Author: nicole

I feel like I’m standing in line, waiting to ride the world’s best rollercoaster. Later this week, I’ll pack up the family and we’ll head to Cleveland for the MAC tournament. For my non-sporty friends, that’s our conference basketball tourney. If our team wins, the Bobcats will head to the NCAA tournament. (That’s the big leagues, non-sporties.)

Saul’s teams have been ... Read More


I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I’ve been thinking about. I don’t know if this is the case for you, but my mind can follow a squirrel or bright shiny object into the next dimension in no time flat.

A friend recently told me she struggles with cooking because of attention deficit disorder. As soon as she steps away ... Read More


Dear Winter,

We need to talk. This letter has been a long time coming. I know I should probably be doing this in person, but it feels like every time I step outside to talk, you try to freeze me out.

We’ve had some some good times together, haven’t we? Remember those 47 days my kids got off of school? Making snowmen… ... Read More


I cried the day I found out I was going to have a daughter. Don’t get me wrong– it was not a sweet, tender moment. I was terrified.

After a tumultuous relationship with my mom, I assumed I couldn’t do the mother-daughter thing.

I stood in my bedroom and cried as I thought “What is God thinking? He knows I can’t handle ... Read More


What’s the furthest you would go for kindness? Do you even know? Maybe you’ll give your time, but not your money. Maybe you’ll give your money, but not your time. Maybe you’ll give your time and money as long as you don’t have to sacrifice your personal comfort.

It’s humbling to realize our limitations, both the tangible ones and the ones ... Read More


Here’s a little food for thought:

“We scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested.” -Martin Seligman, from his book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

I ran across that quote in my newest Guideposts magazine last night, and it struck me. Yes! It really ... Read More


My husband has just won an award that has us doubled over in hysterics. Hold on a sec, I have to quit laughing. Okay, are you ready?

My husband, Saul Phillips, has been named the third sexiest mid-major coach of 2016! Need to see the documentation for yourself? I can’t blame you. Not everyone gets that kind of national ... Read More


I love the way people look at me when I mention all the blessings that we experienced during my bout with breast cancer this past summer. The love I felt from friends, strangers and even my own family far surpassed any act of kindness I had ever previously experienced.

I know this is a bold statement — and my husband may ... Read More


I’ve decided it’s WAY less stressful to have my husband sitting next to me in the stands at a college basketball game than to have him out there on the side lines.

My entire family went to the OU Women’s basketball game last night. The women played Miami (of Ohio) and won by 3000 points, so that brought the stress ... Read More


I woke up in the middle of the night with one word in my head: VALUABLE.

That’s just how I saw it in my mind, in big capital letters. The letters were also a bluish-turquoise color so I guess it looked more like this:

VALUABLE

Huh. Hmmm. It’s 4am. What is that supposed to mean? Sleep is valuable. My bed is valuable. My ... Read More