Dana Burland

Dang did I get my read on this year. I don’t think I’ve ever devoured books so voraciously—ever. I polished off 26 books this year, not including a small stack I tried but didn’t love. Here are some of my favorites: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Don Tillman, a nerdy genetics professor creates “The Wife Project” as a technical path to finding love. That’s all well and good until Rosie Jarman finds him. She’s seeking his genetic expertise but both of them end up finding much more. The Rosie Project is an adorable, modern love story with a twist. Don and Rosie are relatable in both their unique reservations and confidence in love. This is a good fast read, perfect as a vacation book and not so light that it’s mindless or mushy. Bossypants by Tina Fey Tina’s book is a hilarious, short story structured memoir that proves her brilliance as a comic and a writer. My favorite chapters are the one dedicated to her dad—a most-interesting-man-on-earth meets 70’s strict, and the one...

Just like that, all three kids are college grads. I only teared up three times at my brother's commencement ceremony last weekend. Oy, I remember when you graduated high school . I'm such a proud sister. Congrats, Man of E--you did it, you hippo'ed . 

I established a few rules when I started doing genealogy research : 1. No creating relationships with distant ninth cousins twenty-five times removed 2. No use of Ancestry or Ancestry-like sites 3. No scammy DNA tests promising genomics history I didn’t want to meet more family, but uncover the past of the family I already knew. Then I met my super great, new-to-me cousin Elaine who knew more about my grandma than I thought possible. And Ancestry? A little birdie told me they often make false connections with randoms whose name or location of origin is kinda sorta like yours, but actually not. No thanks. The DNA tests? That was a no. I refused to mail a tube of my spit to some random lab just to hear I’m a hodgepodge of European decent. Stupid. Absolutely not. Except… About a month ago I got suckered into reading reviews of a genetic kit/site (23andme) and 20 minutes later ordered a kit. The site explained the X & Y chromosomes in men allow for tracking of both ma...

Nothing says “thanks for hosting my wedding shower” like a homemade lotion bar, right? I saw a blog post with the DIY “recipe” a few weeks ago and quickly ordered supplies. The ingredient list is short, the directions are simple, the pictures are flawless. Whatever could go wrong? Plenty, like: 1. Smelly beeswax The directions call to melt coconut oil, Shea butter and beeswax together and then pour into molds. I love myself some coconut oil and Shea butter, but the beeswax I bought was off. Forget the idea of lovely, deep-honey smelling beeswax, the stuff I ordered on Amazon smells like a thick forest of semi-dead flowers. 2. A tilt-y soap mold What could go wrong with a soap mold—this is what it’s made for! Mine came with two different shapes on one tray; lovely for variety yet awful considering the mold couldn’t balance on its own. 3. Stupid, stupid, dumb, fragile flowers I pressed flowers a week ahead of time thinking I’d simply push them to the bottom of the mold (or top ...

This year, like every other year , my family and I ran the Detroit Turkey Trot. Due to various injuries among all of us, my parents and I settled on the 5K while my brother ran the 10. Well, the 5K was the goal. We started an hour early with the 10K group with my brother figuring we’d duck out at the 5K course split. But, you know, when you’re an hour ahead of any other 5K’er, there’s no need to mark the course for the 5K split. So, even with the various injuries among us, my parents and I trotted an accidental 10K. This year, I’m thankful for nice weather that made walk breaks bearable and the entire race enjoyable; I’m thankful various injuries are all we’ve got as medical woes; and I’m ever thankful for an active family who makes late November running a fun tradition.