I love all of the hidden gems around the Washington, DC area. In Poolesville, Maryland, along the Potomac River, one of those gems blooms in late July. The McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area is home to gorgeous fields of sunflowers, which are open to the public. The McKee-Beshers sunflower fields are located in Poolesville, Maryland and about 30-40 minutes from Washington, DC at 16898-16500 River Rd, Poolesville, MD 20837. The drive from I-270 was easy and provided a beautiful drive through the Potomac countryside. A dirt road takes you into the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Mana ..read more

Off of Interstate 66 in Centerville, Virginia is the Bluebell Trail in Bull Run Park. In mid to late April each year, the trail is lined with wild Bluebells, making it worth the trip! The 1.8 mile loop is flat and runs along side the Bull Run river. If you’re in the DC area, or up for a drive, the Bluebell Trail is worth the visit! The post Bluebell Trail in Bull Run Park appeared first on Balancing Today ..read more

It’s pretty surreal entering March. I was at Target the other day and saw all the Easter candy, which was such a flashback to March 2020. It was such a weird moment where it really hit me that we’ve been doing this for a solid year now. As I cross the 1 year mark, I want to take some time to really think about all that I’ve achieved and let go of over the past year. I am truly a different person one year later. As I shared in my last post, I have been battling PCOS and secondary infertility the past 2 years. I started 2020 at my highest weight, severely depressed, and alone. Pandemic or no pa ..read more

Trigger Warning: Today’s post discusses secondary infertility and PCOS. I’ve fought a lot of battles alone in my life, but time and time again I’m reminded of the beauty of letting others in. I’m reminded of the hope that comes from in sharing my story, knowing I am not alone, and that I can help others to know they are not alone either. We have 2 beautiful kids. Before both of my pregnancies I remember going back and forth with Neal on timing. Were we ready to have a baby? Were we ready to say goodbye to our pre-kids life? Were we ready to have a second baby? Were we prepared for the costs a ..read more

Moving on and into 2021. In many ways saying that brings with it a breath of fresh air. In other ways, the realities of 2021 come flooding to the forefront of my mind. If 2020 was the great pause and slow down, 2021 is the year of patience and transition. Patience as we wait for the vaccine to roll out, transition as we welcome a new President, patience as we determine how life looks after a global pandemic. I’ve said it to myself many times, but I do not think we’ll be fully into a new normal until 2022. To me, 2021 brings with it much of what 2020 was filled with, but with a new hope. And th ..read more

2020. It was a life changing year for me and my family. I started 2020 with a list of goals that I didn’t actually share here on Balancing Today. Save money Simplify our home Decorate the house Focus on the joys within my work Rearrange my work office Go on walk breaks during the work day Go hiking Go dancing Workout daily because it brings me joy Cut out the thing that rob my life Use my loft more for my evening wind down Travel To be fully honest, I started 2020 feeling absolutely awful. I had gained a lot of weight due to stress, depression, anxiety, and the return of poor eating habits d ..read more

Despite loving goal setting, I have long wanted to create a vision board. Over the past few weeks I’ve attended a variety of professional development trainings that discussed vision boards, so it felt like it was time for me to bust out my art supplies and dream away. To get started, I gathered magazines from around my house (I always save favorites), scissors, glue sticks, markers, and poster board. I also took a few minutes to just get into the right head space. I knew I wanted to create a vision board that would spark joy, fuel my days, and keep me motivated as I work to reach my goals thi ..read more

I’ve always loved new years. I love the fresh start, new beginning, and seeing the 12 months before us. Over the past few weeks I’ve taken some time to work on an end of year clean out. One of my goals for this past year, well past few years really, has been to declutter and minimize. This year I worked really hard to clean out and clean up. Obviously being home almost 10 months has given me the time and space to work on projects, but some planned home renovations mid-year really kicked my clean out into high gear. While I still have things to clean out and go through around the house next y ..read more

Earlier this week, my husband and I went on a quick overnight trip for his birthday. I knew I wanted to find a quiet spot and ideally a stay that had amenities to aid in rest and relaxation. I was so excited when I found Heidi’s Bed and Breakfast in Myerstown, PA. This space is a log cabin, nestled between an Amish farm and a family farm. With it being just 2.5 hours away from the DC area, Heidi’s Bed and Breakfast sounded like the perfect spot for us to getaway. Check-in was at 4PM, which in the winter brought us in just before sunset. It was beautiful seeing the sun set over the farms. The ..read more

It has been 7 months since I last sat down to write. I had to sit here for a moment and count the months on my fingers just to be sure. It’s hard to believe that that much time has passed and yet as I pause to think back on all that has happened since May 2020, I just smile. 2020 started out with the hope every new year brings. A new beginning and fresh start. By late January there were rumblings of the Coronavirus spreading in China and by mid-February work meetings had shifted to discussing the possible impacts should the virus continue to spread. On March 12th I packed up most of my office ..read more