Five Things - May 19, 2026

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For photos of my books, kids, pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. "Everyone says corruption is everywhere, but for me it seems strange to say that and then not try to put the people guilty of that corruption away." - Alexei Navalny

2. This Friday, my sister and I are heading to the Galapagos for her birthday! My inner science geek is dusting off her copy of On the Origin of Species and preparing to totally fangirl over the finches. I also can’t wait to check out the Galapagos tortoises, which can live for 100 years and weigh up to 900 lbs, and the Galapagos penguins, the only penguins found north of the equator. I’ll be sure to take tons of pictures and share them on my Instagram page, so follow along!

3. I’m in the midst of preparing my thesis to present to the committee for approval. It’s mostly a formality at this point, but there is something incredibly satisfying about the experience. I have one more semester of work to complete before graduation, but this part feels pretty monumental. By the time I leave Friday, it will be out of my hands and officially submitted.

4. My alter ego, Maggie Clare, wanted me to share the exciting news that Blood Ties, the 5th book in the Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series, releases on June 2nd. If the steamy stuff is your jam, you can pre-order it HERE. It’s a bit of a tear-jerker so have a box of tissue at the ready, and it contains some heavy themes of loss and grief so do read with care.

5. Over the weekend, we hit up the local Renaissance Faire for Ray’s birthday Saturday, and this one really exceeded our expectations. Great shows, tons of vendors, a lively joust, and the very enthusiastic, excellently costumed crowd made for a fun day. Our own costumes actually made the cut when we moved into the RV, and now that we have closet space again, I'll be looking to upgrade. Anyway, we made quite merry and needed most of Sunday to recover!

Five Things - May 4, 2026

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For photos of my books, kids, pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “Rebellions are built on hope.” - Jyn Erso, Rogue One

2. For those who celebrate - May the 4th be with you!

3. Most of you know that I write romance under the pen name Maggie Clare. Well, Maggie has a new release coming out on June 2nd, so if the steamy stuff is your jam, check it out! Blood Ties, book 5 in the Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series is available for pre-order.

4. This weekend we’ll be heading back to Portland, OR for Kyra’s graduation. It’s a milestone for our family in more ways than one as she is the last of our kids to graduate college! She is an exceptionally talented musician, singer, and songwriter, and as soon as I can figure out how to share links to her music, I’ll post them here!

5. In the next few days, I’ll be turning in the last bit of work for the semester and getting the paperwork together to formally submit my thesis project! The summer semester will be busy as well, but then, I’m graduating! I can’t believe how quickly the years have gone by, and I am already sad to think about not seeing my classmates on the regular anymore. This program exceeded my expectations, and at some point, I’ll be able to reflect more on the experience, but for now, I’m going to try and stay present to enjoy my last few months as a grad student.

Five Things - April 20, 2026

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For photos of my books, kids, pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible." — Dwight D. Eisenhower

2. Last weekend, our daughter presented her senior ‘showcase’ to a theater full of friends and family. A jazz musician and vocalist, her presentation was essentially a concept album containing seven songs which she wrote, recorded, and then performed live. Several local professional musicians including a drummer, a brass section, a pianist, and a harp player, accompanied her and filled out the sound. It was such an amazing experience to witness the culmination of her undergraduate learning. Her talent just dazzled us all, and it was definitely a ‘proud mama’ moment.

3. Speaking of showcases, Ray and I attended an entirely different kind of showcase last week–The Pasadena Showcase House for the arts event. Every year, an older estate-type home is chosen to be fully renovated by local designers, artists, and landscapers. There’s an opening party, where guests can tour the house while it’s in-the-works, and a private after-party, with a tour of the finished home, a fancy dinner, and a live auction. Finally, the house is opened to the public for a month. Along with a tour, guests can shop at the on-site galleries and booths and eat at the temporary bistro. All proceeds from ticket sales, auction items, and donations go to local music education, youth orchestras, music therapy programs, and nonprofit arts organizations in the area. The talented designer who helped us turn our new condo into a home participated, and he invited us to the pre-showcase party and the fancy dinner after-party at the Santa Anita racetrack, where the famous Seabiscuit won in 1940! In addition to being a fun time, I really enjoyed this glimpse into Pasadena’s storied history.

4. Sometimes, I just need to go into the woods. Yesterday, a friend and I did a big, fun, beautiful hike, the kind I really like, where you scrape your knees, hop over rocks to make it across streams, scramble climb, and otherwise get a good sweat going. The Switzer Falls hike was exactly that, and it helped get my mind ready for the week ahead.

5. In book news, my alter-ego, Maggie Clare, has a new release coming out on June 2nd. Blood Ties, a second-chance romance with some intrigue and danger thrown into the mix, is available for pre-order now. If romance is your jam, check out the first few installments in the Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series. All the books can be read as stand alones, but the characters are connected, so I think it’s a more enjoyable experience to read them in order. Between finishing my school projects and getting this book ready to go, my head is spinning, but I’m really excited to have something new for my readers. Stay tuned!