The money tree in the backyard looks a bit bare, so I was nervous, and frightened; leading to a dour me, when I had an epiphany. At least there’s no hurricane flooding my city, disrupting my life, and washing away all I know.

I don’t care if you’re making six figures or living paycheck to paycheck. I know you’re probably on some type of budget, and that my friends, is why I’m here to help. I promise you can find many ways to have fun during this gorgeous Fall season with the person you love even when your pockets are sort of empty.

Sometimes, we’re better off than we realize – especially when we have others who watch over us.

It behooves me to master the skill of eating healthy while traveling. As I put pen to paper (more accurately “keyboard to word processor”), I find myself determined finally to be successful in my travel and dieting endeavors.

The worst feeling is being afraid to eat. It’s terrifying to take a bite of something and worry that you might feel that feeling all over again. But what I have taught myself over the past 19 years is that I need to live with it.

We engage mouth before activating brain. We dismiss our partner’s concerns as irrelevant. We can be inconsiderate, petty, or cranky. It’s part of the human condition; we mess up, and since we live with others, we hurt them. We don’t intend to — but we cannot deny that we do. It matters not how much energy you put into it, nor how long you’ve been together; even the finest relationships cause some pain.

People with “Badittude” are better about ruining your attitude than you are about correcting theirs.

Everyone wants the easiest, quickest way to lose the weight. In our society today, we are accustomed to fast results on everything. We have fast food restaurants, fast access internet, up to the minute news and weather and smart phones with everything at your fingertips. So why not the same for you getting rid of that extra bulge around your middle?

A positive attitude with poor skills is more likely to help your success than great skills with a poor attitude.

We seem as a society to have somehow convinced ourselves that cooking is difficult, not worth our time and only for those who are talented at preparing meals. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

News anchor Jennifer Livingston proved that bullying isn’t something that happens only to kids and that many of them don’t know better than to make fun of people. This is National Bullying Awareness Month and all of us should take the time to consider how our attitudes affect our kids and how we can teach them.

Maybe it’s because today is my friend Ashley’s 27th birthday, but she’s celebrating in Heaven instead of here on Earth with all her family and friends. Maybe that’s what made me realize how selfish I had been for being so consumed with my lack of a fun weekend.

I had heard Zumba involved a lot of coordination and a great deal of sweating. I was low on the former and weary of the latter.