Remember around Valentine's Day when I confessed my girl crush on illustrator Emily McDowell? Well, she's done it again with the most heart-warming empathy cards! When I took the "Strength Finder" assessment for a class back in the day, one of my top 5 strengths was "empathy." Still, when a friend is in a particularly tough situation, I find myself stumped as to what to say or do.

Enter, these cards:

{Shop the entire Empathy Card collection here!}

I love how Emily captures sentiments that can be hard to put into words. I also (secretly) loathe the phrase "Everything happens for a reason!" so adore the middle card. I think it'd be applicable even for the "less serious" struggles of everyday life. She offers some cancer-specific cards, too. I think many of these would be a compassionate gesture towards someone struggling with mental illness, too. It can be tough reaching out to someone when you don't quite understand what they're going through — but that's okay! We're only human, and admitting you don't know exactly what to say is perfectly fine. Just don't let fear prevent you from reaching out!

 Just thought I'd share with you all, as I know many of us are supporting friends/family members through hard times, or are going through those times personally! Sending a little empathy your way! xx

Mom's Meals: Spinach Salad

Mom's meals is a series where I share recipes from my kitchen-wizard mother that I have managed to replicate, even though I once started a fire boiling water.

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Before the world went crazy for kale, there was spinach. The original leafy green. Today I'm sharing a super easy, super delicious spinach salad recipe that my mom would often whip up for a side dish. 

What you need:

Spinach

1 Bag Slivered Almonds

1 Red Onion

1 Can Mandarin oranges

A splash of Red Wine Vinegar

A little Olive Oil

Sugar

What you do:

It's a salad, so you don't do much! 

Rinse spinach and cut onion.

Mix the juice in the can of mandarin oranges with a little red wine vinegar and olive oil, and lots of sugar. Taste until you decide you like the dressing!

Combine spinach, onion, oranges, and almonds, and toss in the dressing you just made.

Any other delicious summer salads you recommend? As long as it's easy, I'm game to try it!

And, fair warning, if you have a cat and attempt to make a meal involving a mixing bowl, expect this:

His expression says: You couldn't possibly need this bowl for anything.

Enjoy this delicious (and potentially healthy) summer salad!

p.s. Have you Googled food comparisons? It's a pretty nifty Google Easter egg. Here's kale vs. spinach.

Read This: The Dog Year

I got the pleasure of meeting Ann Garvin through a Dream Bank event, and she was instrumental in helping me write my middle grade manuscript! She is an incredibly kind, energetic person so I couldn't wait to read her book, The Dog Year — it did not disappoint!

The Dog Year by Ann Garvin

The plot of The Dog Year is fast-paced, and the book is certainly a page-turner, but it's the fascinating cast of characters who stuck with me after I finished it. Our protagonist, Dr. Lucy Peterman, is a straight-A, type-A surgeon who's used to working hard and reaping the benefits, when her world is turned upside down by a tragic accident.

She handles this traumatic event how, I assume, many of us would handle such a terrible event: not well. Although she's financially stable, she starts shoplifting, a lot. She lives in denial about the loss of her husband, and struggles to connect with people, since she doesn't want to move on. She desperately wants her old life back. Is that too much to ask?

While dealing with the consequences of "trying to fill the void" post-accident, loner Lucy is forced to meet a cast of memorable characters — some from mandatory AA meetings, some from therapy — all who are flawed. She ultimately connects with these people, broadens her worldview, and learns she is not the only one with struggles. And she rescues a dog!

One thing I adored about this book was how, in a story of grief and struggle, Garvin was able to include hilarious one-liners. Whether it be the funny way she described a house, an analogy used to describe a reaction, a snarky comment from Lucy, or even just a quirky detail from the setting, Garvin continuously made me laugh on this healing journey with Lucy.

The Dog Year is a poignant story of overcoming grief and accepting a different reality than the one you imagined, and how connecting with people (and dogs!) can help you do just that. It also made me laugh. I highly recommend reading it, even as an adamant cat person.

Have you read any good books about grieving lately? I find it such a compelling topic, since everyone handles grief so differently. Cheryl Strayed's Wild is another favorite on the topic.

p.s. The Dog Year is Ann Garvin's second book. Her first is On Maggie's Watch. I haven't read it yet, but it's now on my list!

Weekly Favorites: It's Gonna Be May

Happy May, homies! When I was little, living in Iowa (until I was 7), we used to celebrate May Day on May 1. Aka playing ding-dong-ditch at friends' houses and leaving them cups of candy! After I moved to Pennsylvania, it was disappointing that May Day was no longer a "thing" there. Whether or not your hometown celebrates May Day, I strongly encourage candy consumption today!

Although my instagram is biased to Lake Monona, Madison's Lake Mendota is also beautiful this time of year!

Here are a few links for your (hopefully warm!) weekend:

Are you part of the 6.7% of American adults who read poetry? (The fewest readers, ever.)

I'm not a poetry snob (nor a poetry expert), but as I mentioned here, I have started reading it. If you're looking for a great place to start, I highly recommend this book.

My girl Becky* is nominated for Redbook Style Award**!! Vote for her, if you'd like.

*not my twin sister, Becky, Stephen's sister, Becky.

**I've decided this makes me stylish by association.

I made this pasta dish for Stephen and he proclaimed it the best dish I ever made! (Not saying too much, ha.) Had to share because (secret) it's really easy. This one was good too!

On important texting matters: hahaha vs. hehehe in the New Yorker

Uber drivers can now deliver you food. (In select cities.)

I attended a Count to Kicks luncheon on Wednesday —  I'm not pregnant, but I met Glennon Melton Doyle (!!) — but, if you know someone pregnant/in her last trimester share this site with her! It's really important to track movements in the third trimester, and I had no idea. (They have an app too!)

TED talk of the week: "Every single life matters equally and infinitely." (Warning: I cried a bit watching this.) And, I got the app.

Utah is a state I "need" as I attempt to go to all 50 — and Lauren's Salt Lake City post solidifies that!

Throwback rap song of the week :)

Happy weekend, homies! And Happy May!

A Book in Review: The One & Only

I'm excited to review another book for you this week! I picked up The One & Only at Target for one simple reason — I've read all of Emily Giffin's book. This is her seventh! I started with Something Borrowed and never looked back. I did wait for this one to come out in paperback, though.

The One & Only by Emily Giffin

Emily Giffin writes stories about female friendships and romantic love —and often how the two collide (and sometimes, disaster ensues ;).

In The One & Only, Shea Rigsby is a 30-something living in a fictional Texas football town who's feeling stuck. Stuck in a somewhat dead-end job, in a less-than-stellar relationship, and in the town she was born and raised in. The book opens with a town tragedy, which causes Shea to do some serious re-evaluation. "I couldn't fight the knot of dissatisfaction with the status quo, all the things that had always felt comfortable, good enough." Shea's position is relatable — not unlike the quarter-life crisis many of us are surely experiencing. The big life changes she makes to "shake things up" may not be as relatable — but are certainly interesting.

Shea's best friend, Lucy, seems to have it all together. She's married, has a child, and her father, Coach Carr, is the nearly worshiped head football coach of the fictitious Walker Broncos. Shea's father is somewhat out of the picture, her parents long divorced. One of my favorite parts of the book was witnessing how Shea and Lucy, who are so different,  still have a clicking friendship. Underlying Shea's trials and failures in life and love is the story of the Walker Broncos' season, led by Coach Carr.

I enjoyed following the football season (as a sports fan myself) and the meaningful, relevant commentary on the dark side of the NCAA (as a former NCAA athlete). Shea is a huge football fan, and, knowing some huge football fans who are female it was refreshing to see that represented accurately in literature — not in a gimmicky "she's one of the boys!"way. However, if you're someone who can't get into sports, I might skip this book. It's not a book about sports, but there are so many references that, if you don't know the difference between the Heisman Trophy and the Stanley Cup, it might be difficult to enjoy.*

*I mean that in the nicest way. There are many topics I am clueless about as well.

Without giving too much away, I'll say some of the love story in this book is so unconventional that, at times, it made me uncomfortable. Giffin kind of called my bluff in an interview in the back of the book, saying, "I've always been fascinated by complicated, unconventional relationships. I think, if we're honest, many of us have a rather narrow definition of romantic love and have a tendency to dismiss, or at least feel uncomfortable with anything that falls outside those parameters." I think that's a thought-provoking way to look at it, but I still was not completely satisfied with the book's ending. It left me feeling more questionable than content.

That being said, Giffin knows how to write a page-turner. She's adept at ending chapters with cliff hangers that make you want to keep reading! There were some surprises in this book, but I honestly expected there to be a few more twists and turns along the way. If you've never read Giffin before, I'd recommend starting with Something Borrowed. That one, and Baby Proof are my two favorites.

Have you read all (or some) of Emily Giffin's books? Which is your favorite?

p.s. One thing Giffin does is use characters from her older books in her new books. I've always been able to spot the connections before, but this time, I'm stumped. Supposedly, a male character from Heart of the Matter makes a short appearance in this book, but I can't figure out who. I haven't read HOTM in years, and don't remember it well, but if you know can you please tell me? It's kind of driving me crazy :)

How to Get Same Day Broadway Tickets

For my last job, I was lucky enough to travel to New York City pretty regularly. Once there, I justified buying pricey Broadway tickets since my flight and hotel were covered. However, I soon found tkts discount booths — a way to get same-day discount show tickets, and it was a game changer! I just came back from a long New York City weekend with my twin sister, and we used tkts to see Les Miz! So, I wanted to share my ins-and-outs of tkts! (This is probably obvious to any New Yorker, but as a midwestern girl, I fully realize how many non-New Yorkers exist :)

How it works:
There are 3 locations to get tickets from tkts — Times Square, South Street Seaport, and Downtown Brooklyn. Most have quite a few shows at 50% off!

I recommend downloading the tkts app, which shows what tickets are left, where! I have bought tickets at the tkts in Time Square (under the iconic red steps) during the week, but when Becky and I tried to get tickets on Saturday afternoon, the app told me Times Square was wiped out! So, we went to the South Street Seaport station in lower Manhattan, which had quite the selection, even on a Saturday afternoon. (If you're in the Times Square area, it's just a quick ride on the 1, 2, or 3 train downtown.)


Shows Available:
You likely aren't going to land Aladdin or Lion King tickets (or any new, hit, or new hit show!) from the tkts booth,  so go in with realistic expectations. It's even best to pick your top three shows from their list because availability can change by the time you get to the front of the line. If you're buying with someone else, agree on a top three list!

Mini Reviews:
Phantom, Chicago, and Les Miz are regularly available at the tkts booths, and I've been lucky enough to see them all! A few quick Mini reviews:

The Phantom of the Opera is probably the greatest display of talent I've ever witnessed. This is currently the longest running show on Broadway for good reason. The songs gave me chills, the set was magical, and the story, of course, was moving. The chandelier from the theater is pictured above! (Favorite song: Think of Me)

Chicago is incredibly minimalistic (no costume changes, band on stage, all actors/actresses sit on the side of the stage the whole time). I thought it was good – especially if you're into (all that) jazz music — but it wasn't my favorite. I'm more for a big, flashy show than a simple one, but that's just my preference. (Favorite song: Cell Block Tango)

Les Misérables is beautiful. The music is beautiful, the story is beautiful. The story is also, well, kind of miserable — which shouldn't be a shock. ;) There is lots of violence and death, and also a slew of sex references so I wouldn't take kids to this one (though if I were taking kids to Broadway, I'd probably opt for a Disney show.). I was blown away by the voices of Jean Valjean and Eponine! (Favorite songs: On My Own and, of course, I Dreamed a Dream)

Do you know any genius ways to score Broadway tickets on the cheap? If I could, I'd go to a show every single night I'm in New York :)

p.s. Joanna shared this website for cheap Broadway tickets, but I haven't used it yet! Have you?

Advice on Writing, Vol. 2

Ernest Hemingway famously said, "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at a typewriter and bleed." And, although I highly respect the cat-loving writer, I must say that sometimes, after I've sat at a computer and "bled" for a while, I read my work, and realize it stinks. This is where this week's writer's advice comes in! Brought to you by none other than Cheryl Strayed.

In Tiny Beautiful Things by Strayed*, she shares all kinds of advice on life, love, struggle, and pain, but also the occasional gems on writing, since Strayed is a writer herself! Win-win-win.

*You still haven't read this book, but you read my blog? I'd like you to please stop reading my blog, and spend all the time you could spend reading my blog reading this book ;)

There is a particular chapter that really stuck with me called Transcend.

In it, Strayed writes:

"I teach memoir writing occasionally. I always ask my students to answer two questions about the work they and their peers have written: What happened in this story? and What is this story about? It's a useful way to see what's there. A lot of times, it isn't much. Or rather, it's a bunch of what happened that ends up being about nothing at all. ... For what happened in the story to transcend the limits of personal, it must be driven by the engine of what the story means."

I love those two questions — such a good gauge for substance in writing. Admittedly, in blogging, there isn't a ton of transcendence. What happens in my DIY Bauble Necklace post is I make my own bauble necklace, and that's what it's about. But some of my favorite posts (I'm talking from other people, here) really do seem to transcend. And books? Transcendence is obviously huge. In my English major days, it was like a buzzword around the classroom table. (Like "synergy!" in business meetings.)

But, I've never seen it laid out as simply as Strayed does — and I love it —so I just had to share!

What's your favorite writing tip? :)

p.s. A tip from a writer who scoffs at writers' block.