Happy end-of-summer, everyone!

It is happy, isn’t it? I suppose the end of August always feels bittersweet to me, as I imagine it does for many. I love the summer weather and the chance to be outside as much as possible during the warm months in Minnesota, but I also look forward to the start of a new school year and new routines in the fall. Fall in Minnesota is also the most colorful, beautiful season, in my book.

Of course, fall also means my two young children head back to school, which is again, bittersweet. I know they’re ready to be with friends, old and new, and to learn and absorb All The Things. They are also happier with a regular routine and schedule, whether they know it or not. School gives me more time to write, which makes me a happier, more fulfilled person.

Alas, I am not a Pumpkin Spice Latte person, but there are some local pumpkin cookies that always get me in the fall spirit… so there’s that!

I recently had the opportunity to be published in what I’d call a “bucket list” magazine: EQUUS. It’s one of the most highly regarded equestrian and horse care publications, and as a writer it’s a huge honor to see my words in print in those glossy pages.

I’m especially proud that my article features a non-profit I fully stand behind, War Horses for Veterans.

You can read the article online too, at Hope in the Saddle, a website that shares all the good that horses do for us.

I’ve also been toiling away on an unusual story for The Morgan Horse Magazine; it’s taken on rather epic proportions, as the subject of the article doesn’t use a computer, has no cell phone, and is usually out of range in the mountains of Wyoming. It promises to be a good read, however, no matter how long it takes.

I offered to take on the “pets” section in my local lifestyle magazine, and it’s been a fun passion project– writing & animals are two of my favorite things, after all. My first article features a neighborhood family with a lizard, a dog, and a cat (my kind of people!).

Tutoring Updates

My tutoring business will change this school year: instead of working privately outside of school hours with families, I will be working in a local St. Paul school two times a week, providing intensive reading instruction during the school day to students with learning disabilities like Dyslexia.

I think this new model is such a win for students– they get to receive that one-on-one help during the school day, rather than when they’re tired and busy after school, or need a break on the weekends. I’m looking forward to this new challenge and helping more children gain confidence in their reading.

Fall, here we come!

In the meantime, I’m off to get one many of those pumpkin cookies. And my puppy sure is hoping to get a pheasant or two this fall. Let’s do this!

Happy Fall,

~Julia

Being outside, especially on a warm, sunny day (though I’ll certainly take a brisk fall day, or a slightly cloudy spring day), is what helps clear my head the most.

Not only does this likely have something to do with the sunshine and vitamin D, but I’m pretty sure walking around and being outside gets our feel-good endorphins going. Surely exercise makes 99% of us feel better (I’m not sure about that 1%…). And having a clear head and a positive outlook absolutely makes me a better writer (not to mention mother, wife, and person).

Another perk of spending time outdoors: it gives us a chance to leave the screens inside, which becomes a break from many of life’s stressors and the constant reminders of our never-ending to-do lists.

Social media has many great benefits, however, in my opinion. Even a bit of inspiration in its own right! I’ve met writers from around the globe on Facebook and we have a virtual writer’s group that provides– on our own time–the essential support, advice, and encouragement people in creative fields require.

I’ve also joined hobby and interest groups online that offer tips and tricks and just plain old glorious enthusiasm about our chosen obsessions hobbies.

I love scrolling through Instagram and seeing photos from people I follow from around the world, hinting at what’s going on in say…Denmark on Saturday at 3p.m. Sharing my own photos on Instagram is also a fun pastime and helps me forge new connections too.

But there is something else inspiring me these days– something wiggly and energetic and about 30 pounds. At least, she’s busy inspiring me when she isn’t pulling me around to go pee or darting across the trail to sniff a dead tree.

Her name is Sunny.

Here’s a photo of me holding her around 12 weeks before she got too heavy for me.

Sunny may be my inspiration now, but she’s also the reason my focus turned from writing for a good 2 months. Full time puppy care is like adding a full time job to an already busy and full life. It is just as busy as everyone says it is, and if you stick with it, just as rewarding too.

We’ve made it through the earliest and longest days [I hope], and she has rewarded our family of four with countless great, one-of-a-kind moments.

Not only does Sunny force me to take a step away from my computer and get outside many times throughout the day (every day), she has, I think, had a positive impact on our entire family.

My kids have learned how much responsibility a puppy actually is, that you can’t wrestle with them at 8 weeks old, and that to have a calm dog, they need to be calm.

Sunny has also gotten us to step outside our neat little comfort zones. For example, puppy classes with other folks from all ages, stages, and walks of life were intimidating at first, but so worth the interaction and camaraderie with other humans who are in the same crazy-puppy-rearing boat.

She also got me interested in a new endeavor: field work and hunt training. Yes, me!

I took my son to our first training event last week, and well, all three of us had a blast!

Was meeting a bunch of new people (mostly male) with their dogs on a hot, humid summer night out on a farm and introducing our puppy to gunfire and birds stepping out of my comfort zone? Of course! But so worth it.

I’d love to hear what gets you out of your comfort zone. Was it worth it? Will you do it again?

I’d also be interested to hear what inspires others to carve out the time to do what they love. Is it nature for you too? Or perhaps it’s travel, spending time with friends, or going to the gym.

On that note, my now 5 month old pup is giving me her best puppy dog eyes right this moment, wanting to get out for a walk. You know what? A walk’s not a bad idea.

Until next time!

~Julia

Have you adjusted to writing “2019” on checks and forms yet? It always takes me a while to get used to writing a new year. So far, I’m embracing 2019 and have a focused resolution of self-care for the year.

After years of being a mother (daughter/sister/wife/teacher), it is finally truly clicking that I need to take care of myself in order to be the best mother (and person) I can be. I’ve always believed that in theory, but as many beliefs go, it’s more challenging to put into daily practice, especially when schedules are busy, we get sick, school is out…you get the idea.

I’m exercising more, eating healthier (the usuals), and for emotional health, I took a short break from freelancing this fall to recharge my creative juices. I think when you work in a creative field, you feel constant pressure to produce, submit, produce, submit, but in the process of that never-ending cycle, you can lose the passion that makes you good at what you do. Taking intermittent breaks helps me with this.

I did, however, take on a couple (okay, a few) projects– there’s nothing like doing something you love in moderation that reminds you why you chose to do what you do!

First, I wrote about a fantastic non-profit organization here in Minnesota, Hope Rides, which gives children and their families (who may be struggling with significant life challenges– mental illness, divorce, death, to name a few) a chance to visit a farm, spend time with horses, and receive welcoming guidance and connections from the volunteers there. I shone the spotlight on a special Hope Rides volunteer in my article, which appeared in the lovely Neighbors of Chaska Magazine.

I also wrote about a handful of great people and horses in the Morgan industry for The Morgan Horse Magazine. It’s always a pleasure to work with that publication, and it was fun to contribute to their huge Grand Nationals issue.

Next, I wrote about a friend of mine, Michele Quattrin, who has taken many cherished photos of my family over the years with her own company, mQn Photography. She makes giving back a priority, and I wrote about her pro bono work for an upcoming issue of North Oaks Living Magazine (due out March/April 2019).

In one of her efforts, she partners with Tiny Footprints, where she takes high quality photos of families and their sweet newborns who are in NICU units. In her other effort, she contributes her time and talent to Spectrum Inspired, which pairs professional photographers with families who have children on the Autism spectrum. She’s pretty cool, right?

Last, I took on a fun passion project: two wonderful companies, Mamalode and Hyland’s Homeopathy, asked writers to share meaningful holiday traditions– both big and small– with their readers and followers.

I loved sharing the simple tradition I have with my daughter of making and delivering Christmas cookies. Writing about Motherhood is where freelance writing all began for me, and it feels decadent when it comes full circle and I get to indulge in the topic again.

No, not everything is from scratch. The perfectly imperfect fun is in making them, spending time together, and giving them to our friends, teachers, and neighbors.

You can read the article here.

As for my private tutoring business, where I help improve the reading and writing skills of local children and teens with dyslexia and other learning disorders, I’m totally booked! This summer, however, I will have some weekday morning availability. If you are interested in getting on my schedule, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Things fill up quickly since I have such limited time due to my own children’s needs.

Happy New Year to all of you. I wish each and every one of my readers all the best for 2019!

~Julia