Seven Affirmations of a Woman of a Certain Age

I have recently hit a birthday milestone. This birthday was an excellent reason to look back over the years and assess what I would leave behind and what I will bring with me into this next season of life. This birthday motivated me to analyze such ideals and concepts as contentment, identity, courage, affirmation, and …

Ashes from the 2020 Dumpster Fire

If you are a follower of my not widely followed publication of "The World According to Carissa" you are acutely aware of my aversion to speeding through life, skipping over tradition, and missing out on the here and now. This won't be a super popular sentiment but I am also not in favor of kicking …

I’m okay with the phrase “it’s okay to not be okay”

This started out as a simple facebook post. But the words kept coming. And it's been a hot minute since I published anything on my blog. So here we are. Grab a cup of coffee and your Carissa/Llama Translation Guide. Another "Follow Carissa's Thought Process" post:Good stress and Bad stress.Chronic stress and motivating stress.Lifelong stress …

Too many things to count

My heart has been so heavy lately. I can’t seem to filter through all the continual pain and devastation. From across the world to my own backyard… there is just.so.much. As I sit on my back patio, one of my sacred spaces, I am trying to literally count my blessings. I am asking God this …

A new song is about to be heard

I think I remember gulping for air and my lungs not fully inflating. Or maybe I was taking in so much air my lungs couldn't keep up. My Maddy called me to tell me she thought Ali had been murdered and they had also shot Baby K. I remember not comprehending then trying to just …

Elevate The Pumpkin Pie

Every August it becomes painfully aware to me that I live life according to a different rule book than most of the population. The title of this rule book says it all. Life Rules According to Carissa. Catchy. Memorable. A real page turner. I consider it the consummate addition to Emily Post's Etiquette. Every August …

Time for Salsa Reform

I desperately want to be a successful gardener. It is a bit embarrassing to admit the level of euphoria green growing things emit on my life. I am a freaky tree hugger who cannot but help touching leaves, smelling flowers, sitting in amazement at new blooms. There is something so idyllic about walking out your …

Grief and the magic trick of peripheral vision

I write. a lot. I used to share almost all of them. But not of late. How many sad things can you write about before your friends stage an intervention? Or just stop reading? It happened again today. But at work. All the things are that are just below the surface threatened to bubble over …

140 Characters or Less Movie Review

Little less southern drawl from #DanielCraig in #KnivesOutFilm and you have me at hello with classic #whodunit. Casting and plot were phenomenal complete with an ominous and dramatic soundtrack!

30, no actually, 81 Things That Make Me Smile

This list took some doing. I had to really think about what I really like. I found some inspiration on my Pinterest page, my Spotify account, and my IMDB page which help create a list of 30 things that make me smile. After that the things that make me smile started just pouring out. Comment …