After the 2024 Mount Rainier Half Marathon in Washington, I’ve run a race up and down the West Coast and completed nearly all of the western United States in my late sister’s honor. And as the fire builds deep inside the icy volcano in Washington state, so the fire for Taylor burns in my heart and my soles.

This year, in my early 40s, with the joints of a soccer player whose vocabulary didn’t include the word “rest,” I set my sights on a world record for fastest blindfolded half marathon by a female — without a tether. Why? Because I knew it would be hard.

I’m making a movie! Chronicling my world record attempt in my late sister’s memory, “Blind Momentum” will showcase the power of the human spirit and the extraordinary achievements that can be accomplished when we dare to dream big and refuse to give up.

I didn’t run a great race at the Mesa Falls Half Marathon. But in making Idaho number 27 of 50 states where I’ve crossed a finish line, I learned a lot about failure and the good in the not-so-bad.

In 2023, I’ll try to break the Guinness World Record for fastest blindfolded half marathon by a female. If you’re familiar with my story, you already know I’m doing this to honor my late sister, Taylor. But where and when will I make the attempt?

Since Global Running Day in 2013, I’ve lived a lifetime and lost the sister whose courage inspired me to run two half marathons blindfolded. Now, 10 years later, I’ll wear the blindfold again — this time in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for fastest blindfolded half marathon by a female.

I wish everyone had the chance to know Taylor when she was alive. But while I can’t bring her back, I can preserve her legacy. That’s why, on Rare Disease Day (always the last day of February), I wanted to share 28 facts about my sister.

Can creative people be organized? Creatives are often thought of as haphazard and absent-minded, but creativity and structure can coexist.

I look forward to the holiday season as a chance to recharge and reflect before tackling another trip around the sun. As the sun sets on 2022, here are my three goals for 2023.

If you have a book lover on your holiday shopping list, here are some of my top picks — and if you finished shopping early, these make great gifts any time of the year.

From a treehouse in the sky to a daybed swing with a killer sunrise view, these have been some of my favorite places to write.

The connection between mood and physical activity is already well documented. And in my case, running not only boosts my mood — it may have saved my life.

While everyone is different, there are some tried and true ways to break out of writer’s block. Here are five strategies I use to supercharge my storytelling.

I’ll celebrate the new year when the clock strikes midnight. But I’ve never once wished for 2020’s early demise. Because if I’d had the power to make a wish like that come true, I’d have cheated myself out of any weeks, days and months still left in the tank.

While the pandemic hasn’t rocked my world as it has so many others’, it’s given me too much time to think about what I haven’t accomplished. Those things I’ve failed to do or the things I’ve simply not done well. Maybe it’s past time I gave myself a second chance.

Like the leaves of the oak tree, our stories burst into being and unfurl into brilliance. Then, gradually or suddenly, they end: like the weightless autumn leaf riding a gentle breeze all the way down, or the heavy acorn striking hard-packed earth.

I had already lived on our planet for 34 years and four months when I first laid eyes on Grinnell Glacier. Tucked into high cliffs beneath the Continental Divide, ribbons of ice and snow hugged the emerald lake.

This motherhood thing isn’t easy. But more than ever, and maybe even for the first time in my life, I know exactly who I am and what makes me happy. My “things” are important, but they’re still just things. And my heart is full.

I’m a creative and a planner — an odd blend of sketchpads and poetry, Excel spreadsheets and productivity apps. I view life as one long story, and I’m always writing a couple of chapters at a time. I want to be ready for the next milestone, the next first, the next step in the journey. But I also want to live in the now.

When I look back at 2018 years from now, I think I’ll remember it as a rare collision of indescribable pain and immense joy. There won’t be another one like it, yet I’m excited to look forward and make the best of this next trip around the sun. Here’s a quick look at 19 goals I hope to accomplish in 2019.