Kell of a Story

Kelly's first marathon came and went, and she's telling you all about it from a different long stretch... the one in the car rider line as she picks her daughters up from... ta-da- 5-day-a-week school! Hear how training prepares us for the long haul!

Like Elsa singing into the  unknown, I am steadily heading into my first full marathon. As successful as training has been, I really don't know what to expect, and this reminds me of on other instance in my life: childbirth.So with a big fat finish line ahead, I recount the only other  finish line that really seemed unimaginable: the birth of my first child. With a few graphic details and plenty of poking fun at myself, I present to you the ultimate marathon metaphor: having babies!Wherever you are, be encouraged: you can make it across that finish line!With shout-outs to:Black Dog Running CompanyDr. Cristal West And though I didn't mention it in the podcast, and of course I cannot play it without being sued or something, please go listen to my favorite song about being almost... home!

Right after recording this episode, I found myself comparing my own motivation for running in the rain with that of my friends. How arbitrary, needless, fruitless.Let's stop the insanity! Let's stop comparing!In this episode, I discuss three areas of our lives in which comparison is counterproductive at best, unnecessary, and potentially harmful:the weather, wherever we happen to livefitness goals (with a focus on running, of course)griefSpecial mentions and shout-outs to:Carman, a Christian music legend whose faith was made sight this weekMy Dad, who actually began dating my Mom three *months* after becoming a widowStill Birthday,  a wonderful resource for bereaved parents in any trimesterThe Tentative Knock, my upcoming novel which focuses on widowhood and life afterThe Hope of Heaven: a lovely little summary can be found hereSpecial thanks to my friend and business coach Deanna Mason for helping me get re-listed in  Apple's podcast directory. Go check out her amazing work!

First of all, "Auntie Kelly" gives a bit of admonishment over last week's episode... so many of you are excelling at saying something nice, but maybe need to work on graciously accepting nice things being said to us!Moving on, the idea of two things takes us through three topics -->what a husband of 50-plus years tell his wife she needs to dowhat is required in marathon trainingwhat Jesus asked believers to doIt keeps it simple. It's a Kell of a story...

Ah.... a trip to the doctor's office turns a day around! Let's talk about what a gift it is to notice something nice in another person and actually TELL THEM! In a culture that has us disconnecting from each other, Kelly implores you to say something... nice!Shout-outs to:Say Something by A Great Big WorldCarolina OB-GYNThe Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary ChapmanConnect with Kelly (She'll say something nice!):FacebookInstagramHelp me get listed on Apple Podcasts: SUBSCriBE HERE.

Long before a global pandemic made everything in our world a flexible, optional, postponable... we all have run into sharp curves in the road that caused us to swerve.In this episode, Kelly talks a bit about the effects of said pandemic on people's plans (like the 2021 Myrtle Beach Marathon...) and the very thing that first brought her family to live in Myrtle Beach.If you ever found yourself swerving... or just wondering if the journey to the unknown was worth it, this encouraging episode is for you!

Whether it's clenching your feet when you run, your teeth when you want to say something you shouldn't, or your whole self when you're looking at the world and feeling helpless, living life tightly wound can have some detrimental effects. Kelly takes a look at her own ways of holding and dealing with tension while encouraging herself and all of us to... unclench!

In a complicated time, Kelly returns with simple stories meant to entertain and encourage listeners in their relationships and pursuits.In the first episode of this new season, she discusses taking a turn in her training as a runner. Because Covid-19 has brought about the cancellation of many organized events, runners must often turn to "virtual races" to complete their goals. The Publix Savannah Women's Half Marathon was one such event for Kelly, and she tells about the experience of a fairly new runner completing 13.1 miles on her own.

First of, we celebrate my found daughter's birthday... Paige is now 26, the age I was when she became mine.Then we jump into -Downton Abbey, The Movie, and many pizza metaphorsMe, shamelessly looking for a literary agent because onYounger, it seems so easy to get published. Not so easy to grow up, already.The Handmaid's Tale. Aunt Lydia is explaied and still awful, June is still maddening and brave, everyone else is still very, very strange.The Boys: My favorite new show of the summer, and all the reasons why.Found family is all around us in fiction, and real life... a treasure very worth finding!~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAMFACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

Kelly traces the origins of her lifetime of event viewing, beginning with the CBS annual showing of The Wizard of Oz back in the 1980s, and culminating with a recent re-watch of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in theaters.A real moment:Hurricane Dorian impacts to the Bahamas - help through World Central Kitchen.Shout-outs to:Saturday cartoon preview specialsDays of Our Lives and General HospitalMoonlightingBeverly Hills 90210 (& Noxema Girl Rebecca Gayheart)Flashback CinemaDownton Abbey, The MovieBrittany Runs a MarathonBeachbody on DemandMB Mini MarathonThe simplicity vs. fussiness of running

This episode includes spoilers for Stranger Things Season 3, Big Little Lies Season 2, & as usual, Game of Thrones, the series.This pop culture catch-up includes musings on Entertainment {Monthly but still} Weekly, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones at Comic Con, GoT Emmy nominees, Jim (not Ed) Hopper in the Black Widow movie, Big Little Lies, and a small sidebar on Walking Dead. Shout-out:Black Dog Running Company, Myrtle Beach, SCNotable mentions:EW New Editor, JD HeymanComic Con round-upEpic snacks from a Walking Dead viewing partyComic Con Game of Thrones panelEmmy listLianne MoriartyBig Little Lies playlist on Spotify~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

Growing up in a Christian conservative church and simultaneously, a family who loved popular entertainment, created its share of conflicts and explorations. In this episode, Kelly discusses her co-existence as a follower of Jesus (even an ordained minister) and a fangirl of entertainment of which many churches disapprove.A few mentions ~In honor of my grandma, Betty Halpin, & Hollywood's Golden AgeJesus of Nazareth miniseriesThe Passion of the ChristHe-Man, She-ra, Thundercats: the best after school cartoon trio ever (This is a humorous parody) Constantine movie~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

Gen X has see the advent and death of so. many. things! Today, I pay homage and big farewell to just a few, including:The Four Seasons, New York CityVCRs, VCR+, and Tivo Themes Songs (click for my two favorites)JinglesPrint Magazines (Good Housekeeping Etiquette archive)& most notably:Entertainment Weekly, which is going to a monthly print edition and will no longer be a satellite radio station.A few mentions ~Journalist Kyle AndersonLilo & Stitch ReviewTV Recaps ~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

When hijinks ensues... female friendships are sealed! Join me as I celebrate comedy-based classic TV girlfriends, gal pals, ride-or-dies, from classic eras and today - and how ridiculous situations are the storytelling trope on which they are built.CLASSICSI Love LucyFacts of LifeGolden GirlsNEW STUFFDead to MeYoungerBless This Mess*Lake BellOLD SCHOOL SHOUT-OUTSGimme a Break!*Nell Carter* Dueting with ray Parker, Jr. - one of my favorite moments of the show starts at 6:00FOR YOUR REFERENCEParenthoodSchitt’s CreekLongmireNellie OlesonTony Orlando & DawnRay Parker, Jr.What are sitcoms?Paramount Network was formerly Spike TV which was formerly TNN~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!WEB

Fiction fans, this one is for you!In this episode, I look back at my lifelong love of stories and explore how movies, TV shows, and books help us to appreciate experiences unlike our own, equipping us to better understand others and better tell our own stories.The Gen-X treasure trove of icons and works mentioned includes:Little Golden BooksGive it up for the public library!Remember Sunday School felt boards?Little House on the Prairie-related memoirs (you decide!)Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, Alison Arngrim (Nelllie)The Way I See It: A Look Back at My Life on Little House, Melissa Anderson (Mary)The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde PilcherGame of Thrones (not over it yet)Soap opera & Soap Opera DigestThe story of Stone on General HospitalSocial media in the 1990s: discussion boardsTV GuideDukes of HazzardTV Movie: AdamTV Movie: Alex: The Life of a ChildAuthor Mort CastleHiroshima, John HerseyBohemian RhapsodyWalk the Line~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

We made it! Game of Thrones has now ended, and ultimately, I was quietly content. This complicated story managed to serve up a few happy-ish endings...So the discussion points will focus on:How much is too much to leave to our imagination (see also: Return of the King)The most frustrating loose ends The most frustrating actual end (Cersei's!)Behind the scenes analysis: What the characters don't knowArya as the writer of her own storyBrienne of Tarth, for the win!Jon's conclusionThe Dream TeamThat King, though...A few of my favorite articles:James Hibbard's First Look, November 2018{This should lead you to pretty much everything else James has written about GoT - there is a lot, and his season 8 interviews are stellar!}Darren Franich Reviews the series as a wholeAn interesting take on the storytelling style of Game of ThronesMeera Reed deserved better~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones throws me into a tailspin about our relationship, as viewers, with the stories we see. Case in point: why exactly are we so surprised at the turn Daenerys took this Sunday, and could it possibly be the rose colored glasses we have worn as she planned, condoned, and/or committed acts of brutality across the previous seven seasons?Furthermore, how, if at all, does the accessibility of the actors and creative minds behind the show, through social media and documentaries, affect our perceptions of what we see on screen?Other points of discussion include: The disappointing conclusion of Cersei's storyThe worthy conclusion of Sandor's storyThe contradictory conclusion of Jaime's storyThe pacing of the overall storyThe loose ends that probably will not be tied in the finaleAs mentioned in the show, check out:7 times Daenerys' dark turn was foreshadowed Exit interview with Rory McCann (The Hound)~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast

We jump right into Game of Thrones season 8, episode 4: the last of the Starks and perhaps the last of the happiness. Post-battle of Winterfell, post-Night King's demise, we take a look at 10 observations that this episode brought, including, but not limited to:Really, Gendry?Sansa & Don't Touch MeTormund the Living MemeWho wants to rule Westeros anyway?Why don't we have more dragons?(and my favorite) The Ballad of Jaime & BrienneWith special thanks to one of my favorite podcasts, EW's Game of Thrones Weekly, who inspired me to know that a woman's perspective must be offered when it comes to virgin knight's getting their hearts broken.~Stay connected to Kell of a Story!INSTAGRAM FACEBOOKTWITTERWEB~ Check out our podcast for Mompreneurs at The Refreshed Life Podcast