In the spring of 2009, I was sitting in the library studying for my finals. Typical of a college senior, I was finding it hard to focus on my work knowing that in a few short weeks I would be graduating and moving on to the next phase of my life. The hangup for me, however, was that I wasn’t quite sure what that next phase entailed. I would be graduating with an exercise science degree, which could lead me in many different directions. I...

“Do you ever feel sad and mad and happy and frustrated all at the same time, Mama?”

My eight (and a half) year old posed this question to me sometime during the first couple weeks of this whole situation our state/country/world finds itself currently in. I’ve always felt he was a bit of an old soul with his ability to recognize his own and other people’s emotions fairly quickly.

“Absolutely, buddy,” I responded. “I feel that way...

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So...this has been an interesting end of winter/start of spring, huh? Does anyone else kind of feel like this is a dream (nightmare?) or a movie or something other than our real lives? Are we living in an alternate reality? I am certainly full of more questions than answers these days, unless your question is, "Do you think self-isolation and social distancing is a good thing right now?" is which case I have a solid answer: YES.

It...

As a child, did you ever look at adults and think they just had it all figured out and that their lives must be so easy because they are making all the decisions? Man, oh man. How wrong is that? It's laughable, right? I mean, don't get me wrong. There are certainly perks to adulthood (eating dessert whenever I want is top of the list, of course). But it's definitely not this fantasy dream land. You don't hit a certain age and BAM!...

It feels like there are two times of year where there is an extra desire to clean up our act--beginning of the calendar year and beginning of the school year. "Cleaning up your act" could mean literally cleaning your house or could mean establishing some healthier habits or...who knows...everyone has their own ideas of what it takes to create a more positive life. This concept is also really fluid. Your current life stage and experiences...

One year ago, I wrote a post titled, "One Year From Today". I reread it when preparing for this January 2020 post and I cried. First of all, of course I did. It's just part of who I am. Secondly, knowing now what I didn't know then...gosh, it is a bit crazy. 2019 hardened me in some ways and made me more fragile in others. It made me more skeptical, yet also...

We broke tradition this year and for someone who is all about traditions, this was a big deal. But at the same time, it didn't feel like a big deal. It just felt right.

Yes, it's true. We purchased and put up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving.

We love Christmas---the anticipation! the decorations! the traditions!---and I will always be an advocate for Thanksgiving having its moment before Christmas celebrations move in. But...

A blogger I follow was talking the other day about the importance of your home feeling like a sanctuary or, at the very least, having somewhere within your home feel like a sanctuary. (This particular blogger is undergoing massive renovations in their home, so they selected their kitchen and their kids' bedrooms as their "sanctuary".) I love reading about stuff like this because it helps me put into words how I want my home to feel to my...

Ever have a moment where you are fully aware that you are exactly where you need to be at that exact time in life?

My mind calls those moments "Church moments". Why? Well, it's when I sense God in an unexpected way or setting. Or maybe not even unexpected but in places that aren't your stereotype "places of worship" (aka a church building). I know we have all had these types of moments, though I know not everyone's beliefs would...

For the first time in a long time, the arrival of the fall season was so exciting to me. I mean, I was literally on my front door step on September 1 at 9am hanging up my new fall wreath and moving the mums to the front walkway from the back deck where they have been for the last month. My fall decor bins were pulled down from the garage storage shelves without even having to see the contents to know what was inside. Just slightly opening...

I know the Bible says to not boast, but I'm totally going to brag about my new backyard right now. (We moved in mid-May and purchased at the end of March, so we had low expectations of what we would find.) It's an oasis, to say the least. I wish I could have you all over to experience it because, gosh, pictures don't do it justice, especially right now when all of the summer flowers are in bloom. The previous owners put so much time and...

Is the glass half full or half empty?

Is 2019 already halfway over, so you should just forget about your ideas for the year or do you still have half of the year to accomplish many things?

Sometimes I feel like the last six months flew by, but then I remember all that has happened and I remember the days and weeks that felt like they were an eternity long. Time has a way of playing with our perspective, doesn't it? This year has...

Have you ever heard someone talk about how we only have eighteen summers with our children? For the longest time, I hated reading this. It always struck me as so depressing and another one of those "enjoy your kids when they're little" guilt trips. And let's also just point out that we, God willing, have way more than eighteen summers with them, although I get that it won't be the same as when they are "little". (Am I allowed to call my...

Last weekend, our pastor began by showing off an awesome Lego pirate ship--sails and colors and so detailed. He then reminded us of how that creation started: a bag filled with hundreds of individual pieces. A bag of chaos that eventually became order. He continued on to speak about work and the order than comes from that but my mind couldn't help applying that phrase, "order from chaos," to other aspects of my life.

We're moving in ten...