BLOG

test

  I don’t know these two people in the photo.  I do not know their story.  But I hope my story follows this path, literally, and that Craig and I are walking right in that same spot, at their age, beside my favorite river, holding hands. Perhaps I intruded in their private moment by taking …

Marriage Ain’t Easy Read More »

  “You and I will never meet, I would not know you on the street; But your actions made me shed a tear, And remember human kindness is still here.”   I have been noticing human kindness lately.  I am not good at stopping to give money to those on street corners.  It is not …

Blessings to a Stranger Read More »

“The ivy wrapped, the pain was real I’ve acknowledged how I feel. I’m climbing out, I’m breathing deep I’m realizing what (and who) I’ll choose to keep. My Life should flow, every day And not let worry get in my way.” -KBS I have been lost inside myself, hidden behind a coat of ivy so …

Under the Ivy Read More »

  When I was growing up outside of Chicago, I had magazine cut outs taped to my walls from an ad campaign which I assume was run by the Colorado Department of Tourism.  Each advertisement consisted of a photo of gorgeous Colorado scenery tagged with a line ending in, “Guess I’d rather be in Colorado.” …

Powder Days Read More »

   “My darling girls, I watch you soar wings spread wide, searching for more. Your gorgeous smiles, your eager eyes so motivated, earnest, wise. I am so very proud of who you are and know you’ll continue to go far. I have no doubt great things await, many milestones to celebrate. And while today I …

STUCK Read More »

    In this month of gratefulness and year of craziness, I am of course most thankful for my dear family, friends and health.  But this November, I give extra great thanks for our minivan of seven years, “Snow White,” who is now awaiting her next loving family. It may seem a silly thing to …

Thankful for, my Minivan Read More »

A few weeks ago, my daughter Katy had to have a medical procedure for a hip injury that for me was very scary.  As I watched her being wheeled on a gurney through the operating room doors and I yelled after her, “I love you so much Katy,” I broke inside.  I had to excuse myself …

No Guilt Allowed Read More »

  Do you ever just cry out of nowhere?  Unexpectedly?  For no reason? This is happening a lot to me lately, not the depression kind of cry, but a happy cry, a grateful cry. Tonight, as I finished a roller blade (one of my favorite things to do), I saw ahead of me the rest …

Trust and Wow Moments Read More »

  Hi!  It’s me.  I’m here.  Don’t ask me where I’ve been because I’m not really sure.  I’ve been in a rut.  Stuck. “Un-mused”, I guess to create my own word for it. I have had a dull ache in my stomach and tears brimming under my eyelids for months now with everything going on.  Part …

M.O.M. Read More »

  Covid-19 Mom, it is a new role for us all that we never planned for, never expected. Some of us have to decide if we really want to put our children in daycare during this awful virus.  Some of us have no choice.   Some of us are lying on our tummies with our babies …

Covid-19 Mom Read More »

On the wall of my office I have a sign that I find myself turning to often.  It says; “Not to spoil the ending, but everything is going to be ok.” I trust these words with all my heart and soul, I truly do.  The difficult piece for me, however, is that I don’t always …

Everything Is Going To Be Ok. Read More »

  This morning I paused outside to admire the crocuses growing in my yard.   I took this photo and sat with my thoughts awhile. At first the beautiful song from Les Misérables came into my head, “….and rain will make the flowers grow,” a reminder of all the beauty still emerging from this uncertain time …

Root Nourishment Read More »

The TA Virus In a very scary corona virus-based world right now, a much smaller, but still stressful virus is going around.  It hits kids the hardest and then their moms.  The main symptoms are stress, stomach aches, rapid heartbeat, family fighting and the common cold (caused by the stress).   It is caught in those …

TA Virus Read More »

  For the rest of my life, I will never forget holding my sobbing daughter in our family room a few nights ago as she heaved great, heavy sobs of pain.   How helpless I felt as I held her shaking body tightly and had nothing to say except, “I love you so much.  I am …

Helpless Read More »

  A friend of mine reached out to me earlier this week thanking me for a blog I wrote a while ago https://www.kristysands.com/bows-and-arrows/  that spoke to her now.  It was a sign from the universe that she reached out this week, as it is comforting to know I am not alone in my struggle. I …

Mamma’s Tool Belt Read More »

The first day of my second life began on January 23rd, 1995 when I was twenty-one years old. I cannot tell you much about that day itself, except that when I was lying on the gurney being wheeled into surgery my mom and dad were beside me and my dad said to me through tears, …

My Second Life Read More »

Dear Friends, I tell my daughters if you dream it, you can do it. I have been wanting to publish a book ever since I can remember. After motherhood, writing is my second greatest passion so it makes perfect sense to me that my first book is about the importance of being a mom! The …

Dreams Coming True Read More »

When my husband’s 96-year-old grandma, “Nana,” visited us this weekend and he asked her if she wanted a drink, she replied, “What kind of beer you got?” Now if you met Nana, this wouldn’t surprise you.  She doesn’t look anywhere near her age, she gets around on her own, is fully coherent, conversational and extremely fun …

One Beer at a Time Read More »

School started a month ago.  I wish I could say I started the year off productively or energetically, but in reality, I have been dragging. Like really dragging.   I knew the first couple of weeks would be hard, because they always are.  Summer is my favorite time of year as I get to be with my daughters, enjoy them, …

School Slump Read More »

I know in my heart it is my job as a mom to set my daughters free.  To teach them to become independent, strong young women and find their true selves. But, because I am a big Mama Bear (ROAR!) at heart, sometimes this is hard for me and when things are difficult for my daughters or …

Bows and Arrows Read More »

Dear God, Angels and Universe, Spring has sprung and with that comes spring activities and tryouts, end of the school year tests, finals and other stresses.  And as always, I tell my daughters to pray for what they want. Ask God, Ask their Angels, Ask the Universe. But what I always struggle to answer for them is …

Unanswered Prayers Read More »

First of all, I don’t know where January and February have gone.   Truly.  I think these past two months have been the fastest I can remember.  Holy whirlwind. In this whirlwind, I have been thinking that maybe things could slow down a little bit for myself if only I would follow the advice I give to my daughters.   …

Follow my own advice? Read More »

  It always takes me awhile to get back into the swing of post-Christmas, post New Years, post-holiday freedom.  I cry a little when a wonderful trip with the twelve people in the world I love the most ends, sigh a little when my daughters go back to school, and get high a little on …

Twenty-Nineteen!  Twenty-Shine-Teen!  Twenty-Mine-teen! Read More »

My warmest wishes to all of you for a very merry Christmas. Thank you so much for your continued support, kind comments and wonderful feedback to my blogs and posts again this year. Your support means the world to me. I will be back with more writing in 2019 thanks to your encouragement and love. …

Merry, Merry Christmas! Read More »

The other night I was able to go to bed a bit early (gasp!) and curl up with my November book club read. A few minutes into my relaxation I read these words, “As she swam she gloried in the fact that there was nowhere to be, nothing to do, no one to worry about. No jazz …

Thank You for My Exhaustion Read More »

Yesterday a very close and very hip friend of mine told me it was National Nacho Day.  She wasn’t kidding!  I was curious how we had a day for nachos and wondered what else we had a day for.  I went to my wise and gifted teacher Professor Google and found out that there are …

For Pooch Sake Read More »

Happy Halloween! 🎃 I was with someone yesterday afternoon that I greatly look up to and in our discussion, she said something so simple yet so profound that has stuck with me since; “Every person comes with their own set of issues.” These words are timely with Halloween being today as this can also be …

We’ve got Issues! Read More »

As the neighbor’s leaf blower roars as I’m trying to get some peace and quiet I wonder why some days are like this.  I’m irritable, cranky, everything seems to bother me.   Is it the almost full moon?  The lack of sleep?  The amount of sugar I have been eating lately?  Hormones? Yet, thirty minutes after …

So tired… Read More »

    I went to a yoga class early this morning not realizing at the time how much it would relate to my life right now.  Funny how these things happen isn’t it? My good friend and favorite yoga teacher (thank you J!) was leading class and as usual was kicking my butt. But it …

Let it Go! Read More »

Putting “back to school” in the back of our minds, this past Saturday at 4:15 a.m., my family and I awoke in a tent with our two dogs, our hearts filled with ambition.  Cold, tired and excited we put on layers of clothes, headlamps and our hiking boots and prepared to climb Mount Elbert, the …

We Got This! Read More »

I just volunteered for the very last time at my daughters’ elementary school.  I am hanging up my hall pass.  I am finished with Kindergarten “centers” and cutting along the dotted lines.  I will no longer help little hands hold glue guns and place bottle caps and pom-poms on paper.  I will not be sitting …

Goodbye CHVE Read More »

This past week I was lucky enough to have some time to myself on a beach in Florida.  During this time I sat down on a rock, waves lapping at my feet, and I thought about how very thankful I am for all the blessings in my life.  And as the sun glistened on the …

My Three Homes Read More »

My family and I recently returned from an amazing vacation.  We scuba dove, snorkeled, rode horses bareback in clear Caribbean water…. It truly was a vacation one only dreams about.  My gratefulness for our experience is beyond words, truly indescribable.  But beyond this, beyond every incredible thing we did on our trip the the real …

Making Time Read More »

All week I have felt heavy and tired and sad.   All week I have felt the need to cry and have done so.   But as I sit today and listen to my Guardian Angel it comes to me that what I have been carrying this week is not my own sadness, but that of those …

Not my Burden…. Read More »

It’s hard for me to admit it, but I do feel Mamma doesn’t always know best.  Ok, a lot of times I feel we do, but not always.  I don’t feel we ever know more than our children’s own intuition.  I believe this intuition comes from our Angels and is a gut feeling.  It is that …

Mamma doesn’t always know best! Read More »

    It always amazes me in life how I seem to hear what I need to hear at exactly the right time or meet the person I need to meet exactly when I need to meet them.    Even last week the day after I was talking about trusting the universe I found a …

Close the door…. Read More »

  This morning began in bed with my two younger daughters and our dog.  Nowhere to hurry to.  Nowhere to be. Nothing but time and each other. As the snowflakes fell outside the window the girls brought out their baby books and one at a time we paged through them.  We laughed.  We made “oohs” …

Unscheduled Time Read More »

This week the chorus of a popular Rolling Stones song has been rolling through my head, “You can’t always get what you want, you can’t always get what you want,  but if you try sometimes you just might find, you get what you need….” You may think it strange to write about Mick Jagger and …

You can’t always get what you want…. Read More »

Many of you have heard me say it before,  “Angels Aren’t Just For Christmas.”  Many have you been to an event of mine with the title,  “Angels Aren’t Just for Christmas.”  Many of you believe “Angels Aren’t Just for Christmas,” just as strongly as I do.   But a teacher of mine told me once, “Kristy …

Angels Aren’t Just For Christmas Read More »

Murphy always showed up.  When I was happy, angry, sad, busy, silly.  No matter how I was acting, no matter what kind of day I was having, Murph-dog was right behind me (sometimes so close I tripped over him!) with love to give.  We called Murphy our “labradope” instead of labrador because he was, well, …

Who Shows Up? Read More »

When I arrived at DIA last week for a wonderful fall escape with our girls the East Parking Economy Lot sign flashed “FULL.”   A voice I know well told me to go in anyway.  So I did and I said, “Angels please give us a parking spot.” “But it says it’s full mommy,”  I was …

Ask and you shall receive. Read More »

When I pull into my Angel parking spot I see the highway, but behind the highway are brilliant yellow leaves and snow capped mountains absolutely gorgeous in their October glory. So often behind the ugly the Angels show me the beauty.  Beauty that is there every day if only I take time to see it. …

I See Read More »

Back when I was growing up, Uber meant cool.  Now it means a ride anywhere you want to go, anytime you want it.   It means having someone there to take you to a place, from a place, back and forth to multiple places with little to no advance notice. Someone driving you no matter the …

Uber Mom Read More »

Prayers from all across the world are going out to Las Vegas this week, and if you are like me you are probably also saying prayers of thanks for all those in your life and that they are here and alive.  It is tragedies like Las Vegas that remind me that we are not invincible, …

Few Egrets Read More »

I have not written in awhile and hope you all had an amazing summer.  I had a beautiful summer of quiet.  Time in nature, time with my family, time for slowing down.  But now that the school year is in full swing and my daughters are at three different schools, the noise has started up again …

More Quiet Less Pops….. Read More »

I don’t know if your family is as crazy as ours is during spring sports season, but I was thankful for the snow this past weekend to slow things down and get some time together.  Last night my family not only had dinner together but also watched two episodes of Glee in a row (our current family favorite) …

Family Supper Read More »

  I hope that this past Easter weekend was a wonderful weekend for you.  Here in Denver we had beautiful weather, flowers blooming, and Angels. This year I bought the egg coloring kit where you add oil and the dyes create a marbling effect on the eggs.  My family and I were together in our kitchen dyeing …

Angels Everywhere Read More »

I have felt so tired lately.  Drained and overworked and just wanting to crawl into bed.  At first I thought maybe this is because I am a mom and I am busy, but being a mom actually gives me energy.  I love being a mom.  I love what I do for my kids and I …

Letting Go….. Read More »

  Prayers across the world are being sent to Colombia today, including mine.  And as so often happens in tragedies such as this one come the questions;  “Where was God?  Where were the Angels?”  In my career as an Angel Therapist© these are probably the most asked questions of me when the horrific happens.  How …

Why? Read More »

I was driving to a mammogram appointment the other day when in the process of making a left turn the man behind me blared his horn at me.  This was no friendly little toot, it was a long drawn out angry BEEEEEEP!#!#! causing me to jump.  I admit I am not the best driver, but in this …

Breathe More, Honk Less Read More »