A picture of an orange and white VW ID buzz against a bright blue sky. Notes from a Self-Made Life
What happens when you stop the hustle, stop the comparisons, and stop giving in to the pressure all around you? What happens when you start being who you are, on purpose? You discover who you are. This is my journey to living intentionally. 
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Bilateral Hip Dysplasia and Other Fun Issues

I've struggled with pain since the birth of my first child, almost two decades ago. My hips, legs, back... they all hurt... all the time. I've tried to pursue answers from doctors for over a decade but the healthcare system where I lived was a desert. I was never able to find answers and I was brushed aside regularly because I was "too young" and it must just be a pinched nerve, minor twist, a bruise - insert any excuse and I've probably been told it. I moved to a new state and have now collected some major pieces of...
July 22nd, 2026

Mending Slippers

Due to medical reasonings, I'm incredibly clumsy. I run into things ALL THE TIME. This can be really tough on shoes. I purchased a really nice pair of slippers a few years back that are warm, have incredible grip, and just feel great wearing around the house. Without saying how much - these slippers cost me more than I'd like to admit to paying for them. Worth it, but I don't want to admit it! I've run into so many things around the house that the front of one of the slippers separated. Given the cost of how much I...
March 18th, 2026

Nome, Alaska

I was recently in Nome, Alaska for work and was humbled by the kindness of a small rural town. I was there during a VERY cold snap (-20ish), which causes me to have to walk with a cane so my leg doesn't collapse on me. (Old skateboarding injury - great story for a different time.) When you arrive in a small rural town like Nome, the airplane doesn't roll up to the airport - you have to take stairs down to the tarmac and walk to the terminal... which is just a super small building with one TSA point. Managing...
March 18th, 2026

Palmer, Alaska

One of the biggest things I did in my life to be able to live intentionally was leaving traditional employment and creating a business. At first, creating the business was allow me to stay home with my children while maintaining work. It was a means to an end. However, over the last few years it has given me so many growth moments (both good and bad... some extremely difficult and stressful). That growth has allowed me to develop one of the most important things I need to live the intentional life I want to - the courage to choose work...
March 3rd, 2026

Learning the French Press

One of the things that has frustrated me the most for the past month is coffee - making coffee at home. I work from home running a business and caffeine is almost as necessary as my blood at this point. (If you know, you know!) My awesome CPA before I moved told me that I should purchase a good coffee machine for my home because it was a business investment - if I could make the coffee at home I was spending more time at my desk working then going to get the coffee somewhere else. So I took the...
February 24th, 2026

Lighthouse Park, Washington

My first adventure - Lighthouse Park in the City of Mukilteo, Washington. I found this beach by accident one day randomly driving around. This morning when I woke up I wasn't feeling the best and I remembered what my AK heartbeat is always saying - when you feel off, go to the water. So I did. I spent the morning walking on the beach, looking for sea glass, and talking with my dearest on the phone. It was lightly raining, but it was refreshing. There were a few people on the walking path, but I was the only one on...
February 23rd, 2026

I Have Always Been a Writer...

I have always been a writer, in some way or another. I started keeping a journal when I was about 10. It was a way to escape reality, to hide the hurt and loneliness I was feeling. It was how I survived. I kept this journal all the way until I graduated high school. Then I stopped writing - and lost myself. I'm not going to use this blog as a way to relive my pains. If you are one of the few people I hold in my heart you know my whole story. If you aren't, then you'll have...
February 23rd, 2026
Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world. - John Muir