Julie Ryan Evans

When I was a kid growing up in the 1980s, it seemed as if everyone I knew had a water bed. Once a groovy, sexy novelty found only in the Playboy mansion, it'd entered the mainstream, with water bed stores on every corner.
In sixth grade, I even got my own. It wasn’t the one with a stereo and reading lamp built into the headboard that I really wanted, but it was a water bed, and it was dreamy. I could heat it up on cold Nebraska winter nights, or cool it down in warmer months. Every night I dr...

Is misophonia real?
There are times when chewing, pen tapping, or other little noises bothers us to no end. For those with a condition known as misophonia, however, those sounds are more than just annoying — they can be unbearable.
First named as a condition in 2001, “misophonia” is the ancient Greek word for “hatred of sound.” Also known as selective sound sensitivity syndrome, it’s a genuine abnormality of the brain with both psychological and physiological symptoms. In a recent study, MRI ...

Apologies are easy, or so it would seem. We utter them all the time for minor things without a second thought: “Sorry, I’m running late.” “Sorry, what did you say?” “I’m sorry, but I was here first.”
But making a sincere apology is something else altogether. When we’ve truly wronged someone, it’s important to choose our words carefully to make sure our apology is received well, and to make sure we’re speaking from the heart. Too often, however, our choice of words (or where we put them) under...

Do you need a financial advisor? The short answer is no — you don’t need one. With enough research and know-how, you can do much of what a financial advisor does on your own. The real question to ask is this: Will a financial advisor help you achieve your financial goals? The answer to that question is more complicated.
What does a financial advisor do?
A financial advisor does just what the title implies — they provide advice regarding your money. That advice can cover every aspect of your f...

A rich life isn’t out of reach, no matter your income. Here’s what you need to know to start living one now.
Most of us grew up dreaming of being rich — how we’d live, what we’d buy and just how happy we’d be once we finally achieved those things. Now, here we are, and the sad fact is that no matter what financial path our lives have taken, too few of us are living rich lives nor are we on a course that will ever get us there.
The first issue is the definition of what it means to be “rich.” J...

I’ve known we needed to replace the roof above our front porch for some time now. It’s flat (water doesn’t drain well from it); we live in Florida (there are downpours nearly every day); and I can see the spreading stains on the stucco from my office window. It’s been on my expensive-things-we-should-do list for a while.
As we started to gather estimates on the repair job, however, we began wondering if we should replace the roof on our entire house instead. It’s already 20 years old, and eve...

Something was different. I did a double-take in the mirror. Was that really my rear end? Somehow, it looked different. It wasn’t necessarily bigger, but the weight looked redistributed… kind of flattened out and spread to the sides.
I hadn't gained any significant weight, and I run regularly, so what was up? Then it hit me: It’s all those hours I sit on my derriere as I drive my kids here, there and everywhere for hours and hours on end.
Racking up the miles
I can’t really tell you when it wa...

Liza Long speaks out about her son's mental illness after treatment....

What exactly are razor bumps?
A good, clean shave leaves your skin feeling so smooth and soft at first — but then come the red bumps. Razor bumps are more than just an annoyance; in some cases, they can cause permanent damage if they’re not treated.
Other names for razor bumps include:
pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB)
pseudofolliculitis pubis (specifically when the bumps occur in the pubic area)
barber’s itch
folliculitis barbae traumatica
Symptoms
Symptoms of razor bumps
While the primary sym...

What does it take to win a game of Scrabble?
Intelligence, mastery of the English language, and a little luck certainly can’t hurt. There are, however, some little-known rules of the game that might give you an even stronger leg up when it comes to laying down those tiles and laying out all your opponents.
Here are eight Scrabble rules most people don’t know that may give you an advantage during your next game
1. Up for a challenge?
While there’s more than one way people handle challenges, th...

You worked hard and saved what you could, or perhaps you inherited some funds. Whatever the case, you have $20,000 and are ready to invest. Good for you! Now, the question is how to make that money work for you.
The truth is there’s no one-size-fits-all investment strategy to maximize your money. Just because you and your neighbor make the same investment choices doesn’t mean they’ll bring about the same returns.
To make the best investment choices, you must consider obvious things like your ...

Stepping into the stock market for the first time can be exciting, but it also can be intimidating. What to buy, when to sell, and just how much you stand to make or lose are all questions first-time investors must consider. The good news? Investing in the stock market doesn’t have to be complicated.
7 stock market strategies for beginners
There’s no foolproof rule for investing in the stock market, of course, but there are some basic guidelines that could improve your chances of success.
1. ...

If your walls could talk, they might just tell you they'd love you to hang one of these awesome new tapestries from Society6 on them. Macrame-inspired, the collection has a fresh boho feel and makes a great alternative to pedestrian prints.
The line of wall hangings was launched in late June, and there are currently more than 500 designs to choose from, with more being added daily. Each is available in two sizes and orientations (Portrait: small 11″ x 16″ large 22″ x 32″; Landscape: small 22″...

The tears started flowing early, about half way through the first mile. It was my first half marathon since having children, my first long race in almost 13 years. I’d prepped and planned for plenty of scenarios on the race course, but not crying.
My tears weren’t from pain or exhaustion (most of them anyway), but rather from emotion, and they have continued to flow over the years while I run races and when I’m putting in the training miles at the most unexpected times. They’re not hard ugly ...

It had a been a couple of those kind of weeks. The ones where my stress level was high, my workouts were skipped, and my eating habits … let's just say cheese and wine were in the lead. My world was becoming too small, and little things were feeling much too big. It's a point I get to periodically when I know I need to slow down, when I need a reset. But when you're hurtling forward through daily life with kids, work, social commitments, and more, it feels almost impossible. Wor...