Welcome to Grace, Grit and Sarcasm

I remember being 45 and dreading the thought of turning 50. I was convinced life was basically over—that there would be no more surprises, no more adventures, and not much left to look forward to.

Good Lord, was I wrong.

Looking back, I wish I hadn’t spent so much time fearing this stage of life because I’ve absolutely owned my 50s.

Shortly after turning 52, I bought my first home on my own. Where did I get the courage to do that, and what was I thinking? I hate mowing the lawn, and I live in Wisconsin, where winter likes to remind us who’s in charge. I had never even used a snowblower before. Thankfully, I bought the house at the end of March, so I had several months to pretend snow wasn’t coming. By November, I owned a snowblower that probably belongs on a commercial property, but it clears my corner lot in about 15 minutes. The driveway…well, that’s still a workout.

Then, at 53, I decided I wanted to go back to school. Not because I needed a degree for work or because anyone expected me to. I wanted to do something that was just for me. My youngest daughter was in high school, I finally had a little extra time, and I thought, “Why not?”

You would have thought I’d won the lottery when I found out I’d been accepted. I earned two associate degrees in just 16 months and realized I wasn’t finished learning. Today, I’m completing my bachelor’s degree while working full-time as a manager, and if everything goes as planned, graduate school is next.

If someone had asked 45-year-old me what life would look like a decade later, none of this would have been on the list. But that’s exactly the point. Life didn’t stop at 50—it surprised me.

This blog is where I’ll share more of those surprises. The victories, the mistakes, the moments that made me laugh, the ones that made me cry, and everything in between. I’ll talk about work, school, family, finding joy, starting over, and learning that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.

So if you’re wondering whether your best chapters might still be ahead of you, grab a cup of coffee and stick around. We’ll figure it out together—with a little grace, a lot of grit, and just the right amount of sarcasm.