Absolute.

 I know, a “normal” person does an MOY at the end of June, but the long-time readers know- my calendar revolves around Christmas and my Birthday.  In the wake of my birthday, I am writing a little update on my Word-of-the-Year.  I have been working to improve the discipline in my life for a couple of years now and I reflect in amazement about how far I have come.   I knew God was prompting me to grow in this area, but I am thankful that He did not reveal to me how far this would go.   Had God told me then what my life would look like now, I likely would have been paralyzed with intimidation.   I am grateful that it was just open-ended encouragement to get more disciplined.   With my pursuit of discipline and desire to incorporate some more highly disciplined people into my life, I joined a gym at the end of January.   This is the first time ever in my life that I have paid for a gym membership.   Historically, I have always told myself t...

We are in a sweet, sweet season with the kids right now.   One of the twins made straight A’s for 5 th six weeks and the other made A-B honor roll for the entire first semester.   All 3 kids have jobs.   All 3 have their licenses. 2 of them have purchased their own cars.   2 of them are in the process of talking to college coaches and hoping to attend college in the fall.   They are coming to the place where they treasure the opportunity for all 5 of us to gather around the dinner table and they value family time.   Both girls are coming to me and Matt with stories and wanting us to be a part of their lives.   They are independently setting their own technology boundaries.   I thought I was going to write a whole blog post about how good they are doing right now, but this blog isn’t supposed to be a highlight reel.   I didn’t write a blog post about all of the hard days that led up to this.   I didn’t write about the drama and tears she...

I am not a super trendy person. I do not do a “word of the year” every year.  I only commit to a word of the year when I feel prompted by God to focus that heavily on one thing.  My word of the year is Discipline.   Those of you who consistently read my blog, may be a little confused.   Yes… That was my word of the year last year for 2022, and it is once again my word of the year for 2023.   I can’t help but laugh when I think about my word of the year being on repeat.   It serves as strong evidence to me of God’s patience, and His sense of humor.   It is also a very tangible reminder to me that God has high standards.   I did grow in discipline in 2022, and yet this is an area where God is clearly telling me to keep striving.   I am not at a place where I am discouraged by this or feel like I am not measuring up.   Instead, it brings me comfort that my high standards for myself and the people around me are an inherited trait.  ...

 Normally, I get an inspiring idea to write a blog post and two to three weeks later, I finally sit down to write it. Today, I am actually writing my blog post in advance of a major milestone. I am slowly but steadily approaching a number that is of great significance to me 155 pounds.  Those of you that followed my weight loss journey from a few years ago are probably taken aback and thinking “man, she really let herself go again.” This would be a well-grounded assumption based on the fact that 155 is still 20 pounds more than my smallest weight while living in Minnesota.  But the few people who actually do life with me down here in Texas can tell you, “let” is not an accurate word.   I have fought hard trying to manage my weight.   I was working out at least four days a week, eating right and STILL gaining weight.   I was (and to an extent still am) fighting disbelief when I would see pictures of myself and wondering why I looked so fat when I knew how ...

 So, the word of the year thing is very trendy and I think I have only jumped on this band wagon once or twice in the past.  I’m not very good at it. Made obvious by the fact that I don’t remember any past words of the year with confidence and that I’m not even solidifying my word of the year until February…nuance.   Anyways, I have received and committed to my word of the year- “DISCIPLINE”.   Some of you that know me well might be a little confused by this (as was I).  I am already a pretty disciplined person. Significantly more disciplined than most, and very comfortable with that.  I have not drank a drop of alcohol in 4 years and haven’t consumed any sweets for about 3 and a half years.  I eat well.  I work out multiple times a week. We have 1 TV in the house, and I barely watch it.  I rarely lose track of time swiping on social media.  Discipline permeates pretty much every area of my life. So when God hit me with this discip...

  Yesterday (10/30), we held a ceremony and buried the physical remains of my grandma.   My beloved “Mome”.   The night before, the husband was checking on my emotional state and I told him, “I’m good.   She has already given me so much. It’s enough.”   This came earlier than we expected, but still my grandma has passed so many things down to me, most of which were passed down through my mom.   A few of the most impactful things that I received from her include… ·        Teaching kids about Jesus.   She was passionate about it and good at it.   From Sunday school to VBS to in-home backyard bible camps, she did it all and so have I. ·        Compassion for her neighbors.   Sure, maybe she was a little nosy, but she cared… AND she prayed.   She cared about what was going on in their lives and was always willing to help out however she could. In my lifetime, I saw her serve as...

I have been writing but I have not been posting anything for lots of reasons. To name a few... Life has been CRAZY! See details below. I have barely had time to process things for myself, much less process them to the point of writing and sharing. Yes, as many of you likely suspected, we’ve been going through some struggles. Some things in my life have been so good, I didn’t want to give anyone else the opportunity to sour it with passive-aggressive comments, criticism, etc. We’re walking in God’s faithfulness in the most important area to me and I know He’s not done yet.   I do not know how to celebrate this publicly without making the rest awkward.   Reflecting on Year 32 Since moving to Texas, Matt’s job title has changed twice.   My job has officially stayed the same, but teaching during these “unprecedented times” has me feeling like my job has changed WAY more times than his.   We’ve gone from a part-time marriage (barely seeing each other due to his trav...