My fiancé - I still get giddy just thinking that word - planned our perfect proposal. I’d change nothing. Not even some of the candid photos of us that came out a little haphazard. They were still perfect. Quickly, almost as soon as the ring slid into place on my...
Families
Presence is the Best Present
What is your dream gift? For some it might be a brand-new, candy-red Porsche 911 Carrera GTS with fewer miles than they have birthdays. For others, a sparkling new Rolex Daytona or other similarly rare timepiece that not only leaps off of one’s wrist into...
The Sound of Peace
It had been twenty-five days since Evelyn’s husband was court-ordered to vacate the marital residence; five days since he actually vacated. The only trace of him left in the home was an old pair of running sneakers he had tucked away and forgotten in the mudroom, much...
Co-parenting is a Delicate Ecosystem
Four year olds are the opposite of subtle, so it didn’t take a genius to realize the dreaded day had come: my ex moved his girlfriend in with our kids. I hadn’t dreaded it because she was a terrible human, mean to our kids, or even the cause of my divorce. I had...
How a Good Night’s Rest Can Ease Your Day’s Stress
It’s funny how something seemingly so fundamental can become so neglected as we grow older. Sleep being an important part of your day is not a revolutionary concept. As children, our parents gave us bed times to ensure we got the necessary amount of rest to be...
The Importance of Being Earnest With Our Time
“How you spend your time defines who you are.” This was the wisdom my Grandfather imparted while handing me my first “real” watch, a tiny silver Tissot. At the time I was more excited about finally having a watch that looked like his than I was about receiving this...
His Darkest Days
Somehow, and to his great frustration, his memories from three years ago are both fuzzy and sharp. Fuzzy on the hard details of time, date, and order of events. But sharp - like stepping on a thumbtack - of how he felt back then. As his footfalls landed heavily with a...
Over or Out; Deciding between Separate Maintenance and Divorce
After years of maintaining a façade of a happy home and blissful marriage, the tension increases and the silence grows louder. Does love live here anymore? Is it time to call it quits or should we just separate and maintain status quo? Many couples are plagued with...
From Legal to Practical Advice, Make Sure Your Attorney Isn’t One Dimensional
Buying a house is hard. Selling a house is hard. Navigating both at the same time, even harder. Add in a divorce, an angry, bitter, spiteful spouse, and a one dimensional attorney and you have a recipe for disaster. Some attorneys get so focused on the legal aspect of...
I Could Die a Happy Man
There are events in your life that you think, “Boy, it just couldn’t get any better than this. If I died tonight, I’d die a happy man.” I had one of those events not too long ago at our annual Oktoberfest party. It is a full-on German Oktoberfest with the right food...