Halfway through the year already.

I took a scroll through my camera roll this week and was surprised by how many small (and big) moments I'd forgotten.

It's amazing how quickly we move through life and how often the moments we thought were ordinary become the ones we treasure most.

So here's your little nudge this week: go on a treasure hunt through your calendar or photos. What moments, big or small, have shaped the first half of your year?

And as you look ahead, what moments are you hoping to make room for in the months to come?

I've been thinking about how sometimes it feels good not to share.
Not to post…anything.
To be offline and awake to fully experience the life in front of you.

To experience moments of grief and joy quietly.
To have less distractions.
Less people influencing what you do or think or desire.
To take a break from it all.
Not because you want to but because you need to stop, grab a seat and simply sit for a moment in the middle of your real life.

Sometimes the deeper connection we need isn't out there at all — not in person, not online. It's within ourselves. Within our souls.

A place where the only things you're counting are pages in a good book, deep breaths you've taken today, flickers in the candlelight, and times you've smiled. A place where the goal becomes to be productively unproductive — even if it's just for a small moment in time.

To be relieved. Restored. Refreshed. Renewed. These don't always come packaged in the form of a fancy location or dreamy vacation. Instead, we often unwrap and revisit these meaningful things we need in seasons where things feel stripped away. It is there that we can finally process, feel, and consider the blessings. It's sitting in those good and hard places where we can finally pause for a moment, grab a renewed sense of hope and stand back up ready to take that next step into the next great unknown.

A few things I'm coming back to lately:

Watching FIFA with the boys ⚽
It's rare that we all find something to watch together, so I've been soaking up these little moments of connection. Even though the USA is out, I'm still counting it as a win.

The reminder that healing takes time
A truth I've been coming back to lately.

Simple moments together
Last week's date idea winner - trying a new coffee shop. Sometimes the simplest plans end up being the most memorable.

The Calamity Club — This book was on must-read lists everywhere so I finally buckled down to read it. Kathryn Stockett is an excellent writer, but I have to admit I didn't love it after the plot twist - very unexpected and felt a little disappointed. Working through my year of fiction, so we'll see what's next!

I'm taking a pause on new episodes this summer, but these conversations are still ones I find myself thinking about:

"The Missing Piece of the Good Life" with Dr. Lorraine Besser (this one was intriguing!)
"Finding Creativity in the Middle of Real Life" with Ashlee Gadd
"Rewiring Your Brain for Joy" with Nicole Zasowski

If you had to sum up the first half of 2026 in one word, what would it be?
And what's one word you're hoping defines the second half?

(Feel free to reply and tell me — I'd love to know.)

P.S. If this week's note brought you an ounce of joy, would you forward it to someone who might need a little pause, too?

Every letter I share the things that don't always make it to Instagram—a collection of reflections, books, conversations, recipes, and little moments worth noticing.

They can join: HERE