The Unexpected Ever Afters will be taking a fall break and look forward to returning in October. Happy Fall! ~Jessica & Wendi
Category: Author: Jessica
Throwback: a collection of Jessica’s posts
As I re-read previous posts that Jessica has shared on The Unexpected Ever Afters, I was struck by the wide variety of topics and full range of emotions that she has written about. Her ability to articulate experiences and perspectives with clarity, authenticity, and insight has provided tremendous help and comfort in my own journey. …
Throwback: Candid Moments of Inspiration
This post is such a beautiful reminder that sometimes the best lessons in life are found right in front of us. I loved re-reading about joy, kindness, laughter, and praise through the eyes of a child.
Be in the Now: Another Piece of the Puzzle
As I thought about this, I wondered what was pulling me away from enjoying the moment. I realized it often wasn’t the “What’s next?” question, as I had expected and wrote about in my last post. Although, my emotions were still focused on the ingrained future-thinking, there was a key difference: “What’s NOT next?” What is part of this moment that won’t be the same in the future?
Summer Break
The Unexpected Ever Afters will be taking an unexpected summer break until the middle of July. We look forward to returning July 17th. Happy Summer! ~Wendi & Jessica
Be in the Now
I am still struggling to be okay with being okay. I frequently find myself stuck in a cycle of thinking about “what’s next,” frequently daydreaming about the next big thing. Trying to slow down while inundated with the demand to do the opposite feels like a losing battle.
For the Love of Libraries
From the small library down the street from my house to the museum-like city landmarks, I am always in awe of the role libraries play in our communities and the impact they have had on my own life. The last week of April was National Library Week, and in celebration of libraries everywhere I am sharing a few of my favorite library memories.
Happy Easter
Happy Easter to all our unexpected ever afters readers! Thank you for continuing on this blog journey with us. We are spending the holiday celebrating with our families. We look forward to returning in two weeks with our next blog post.
Vanquishing Nightmares
My eight year old son was recently plagued by a recurring nightmare. This nightmare disrupted our sleep and exacerbated his already slow moving, groggy mornings. Being no stranger to sleeplessness due to middle of the night awake sessions, I turned to a handful of tricks to try to ease his night fears. Interestingly, some of the kid-friendly nightmare vanquishing tips have actually helped me with my own overthinking. Parenting has an amusing way of ensuring I am learning as much as I am teaching.
Healing, Hormones, and Emotions
It has been a long journey, almost five years, to rediscover and readjust to my new body cycles, health rhythms, and emotions. But, my biggest take-away right now is the reminder that emotions are complex, sometimes intense, and that is okay. As I have made my way through February, I have practiced pausing and identifying the emotions I actually feel. Then I gently remind myself to be thankful I can feel again, the good and the bad. Even when it is hard, this process of acquainting myself with the emotions present in all of life’s journey is often worth it.
the unexpected ever afters 