I looked at my to-do list and immediately had a panic attack. No really. I did. Just ask Steph. Then I got on the phone. Luckily I was home and not sitting across from a client thinking I had the flu. (I didn't and I don't think she knew that while I was smiling, I was internally freaking ... continue reading...

I used to be the pursuer. For years and years if I found someone I wanted to date, I went after him. I never EVER let anyone come to me of his own volition. This is not a new "rules" book for women. Don't freak out.  I met my husband on Match.com in 2003, the Dark Ages of internet dating. ... continue reading...

"Oh. Oh no."  It was my annual walk around for the Azalea Garden Tour. The publicity chair for the tour would drive me around and, in about three hours, we'd see all 11 gardens on the upcoming tour. I'd write a preview, hitting all the high points and telling attendees ... continue reading...

"Would you consider a $30,000 gift to support rehanging the historic gates at the end of the garden allee?" I asked the question and then I stopped talking. You could hear a pin drop over the phone. I couldn't ask in person because the donor was in Japan or Quebec or maybe Spain. I'd ... continue reading...

"The decision to stay or to go was a private agony that will be publicly judged."  This is a dispatch from Indianapolis, Indiana. I fled Hurricane Florence ahead of the storm, expecting my house to be a total loss. It's a mile from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway as the crow flies. ... continue reading...