confessions – Page 3 – Nicole M. Miller

Looking back at 2014

December 15, 2014 confessions

That time of the year came around again like it always does… Holiday card time! This process is a good excuse to pause and take stock of the year. And I think it’s fair to say that 2014 was one of the biggest, most exciting years of my life. In Dec 2013, I launched the website I had spent six months building. January involved the planning and finessing for upgrades. January through March saw the search for a new supervisor in my department and gave me the chance to perform a lot of director level tasks that offered great experience. March saw the acquisition of chickens. Lots of baby chickens....

The Power of Community

September 29, 2014 confessions, Honey

In the past two weeks since Honey’s diagnosis, I’ve been astonished and touched by the response I’ve received from friends, family, the Buffer team and the Buffer community. Every tweet, email, note, gift and kind word has resonated so deeply. I can’t thank you all enough. There are moments when I forget the reality – when I forget that I won’t have my baby for another 6-10 years like I’d planned on. But I guess that’s the thing with our plans — they don’t always happen like we expect. When reality comes crashing back to me, I hold fast to my dogs, my husband and the love and support coming...

The Day Every Priority Changed

September 23, 2014 confessions

We have a 2×3-foot white board in our kitchen with assorted lists: Outside chores to-do Inside house to-do Nicole to-do John to-do On Wednesday, September 17th, I wiped away all of those lists and replaced it with this: We found out our six-year-old dog, Honey, had lymphoma, a very aggressive cancer. Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Other to-do items suddenly sprang to mind: take Honey and Bo for a walk go for a drive with the dogs buy more dog treats It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and the nonessential. Sure, mowing the lawn is important at times (best to stay on good terms with the neighbors,...

Thankful Thursdays: Summer Roses and Novel Ideas

August 17, 2014 confessions, thankful thursdays

Note: I’m realizing Thankful Thursdays aren’t always happening on Thursdays, but better late than never. 🙂 There’s always so many things to be thankful for. A few of the gifts I’ve experienced in the past few weeks include: 1. Chances to take photos: Taking a moment or two to slip away with my DSLR clears my head and awakens my soul. Especially with beautiful roses at hand: 2. Exciting awards: The first three chapters of my novel won a Cascade Writing Award from the Oregon Christian Writers – I’m so honored and grateful for the affirmation. 🙂 3. Riding Grunnion again: Though it’s been four weeks, I got back in the...

The Six Life Lessons I’ve Learned in Urban Homesteading

August 11, 2014 confessions, Urban Homesteading

In February, my husband and I jumped head-first into urban farming — starting our summer garden from seeds. It then developed into an even larger endeavor when we added 13 chicks into our home. And then four ducks. And then three more chickens… The past several months have been a blur between brooding chicks, building coops, free-ranging, fixing fencing, gardening and finding eggs. As I look back upon these summer months, sever distinct themes come to mind — and boy do they ripple beyond our little urban homestead. 1. No matter how much you try, you cannot control everything. When we first let the chickens out of the coop to...