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My Mom rode horses near Washington, D.C. as a child. So, when April and I were kids, she suggested we try horseback riding. From the ages of 6 to 12, I rode ponies at Miles River Pony Farm. It taught me a lot about love, responsibility, respect, discipline, and the overall joy of being able to go to a pony farm once a week. For the uninitiated a horse or pony farm typically has a dirt road leading up to a large barn. There is usually some type of fenced arena or ring close by

I don't know which sandwich condiment I am yet, but I know that I am firmly in the sandwich generation. Over the last year or so, I have been juggling taking care of Jackie and taking care of my Mom. That is, of course, when they weren't taking care of me. I think the act of my Mom living with us for about 3 months (Dec 2023- Feb 2024) and having to endure seeing me unconscious on a ventilator in the ICU, was her brain's final big act. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in Ma

Spoiler alert: cats do not have 9 lives. I grew up with pets, but my parents typically took them 'over the rainbow bridge' at the vet without my sister and I. Thank you Mom and Dad for saving me from that trauma. On March 22, 2024 (after my stroke and brain surgery), my ride or die cat, Pepper, died after a 1 day decline from a series of blood clots. While they were checking him out at the ER vet, he had a blood clot in his brain (confirmed by the feline neurologist, even Pep

I realize it can be hard to visualize what changes you could make to live a healthier (mentally and physically) life. Before December 2023, I often rejected any suggested activity that would occur during the work week and then I was defensive over my weekends. Additionally, as a working Mom I felt guilty about doing something on the weekend that would pull me away from time with Jackie because I had so little time with her during the week. Since December 2023, I have learned

It was my birthday this week so I thought it would be fun to reflect on the journey. I graduated high school 24 years ago this past May. This is my senior 'casual' picture. As you can see, I didn't wear glasses yet because my eyes didn't spend 8 hours a day staring at a computer screen. Apparently, I was voted Most Outgoing. Some of my likes- ketchup with french fries and spending time with my friends- are still accurate. Some of my dislikes- people who don't use turn signals

I am currently reading Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown. In it she defines the experience of Foreboding Joy: "If you're afraid to lean...

I am often asked, what am I reading? So in addition to my gratitude list, I created a Learning List that I keep in my Bullet Journal. This is in rough chronological order and you can see a few themes that emerge in the list depending on what may be occurring in my life or in the world around me. I will update this list along our way. The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence Anthony (I read this after our Honeymoon to South Africa.) Necessa

I started Bullet Journaling in March 2023. One of the first things I added to my first Bullet Journal was a gratitude list. So here is my ever growing gratitude list (in no particular order): My husband, James, who literally saved my life in December 2023! My daughter, Jackie Our dog, Sammy Our old cat, Pepper (he passed away a year ago and I still miss him) Our fish (we have 3 freshwater tanks) Bald Eagles (we were lucky enough to witness a pair of Bald Eagles raise a hatchl

As mentioned before, at some point in mid-December 2023, I was on the couch in our living room talking to Jackie and my Mom. I believe I...

I'm not quite sure I can pinpoint when the darker days started to feel lighter. I think a combination of things assisted in moving me...

As a Legal Operations professional, my daily job is to actively listen and find ways to do a process more efficiently. Every day at work...

As I lay there unconscious for 3 days, I did not have any flashbacks nor did I have any heavenly interactions. Once I woke up though and...

Going to bed one night and waking up 3 days later, in hindsight, has given me a lot of clarity. We all tell others (and ourselves) how...

In early February 2024, I went into Overlook Hospital for an in-patient EEG to see if we could 'make sure' the cav mal was the source of...

When I came home on December 11th (also James' birthday), I was still and would remain for a few weeks somewhat out of it. At the time, I...

This picture was taken on December 2, 2023. We went to see Trolls Band Together in the movie theater! This was the first day of what would become the worst headache of my life and 3 days later, I would be unresponsive in the trauma center of Morristown Medical Center. The First Signs of a Stroke I remember a few meetings on Monday, December 4th, and Tuesday. I also remember that I cooked a terrible pasta dinner for Jackie and me on Tuesday night because James had a dinner in

Hi there, My name is Suzanne Dinsmore. Welcome to my blog! I hope to get to know a bit more about you as we build this community! In the meantime, here is a little bit about me... Growing Up on Maryland's Eastern Shore I was born 1 minute before my fraternal twin sister, April Hershberger (she is the world's best partner in crime! You should follow her @barnhomeliving). Almost 42 years ago, at the age of 2, my parents moved us to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I am so lucky t