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Just Why?
"Just why?" That was my first thought when I walked in to brush my teeth and found a broken clip sitting on our bathroom counter. WHY doesn't Brad just throw things like this away? Why does he leave it sitting on the counter where I will inevitably be the one to deal with it…. I'm so glad I had to finish brushing my teeth before I reacted; my mouth occupied, so the first thought couldn't pop out. I can just throw it away. The clip is the leftover trash from a weekend project—a project my sweet man...
The Way My Shy Girl Became a Leader
Yesterday, I put three-year-old Selah in a little ballet class where they pretended to jump on lily pads and swim through the water (or something like that 😂). I had no idea what Clement Arts was, just that they promised to keep performance costs to a minimum, and my friend Holly told me to sign her up. She was so tiny, so adorable. The night of her first recital, I snapped this picture as she stood in the wings of that vast stage and then watched enraptured as my shy little girl in bunny ears walked out and danced every...
Mountain View
"If you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can tell the mountain to move!" I've heard this scripture my whole life and assumed my faith was just too weak when the mountains I saw blocking the life I wanted remained stuck… As I pondered my expectation of this scripture, it hit me: I tend to view mountains as external things: lack of money or resources, a job or partner? But what if the mountain is something inside of me? What if the mountains Jesus says my faith can move have taken such deep root in my...
Is Your Reflection Accurate?
Last week, we explored a new lake…because about a year ago, Brad decided to creatively make one of my dreams come true when he bought us a little boat. It's a Sea Eagle inflatable motor boat. He calls it our gateway boat, but I think he low-key loves how it matches his Jason Bourne persona…. Anyway… We only had Selah with us that particular day, and she wanted to go fast and wild. Imagine her disappointment when we saw exactly two other boats the whole time, and one was quietly fishing. The water was as smooth as glass. ...
How to Shut Up Your Inner Critic so Your Daughter Will Know How
"I'm not good at that." It started with small, little snippets of self-doubt. I should have noticed. I should have stopped it sooner. I'm her mother, after all….unfortunately, I'm also really gifted in the art of negative self-talk. Maybe I missed it because what should have been a red flag has been given a space on my shelf, a narrative I frequently read and accept as normal. It took flares of anger, where self-hate spewed out of my sweet girl like a volcano I assumed was dormant. I was shocked. I argued back--NOTHING you are saying about yourself is...