Despite all of the challenges that 2020 brought, Ally O’Rourke will always a have a reason to be happy when she reflects on 2020. The Dubuque resident got engaged to her fiancé, Adam Goerdt, in July, and the couple is now planning a wedding for November 2021. The occasion will serve as more than just...
When Matt Gregory first asked A Alanda to marry him more than 30 years ago, he was taken aback by her answer. “He was going away, and before he did, he asked me; I said no,” said A Alanda, as she’s known professionally, slowly breaking into a laugh. “He didn’t wait for me. He left....
Brunch. The dine-in restaurant occasion many of us miss most during this pandemic. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Sunday, we’ve rounded up a few restaurant-worthy recipes fit for the day. Cinnamon Muesli Pancakes, with Cranberry, Fig and Ginger Jam Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 20 minutes. Makes: 16 four-inch pancakes. • 1 cup all-purpose flour...
Trying out online dating for the first time or frustrated by the experience? Here are five online dating tips from Andrea McGinty, dating expert and founder of 33 Thousand Dates, a coaching platform designed to help millennial and Gen X women and men navigate online dating. In her 20-plus years as a matchmaker, McGinty arranged...
Did you know that 25% of the 805,000 heart attacks per year in the U.S. are recurrent? The American Heart Association reports that once you’ve experienced a heart attack, your chances of having another one is higher. In fact, nearly one in five patients who’ve had a heart attack will have another cardiovascular event, such...
In her last trimester, in the midst of dealing with family and work issues as well as preparing for a new baby, Michelle Emebo felt stressed. “I didn’t realize how much it was impacting me until I went to see my health care provider and my blood pressure was up,” she said. Doctors monitored her...
When it comes to Social Security payouts, the “when” can be as important as the “how much.” Americans in retirement, or nearing it, have multiple options as to when to start collecting Social Security benefits. The attractiveness of each option depends on a myriad of factors, including income need, health and career/retirement status. Make no...
If someone wanted to show you their undying love for you, what should they do? Would you want gifts or a kind touch or compliments? Maybe you would prefer this person to do something for you or with you. Gary Chapman labels these options as our love languages. Our preferred way to be loved falls...
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art … It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” Life without a friend would indeed be life but such a sad one that it would barely count as life at all. Of course, some friendships are...
For many couples, there’s nothing more exciting than creating wedding wish lists. Almost half (45%) of U.S. adults who are or ever have been married or engaged have had a bridal registry, according to a Moen survey conducted online by Harris Poll. Registries can help you avoid receiving disappointing gifts. Respondents to the Moen survey...
Last year, Makayla Bellis got engaged to her best friend. It was an exciting moment for the 25-year-old Dubuque resident and her partner, Matthew, 26. “We got engaged at the end of February, right before all the lockdowns started,” Bellis said. As the couple began planning their wedding, they realized that it would be a...
I felt validated recently to read that researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered that more than a third of U.S. marriages between 2005 and 2012 began online and that early research shows online couples tend to have longer, happier marriages. I’m half of such a couple, having met my husband of six years...
When COVID-19 came and changed everyone’s lives in March, it took down engaged couples’ original wedding and honeymoons plans along with everything else, making many soon-to-be newlyweds postpone their nuptials to later in the year, or even into 2021. Since the way we navigate life has changed due to the pandemic, it only makes sense...
