I’ve been recounting Life Lessons of the Year. Â Here are the final six (and a half) from 2012. Â I am really proud of the growth that my girls and I have undergone this year. Â I’m feeling more and more like we are connected and happy in a beautiful and unique way. Â I’m thankful that they…
Author: Carrie Nielsen
Bottom’s Up
Post WOD Chamomile Tea with lemon In the past six days, yes, it’s only been six days, I’ve made drastic changes to my diet. Â As a warning, this blog may very well be incredibly boring. Â It’s more of a journal entry of my adjustment to the new “rules.” When I say, “diet” I don’t mean…
The Other Side
“Self-actualization does not lead to self-control. Â It just leads to more guilt.” – Todd Sedlak I just got off the phone with a friend of mine, fresh out out of rehab, her second time. Â She has called and text me at all hours of the day and night telling me how depressed she is, how…
Life Lessons 7 – 12
Most of the time, the blogs I write are snapshots in time, arrangements of words that are reflective of something I want to capture, something that I need to process outwardly in written form. Â And I’ve written a lot of words in my day, so it’s hard to prioritize the ones that have meant the…
New Year’s Eve 2012
As New Year’s approached, I began thinking about how I would ring in 2013. Â The one thing I knew for sure was that it would involve my daughter, Taylor. Â Cate would be gone and much like my amazing day with her, sans big sister, I would get the same chance with Taylor. She wanted sushi,…
Life Lessons, 1 – 6
Most of the time, the blogs I write are snapshots in time, arrangements of words that are reflective of something I want to capture, something that I need to process outwardly in written form. Â And I’ve written a lot of words in my day, so it’s hard to prioritize the ones that have meant the…
The Lovely Little Things
When Cate wandered into my room early this morning I was just waking up. Â Back to the door, I didn’t hear her coming or see her small frame as she crossed the room to my bedside. Â It wasn’t until her tiny hand touched my shoulder that I realized she was there. “Mama, wake up,” she…
My 2012 Verbal Takanakuy
I’m not an angry person on a regular basis. In fact, I’m quite the opposite.  I have been made fun of for striking up conversations with strangers from supermarkets to restaurants. I laugh easily, find almost anything funny, and take most negative situations and people in stride. I don’t get upset easily in most circumstances…
The Love Story
Christmas night she hovered over my shoulder as I crushed his pills and flushed water through his feeding tube. “Grandma, you can go sit down and relax. Â Jenny and I can do this.” Bouncing from one foot to the other, she hesitated before walking away. Â Perching on a bar stool in my parents kitchen, she…
Life Lesson(s) #18: The Inconvenient Truths
I share a lot of personal details on my blog, things about how I see the world, the journey I’ve been on, how I’ve experienced it, the lessons I wish to share with my daughters, and even some of the things that have been a shadow in my past. Â And even in the low times,…