Happy Half Year Birthday, Little Girl! 6 months already?! What the heck?! I’ve taken to saying, “She’ll be 19 years old tomorrow,” as a way of bracing myself for how quickly time will go. You are a such a gift; I’m treasuring every moment. I find myself stopping and just being present with you even while I’m in the […]
Pastor
I have been living my calling for as long as I can remember, but I’m only now saying ‘YES’ to that call. It was those words I began to share my call to pastoral ministry with the Annual Conference.* I have been a leader in church ministries from the time I was a young girl. Heading off […]
Stuff that works
In my six months of mothering, these are the items and the systems that work for me. It’s so hard (read “impossible”) to know what you actually need for your baby when you’re a new parent. There’s so many products; it’s overwhelming. This post is my effort to help whittle down that list. My favorite things Baby K’tan is a […]
Freshman Year of College
I’m in many “sandwiched” friendships. I’m close friends with women in their 40s who are getting ready to send their kids off to college for the first time. I’m also friends with those 16-20 year old kids of theirs. It’s a really fun dynamic. Many of our conversations are centered around the topic of college and […]
The Dance of Grace & Trust
As my daughter creeps closer and closer to six months old, I get more excited and more freaked out. You see, I had a goal of having her solely breastfed for her first six months. In those early weeks I thought, “there is no way in heck I can survive this for SIX MONTHS.” But a wise […]
Kirsten Grace – Month 5
Motherhood is the most natural and the most foreign role I have ever experienced. So many aspects of mothering are paradoxical, really. Pregnancy is both wonderfully exhilarating and terribly debilitating. Labor and delivery is the most freakish experience because you’re at the mercy of your body’s process. But it’s also the most empowering experience as […]
8 Years of Marriage
Today we celebrate the exchange of our wedding vows, the day we entered into the holy covenant of marriage. By the grace of God, our marriage has endured and is stronger and more lovely with each year. And last night as we crawled into bed, we reminisced about our wedding day. It was a joyous […]
Kirsten Grace – Month 4
My dear girl, I’m already behind in your monthly posts, but let it be known that my tardiness is no reflection of my love for you. I can’t even come up with a specific excuse; I’ve had this post on my to do list for days now. Perhaps it’s being too busy or too stressed or too much […]
Kirsten Grace – Month 3
My dear sweet Kirsten Grace, Happy 3rd Month Birthday! This has been such a fun month with you. When people ask “how’s the baby” I find myself saying, “She is so much fun!” The first few weeks were just about surviving…how to feed you, how to soothe you, how to sleep with one eye open. But […]
Kirsten Grace – Month 2
Dear Kirsten Grace, Sweet daughter of mine, I am so thankful God chose to give me a gift I could never deserve. Each day His goodness keeps unfolding like a glorious flower, petal after petal, in the beauty of who you are. I pray I will never cease proclaiming His glory, never forget to live out […]