Sometimes we forget that joy belongs here, too.

In the middle of the lesson plans, the long days, the noise, the questions, the emails, and the moments when you wonder if you have anything left to give—there can still be joy.

Maybe it’s a student finally understanding something they’ve been struggling with.

Maybe it’s laughter filling the classroom when you least expected it.

Maybe it’s a quiet moment at the end of the day when you realize, I made a difference today.

Those moments may seem small,...

Some traditions don’t need explaining.

They’re simply ours.

You don’t always remember when something became a tradition. Sometimes there wasn’t a conversation about it. Nobody sat down and decided, “This is what our family is going to do every year.”

It just happens.

You go once.

Then you go again.

And somewhere along the way, it becomes part of the rhythm of your family.

For us, the State Fair Classic is one of those things.

As always.

And there’s something special about saying that.

Because life...

October Family Time: The Season of Showing Up

There’s something about October that makes me realize how quickly life changes.

One minute, we’re settling into the school year.

The next, basketball season is here.

And suddenly our weekends have a different rhythm.

There are games to get to. Practices to remember. Shoes by the door. Water bottles that somehow disappear. Schedules that require their own calendar.

And then there’s the driving.

So. Much. Driving.

But somewhere in between the rushing around...