**UPDATE! The pilgrimage is half full! Traveling with intention is very important to me. After our family took the trip of a lifetime to Italy in December 2022, I knew how magical, meaningful and healing a pilgrimage can be at that time of year. The absence of commercialization and the focus on Christ absolutely transformed our Christmas. It helped us form new memories as we healed from losing my dad. And, because my family has strong German roots, choosing a Germany/Austria pilgrimage in December was an easy decision!  Our pilgrimage spiritual director, Fr. Michael, joined me in the ..read more

For years, we’ve been traveling the country (and the world) with our children in tow. Lots of travel guides assume you have a money tree, mine do not. We’re a real family, with a real mortgage, with a real desire to show our kids the world. Enter: our practical travel guides. My husband was a wildlife and fishery science major at Texas A&M (whoop!), but because of the hiring freeze during the 1990s, he shelved his dream of becoming a park ranger and became a fundraiser instead. Ha! But, the outdoors never left him. He has helped our family enjoy more than 20 national parks, and counting, a ..read more

We’ve been known to take a road trip, or 20, to a national park. Just check our van’s odometer or our back windows for all the national park stickers. What you may not know, though, is that my husband (aka Mr. Whitaker) received his B.S. in Wildlife and Fishery Science from Texas A&M. The year he planned to apply as a park ranger, they had a hiring freeze so we decided to get married and both pursue our master’s degrees instead. Ha! During his time in grad school, he began interning with the university foundation and fell in love with fundraising. But, he never lost his sense of wonder wit ..read more

Texas A&M University is a powerhouse of an institution, and the Corps of Cadets certainly makes it unique. They’re called the “keepers of the spirit” for a reason. It’s their discipline, dedication and love for Aggieland that ensures generations of students will always know what a special thing it is to call yourself a Texas A&M Aggie. By now, your son or daughter has expressed an interest in the Corps of Cadets and maybe even visited campus or participated in a “Spend the Night with the Corps.” You have Freshman Orientation Week (FOW) on your calendar and you’re probably thinking, now ..read more

Mr. Whitaker and I love agriculture. It’s why we have four degrees in the field, between us. Both of us agree, though, that if we could go back and do it again, we’d both major in horticulture. Of course, I would exclude indoor plants because I kill them everytime. But seriously… When we moved into our home more than a decade ago, we loved all the brick work around the planting beds. For about five minutes. Our kids stood on the brick by the front door and promptly broke it (even though we fixed it a ridiculous amount of times over the years) and that’s when we started dreaming about overhauli ..read more

This pass-through hallway initially started as nothing. But, as the kids started going to school and backpacks started accumulating all over the house, we knew we needed a better solution. We added a hook system which worked beautifully for nearly a decade. But, leave it to reels on Instagram, the tail end of a pandemic and a desire to give this space some real purpose and we had ourselves a fun little weekend project. I really liked the idea of wainscoting, especially if it was dark blue (that one was inspired by this project from In Honor of Design), and a simpler storage solution for our ..read more

Several years ago, I made the shift away from asking graduates what they were majoring in to, “Where will life lead you after graduation?” The paths are as varied as the young adults taking them. The world is big and bright and in need of their leadership, skills and enthusiasm. To celebrate that next leap, I hope you find these gift ideas helpful for ANY graduate taking the world by storm. Two important gifts that I think are excellent for any graduate are cash and thank you notes. Those two never go out of style, or use! Hopefully these additional ideas will benefit that young adult, as well ..read more

The baby is eight, y’all. Eight. Scott asked me this morning if I was going to dust off the blog and write her a letter. I hemmed and hawed all day long and finally decided to do it. If birth stories are your thing, you might love this one. But, if you’re a fan of videos that make you wonder if your allergies are acting up, then this is for you. Enough of that. Let’s get to the letter. Dear Gianna, This past year we have really seen your personality blossom. You sing country songs, mimic Tik Tok dances (thanks to the older siblings) and say the funniest things. A few months ago, your older bro ..read more

We blinked and it’s November. Anybody else feel like that?! As hard as the last couple of years have been, I still see so much good in the world. For the last four years I have loved putting together a small gift guide for y’all (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020). It’s my hope that these little ideas spark big love in your gift giving this season. I’m sharing mine a little earlier knowing that many folks are closing shops earlier or battling the ever-favorite “supply chain issues.” As I put this year’s ideas together, keep these things in mind: This is just a small snippet of all the things I love ..read more

Clare is another year into the teenager gig and we’re all still alive. Ha! But seriously, with each passing day she looks more and more like her older sister. It’s fun to see that budding relationship. Let’s get to that birthday letter. It’s a busy week around here! Dear Clare Bear, I just can’t quit that nickname. Hope that it doesn’t make you cringe. This past year, one thing has really stuck out to me: your heart. When your older brother Will was little, he was always the one who noticed other kids on the playground who were feeling alone or scared. And he always went to them. You do the sa ..read more