Penny’s second year on dance team. Penny’s senior year. Penny’s last homecoming.
Tagged: hoco, homecoming, Oliver, Penny
Our Everyday
Sharing our stories, big and small.
My second time visiting CLI Conservatory, Penny and Oliver’s first. I was reminded of the magic of this place, in the charming western Massachusetts towns, the eclectic community and the supportive environment of CLI. The connections they made, their love of dance with new space to breathe and grow, their tired bodies easily jumping right back in six days in a row and being surrounded by others that love dance as much as them, that see their talents without comparison, they are coming away feeling seen, supported and renewed.
Tagged: CLI Conservatory, dance, Easthampton, Northhampton, Oliver, Penny, summer intensive
Tagged: family vacation, Iceland, travel, vacation
There is nothing like experiencing something for the first time. The anticipation, the unknown, the unexpected. Traveling somewhere new is a continuous stream of firsts. Traveling somewhere that is completely unfamiliar, has been portrayed as other worldly in films, has a subpolar oceanic climate and never ending days gives you firsts that are simply unrivaled. 
Tagged: family vacation, Golden Circle, Iceland, midnight sun, Reykjavik, travel
In 2018 we traveled in Japan for the first time. In 2025 we went again. We revisited favorite spots, discovered new places and enjoyed experiencing Tokyo and Kyoto with and through our kids, now eight years older.
Tagged: family vacation, Japan, Kyoto, Tokyo, travel
Tagged: 17th birthday, birthday, party, Penny
On August 21, 2025 I walked away from him with tears in his eyes. Within an hour, another parent sent me a video of him filming a Tik Tok with his newly made friends. That put my heart at ease although it would become heavy for the next few weeks as I adjusted to his absence.
Before he left for school we made a deal that every Sunday we would talk. That lasted for two weeks. But I’d get texts and calls throughout the week. When he was struggling I’d hear from him more, when he was thriving I could barely track him down. I adapted to the way he needed to communicate and obsessively tracked him on Life360 for my own peace of mind.
This first year went by fast and full.
Tagged: college, fraternity, freshman year, USC
Tagged: girls trip, Malibu pier, Malibu wine hike
Porto is Portugal’s second-largest city and a historic, UNESCO-listed “Invicta” (undefeated) city known as the birthplace of the nation’s name and its famous Port wine. We stayed right in the city and spent most of the two days we were there walking everywhere, in and down alleys and past charming cafes, wonderfully surprised by the colors and age of every building.
Tagged: family vacation, Porto, Portugal, Spring Break, travel
The Douro River Valley in northern Portugal is the world’s oldest demarcated wine region (since 1756) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its dramatic, terraced vineyards along the river.
Tagged: Douro Valley, Portugal, Spring Break, vacation
