handcraftedadventure 
Here’s what I’m reading right now — four books worth picking up in June 2026, even though they don’t have much in common except that they’ve all been sitting nearby lately, and I’ve found myself thinking about each one long after I put it down. Some months the books on my nightstand all seem to … Read more
Six weeks ago, Tom and I started working through the Framework. Most days, we sit down and answer three prompts. Ten or fifteen minutes. Sometimes less. At this point, it’s simply part of the week. We usually do it together. Compare notes. Talk about whatever comes up. Sometimes the conversation lasts a few minutes. Sometimes … Read more
I’m building a retaining wall this summer, and I already know I won’t stop until it’s finished. Almost a hundred pavers. Six at a time on a dolly from the garage to the backyard, then one at a time through the gate to the patio. Enough trips that I stopped counting. Some of that happened … Read more
Five weeks in. We’ve been working through a simple idea: decide what matters, put it on the calendar, and protect it. Simple doesn’t mean easy. Because eventually life pushes back. And that’s when you find out whether your calendar is a plan or a priority. The Difference Between Planning and Protecting Most of us are … Read more
This is not a perfect road trip packing list. This is the stuff that is actually in our car because we got tired of almost being ready. The things that used to live in a bag or a closet until the morning of a trip — and sometimes got forgotten, or were in the wash, … Read more
Three weeks in. Module 1, Phase 3 — Structure. Days 19–20. Three weeks ago Tom and I sat down at the kitchen table and started the Fully Lived Framework on ourselves. To test it. I’ve been sitting with this material for months — writing it, living adjacent to it, believing in it. But believing in … Read more
I had days off and a list. Real plans — things I actually wanted to do. I finally had the time. And I still couldn’t start. Why can’t I start when everything is lined up? That’s the question this long weekend answered for me. The list was there. I was there. And somehow the distance … Read more
The May Record — Handcrafted Adventure Volume 05 · The May Record The May Record:The Month Direction Got Specific May was the month direction got specific. May wasn’t a month about starting over. It was a month about finally getting honest. Honest about the gap between what the calendar shows and what actually matters. Honest … Read more
Three weeks in. Module 1, Phase 3 — Structure. Almost done with week 3. Three weeks ago Tom and I sat down at the kitchen table and started the Fully Lived Framework on ourselves. Not to test it. Not to generate content. Because it was time. We’re three weeks in — we’ll finish week 3 … Read more
We found it the way we find most things now — by googling “hiking near St. Louis” on a Saturday morning when we didn’t quite want to waste the day. Don Robinson State Park came up. Thirty minutes away, free to visit. Neither of us had ever heard of it. By 9:30 we were on … Read more