Welcome

So… we’re really doing this.

Let’s be honest — life doesn’t come with a manual. But it does come with a lot of opinions, mismatched socks, Amazon boxes we forgot we ordered, and endless reminders that everyone else seems to be doing it “better.” Spoiler alert: they’re not.

We’re The Candid Brunette & The Veteran — husband and wife, best friends, co-parents, content creators, and chaos coordinators. And this space? It’s the one we needed when we were in the middle of figuring it all out, asking the hard questions, and learning (sometimes the hard way) that being real beats being perfect, every single time.

We started the blog with podcast to come to create a space for raw, unscripted conversations. But we wanted something more permanent. Somewhere to write. Somewhere to share what we couldn’t fit into a 30-minute episode or a 90-second reels. And so the blog was born — a home for the messy in-between, the late-night thoughts, the stories behind the stories.

Here, we’ll talk about:

• Marriage — not just date nights and couple goals, but the real stuff: miscommunications, learning each other’s love languages (and re-learning them again), and staying connected while doing life side-by-side and back-to-back.

• Parenting in a blended family — the love, the landmines, and the lessons no one warned us about. We’re raising kids who didn’t all arrive in the same season, with histories and habits, and we’re figuring it out one imperfect day at a time.

• Living cleaner, simpler, and more intentionally — not because it's trendy, but because we’re tired of being burned out, disconnected, and surrounded by noise. We believe in creating a home and a lifestyle that feels calm, aligned, and ours.

• Wellness that’s actually sustainable — not juice cleanses or unrealistic routines, but the stuff that helps us show up as better people: slow mornings, real food, movement that makes us feel alive, and routines that fit real life.

• Mental health without the filter — not a diagnosis list or advice column, just honest moments about overwhelm, identity, boundaries, and navigating life with empathy, self-awareness, and a whole lot of grace.

• Human behavior — because understanding how people think, react, love, argue, and grow is half the battle in parenting, marriage, leadership, and self-growth. Add in a little weirdo on occasionally because let's face it sometimes you have to go down the rabbit hole on some true crime stories.

• TV shows we’re unreasonably passionate about — the comfort rewatches, the wild plot twists, the “we need to talk about this” moments that make for the best couch conversations.

But we’ll also talk about the lighter stuff — like fall candles that smell like home, funny things our kids say, all wins and fails, the coffee or tea we’re obsessed with this week, and why some shopping trips should count as cardio and therapy combined.

Because we’re not just one thing — and we’re betting you aren’t either.

We’re people who are still learning. Still growing. Still trying to raise kids who are well-rounded in life, show up for each other, and go on to

build a life that’s meaningful. We’re building this platform not because we have it all figured out, but because we believe people connect through shared humanity, not curated perfection.

This blog is our virtual front porch — a place to sit, share, and sip something warm while we talk about life in all its unexpected beauty. So whether you're here for real talk, quiet inspiration, or just to feel a little less alone in the chaos — welcome. You belong here.

Let’s get candid.