What I remember most about being a kid is the way the holiday season felt like pure magic. As soon as Christmas lights were put up along my town’s main street and I would nearly combust from excitement. I begged my mom on a weekly basis to bake…

I’m lucky enough to have several “found families” in my life. One is the family of co-workers I made fresh out of college. I graduated at the start of the Great Recession and had difficulty finding a job for a while (more specifically, a job that…

Next time you have a loved one's wedding to attend, be sure to pay tribute to the women who raised them. After all, weddings are a big deal for mothers, too — right up there with giving birth and sending kids off to college for the first time.…

So, your best friend (or future sister-in-law or cousin or former college roommate, etc.) is getting married and has appointed you Maid of Honor. Congratulations! You earned it. But you know you have your work cut out for you, right? Being a part of…

Ah, young love. It’s a pure, beautiful thing, even if more and more people are waiting until later in life to tie the knot. The average age for a first marriage was 27.4 years old for women in 2017, up from 24 years old in 1990, according to U.S.…

The days may be getting shorter, but wedding season is still very much in full swing. In fact, fall weddings are on the rise. Brides recently reported that of the top 10 most popular weddings dates in 2018, nine of them take place after August, and…

Of the recently engaged couples I know, all have already been living together for at least a year. It's not just my circle: 18 million unmarried adults are cohabiting with a significant other, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. It’s sort…

It's hard not to watch those you admire from afar — your favorite musician, a groundbreaking entrepreneur, maybe even your boss — and wonder, "How does she do it? How does she find the hours in the day?" Whether it be in a work setting or on a world…

Open the windows, put away the knee-high boots, and switch your daily coffee order to iced, y’all, because spring is definitely here. And with spring comes…seasonal allergies? No. Well, yes, but also: the urge for spring cleaning! Okay, perhaps urge…

Coffee is so much more than just a hot (or iced, or cold-brewed) beverage. It's an essential morning ritual that helps you take on a hectic day. It's a reason to meet and catch up with dear old friends. It's a familiarly pleasing smell wafting from…

After what feels like many, many long years of waiting, the Olympic Games are finally here again, and we couldn’t be more pumped. For two whole weeks, we get to watch and be inspired by the world’s most talented athletes as they join together to…

You often hear that star athletes recall the first moment they knew they were destined for glory — typically in early childhood. It becomes the very thing that drives them. U.S. track and field competitor Allyson Felix wasn’t quite one of those…

I wish I were more of a glass-half-full person. I really do. I don’t consider myself a pessimist, per se, but I'm more of a "realist" by nature. I can’t help but envy my most optimistic friends, though. You know who they are — they’re the ones who…

The older I get, the less embarrassed I am to admit how much I prefer the comfort of my own home rather than being surrounded by strangers in a bar. I’m willing to bet you’re the same way. Guess what: your friends probably are, too! When you make…

From edgy and smoldering to classic and understated, great style is hard to execute and achieve. But Demi Lovato's beauty game is always fierce. And while that's one reason why we love her, there are many others. First and foremost, Demi speaks out…

The Coast Guard takes immense pride in saying, "We do more than train and wait. We train and perform on a daily basis." As I worked on this story, I spoke with many past and present Coast Guardsmen who have lived by this ready-for-anything ethos —…

Have you ever met someone who doesn't like pizza? Nah, me neither. But I imagine my reaction would be a combination of shock and confusion, mixed with a touch of sadness. Honestly, I might even get a little offended. Pizza is universally adored and…

Confession: I have a big thing for skincare products. I'm pretty much a regular at my local cosmetics store, but I usually skip eyeshadow palettes in favor of exfoliators and night masks. I like to think my shopping habit is well-justified: skincare…

Each of us have our own ways of dealing with stress, with varying levels of effectiveness. My preferred M.O. is a little trick called “legs up the wall.” I lie flat on the floor with my sit bones up against the wall and bring my legs up, forming a…