve just found a couple of things that I want to dive deeper into over the past 6 months or so and I’m creating curriculums for that. 

With all that said, let’s get into my course plans. 

The first course I’ll be working on is the one that I started but didn’t finish- The Titanic “Aftermath”. I’m looking through the media coverage of the disaster, the ensuing congressional hearings, and the perception during the initial year or two following the disaster. I’ve got several books, including a collection of the testimonies from the hearings and a first-hand account of the disaster, that I’m reading. I’ve also got several documentaries and podcasts on tap to go along with my readings. I plan on checking in halfway through and then at the end- just to give an overview of what I’m learning and my thoughts around that. 

The second course I’ll be doing is a Reality Television course. More specifically- a course touching on our general obsession with Reality Television, what it is that brings us in and keeps us hooked to the shows we love and crave. I know I’m not the only one out there who loves to sit down and watch just a good reality tv episode- whether it’s Real Housewives, Members Only, or Sister Wives- I LOVE it all. And I wondered- what is it about these types of shows that just draws us in. What makes it work and last. Now, obviously outside of the books, I’ll have to watch some reality TV as well, maybe rank some shows (or seasons of shows in some cases) and discuss what works for me throughout the course. 

The third course I’ll be diving into will be a course around NASA disasters. I will be going disaster by disaster, examining what happened, what was published, how was it handled, and what changes came from it. I am most excited to read some of the transcripts from mission control and find out what went wrong and where the human factor comes in to play. I’m still early into figuring this curriculum out, so I’m still adding things as I go. NASA does fascinate me (though I don’t want to go to space nor care super strongly about space), so I’m looking forward to getting into this! 

I do have a couple ideas for a final curriculum, but I don’t want to commit just yet as I want to be gentle and not push to much onto my plate. So, we’ll stop with the three for now and I’ll share if/when it changes. Now my focuses aren’t only on the above items, I’ve got other random bits that I’m learning about (such as building an organization from the ground up, learning about different facets of our school district and funding and legislature/advocacy, along with general knowledge about our area and advocacy geared toward that), BUT this is the specific things that I want to cover outside of that. 

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2026: The Year of More (and less)

If 2025 was unofficially and loosely my year of yes, I want 2026 to unofficially and loosely be my year of more (and less). I want to do more, share more, explore more, experience more, read more, learn more- you get the point. (I also want to get my health back in check, but that didn’t really fit the vibe of “more” haha). 

2025 was an unofficial year of yes. I said yes to volunteer opportunities, to undeserving recognition, to hosting, to events, to celebrating, to positions- it was a lot of yes. And I loved it- it was great, and I learned and experienced a lot. It also opened a lot of doors and a lot of goals and ideas for the future. 

The only negative that I’m walking away from 2025 and into 2026 with is my health. My body really took a toll during the year dealing with some back issues that affected me on all levels- physically, mentally, emotionally. It was…not great to put it mildly. I’m still dealing with these issues, and we are trying to figure out some new options for relief and getting myself back to 100%. 

I don’t make “resolutions” for the new year. I find that, honestly, do they really get kept? I don’t frame my goals and ideals around the fact that a “new year” is going to solve anything. In the past I’ve quietly stated goals and objectives of things I’d like for the new year, but last year and now this year I’m switching things up. Last year it just meant that I said yes. I searched for opportunities and said yes. It wasn’t groundbreaking, it wasn’t revolutionary, it was just me saying yes to things I wanted to do and then finding solutions to whatever may have stopped me from saying yes (childcare, fear, whatever). 

This year it is going to be me pushing myself into new situations. In being louder, vocalizing things, placing myself into the rooms, advocating a bit harder for the things I believe in. It is going to be pushing my personal envelope, rather than working quietly behind the scenes (which is what I’m a bit more known for). I want to see impact and change, no matter how small or large it is. 

However, in doing more, I also want less. I want to purchase less, I want to stress less, I want less drama. I want to make sure that in doing more, I am also making sure I prioritize more and have less. 

So, for 2026, I want more (and less). 

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On Burn Out

Hello…

Well October sure took a turn, did it for anyone else? It seems like everything almost just hit at once and then next thing I knew it was November. I seriously have no idea where the month went of what we did (well I do, it’s all on the calendar, but you know what I mean). I said yes far too many times to far too many things and I came very close to burnout only to get reprieves at the last minute (thank you to my child who needed a mental health day that coincided with my own need for a mental health day). And all while it seems like the outside world is struggling more than ever and I feel that pull that I can do more, need to do more. 

I’m well into building my community here between our Spouses Club, our Spicy Book Club, Subbing and Volunteering within the school, and our little portion of the neighborhood. That has been so good. I don’t want to say I’m hitting my stride just yet, but I’m on my way to that. 

However, I’ve definitely needed to find that balance. In fact, It’s not a balance at all- it’s a juggle. That’s what I hear in October (via a TikTok algorithm moment), and I really found that that was a slightly better mindset. Rather than finding a balance, I juggle- I focus on the balls that are currently moving and the other are in the background. It sounds weird to say and I can’t quite explain it, but this little reframing takes some of the pressure off. I can prioritize with the best of them, and this fits very well with that. I don’t have to try and focus on everything all at once, but certain things at certain times and in certain ways. 

With that though, my boundary of saying “no” has been completely obliterated. I would also say though that my boundary and ability to delegate and ask for help has improved. That’s partially because it’s been forced, but I also think I’ve just gotten more comfortable with it. Reminding myself that I don’t have to do it all myself and run myself into the ground over it has been a game changer. 

Something else that I’ve had to remind myself, is that just because I love doing all the things and that the burnout isn’t as bad or as major because I love doing all the things, doesn’t mean that I don’t experience the burnout. If that makes any sense whatsoever. In October I met with a female leader of our local Chabad (she was absolutely lovely, and I can’t wait to visit there more). While we were chatting, she said… “well what do you do to take care of yourself”. I promptly answered, “I stay up far too late reading books in the quiet of my house”. She half chuckled and that’s when it kind of dawned on me- my “taking care of myself” while re charges me, it also drains me at times. 

When my older son had a rough time and needed a mental health day- I was forced to take one to. As we sat on the couch together spending the day reading – it hit me that I needed this too. Something I had only slightly acknowledged. 

So, what does all this mean? Other than me self-analyzing and oversharing (and hopefully not coming off as complaining- as I truly love all the things, I am committing myself to) …it means that we need to continue to be mindful of our body and soul. Just because we love all the things doesn’t mean we won’t burnout. Just because we want to do all the things doesn’t mean that we can. Take some time to take care of yourself. 

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