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Real talk about love, marriage and the empty nest years, from a wife of thirty some years Meet Linda
Love Notes
A woman pauses to smoke, a habit reminiscent of a past toxic relationship that stuck around. DatingHabits People Picked Up from a Toxic Ex and Secretly Still Do Because They Were Actually Right Warning sign showing a figure operating a pressure washer, symbolizing caution about what surfaces should never be pressure washed. FamilySurprising Things You Shouldn’t Clean with a Pressure Washer A couple on a dinner date discussing what matters to them, highlighting the small dealbreakers women consider when dating. DatingTiny Dealbreakers Women Refuse to Compromise on When Dating, No Matter What
A couple sits apart on a couch with hands folded separately, showing emotional distance rather than closeness.All Love Notes A couple shares a romantic, flirtatious moment while toasting with red wine.Dating A pregnant woman gently holds her belly, reflecting the topic of having a baby later in life.Family An older woman sits in quiet solitude, her tired expression reflecting the hidden emotional toll that can quietly wear down the spirit after 50.Marriage Close up of slow cooker pot roastFrom the Kitchen
welcome to the nest

Real Talk About Love, Marriage and Life After the Kids Leave Home

I'm Linda. When the last of our three kids moved out, Tom and I had to figure out how to be just us again. It turned out to be one of the most surprising seasons of our marriage, the good parts and the hard parts both. This is where I write about all of it, honestly. What keeps a long marriage warm, the small things that quietly pull couples apart, what men and women wish the other understood, and how to date your spouse again when the house finally gets quiet.

Meet LindaRead the Love Notes
Linda at home
love, marriage and everything after

Newest Notes on Love

Honest lessons from over thirty years with Tom, and from the couples who made it to fifty.

All relationship posts
Love that lastswhat long marriages do differently
The empty nestbeing just us again
Understanding himwhat men rarely say out loud
Date night ideassweet plans that cost little

Dating

What men and women notice, what they quietly hope for and the signs that someone is truly interested, from a woman who has watched a lot of love stories unfold.

More on dating

Family

Life with grown children, the empty nest and the family boundaries that protect a marriage.

More on family

Marriage

Lessons from a long marriage: the small habits that keep love warm, the warning signs worth noticing and how couples find each other again after the busy years.

More on marriage

More From the Nest

Every love note
from my kitchen

Cooking for the Ones You Love

A few of the seasonal recipes I make the minute everyone comes home.

See the recipes