“The Ground-Up Theory” Is a theory that said ancestors of birds ran along the ground, jumping into the air. Wings and feathers then evolved to aid them in propulsion, and flight evolved. The hypothesis is that the forelimb feathers elongated to become more efficient for a variety of reasons. Maybe one can find themself running and jumping, in an effort to fly. Trying to grow their wings. Maybe one already knows how to fly and simply hadn’t for a period of time or purposefully tethered themselves in an effort to stay grounded… Maybe they have forgotten and are now ready to remember. …and maybe still, some never allowed themselves to…

I know a girl… You know her too…because she is YOU and she is me too… She is all of us! She is any one of us that is part of the female persuasion! So hear me out…and hopefully this will be read till the end, because it is an important message. Around 2010, I realized I had only so many years till empty nest. Like most moms, my WHOLE WORLD revolved around my children, and rightfully so, they deserve the best mom I can be! After all, I LOVE BEING A MOTHER, and I realized I would be the saddest momma once they moved out! I also realized I…

by Hope Elizabeth Dutton | February 24, 2022 Okay people…I can’t help but be a little excited about this! Not sure what you are looking at? You are looking at a Google search for “volleyball sport mom blog,” “volleyball mom mom,” and “volleyball sport mom.” All three searches RANK either number 1 AND number 2, number 2, OR in the top six! Now you might wonder why this would be a big deal to me or to anyone?!? Bloggers blog…WHICH MEANS WE WRITE…even side hustling bloggers write and quite literally, there are a SEA of us out there swimming the internet. Google uses a pretty complicated set of algorithms to…

What a good day to be proud of the progress you’ve made! Whatever that progress may be!!! Started a new job, be proud of it! Started a new business, be proud of it! Grieving yet still made it out of bed, be proud of it! Quit smoking, and it’s Day 2 or 200, be proud of it! Pushed those demon thoughts away, be proud of it! Kept making strides with your work out, be proud if it! Didn’t eat the cookies, be proud of it! Did eat the cookies, and didn’t hate yourself for it, be proud of it! Gained some weight, and working hard to get back, be proud…

It is with absolute certainty that I can say,it is between the shadows that we find light. One can’t appreciate the joyful miraculous magical moments in life without having experienced dark shadows! Without light there are no shadows, yet without shadows one wouldn’t know the direction of the light. So while dark times seem just that, dark… …they are necessary because they mark the end to a chapter. Not all endings are painful yet many are and when that occurs they usually reduce us to our humblest point, and require us to search and seek beyond ourselves. YET… They also help us find our light…they bring us to places of…

You know what they say, “BUC PRIDE NEVER DIES!” HEY Y’ALL!!! Hope here and so this Hopeservations is a little different!!! That is what is so great about Hopeservations! They can be about ANY little Hopeful Observation we find in life! Okay – so here goes… As many of you know, I am a sport mom, mainly of volleyball!!! As you may also know, I had been a Buccaneer ESE teacher, Department Chair, Cheer Coach, team mom and/or mom in some form or fashion since 1995…and so while, this is my first year not actually on Mainland’s campus, I have been there so long – I’m pretty sure when I…

Hey folks! It’s ya girl, Hope… One year ago today, I was writing nearly everyday! All these pieces keep popping up in my memories and so recently I sent a piece to a dear friend and I happen to note that I had taken time to go back and review some of my older pieces, and how after taking a step back, then revisiting them…I realize I had written some very sound stuff. I went on to say that I appreciated her feedback and how I averaged nearly 80K views a month on Pinterest…only somehow…even with that, I always ask myself, at what point do you feel like a “real”…

Beauty is in the way you hold yourself. It is how you treat people. The way you love. The self acceptance and acceptance of others, your desire to understand and be kind, and be true to who you say you are and how you present yourself. BEAUTY IS IN YOUR SOUL. So today, and every day – I chose to be the most beautiful version of myself; inside and out. “I can’t think of any better representation of BEAUTY than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” – Emma Stone I don’t know if you ever noticed but I wear an anchor, an anchor is part of the theme when…

I used to think magic didn’t exist. Until I realized I was magic. Guess what? You are magic too… …so, do not put out your fire simply because someone else doesn’t understand your flame. You continue to surround yourself with the light, never losing hope, and go where your soul feels most alive. The world is full of magic that is patiently waiting for people’s senses to grow sharper…don’t dull yours just because they don’t understand or simply don’t believe. INSTEAD… Be The One… Be the girl they never saw coming. The one who calms and centers and truly claims their heart. The one who leaves a little glittery chaos…