Articles by Amy Shankland

If you’re an empty nester like me, chances are you carry something called a mental load. Some call it mental labor. This is not to be confused with emotional labor….

They say that scents are powerful and can instantly transport you back to certain moments of your life. I completely agree with that. I would also add that songs do…

I love words. Ever since I was little, I’ve enjoyed reading and writing them. Newspaper and magazine articles, novels and other books, columns – I love them all. I have…

The world consists of two types of individuals – those who love high school reunions and those who hate them. I’m in the former category. Chances are if you’re an…

You know you’ve reached middle age when a small appliance gets you all excited. But I’m over the moon happy about our recent purchase and am eager to share it…

“Amy, these aren’t your normal groceries,” announced Sarah, my favorite Kroger Pick Up lady. She was chatting with me as she loaded my order into my Mini Cooper last Wednesday…

My youngest son Jacob turned 21 last week. To mark this momentous occasion, my husband John and my other son, Jonathon, went up to Ball State last Friday to join…

I was filling out an updated volunteer form for the best therapeutic horseback riding center in the country, Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources in Cicero. (I’m not kidding, folks, they are…

If you visit our house, you’ll probably notice the chalkboard on our fridge showing what’s for dinner for each day of the week. Now that we’re empty nesters, you’ll always…