jenlee
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Grateful Doesn’t Feel Big Enough
Sunday was our children’s pastor’s last Sunday with us, and I’ve been sitting with it ever since. For the past three years I’ve had the privilege of helping her with the kids program — assisting with Sunday school, showing up for Wednesday evening kids’ fun, volunteering with the annual VBS, observing Aria participate in the… Read more
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The Friendship That’s Older Than the Kids
We just got back from five days in the Boston area with my friend of 28 years, and I am equal parts wiped out and full. We flew in very late Wednesday night and hit the ground running — literally started with her son’s preschool graduation the next morning, which, come on, preschool graduations are… Read more
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Sand, Smores, and a Dog Who Ran With a Chair
We just got back from four days of glamping with Oma and Pop, and I’m still finding sand in places sand should not be. Aria and I stayed in a cabin, my parents brought the RV, and honestly the whole setup worked better than I expected. There’s something about everyone having their own space but… Read more
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Camp Behind the Scenes
Six weeks. That’s how long the camp actually ran. I started planning it in February. I don’t think most parents dropping their kids off in June had any idea that “camp” started for me on a random Tuesday in the dead of winter, hunched over a spreadsheet trying to figure out group rosters before I… Read more
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My First Trip to King Spa Niles (and Why I’m Already Planning My Next One)
I finally did it. After hearing people talk about King Spa for what feels like years, I made the trip out to the Niles location with my friend Laurel and honestly? I get it now. I get the hype. If you’ve never been, King Spa is a Korean spa with a whole circuit of pools,… Read more
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Can We Just Be Friends First?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how fast we label things. Two people start talking, there’s some chemistry, a few good conversations happen, and suddenly everyone involved — including the two people — has decided this is either A Thing or Not A Thing. There’s no in-between anymore. No “let’s just see who this… Read more
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Turning 40: What I Didn’t Plan For, But What God Built Anyway
I turned 40 yesterday, and if you had asked me five years ago what that birthday would look like, I would have described a completely different life. A different house. A different last name, maybe. A different everything. Instead, I spent my 40th the way I spend most of my days now — showing up.… Read more
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Rebuilding the Lab: How I Structured My Life for Peace
Whenever people look at my schedule, the reaction is usually some version of, “Are you crazy?” Between teaching high school science full-time during the school year, running a summer day camp for over 40 high-energy kids, and running a math, science, and ACT/SAT tutoring business on the side, my calendar looks packed. From the outside,… Read more
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The Reality of Education
Growing up, my dad always told me the reason to get an education was so that I could learn how to learn. Seems redundant, but the ability to have an open mind willing and able to learn has opened so many doors in my life and career. And as a result, I am now addicted… Read more
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What being fired taught me
I KNOW it’s cliché, but being fired taught me that when one door closes, another one opens. But that’s not what I was thinking as I was listening and processing the words my Principal told me when she was telling me that I was terminated after telling the exact same thing to my coworker about… Read more
Tutoring With Jen 