Over the weekend Jerry, Dina, and my baby niece, Lucy, came down from Milwaukee to visit. It was beautiful on Saturday, so we strolled (pun intended) around the neighborhood where we got the most delicious toast at Bunny and some fresh juices from City Press. After that we spent the afternoon at our cousin's house where people came from far and wide to meet Lucy. Seriously, it was quite the turn out! Then, on Sunday we went to Church and patio hopped all afternoon - IN TANK TOPS AND SHORTS. Sorry for the all caps, I got a little excited there. (Summer is coming!)

By the end of the weekend I was all like:

"Now this is what life is all about!"

...spending quality time with the people you love, having meaningful conversations, and bringing your whole self to the table. 

Recently I've realized that I want to make more of an effort to dig deeper and really be present with the people in my life. I can fall into the habit of talking about the weather and just saying things like "I'm keeping busy", and at the same time not asking any real questions myself. And while I love talking about the weather (I live in the Midwest after all), I want to bring more to the conversation.

This reminds me of a New York Times article a friend shared with me the other day about how mutual vulnerability fosters closeness. It talks about how intimacy can be accelerated by asking a friend, family member or stranger a series of specific, personal questions. If you’ve ever been at my house and used the Table Topics cards on my coffee table, then this is really similar. Click here to read about the study, the questions are at the bottom.

I downloaded the free app - 36 Questions. Shay and I will be on a 4 hour flight to Phoenix later. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’ll have these handy.

So here's to keepin' it real people! Cheers.