One of the pleasures I’ve found in the empty-nest season is the time to tackle projects I’ve put off for years. For the past couple of weeks, with heavy snow and frigid temperatures keeping me inside, I’ve been working on another long-overdue project—I’m culling and organizing nearly 70,000 digital photos!
Read MoreLike many midlife couples, as children marry and move farther from home, we’ve reached the moment when long-held traditions must bend. We will still be together—just not on Christmas Day. And as I look back on 2025, I see that this wasn’t an isolated change. It was a year marked by a difficult parting, unusual holidays, shifting rituals, and moments that felt almost unreal. It all began on Day One.
Read MoreFive years ago (during the heart of the pandemic) I wrote a piece that still makes me chuckle, and reminds me to keep things in perspective at this time of year. It’s a fresh take on the empty-nester’s holiday wish list, in which I reflect on the nostalgia we all feel at this time of year and the benefits of the slower-paced empty nest. I also outline my realistic holiday wish list with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor.
Read MoreAs World Diabetes Day (November 14) converges with skyrocketing health insurance premiums and the potential loss of marketplace subsidies, this story is a good reminder of the personal cost to many. Based on a quick Google search, it seems the need for affordable healthcare is something most Americans can agree on.
Read MoreBack in July, I had the pleasure of chatting with my friend, Ruthie Gray, on her “Sandwich Season Sanity” podcast. Although she released the episode on September 15, that’s when I was deep into wedding planning and didn’t have time to tell you about it. I’m doing that now!
Read MoreYou know that feeling you get after returning from an amazing vacation? You spend hours planning and anticipating, and then gazing at those sparkling turquoise waters, majestic snow-capped mountains, ancient architectural wonders—the unforgettable sights dreamed of for months.
Read MoreI’ve struggled all week to find a theme for this post, putting pressure on myself to impart some great nuggets of wisdom—some lasting takeaways—for you, my reader. I haven’t written to you in over a month, and during that time, I’ve had countless bright ideas pop into my head. Unfortunately, if I don’t jot them down, they vanish. Midlife brain works that way.
Read MoreMom was pretty lonely after Dad died ten years ago, so after a while, we started a routine of calling her every Sunday evening at 8:00. She was usually sitting by the phone, waiting for that call.
Read MorePour yourself your yuletide drink of choice, snuggle under your favorite comfy throw, and enjoy our annual “Christmas Letter”, a.k.a. Year in Review, which is to say: LOTS of photos and news you can’t use. (But I promise, no artificial intelligence.)
Read MoreIn celebration of our daughter Chloe’s graduation from U-W Madison with a master’s degree in library and information studies, I’ve updated a story I first wrote three years ago.
Read MoreWhen our first grandson entered the world two months into a global pandemic, my husband—now a “Papa”—and I were in awe of this eight-and-a-half-pound miracle, as were his parents and our other three adult children. On our first visit, while wearing masks and visiting outside under a canopy, we put our worries of the world aside and gave thanks for this gift from God.
Read MoreThings get better. Things get worse. In seven years, many things can change. Despite global pandemics, wars and rumors of war, contentious elections, devastating earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires…our planet keeps spinning and circling and predictably falling in line with its moon and the sun at exactly the moment it's supposed to. I find that pretty miraculous!
Read MoreIn memory of my parents and the courage with which they faced a devastating diagnosis, I’m resharing a story I wrote for The Banner magazine in 2020. These events took place almost ten years ago, but it seems like yesterday. I can still picture my parents’ boat slowly submerging, and remember feeling helpless as I looked on from a distance.
Read MoreI’ve been writing on Substack since March 16, 2023 (but started blogging ten years ago!), so I thought I’d re-introduce myself to benefit my new followers (Hello there!) and others who want a taste of what Empty-Nest Joyride! is all about.
Read MoreA tiny taste of Lent through the Little Things, to whet your appetite.
Read MoreMy name is Migizi, but you can call me McGee, Gizi, or just Gee. My purr-son, Linda, has been moving slowly after hip surgery, so she enlisted my help to get the Christmas letter done. I’d rather wrap purr-esents, but because I want to remain her fur-iend, I agreed to write the annual Hanstra Year-in-Review.
Read MorePumpkins on the front porch are rotting. Thanksgiving leftovers are almost gone. It’s time to crawl into the storage closet under the stairs and bring out our Christmas decorations. As is our annual habit, we replace our normal decor with festive trimmings.
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