This pregnancy, I was much more confident and verbal about the desires of my heart. I prayed for specific things, which can sometimes feel so petty. People (and the enemy, hello) can be quick to dismiss a detailed prayer, say "oh but anything will do!" at the end as if they didn't really mean the … Continue reading Hannah’s Birth Story
brave
The Wedding Scoop
I was bursting at the seams with stories from engagement and the wedding, and I think there are a few reasons I shelved them instead of posting them right away. Engagement was a whirlwind, then I was in such a happy blur from the wedding that I needed time to write and process. And then … Continue reading The Wedding Scoop
My Birth Story, Part II: Labor and Delivery
If you missed part I, go read it first! The best way I can describe what a natural birth without pain medications felt like to me is a marathon. If you've ever run a marathon, you know what a muscle cramp feels like, and that you can't think "I can't do this" or overthink about … Continue reading My Birth Story, Part II: Labor and Delivery
My Birth Story, Part I: Pregnancy and War
You wouldn't think the two would go together, pregnancy and war, but oh, they do. From the minute I started even thinking my body might be hosting a new life in the near future, I started preparing. I started taking prenatal vitamins 4 months (yes, pretty much right when we got engaged) before the wedding, … Continue reading My Birth Story, Part I: Pregnancy and War
The Best Year
Chalk it up to God's perfect timing, love, and kindness, but I have had the best year of my entire life thus far. I thought my best years might have been behind me, but how wrong was I to entertain that thought! I looked back and thought maybe my junior year of high school was … Continue reading The Best Year
The Disease of Hatred
I've been silent for months, just being "in my life" and enjoying being engaged and getting married and being a newlywed. My day-to-day home life has been overall very, very positive. I have been overwhelmed with thanksgiving, peace, and love. Then I log on to Facebook and I am bombarded by hatred. I glimpse the … Continue reading The Disease of Hatred
Early Spring
Hello, old friend. Here I am, thinking of all the clichés applicable to this comeback moment. I might as well skip trying to state the obvious and move on to what's churning in my soul. I'm sitting at a banquet table, and the Host will not stop putting delicious, much-too-large portions before me. Just when … Continue reading Early Spring
Why I’ve Been Silent
I used to write about once a week, sometimes twice. I also used to write a devotional every single day. All these things went out to a set list of readers, straight to their email inbox. Then life got a bit more complicated for me on the emotional zone. I began to feel that this … Continue reading Why I’ve Been Silent
A Stranger’s Party
Last month, I was invited to a party for a stranger. I was in the middle of doing something else, and the invitation surprised me. I accepted. I found myself sitting at a table, surrounded by people I didn't know. We laughed. I was offered food, and I realized I was really hungry. I ate, … Continue reading A Stranger’s Party
Bitter and Sweet
My warm cup of very caffeinated coffee cheered me on to a new morning. I was so proud of myself for managing to drink it without sugar, only with a heavy pour of unsweetened soy milk. It was a perfect traveling mug of goodness. By itself, that is. In my lunchbox (yes, I'm four and … Continue reading Bitter and Sweet
Hey Hey Helena 