“121!” Nina shouts out another trail marker, but her originally peppy, satisfied tone has worn off into a blunt statement of fact. One marker in 10 minutes, yep, seems about right. This hike will never end. My stomach is pinched by the hip strap of my bag that I pulled too tightly to myself, my shoes get increasingly heavy with every “not–so–dry” patch of mud I step into.  I’d rather just stop here and sleep, there’s no point to this anyways. Maybe we took a wrong turn, I haven’t heard a...

I've seen much discussion on my feed lately of "Gen Z's overwhelming Nostalgia." Our tendency to reminisce on everything "unimportant" -- a random place, an insignificant time, and even the past we may never have experienced. We often make Pinterest boards and edits of the 70s, 90s and every other time we didn't live, specifically the times before social media and smart phones. As I feel this storyline picking up more and more, I feel a definite truth in it. I think of every time I felt a...

Every person who's ever come to my house may remember the familiar smoky smell of pork wafting from our kitchen as they're welcomed by my mom with a smile and a laugh. Our home is always decorated beautifully, every wall with pictures of those we love, and every couch layered with blankets gathered from many Christmases and housewarmings. My mom is one of those people who will always make you feel understood and valued. She is unwaveringly strong but always funny -- the life of the party. She...