Sidetracked Stories

Here is a favorite poem about the importance of raising children with an eye toward preparing them to leave. It is by Kahlil Gibran and I included it at the end of our portfolio to show birth mothers when we adopted our daughter Aubrey.  It goes like this: Your children are not your children.      They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.   &n...

This week the Sidetracked Sisters got together and wrote about the topic of our 3rd decade of life. I don't remember why this random topic sounded so interesting a few weeks ago that we all wanted to write about it. Because...when we actually sat down to get our thoughts down, it was like, "arghhhh, what am I going to write about?!?" It's crazy how often this happens to us. We get together to writ...

" Your voice is my favorite sound. You're like my favorite song on the radio. I could listen to you all day. " -anonymous Ahh, love...the sweet phrases that touch our hearts. We may not feel those intense romantic feelings right now in life, but there are sounds that move us, touch us, and make us remember. I know, this topic isn't for the faint of heart. It isn't as concrete and specific as some...

Welcome to Episode 100!!! I am your host, Lisa Hoffman and I am so excited today! The Sidetracked Sisters began this podcast back in January and we have had so much fun talking about legacy writing, sharing with you, and demonstrating how people can come to a topic from a variety of perspectives. I have LOVED interviewing other creative people--writers, visual artists, entrepreneurs, and memoirist...

You are going to LOVE the Sidetracked Legacies podcast interview today. I am Lisa Hoffman and in this episode, I talk with Linda Strader. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Linda moved to Prescott, Arizona with her family in 1972. In 1976, she became one of the first women hired on a U.S. Forest Service fire crew. Summers of Fire: A Memoir of Adventure, Love and Courage , was released in 2018 by...

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." --Harriet VanHorne (American newspaper columnist and ratio/t.v. critic) As I'm writing this introduction, the smell of something baking, cooking, or slightly burning is reaching me in my office. I'm sure that my daughter Aubrey is experimenting in the kitchen and making a mess--if nothing else! The Sidetracked Sisters go...

" It's in hearing the same stories over and over again that helps build bonds, not just in families, but in groups of friends. It's in whatever community you have that those legacies exist ." --Laura Packer (storyteller, coach, real-time dreamer) Laura is preaching to the choir!!! This is exactly what the Sidetracked Sisters have been working on and talking about for years.  In our interview,...

" Cannibals say we taste like pork, and bacon is my spirit animal, so we are probably delicious. " --Jenny Lawson (blogger and memoirist) As you can see by the title of this episode and the quote I chose to start  with...this episode is a bit off the beaten path.

"Our writing doesn't always have to be productive...or a part of something else. It is important for writers to have that freedom, that exercise of writing."  --Annie Toro Lopez Boy, do I understand what she is talking about! Sometimes it feels so good to write with no expectations or goals! When I was a kid, I loved the idea of writing in a diary. As I got older, it became a journal. But tha...

"If a magic genie grants you three wishes, but he won't let you wish for more wishes...wish for more genies." (shutupimtalking.com) When the four Sidetracked Sisters got together to write, our topic was "Three Wishes". It sounds so simple. But only two of us followed the directions and came up with three.  Today we are talking about making wishes. Health, wealth, happiness, and success are at...

" If you decide that you want to do something, find a way. Share on social. PRACTICE! You might not be an award winner or get a grammy, not a NY Times bestseller or get a Nobel prize..but you are doing. the. thing !" --Lesley McShane  I was once told something very similar. It doesn't matter how fast you run, if you get out there and move on your two feet a little faster than a walk...you are...

"Stay fit and live long and prosper, but write your own obituary now, while you can, just in case." -Jill Conner Browne (Novelist and head Sweet Potato Queen)  Yeah. The Sidetracked Sisters aren't planning on going anywhere soon, but the topic that we agreed to write about this week was our OBITUARY! It wasn't all that easy, to be honest with you! Today we get into all the things. Sandy, Judy...

" Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on ." --Louis L'Amour (American novelist) So many people like the idea of writing, but neglect to plant their body in a chair and get their pen moving on the page. This is NOT a problem for my guest today!  Welcome to Sidetracked Legacies episode #91.  Today I am interviewing Karla Jensen who has been wri...

American actress Lauren Bacall is quoted, "Childhood anxieties, childhood fears, never disappear completely. They fade, but not away." Today the Sidetracked Sisters discuss memories of childhood fears. We get into the fear of the dark and clowns, creepy clowns. We go deep into Judy's fear of abandonment and how scary movies have a part to play in all of our fear stories. But...not to worry. We als...

During our interview, Laura quotes Hal Elrod from his book The Miricle Morning , "Remember this truth: Now matters more than any other time in your life, because its what you are doing today that is determining who you're becoming, and who you're becoming will always determine the quality and direction of your life." Today I am talking with Laura Leigh. She is the founder of the podcast "Joyfully...

I think all four Sidetracked Sisters would agree with writer Stephen King when he says, "Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit, but completely different." Today Judy, Sandy, Michelle, and Lisa talk about the unforgettable books and movies that have made an impression on our souls. We remember favorite childhood books, movies that made us cry, books that were read to us,...

Well, we did it! The Sidetracked Sisters have a book! We got together. We wrote words on paper. We drank margaritas. We laughed and argued. We wrote more words and sorted through lots and lots of old pictures. Then Michelle did her computer magic and now we have a book of thoughts and memories to share with our loved ones. English writer Neil Gaimon was once asked how to write a book. His response...

"Don't ever feel bad for making a decision about your own life that upsets other people. You are not responsible for their happiness. You're responsible for your own happiness." The Mind's Journal I look at this quote and think these words SOUND so good. But I don't know that I could ever really believe them. My life feels so connected to my friends and family. I want us ALL to be happy. Today the...

"My life is made up of words layered upon words." --Connie Kinsey I've always loved writing. Not the kind of writing that is assigned, not the kind that is graded. When I'm in a writing habit, I like how I watch my life for nuggets of inspiration. When I'm regularly writing, I look at my surroundings and listen to people in a more interesting way. Today I am talking with memoirist Connie Kinsey. S...

According to my Google search, we shouldn't call it an "accident" when a car collides with another car. Government officials and safety advocates want us to use the phrase, "car crash" because they believe that the "accident" trivializes the fact that m;ost are caused by human error or negligence and are preventable.  In our discussion today, we get into our memorable crashes. Three of us wer...

" Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand, small, uncaring ways. " --Stephen Vincent Benet I've always been the kind of person who wants to limit mindless, activities that keep me as a consumer, on the sidelines, a watcher. I prefer to live a more active and creative life. I feel good about the day when I've contributed to the world--wheth...

" Everyone can rock a bikini, swimsuit, unicorn onesie...whatever floats your boat. If you wear it with confidence, you will look hot ." --Iskra Lawrence Now I would love to believe this "plus-size" fitness model! Ms. Lawrence is gorgeous at 5'9" and 194 pounds!!! But...(sigh) The Sidetracked Sisters got together this week to write and talk about swimsuits and body image. It was interesting how we...

" You can always tell who the strong women are...they are the ones you see building one another up, instead of tearing each other down ." Today my guest is Sherri Schultz. She is not only my neighbor and a dear friend but also a nurse and an entrepreneur. Her Facebook group is called Tranquil Waters Krystals.  In this episode, we talk about what drew her to rocks and crystals. Then we get int...

I love this quote by Samuel Johnson, " The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. "  It makes me think about the beautiful people in my life and those who have come and gone...for a variety of reasons. But those who have a lasting and deep positive impression have treated me in a way that made me feel unique and seen Today we are talking about a memo...

"Every single challenge we have in life, big or small, can teach us patience, courage, and grace. If you can remember that, you can always find peace in your situation." --Mindy Henderson (motivational speaker, author, and coach) Welcome to Sidetracked Legacies episode #79. Today I'm talking with Mindy Henderson about ALL THE THINGS! Her book, "The Truth About Things That Suck and How to Make Them...