It All Stacks — Every Day You’re Building Something

Coffee Outside in the early morning

Almost every morning — or evening, or somewhere in between — there’s a version of the same conversation. Maybe I skip the walk today and just have coffee. Maybe I work on the project tomorrow instead. Maybe we stay home tonight because it’s been a long week. Maybe the dishes can wait. Tomorrow will be … Read more

Nothing Dramatic Happened This Month

This month we built a retaining wall. We were both really busy with work. There were dinners with friends, a cardinals game, walks with the dogs, rounds of mini golf, a movie with Tom and Sam, coffee outside before the day started, and a brunch we almost talked ourselves out of. There were nights I … Read more

Running Behind and Doing It Anyway – Building It Live #8

What surprised me most is that we’re both working on the same module, but almost opposite problems. Tom used to run until he was wiped out. He’d push hard enough that the next couple of days became recovery days. Lately he’s been learning to back off a little, add strength training, and leave enough in … Read more

What Surprised Us Most After Three Weeks (Building It Live #5)

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

What I See Every Shift That Keeps Me Choosing Movement

I keep choosing movement. Because four years in clinical environments showed me specifically what happens when the choosing stops and it scared me. But the habit of choosing started long before the facilities did. It started with Tom’s hips, a cul de sac, and a dog with the zoomies. How It Actually Started For years … Read more

Why Can’t I Start? (Even When I Finally Have Time)

Handwritten journal open on a dining table with a full list across life areas — the starting point for getting unstuck

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 Handcrafted Newsletter – May 2026

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

The Hardest Part Was Being Honest (Building It Live #4)

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

The Life You’re Postponing Is the Only One You Have

Morning coffee on the porch — the life you're postponing is already this good.

There’s a version of your life you keep meaning to get to. The life you’re postponing isn’t a dramatic one. Not a fantasy. Just the version where you actually do the things you say matter — where you’re present at dinner instead of half-thinking about the week ahead, where Saturday morning doesn’t disappear into logistics, … Read more

How to Find Your Heading (Building It Live #3)

I want to tell you something about the heading exercise that I didn’t expect. I thought it would feel clarifying. Like the moment you finally name something that’s been circling, and suddenly the room gets clearer. That’s the version I had in my head going in — a small revelation, a sentence I’d write down … Read more