#peace

August 27, 2022

Living With Less. The Stuff That Matters

Starting With Less I bought my first home when I was 26 years old. I felt like I was on top of the world. It was a two bedroom condominium in Old Louisville. Two stories with a total of five rooms. Nothing extravagant but it was mine and it was nice. I started out living Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#adventure, #death, #decluttering, #grief, #lessstuff, #livingwithless, #moving, #peace, #stuff, #travel, #traveling, #travellighter
August 19, 2022

Things I Wished I Had Said

An Idea Becomes Reality My late husband Eric was never one to have anyone to make a fuss over him. His birthdays were never a big deal. I am absolutely positive he wouldn’t want his death to be a big deal either. But yet I felt I had to do something for the community he Continue reading

Destinations, Thoughts and Notes

#adventure, #anxiety, #anxietydisorder, #bluewidow, #death, #findingpeace, #grief, #lakeshelby, #loss, #memorial, #peace, #remembering, #shelbyvillekentucky, #travel, #wanderlust, #widow, #widowchronicles
August 17, 2022

More Loss and Finding Hope

First Comes Loss I’ve experienced more loss in the past two years than I have my entire life. I am quite sure other folks have had much more than me so I am in no way saying I am special. But with the passing of Lucy, I was able to watch her go. I’ve been Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#adventure, #bluewidow, #findinghope, #findingpeace, #grief, #hope, #loss, #peace, #ptsd, #trauma, #travel, #widow, #widowchronicles
August 11, 2022

Kitty Love, Saying Goodbye

How We Met July 2002 was extra special. That was the year my kitty love Lucy was born. And, the month we met. My in-laws had a pay lake out in Waddy, Kentucky. My father-in-law called me a few days after my birthday. He asked if I wanted a kitten that had been orphaned. She Continue reading

Lucy’s Adventures, Uncategorized

#animallove, #bluewidow, #calico, #cat, #companion, #findingpeace, #goodbye, #grief, #kitten, #kitty, #kittylove, #loss, #love, #mylove, #peace, #travelcat, #widow, #widowchronicles
August 2, 2022

Grief and Trauma Labels

What Are Grief and Trauma? A quick Google search and I found definitions for grief and trauma. Grief is a “deep sorrow caused when something or someone you love has been taken away.” Trauma is an “emotional response to a distressing experience.” So on first glance one would think the two are somewhat related. I Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#adventure, #bluewidow, #complicatedgrief, #diagnosis, #emdr, #emdrtherapy, #findingpeace, #grief, #griefandtrauma, #healing, #hope, #loss, #peace, #ptsd, #therapy, #trauma, #travel, #widow, #widowchronicles
July 27, 2022

A Horseback Ride in Colorado

Horseback Ride? Heck YES! While on my second visit to this wildly adventurous state, I took a horseback ride through the mountains. It’s been a minute since I took this trip to Colorado but I’ve been wanting to tell you about it. I’ll begin by saying I had no idea what I was in for Continue reading

Destinations, Uncategorized

#adventure, #bluewidow, #colorado, #findingpeace, #horse, #horsebackriding, #mountains, #outdoors, #peace, #scenic, #stables, #trails, #travel, #wanderlust, #waterfall, #widow, #widowchronicles, roadtrip
July 22, 2022

Speaking Up and Confronting Fears

Speaking Up with Boundaries I’ve never been the one for speaking up for myself. I admit, I’m a people pleaser. In my childhood I dared not speak my mind. This action always met with fierce condemnation. Therefore I learned quickly not to speak up for myself. This carried into my adolescent and adult life. There Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#abandonment, #adventure, #anxiety, #anxietydisorder, #behaviors, #bluewidow, #boundaries, #confrontation, #confrontingfear, #fear, #findingpeace, #grief, #love, #peace, #relationships, #roadtrip, #selfdiscovery, #speakingup, #speakup, #widow, #widowchronicles
July 19, 2022

Feeding My California Love

How My California Love Started My love for California started six years ago. I flew in to Ontario airport for the Nocturnal Wonderland Festival in the hills outside San Bernardino. The drive to the hotel was almost an hour. I remember thinking the landscape looked similar to Las Vegas but then it didn’t. That weekend Continue reading

Destinations, On The Road

#adventure, #attractions, #bluewidow, #california, #californialove, #findingpeace, #grief, #losangeles, #peace, #roadtrip, #sanfrancisco, #tourist, #travel, #wanderlust, #widow, #widowchronicles
July 8, 2022

One More Year and Another Birthday

Navigating Another Birthday At the beginning of this journey after losing my spouse, I was unable to cope with my feelings. At all. Unable to feel the correct feelings or over feeling seemed to last longer than I expected. In 2020 my husband left just before my birthday. I had a few friends and family Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#adventure, #anotherbirthday, #birthday, #birthdaycake, #bluewidow, #cake, #emotions, #feelings, #findingpeace, #fireworks, #fourthofjuly, #grief, #peace, #travel, #wanderlust, #widow, #widowchronicles
July 3, 2022

My Engagement Ring, A Love Story

Engagement Ring Shopping, NOT I love Tiffany & Co. I try to visit every store I can when I find one. The service is exceptional and I just love the iconic jewelry. I enjoy everything about just being inside the store. The quote from Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s is true “…nothing very bad Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#adventure, #bluewidow, #diamond, #engagement, #engagementring, #findingpeace, #grief, #loss, #love, #peace, #portland, #portlandor, #ring, #roadtrip, #tiffany&co, #travel, #wanderlust, #widow, #widowchronicles
June 17, 2022

Going Home, A Midwest Story

Going Up North The drive didn’t take long. The usual four and a half hours. This trip was different though. This time I was going to do something that was long overdue. My husband is going home. I’m taking his ashes back to his home state of Indiana. I decided to spread part of his Continue reading

Destinations, Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#ashes, #bluewidow, #cremains, #findingpeace, #grief, #indiana, #indianabeach, #lake michigan, #memorial, #midwest, #peace, #rememberance, #roadtrip, #spreadingashes, #travel, #wanderlust, #widow, #widowchronicles
June 7, 2022

Reconnecting After Grief

The Grieving Process Grief has no time limit. I’ve heard that a lot. I’ve also read there are stages to grief. Some professionals say there are 5 stages, some say 7 stages. I’m not trying to tell you some doctor has all of the answers. Personally I think it’s all garbage because every person is Continue reading

Thoughts and Notes, Uncategorized

#acceptance, #alone, #bluewidow, #connections, #death, #findingpeace, #grief, #journey, #peace, #process, #reconnecting, #reconnectingaftergrief, #stagesofgrief, #stuggling, #travel, #travelalone, #wanderlust, #widow, #widowchronicles

About Me and My Grief Journey

My grief journey began in the Summer of 2020. I became a widow overnight. Without warning, my entire life was turned upside down, broken into pieces I didn’t know how to put back together. Writing became my anchor—my way to breathe, process, and heal, even in small, fractured moments.

After losing Eric, I was diagnosed with PTSD, complicated grief, and an anxiety disorder. For a long time, I was paralyzed by my own emotions. I traveled across the U.S. for over two years, mostly alone, learning how to carry myself through the aftermath of sudden loss.

Along the way, I found love again. Greg became an important part of my life, bringing companionship, laughter, and even new challenges. Losing him to suicide has been another unimaginable heartbreak that shapes much of what I write here. Through it all, my emotional support animals —Odin (dog) and Freija (cat)— keep me grounded and remind me there is still love, life, and care to give.

I moved and now reside in Chicago, Illinois. This city, this home, is my space to rebuild, to grieve, and to explore who I am beyond loss.

What you will find here

This blog started as a place to house my writing. Over time, it’s become much more. Here, I reflect on grief, healing, and the messy, beautiful, often difficult journey of life after sudden loss. I write about my day-to-day experiences, the struggles and triumphs with my diagnoses, and anything else that captures my heart and attention.

My journey on podcasts

Many of my articles are available in podcast form on Spotify and Amazon Music. I welcome your comments—I love feedback. Let’s share this journey together, and maybe find adventure along the way.

Blue Widow Chronicles

#peace

Living With Less. The Stuff That Matters

Things I Wished I Had Said

More Loss and Finding Hope

Kitty Love, Saying Goodbye

Grief and Trauma Labels

A Horseback Ride in Colorado

Speaking Up and Confronting Fears

Feeding My California Love

One More Year and Another Birthday

My Engagement Ring, A Love Story

Going Home, A Midwest Story

Reconnecting After Grief

About Me and My Grief Journey

Recent Posts

Newsletter