Our updated backyard

In home making    June 30, 2022     13 Comments

Earlier today I was looking for a photo from last year and ended up finding before photos of our backyard. Holy smokes, y’all- so much has changed! The before and afters are just too good to keep to myself for any longer, so here’s a post with a lot of pictures. I’ve attempted to gather photos from similar angles in 2014, 2021, and currently in 2022. Some of the after photos were taken in February and then I also took some today, in June. It’s fun to see how much the plants have grown in a few months!

Here’s the backyard when we bought the house in 2014. That building that Trav is in front of is the garage. There is a garage door that opens onto an alley in the back. When we purchased the house, we mainly focused on remodeling the interior in order to make it livable. However, we did paint the exterior, cut down all of the overgrown weeds, and removed that white, metal fence. Oh, and ditched the ginormous dog house.

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My second date with a podcast

In dating & marriage    June 23, 2022     0 Comments

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Chris and Alisa Grace on their podcast that’s hosted by Biola’s Center for Marriage and Relationships. We recorded the episode last fall and it was released at the end of March, so I’m thinking it’s about time I linked it here on the blog.

You can listen to the episode or read the transcript here on Biola’s website or find it on the Apple podcast app here.

I was so pleased with how the episode turned out! The interview ended up giving a great overview of my work and summarized much of the dating advice I tend to give out. Share it with a friend who would like to get married someday! It may help start some encouraging conversations and will be a helpful introduction to proactive dating.

This was the second time I was on a podcast, and I’d say the second date went well. Do I want to hang out with a podcast one more time? I think yes. Stay tuned…

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Be a thermostat- set the tone of your dating life

In this, that, & the other    February 1, 2022     0 Comments

A weather thermometer tells you the current temperature of the air. States a fact and that’s it. A thermostat does the same, except it also allows you to set the ideal temperature and then kicks on the a/c or heat. It gives you control.

Which one are you in your dating life? Do you just state the facts (no boyfriend, haven’t met anyone, got ghosted, feeling hopeless) or do you acknowledge the facts and then see where you have control over how to respond?

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Book Post 3: The dating book you wish you weren’t reading (an introduction of sorts)

In this, that, & the other    October 12, 2021     4 Comments

Welcome! I’m blogging my way through what will eventually be a book about dating. You can find all of the book posts here. Below is what will most likely be the book’s introduction, though there may be changes by the time it’s in book form. I know that many authors write the introduction after they’ve finished writing the rest of the book, so we’ll see! I have some initial thoughts before I jump into the main content, so here we go…

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The one lacking a good title and conclusion. But it’s something.

In daily thoughts, dating & marriage    July 23, 2021     2 Comments

I’ve been having the hardest time writing the last two weeks. I am in a season of life I affectionately call the Doozie Days because most evenings I find myself thinking, “Boy, that was a doozie.” I love it, and I’ll miss it when this season is over. But whoa. Let’s just say there are lots of moving parts and people. My time to write happens in a few minutes here and there, yet when those little pockets do arrive I find I have a lot of mental clutter to wade through before actual writing happens.

“I’m the worst writer ever. Why am I even bothering? This is dumb. Is any of this even helpful? Oh look, time’s up. I need to go…”

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Book Post 2: a title and table of contents!

In dating & marriage    July 5, 2021     0 Comments

My family and I had a great time up at Hume Lake last week. Our kids went to day camp for a few hours each day, which means I had some free time to write while sitting by a beautiful lake. It was dreamy.

One day as we were talking to a friend that lives up there, Trav casually mentioned I’d been writing that morning. My friend turned to me and asked me what I was writing about. Cue the awkward pause and then me stuttering something about trying to write a book. Then he kindly asked what the book was about, and I fumbled my way through another answer. Trav jumped in and explained the book better than I did. Bless him. It made me realize it was time for me to stop being embarrassed about attempting to write a book. And I needed to pick a title and write a pitch so I can talk about the thing with some clarity.

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Book Post 1: Blogging a Book

In dating & marriage    June 17, 2021     2 Comments

Whelp. Over on instagram stories the other day, I shared some dating encouragement about seeking out set ups. It was great! Then at the end, I mentioned I’d be taking instagram off of my phone for a few days so I can focus on blogging and writing my book. And now I want to burn my phone and die a little bit.

Why oh why did I remind people that I might be writing a book?!?

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Just put on a hat and do the thing

In daily thoughts    June 11, 2021     12 Comments

Tap, tap. Is this on? It’s been while, team. Let’s see if I remember how blogs work.

One of the tricky things about getting back into something after a break is that the mental block keeping you from getting back into it grows exponentially as time goes on. The last year has been full, to say the least. We added a new baby to our family (hi Wes!), started homeschooling, and the world has suffered through a pandemic of illness, panic, and tension on a scale I’ve never experienced before. All of which has left me with little time for writing and even less confidence to publicly share any words with anyone. It all makes sense and I’m not beating myself up about it, but I’m also trying to figure out how to push back against the fear and insecurity and find my voice again.

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