Let me start by saying, if you didn't watch this season of the Bachelor you are the luckiest human alive. For the rest of us, please allow me to apologize on behalf of the Bachelor, ABC and Chris Harrison.

What a mess.

It didn't help that this season started out as dry as can be. No drama, no nothing. Arie says like three words, the girls are all pretty boring and we're forced to watch two hours of this a week.

Then, after watching 57 hours of Bachelor, with one week left until the finale and no SPOILER ALERT, Us Weekly tells us that Arie dumps the winner and gets back together with the runner up. At least we knew this season would end interesting.

We start the finale with two of the longest dates in history. Honestly, I fast-forwarded through both dates, I just couldn't handle.

Let's start with Lauren- I think it's clear that he loved her more, even if he couldn't say why he loved her. He kept trying to convince others that she was outgoing, friendly and said more than 3 words an hour. Every time he was on camera with a producer, it was as if he was trying to convince everyone around him to love Lauren as much as he did. Even when his family met her, he was doing the Lauren tour of convincing them.

Why do you love Lauren? I just do. What do you love about her? I just love her. What's special about her? She has a brown speck in her eye. Okayyy, Arie.



Off to Becca - she is very sweet, lovely, graceful, and so so so eager to love Arie it almost hurts to watch her. She is so over the top with her feelings, her affection and her need to tell everyone about her future with him. All the while, you can see him pulling back and almost looking intimidated at her confidence in "them." There is nothing worse than trying to convince the guy you're with, that you both love each other the same.

Now, that being said, what Arie did to Becca was ridiculous. Never in Bachelor history have we been forced to watch an HOUR of the most horrendous breakup. I get it, they want to show the good, the bad and the horrible. But, really Chris Harrison, an hour of Becca bawling while Arie walks around this Hollywood mansion?

The poor girl just got dumped by Arie and what he said was "I was afraid the more I hung out with you, the more I thought I'd lose any chance of reconciling with Lauren." Let's stop and think about that. He's ENGAGED to Becca, not just casually dating her. In my opinion, when you're engaged, your thoughts should not be with reconciling with an ex.


The worst part? Becca is stuck at this house. It's not like she can call an uber and get the hell out of there. She's in the hills, at a mansion, presumably with no way down unless a producer takes her. Arie just keeps walking in asking to talk and then when they sit, he just stares at her and tells her he loves Lauren. We get it Arie, you made a mistake, no need to continually rub it in this girls face. Let the poor girl sit on the floor of the bathroom with the door closed and cry.

Arie then gets in the car with literally NO emotion, tells the producer he feels bad and immediately goes to Lauren and tells her he loves her. Then tells her he 100% over Becca. Well, that took all of a plane ride to VA Beach. Lauren then giggles and tells him he has a short amount of time to propose, again.

Ps. this is Lauren's THIRD engagement. No weddings yet, just engagements. But according to her, her family is v excited. I'm so sure.


At the end of the day, Arie did what he thought was best. Sure, he was texting and calling Lauren while he was engaged and texting and DM'ing other exes throughout his engagement, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt, or at least 8 months to bask in post-bachelor glow.

Now Becca is the new Bachelorette, shocker. And to be honest, I'm so drained from this season, I'll let you know if I'll be back next season. We may have to limit this to Twitter alone.


Until next time, friends!

Last November, I threw myself for a loop when I quit my job as an attorney. I semi-announced my departure from practicing law on social media and since then I've been asked by a ton of people why and what now.

I am not a person who handles change well. I like the status quo. I enjoy routine. I like knowing what's tomorrow, next week and next month. It terrifies me to take chances.

Practicing law was something I chose to do when I was a senior in college. I took a year off to take the LSAT and really think about whether or not I wanted to go to law school. After my year off, I happily went off to Creighton and spent three hard years in law school.

A lot of people ask me since I'm no longer practicing if I would still go to law school. My answer in unequivocally yes. Law school was damn hard, the years (& bar exams) after were so tough, but it was the best decision for me then and I think it is still a great decision for me now. Plus on top of the school/JD, I met my husband, so if for nothing else, I'd do it again.


After Adam and I moved to Colorado, practicing law was hard. I left a great job in Omaha and struggled to find that here in Denver. Eventually I found a job practicing in an area of law I'd never even studied, but it was a job and I was glad to have it. Three years later, I really found my niche in this firm. I knew what I was doing, I knew the law, I loved practicing in federal court and for the most part, I liked my job.

I grew up with a dad who loved his job every day he went to work. I didn't know that feeling. My job was good but the hard, tough days started outweighing the good. I started resenting my clients, the law, my co-workers and my day-to-day. It was a really hard place to be in because I didn't know anything else but law. This was my first real job post school. I couldn't rest on my year as a waitress, this was the career I had chosen.

Everyone kept telling me, "do anything else," "you're qualified to do a lot of things," "what do you really want to do?" "you can totally switch careers!" That is easier said than done. I've worked towards practicing law since I was 23 years old. How, at 30, can I switch all of that to start new?

For so long, I based my identify in my job, in my title. I worked damn hard for that title. There was a point I had to get too where I let go of my ego and found my identity in something else.

Late last year, my job started creating a ton of personal stress. I was frustrated, angry and annoyed. I cried at the end of a lot of days, and honestly, I was just unhappy.

I knew I had to change something, but those thoughts of "whats next" killed me. I had no idea what to do next. I spent so many hours on Indeed and Monster trying to find the motivation I needed to find a new job.

When we experienced our miscarriage last October, I knew it was time for a change and honestly I didn't really care what that change was. But, I knew that big change had to start with my job.

It was like God knew I needed a change. My brother in law reached out to me with a position in a start up he was founding and wanted me to be the Director of Content. I was going to work from home, travel to Omaha more, stop practicing law, start working in a startup and completely change the trajectory of my life.

I said yes immediately.

Then I had to tell my job. I had to give my two weeks. I had to quit a job I was completely comfortable in, even if I wasn't satisfied. It was hard, but it was such a good move for me.


It's been four months since I left. Its been a change, but its been a change I needed more than I ever knew possible. It's amazing having a job I don't dread. And past not dreading it, I actually love it. I enjoy the work I'm doing, I enjoy my co-workers, I haven't cried once and I'm starting to find my new identity.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes work gets hard, frustrating and down right hard, but being in a job you love, means I'm willing to get through those days because the next day will be even better.

Today, I'm thankful. Thankful for this new job, thankful for God's timing, thankful for a brother-in-law who believed in me enough and thankful for a husband who supported this huge life change.

I can honestly say I'm one of those people who wakes up and loves working. It took me a while to get here, but I'm so glad I'm here.

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 12 cups peeled, chopped apples

• 3/4 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• small pinch (very small!) salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the maple syrup, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. 
3. Peel and cut the apples. Place the apples in the maple syrup mixture and stir well until apples are coated. Place the apple mixture in an 8x8 glass pan.
4. In a medium mixing bowl combine the almond flour, coconut flour and cinnamon. Add coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. 
5. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they are in small pieces. Stir the nuts into the topping mixture.
6. Drop the topping over the apples. 
7. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the topping is brown and crisp and bubbling. If the nuts start to burn, cover with foil.
8. Let cool, scoop out some NadaMoo vanilla ice cream and enjoy! 

Happy Thursday friends! We're only one day away from the weekend! 

In an attempt to better myself and watch less TV, I've taken up listening to podcasts. I'll be completely transparent here, I was very skeptical about podcasts. Mostly becuase I'm a huge TV fan, I love it and second, what do you do when you listen to a podcast?

When I started working from home, I needed noise on in the background, but not TV. And music was getting boring because I tend to listen to the same songs over and over.

In came Podcasts. I reached out to my friends to ask for recs, I did some of my own research and I came up with quite a list. Safe to say, I'm addicted. They're perfect to listen to when you want something on, but you also need to focus on other things.


These are some of my favorites. What are you listening to?

CRIME / MYSTERY / LAW & ORDER(ISH) //

• Serial: It's Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder.
• Up and Vanished: Season 1 of Up and Vanished explored the 2005 disappearance of beauty queen and high school teacher Tara Grinstead from her home in Ocilla, Georgia. The cold case was the largest case file in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s history, with no arrests in 11 years.
• Someone Knows Something Season 1: (There are 4 seasons!) In 1972, five-year-old Adrien vanished while on a family fishing trip in Eastern Ontario. Despite an intensive search and investigation, no sign of Adrien was found, no clue as to where he might be. Ridgen goes back to investigate.
• S Town: John despises his Alabama town and he decided to do something about it. He asks a reporter to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, sparking a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.

NEWS //

• NPR - How I built this: Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.
• New York Times - The Daily: This is how the news should sound. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, hosted by Michael Barbaro and powered by New York Times journalism.
• Closer than they appear: Who or what is in your own past right now that you need to face, but aren’t facing—and why not? Carvell Wallace talks to Americans grappling with the state of the union while trying to reconcile his own family’s fractured history. If America is an estranged family, this podcast is our awkward holiday dinner.

GIRL POWER / RELIGIOUS //

• The Messy Table With Jenn Jewell: The Messy Table Podcast is an ordinary space for real women, imperfect stories, and the God who's at work in our mess. Hosted by Jenn Jewell and partnered with Life.Church Sisters, new episodes air every other Tuesday—aiming to meet and encourage women right where they are.
• New York Times - Dear Sugars: The universe has good news for the lost, lonely and heartsick. The Sugars are here, speaking straight into your ears. Hosted by the original Sugars, Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond, the podcast fields all your questions — no matter how deep or dark — and offers radical empathy in return. 
• Call your girlfriends: Call Your Girlfriend is a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere co-hosted by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, and produced by Gina Delvac. Every week, Aminatou and Ann call each other to discuss the intricacies of pop culture and the latest in politics.
• Coffee + Crumbs: It is the mission of Coffee + Crumbs to support mothers around the world through the power of shared experiences, artful storytelling, and creative community. At the core of this space, we want mothers to feel safe, known, encouraged and loved. 

I'm gonna be super honest here, the bachelor posts are becoming a little boring to me. I've had like 30 of you reach out for recaps and that is literally the reason I keep writing them. So one, you guys are the best! I'm obsessed with each of you. Two, these posts are going to be every other week, except the week the winner is announced.

Main reason, these posts take forever and if you've noticed, other content doesn't get posted during bachelor months because they take so long. So, my promise, the recap posts will be longer since they're only every other week and you will see more content on here!

Grab a glass of wine folks, you will need it.


Let's get recapping. First off, Florence is my most favorite place in the entire world. It's literally the prettiest. This is a reason to go on the Bachelor, an all expense paid trip to Florence.

I'm really intrigued by Becca. She had the first one-on-one date and hasn't had an alone date since. At this point, if Becca gets the rose, Arie goes to her hometown. But then he says, "We're stuck, we've missed that romantic connection." I don't think Becca feels that way. Based on her excitement she is clearly swooning.

Where are all the people? I've been to Tuscany and I've never seen it so empty. He seems very torn with Becca. He talks about finding their passion during the day, but then questioning whether it's enough to meet her parents. He seems very all over the place. It'll be interesting to see what he says about the other girls.

Jacqueline "coming to her senses" proves that she's actually thinking about how this would work in the real world. I really appreciate her openness with this. She does want to pursue a PhD and its smart for her to think of this moving forward.

I think Becca and Arie are cute together, I can see her top 2. He is still talking about his doubts with her. He has the passion but has doubts. On to the other dates.

Lauren gets another one-on-one. My thoughts, I think he likes her, but I think he's curious about her. Their last date moved a little slow and since we're moving into hometowns, its important for him to know if theres something there.

Girl drinks bachelors wine. Girl breaks up with Bachelor. Girl makes out with Bachelor. Girl makes out with bachelor more. Girl leaves. (PS the girl is Jacqueline).

Lauren is boring to me. I get its hard for her to open it and she's very open about being scared of being heartbroken, but damn girl, you just got gelato, get excited. Alright, Arie, you wanted this girl to open up, she tells you she's falling in love and you walk away. Regardless of the reason you walked away, its not very kind. OKAY -- check the quote at the top. I'd say, Arie's feelings for Lauren are stronger than the other girls thus far.

Sienne, I kind of forgot she was still here, but I love her. Her date is amazing. Looking for truffles? This is a dream date. And those pups. Arie is so awkward in his presentation of his feelings. I get that he's working through his feelings, but when he does it in front of the girl who's professing her love, it's awkward.

Sienne is telling Arie that she doesn't want their relationship to end but Arie looks like he's going to puke. He is the worst bachelor at hiding his feelings.

Group dates, the goal, get to the bachelor first so you kiss him first? I feel like this is very obvious, Bekah (the child) goes home. Tia and Kendall seem way more mature. Bekah is talking about wanting to go home to hang with her family and friends, not the best sign. Arie comforting Bekah looks like a dad comforting his daughter.

Bekah telling Arie that she facetimes her family every day, yet her Mom reported her missing.... what am I missing here? The way she talks is like a child. It's miserable.

Kendall // Los Angeles -- Dead rat skin will be in my mind forever. I will never forget how gross that is. I know the memes have been all over facebook, but its worth bringing up again. Kendall and her twin Kylie and they live in LA. Okay Kylieeeeee, are you a professional? I get it, she's the sister, but come on. The sister doesn't feel like this isn't the person for her. Woah. I like Kendall but I don't see a future for them either.

Tia // Weiner, Arkansas -- I think Tia is darling and I think it's clear that she really likes him. Plus its cute that she planned a date she knew he'd love so much. Dear Arie, brothers are always the most intimidating, usually more than dads. Man up. It's her brother and probably one of the most important men in her life. My dad and I are close, but I cannot imagine sitting here with my dad telling him that I love this guy and my deepest darkest thoughts about him. It's so awkward!

Becca // Minneapolis, Minnesota -- Arie has a fur lined coat on. That's all. I LOVE caramel apples. Picking my own and dipping them in candy would be a dream. The hardest part about this would be falling in love with a guy and then him saying, "It its us in the end..." I mean when you're real life dating, you have conversations like "If we get married." Not if you and three other girls get married. UNCLE GARY, you are the real MVP here.

Lauren // Virginia Beach -- I wonder if Lauren's family is as boring as she is. I think it says a lot that Arie is the most nervous for Lauren's hometown. She's the frontrunner. Yep, they are just as awkward. Well, Arie found the way to her dad's heart, that was a very sweet moment. So, we've been watching her mom and dad say she's a tough girl who doesn't settle, knows what she wants ect... but she's been engaged TWICE before this and she's 25.

Rose Ceremony -- I don't think its fair that Kendall got to argue her feelings for Arie with Arie when the other girls didn't. That isn't very fair to any of the girls, especially Tia. Tia gathering herself before walking up to Arie was very mature of her. I really loved her.

Every year I try to make goals instead of resolutions. Goals tend to be easier to modify, unlike resolutions which are simply broken.

This year I made a goal to read 24 books. I set out hoping for 2 books a month and so far so good! Usually I'm a sucker for "beach reads." I love anything Elin Hildebrand or Liane Mortiary, books you can read on a beach with a glass of white wine.

Lately though, I've been into these weird marriage thrillers. The perfect couple isn't what it seems, or the crazy husband. I'm addicted. They are a little more intense and a little less white wine. Regardless, they're so dang good.

I'm always posting the books I'm on Instagram and I've had a bunch of people reach out asking if they're good or if I would recommend them! Well friends, here are my reviews of 3 of my 24 books for the year. Plus one more I read right at the end of last year.



LIE TO ME BY J.T. ELLISON // This book reads sort of like Gone Girl, except so much better. There is a "perfectly married" couple, a narrator, a missing girl and a mystery. To be honest, this book took a second to get in to, but three chapters in and I was absolutely hooked. Theres a twist midway through and I never saw it coming. The characters in this book are likable but not too much, just enough that you are intrigued. But the story line causes you to hurt for them, and want the best for them. She's written a bunch of other books and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into them.

THE WIFE BETWEEN US BY GREER HENDRICKS AND SARAH PEKKANEN // My favorite book of 2018 so far. Another twist, two wives, two crazy stories and another "perfect" marriage. I told you theres a theme here! I read this book in two days, it was that good. Instead of instagramming, I was reading. I was super interested in the stories, how they read, how the writer let us get to know the characters. It was so well written, I could visualize everything.

THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR BY SHARI LAPENA // There was a lot of hype for this book. When I posted it, everyone said it was their favorite book ever! I hate to do this, but I have to disagree. While I thought this book was good, it was not great. It took me forever to get through and its a fairly short book. It's very predictable and I guessed it 50 pages in. I didn't actually like any of the characters and read their stories more out of pity than a desire to know more. However, she wrote another one, Stranger in the House and I'll totally read it because I'm a sucker.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS BY B.A PARIS // I bought this book at an airport so my pickings were slim. But in my defense, it was on the new york time best sellers list. Plus, I've had lots of recs for it. It was the first "perfect marriage" book I read. (I finished it very early 2018 so I'm not counting it as my 24). Do not read this book. It deals with a husbands desire to punish and semi-abuse his wife only to get to her sister with downs syndrome. The only reason I continued reading was to make sure everyone got out okay. Even the reviews on Amazon talk about how sick this book is. You will see it everywhere; Target, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. It's currently sitting on the top 20 list everywhere, beware.

Currently Reading: Little Fires Everywhere // Celeste Ng

Coming up on the list: 

• A Stranger in the House // Shari Lapena
• The woman in Cabin 10 // Ruth Ware
• We should all be feminists // Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Tea Rose (and the series!) // Jennifer Donnelly
• The Nightingale // Kristin Hannah
• Woman in the Window // AJ Finn

How was your Valentines Day everyone? Ours was veryyyyy relaxed. Take out pizza, sweats, homemade cake. It was perfect for us, but nothing fancy.  I hope regardless of relationship status it was a day celebrating people you love, yourself or just eating all the chocolate. If you didn't get enough chocolate yesterday, I have the best recipe for you today.

In the spirit of all things love, I'm sharing the things I'm especially loving this month. From the best blow-dyer (hint, Adam!) to my favorite clothes, I've got it all covered for ya.

Let's talk all the good things.

PALEO CHOCOLATE CAKE // I made this cake yesterday for valentines day and it was amazing! Everything from the cake to the frosting is paleo and everything was so dang delicious. Plus, Adam looked at me like I was a queen baker when I told him I was making a three-layer cake. You can find the recipe here!



NEW DENIM // I'm obsessed with denim. I made a goal to throw out ten pairs of jeans last weekend and I threw out two. I can't get rid of denim. I keep telling myself it will come back in trend or I'll get skinny enough again to wear my 25's from highschool. I don't discriminate jeans. I love my Old Navy jeans, my J Brands, my old school Rock n Republics. Nordstrom just debuted their new trends for denim and I'm in love. These are my favorites.
BOOKS // If you've been following on Instagram, you know I've been reading towards my goal of 24 books in one year. Tomorrow on the blog, I'm recapping the first three plus a few extras for ya. So far, my favorite, The Wife Between Us. I'm pumped to tell you all about it!


SUPERGOOP SERUM // My gf recently turned me on to this and I cannot talk about it enough. It has sunscreen in it which I love and is the best moisturizer ever. This Denver winter is kicking my butt but this stuff is saving my life. The best part, it's super moisturizing but not sticky. I hate that feeling of goop (which is surprising i love this stuff so much) but it's incredible. Get yo'self some.
THAYERS ALCOHOL-FREE ROSE PETAL WITCH HAZEL // This stuff is my lifesaver. When I was pregnant last year I had this weird rash on my face and I tried everything. I tried stuff with chemicals in it, weird creams, nothing worked until my SIL told me about this. Now, I can't stop. The best part. I love that it helps with my breakups but doesn't dry my skin. The best stuff ever.
Happy Thursday friends! What are you loving? Tell me! I hope you found some new stuff to add to your life that you'll love too!

Tune in tomorrow for the ultimate book review. I promise you won't want to miss it.

Oh hey friend, how are you? I've totally been MIA - but with good reason. Last week I spent the week in Arizona basking in sunshine, 80 degree temps and friends and family. This blog took a huge back seat. but don't worry, I'm back and so is the bachelor.

Catching up on two weeks is a lot, so we're just going to do this last weeks - plus, it's the better of the two. Last week, we said goodbye to Marikh, Maquel and Olivia. To be honest, I didn't think any of them would win, so it's kind of okay.

This week, we're in Paris! We finally got out of Florida to go somewhere awesome. And, we start the episode with Chris Harrison, where the heck has he been? I for one, wish we saw more of him.


It says a lot that Krystal knows she's going to be on the two-on-one. She knows she's hated.

Lauren's one-on-one: So, I think Lauren is darling, but she bores me and I think she's a little nutty. I've always said my dream date is having the "tour the city" date and Lauren is totally screwing it up. She's literally not speaking.

Arie's story about living with the girl who had a miscarriage and she left is so sad.

This living on the boat thing is kind of cool, but i wish I could see a tour of it to really see what it's like.

Group Date: This would be my nightmare. Dancing in a thong. I'm with Tia here. I know Arie said he didn't pick the girl based on her dancing, but Bekah was kind of perfect for that role.

Two-on-one: Oh goodness, here we go. Kendall and Krystal.

The more I see Kendall, the more I like her. Here's hoping Krystal finalllly goes home. They start off getting lost in mazes (my nightmare) and of course Krystal wins.

"The color and texture and depth of our relationship." -- Krystal. Who talks like this?! Arie clearly isn't buying this, right? And now, she talks crap about Kendall.

I think Kendall's answer re marriage was awesome. She seems much more mature.

"Destiny is going to happen today." -Krystal.

Final one-on-one: WHO IS JACQUELINE. I swear she just got on the show. The car breaking down has to be joke right? Like, ABC would never let that happen. The waiter asked her a question in french and she responded, "Si." People who don't know what language SI is, it's spanish.

Here's my thing with Jacqueline, girl go get your PhD. But asking Arie to wait 6 years for you to do that is a lot to ask.


GIRLS BYE: 
Chelsea, Jenna, Krystal
Marikh, Maquel and Olivia (last week!)

We are getting super close to the end, who is your final pick?