It was a Saturday afternoon. My friend and I wanted to go on a girl-date somewhere nice. We went to an Italian cafe--a favorite of mine--ordered a bottle of wine and some snacks, and sat out in front of the cafe. This cafe is also a coffee shop and a restaurant. To say that I love this place is an understatement. The very first time I…
Grief is a deep pit. My whole family fell into it this year. Most recently last month. None of my friends can pull me up out of that dark place. And yet, a brave soul can climb down into the sadness with me and stand there, holding my hand and even supporting my frame so that I don't fall over. If you are someone who isn't…
This week, I’ve been noticing a significant increase in my levels of joy and contentment. I sang Take it Easy by the Eagles to my husband this morning to wake him up while Spotify played a karaoke track for me in the background. Things are looking up! A few things that struck me this week: 1. Helping a friend, when it’s something I love to do…
This week's had some highs and lows for me. Lows: a bout of depression that forced me to cancel all commitments and reassess. Highs: camping with my best friend and my husband by Diablo Lake. The lake was the temperature of glacier melt--in my humble, screaming opinion--but it felt incredible after a long, sweaty hike. Another high: getting beers with two very dear friends who helped…
"Now that she's in a relationships, I never see her." Sound familiar? My new post on the touchy topic of friends feeling abandoned after someone gets into a romantic relationship is up on SheKnows. Most of us have felt this pain, from one angle or another, and it sucks. But we often forget that when it's our turn to get all mushy and kissy-face, we do…
Some of the most spectacular moments are the ones when something I’ve always seen one way changes, and I see it in a new light. One of the toughest cookies I know is a gal who trains at a CrossFit gym. One day my heart melted when I realized she wasn’t just trying to outdo men with her badass exercise routine. I saw a shield she’d…
This post may strike you as rather philosophical, but there are seasons of our lives--and minds--when nothing else fits the bill. You hate it when the status quo is simply to pretend like everything is always fine and dandy, right? And you equally hate it when people you know launch themselves from crisis to crisis as if they truly inhabit an endless chain of traumatic evens and…
Boy meets girl. Girl smiles at boy. Boy spends more time talking with girl. Both appear quite interested. Elise is oh-so-proud of herself because she's the one who introduced them to each other. I have personally never been a successful matchmaker (the above mentioned couple is no exception, I'm sorry to say). Have you ever tried to set up two friends? One thing that almost always…
It's here! Moonlight and Oranges is officially for sale on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com in both paperback and eBook! You can look to the right of this post at the snazzy link that takes you right to Amazon.com to purchase it. Now that the moment has finally arrived, ("This is real, Elise. You're not dreaming. The numbness and disbelief is perfectly normal and proportional to how badly you've…
Today, I'm prepared to delve into the emotional side of writing. It's my homage to the holiday. Valentine's Day, at least in our culture, has been dedicated to red paper hearts, flowers, creme-filled chocolates, expensive dinners and anything else you can put a Hallmark icon on. Then there's the flip side of Valentine's Day for all those singles out there--and though that's not me anymore, I've been there…