As some of you may remember, I have a bit of a history with credit cards. When the cashier tells me I stand to save 50% with a new loyalty card, it’s tough to say no to that sweet, smiling face! Southern ladies aim to please (and then, there is that great outdoor furniture set at Target!). But today, I’m celebrating a whole new lifestyle: I’m 100% credit card debt-free, and I plan to keep it that way with good ol’ fiscal responsibility. Here’s the thing, though. Years back, I told my husband Dale that
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We’re rapidly approaching the month of May, and hot, sunny days are on their way. If you want to avoid sunburns and odd-shaped moles that call for a trip to the dermatologist, it’s time to break out the sunscreen. Yet the first sunburn remains a seasonal tradition for many of us. In fact, about a third of U.S. adults get sunburned every year – and men with lighter skin are at the highest risk for skin cancer. Mow the lawn and spread some mulch on an overcast day, and you can still end up with a farmer’s
Read more →As the warm weather months roll in, my Facebook feed is filled with photos of adorable babies all dressed up, beautiful bursts of tulips and daffodils, weddings galore, and, of course, lots of rambunctious puppy videos. Now’s the season of rebirth, hope, and new beginnings! And, for the love of animals, you’ve got to see my new favorite video. A bride in Iowa decided to make her wedding especially warm and fuzzy by skipping traditional flower bouquets and walking down the aisle with puppies instead. She linked up with a rescue group that had managed to save
Read more →Lately, I’ve been thinking about the power of perspective. Winston Churchill once wrote, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” In other words, the difference between an exciting opportunity and an insurmountable challenge lies in your perspective – and when it comes to our industry, this rings true to me. Sometimes, we forget just how much opportunity lies ahead of us, especially when conversations abound on the subject of truck scarcities and labor shortages (which are very real challenges). Yet, these very struggles present us with
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Recently I heard something quaint from someone who’s not from The South: “I thought you guys had just two seasons – warm and hot!” Bless his little heart, y’all. Down here, we have twelve seasons at the very least, and most occur in the middle of ‘spring.’Don’t get me wrong. I rejoice when I know it’s spring again. I’m all too quick to toss my winter sweaters and heavy coat into storage bins and break out the beach gear. But then winter whips right back, and no meteorologist can clarify what exactly is going on. As
Read more →These days, “social media” brings to mind kids glued to Instagram, friends arguing on Facebook, and a whole lot of Twitter battles. But ideally, these platforms were built to connect us. And when they do that, they can truly bring out the best in humanity. Take the story of Dakota “Bubba” Cadd, a boy with cerebral palsy and Dandy-Walker syndrome, a congenital brain malformation. Bubba often sat in his backyard behind Wisconsin Highway 26, pumping his arm in the hopes that truckers would blow their horns for him. One day, his mom found a
Read more →The decluttering craze is sweeping the nation, guys. Have you watched Netflix’s Tidying Up With Marie Kondo? It seems like everyone has. The sweet, soft-spoken organization guru from Japan has gazillions of views on Netflix, and she is bringing the life-changing magic of throwing out old stuff to households all over America. Gretchen Rubin, long-time self-help author, is cashing in, too, with her latest book Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness. I haven’t read Rubin’s book yet, but I have seen Marie Kondo’s reality show. But let’s face it – reality
Read more →Recently, a viral video out of Minnesota has been making the rounds for its display of true horsepower. In the video, a trucker, stuck with a semi-trailer at the bottom of an icy, snow-lined driveway, commissions the help of two Belgian draft horses named Molly and Prince. Amazingly, these beautiful beasts work their way up the hill, slowly but surely dragging the semi behind them and rescuing the trucker from an impossible (and dangerous) drive. When we talk trucks, trains, and even lawn mowers, we talk “horsepower.” While horsepower typically brings to mind the jolt of
Read more →Love is blind, or so they say…. But true love? It’s got eyes and it sees everything, just ask my hubby Dale. This Valentine’s Day, he covered all of the bases: beautiful flowers, a sweet card, chocolates in a heart-shaped box, and…wait for it…reading glasses! If heading for the corner of CVS to peruse reading glasses for your wifey sounds a pinch unromantic compared to, say, a fluffy teddy bear or swanky candlelit dinner, think again. Monday through Friday, for years, I’ve been staring at not one or two – but three – computer monitors for nine
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As Mary has shared, jobs seekers hungry for success will do anything to create the most eye-catching applications, from providing potential employers with goodie bags to taking to the streets with a handwritten poster and handful of resumes. But it’s not just job seekers who have to be creative, presentable, and polite to snag a great job; if they’re looking to attract the right candidates, employers also have to put in their fair share of work. Indeed, attracting and retaining great talent is often cited as the biggest challenge for many employers. Thanks to our rigorous
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