Tag: Nicole Phillips

My husband was supposed to be on the team bus. That’s what he always does. His basketball team was heading out for a weekend double header and he rides the bus.

Only, at the last minute, he decided to drive his own car.

That night after the first game (a win!) he followed the bus to the next city. The ... Read More


Crime shows, murder-mysteries, suspense novels… are you hooked?

Do you love the adrenaline rush that comes from not knowing what will come next?

Not me. I like everything laid out and unfolding according to plan. If I can guess what happens next in a show, even better.

Life sometimes has a bit of mystery to it, and that’s not all bad. Sarah VanRoekel, ... Read More


The books on display at airport stores always catch my eye. They are the most important books. At least that’s what they seem to proclaim. They are the best-sellers, the ones everyone is talking about. The ones you better read if you don’t want to miss out.

I hope my next book will be one of the loud, important books everyone ... Read More


I’m starting to wonder how much snow a person can handle. I think my personal limit is about 2 inches.

If there has ever been a question about my level of kindness when it comes to snow, let me say, I’ve got lots of room to grow.

My 15-year-old daughter is outside clearing the driveway. I thought about helping her and then ... Read More


What’s on your mind? Are you excited about the possibilities of this new year? Or are you feeling like you need fewer problems and more solutions?

I’ll be honest, I spent a good part of Christmas break seeing the world’s problems and trying (unsuccessfully) to be the solution.

The harder I tried to be the answer, the trickier the questions ... Read More


I lost my dear friend, Tom, just before Christmas.

He was in his late 80s and his quality of life was diminishing, but even so, it’s hard to say goodbye.

One of the great gifts of these past six months was the amount of times I was able to visit Tom and his wife, Ann. My family’s move from Ohio to South ... Read More


My fourth grade son, Ben, told me his teacher pretends to vomit anytime the kids start bickering with each other in his class. Isn’t that hysterical?

Instead of yelling or raining down punishment, the teacher just walks over and pretends to gag. The kids immediately realize what they’re doing and are distracted enough to let it go.

The principal in that same ... Read More


Some days a girl just doesn’t want to get out of bed. That was me Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday. Luckily it’s Monday and the world seems a bit more bearable.

I am a big believer in doing acts of kindness to get myself out of a funk, so I dug deep in my grey wallet and my ... Read More


I feel sorry for people who live in warm climates. They never get to experience the incredible kindness that comes in the middle of a massive snowstorm.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my family drove from Aberdeen, S.D., to Moorhead, MN., for my husband’s basketball game. A friend let us stay at her house while she was gone for the weekend. Our little ... Read More


I never thought it would happen. Christmas pictures with Santa back where it all began!

Fifteen years ago, we were living in Fargo, ND with just one baby. Our daughter Jordan was 10 months old. It was her first time meeting Santa and she found him at West Acres Mall.

The following year, she brought along her newborn baby brother, ... Read More