Blog Team Contributor
Since I was little I have always been a talker. It was problematic in high school as my teachers could never find a desk in the classroom where I didn’t find some way to strike up conversation with whoever was around me, but aside from some shaky parent-teacher conferences, my ability to chat it up with people has served me well. I genuinely LOVE getting to know new people, and my husband probably couldn’t count how many times I’ve said, I wonder what their story is and then left a flight or a restaurant knowing IT ALL. At the end of the day, understanding where people come from is what helps us relate to people and that is a passion of mine. One of the things I love so much about being a mom is that once we have children, we enter into this sisterhood of mothers where we automatically can relate and find common ground with each other no matter how different we may be.
The Inside Scoop:
- I am married to my college sweetheart- Go Redhawks! By far, marrying Mike is THE BEST decision that I have ever made. He crunches numbers and I can spell. It’s a left brain, right brain match made in Heaven. I am so thankful to walk through life with this man who loves me and supports me in all my crazy endeavors- this blog included. 🙂
- We have two baby girls who are 19 months apart (that was a surprise!) They have proven to me that God makes each of us so uniquely and specially by design. Grace and Claire may look like twins, but they could not be more different! Grace is strong willed, sweet, shy, cuddly, and cautious. Claire is spunky, fearless, energetic, happy, and social. It keeps our house interesting….in every way imaginable. And it provides for A LOT of writing material. I have a feeling you all will get to know Grace and Claire VERY well.
- I fell in love with writing at an early age. To be quite honest I wasn’t great at math or science, so I really needed to nail English or Social Studies- well, English was the winner. I loved anything to do with creative writing or grammar (don’t even think about ending a sentence on a preposition or with a dangling modifier), and to this day I look forward to quiet time where I can just sit and put my thoughts down on paper.
- In the Fall of 2015, I began having a number of health issues that involved many Doctors appointments and new medications. It was a challenging time and I never knew what each day would look like- one morning I woke up without hearing in one ear, another day I’d wake up with swollen joints, and the following day I would have debilitating vertigo. God used this time in my life to reveal how sensitive I am to fear, and I will forever be thankful for these health issues because I learned that no matter what may happen, God is in control. If it means I am here to raise my children, then praise Him for His goodness! If it means I’m not here to raise my children, then praise Him for His goodness! I began relying on the perfecter of my story in a way I NEVER had before and it was both freeing and comforting.
- Our family is currently growing. No, my washboard abs (Ha!) will not be going anywhere this time around, but our hearts are growing a baby through the miracle of adoption. Adoption has always been a “sweet spot” in my heart, but it really took my health issues to walk in obedience to this calling. On Easter Sunday, I handed over any desire for more biological children to the Lord and HE not only restored my hearing, but began laying the footwork for our Adoption Journey to begin. I’m excited to share it with you!
- I am a people pleaser to a fault. My mom used to say her biggest fear was that I’d be “the World’s doormat.” As I’ve gotten older I’ve seen that sometimes my desire to serve others, is less about the actual act of service and more about their approval. It’s taken time and discipline, to focus my eyes on God’s opinion of me rather than others opinions of me…and sometimes this means saying “no”- which is hard, because that means I have to stop talking after one word.