Live Free

Most everything can be drawn back to a question of identity. Who are you? Who are you when the masks are off and the walls are down? Who are you when you feel completely known, safe and enough? For many of us we’re not really sure…and for most of us, there are a lot of things in the way. In this place you will find words of encouragement to let go of the things that hold you back, and inspiration, courage and the faith needed to step forward into the life you were created to live.

There is nothing I look forward to more than a pair of cozy pajamas, my feet up and my nose in a good book. It’s therapy. Book therapy. If the kids are gone and the house is quiet it’s totally legit. This year I’ve recovered my favorite pastime: Wasting all the time in the world that I could be doing all […]

April 6, 2017

Some Good Book Therapy

It’s not your fault. Seriously. We live in a culture where you’re being conditioned to run from one meaningless task to another, filling your days, months and every single minute with unnecessary things for the prized, but rarely acknowledged, status of busy. As if it’s something to aim for. What’s happened to us? In my own […]

March 28, 2017

Less Hustle. More HEART.

Everybody goes through hard times. Whether it’s relationships, finances, health or circumstances; at some time or another, everyone fights a hard battle. But, does it always have to be so hard? Is there a way to thrive instead of just survive? The answer is, unequivocally, yes. Sometimes we make matters far worse simply by the […]

March 7, 2017

5 Ways to Thrive

Next week is Valentine’s Day friends. Do you wish you could find the man of your dreams? Who doesn’t? Some days I know for sure, and some days it’s highly questionable, but after thirteen years of marriage one thing is true: He is mine. But it took a few detours and crash landings to find him. Growing […]

February 2, 2017

How to Find the Man of Your Dreams

After being sick, you become really grateful for health. Access to medicine. Naps. The other day my head was nearly bursting with sinus pressure and a new antibiotic had me both nauseated and foggy minded. But a mom’s life doesn’t stop just because she’s sick. Moms don’t get luxuries like that. I needed to run my kids to school and […]

January 19, 2017

Dealing with Difficult People

Are you a New Years resolutioner? Do you love starting the New Year with a new list of possibilities? Perhaps you’re far more ambitious than I. Five years ago I did away with resolutions and adopted a single word instead. You can read about that process and journey here. Every year, the last days of […]

December 30, 2016

Word of the Year 2017

If you’re subscribed to the blog, a few months ago I shared in my newsletter that I had been living out only part of who I am. It’s been said that our greatest strength can also be our greatest weakness. Here’s what I failed to see: The parts that made some people reject me, feel intimidated or […]

December 28, 2016

Turn Your Weakness into Strength

Forgiveness is a tricky thing. Problematic and complex because we, by nature, are so demanding. Self-centered. Proud. I probably shouldn’t speak for you, but I can speak for myself and I’ve been in many situations that required forgiveness. The truth is we don’t know how to do it. How to forgive. We aren’t sure how to ask for it. […]

December 1, 2016

How to Forgive

Do you ever think the world’s gone crazy? After the most recent election season, no matter who you voted for, I will presume we all have a similar answer to that question. Hello. Can we all just take a collective sigh of relief that’s over? The last six months, and the last few weeks in particular, we’ve […]

November 18, 2016

Be Different

Have you ever found yourself in a season of wait? Where you cannot plow forward on your own but have to wait on God to coordinate, orchestrate and somehow make a way? Me too. For much of my life I’ve been a go-getter. If I saw something I wanted, I dove in head first and made […]

October 12, 2016

When the Lesson is Wait

Is there somewhere you could use a little extra courage right now? Perhaps for you, today courage looks like writing a letter or making a phone call. Maybe it’s signing up for a class or a race, or taking the first step toward a risk that simultaneously excites and terrifies you. Courage looks like a […]

October 4, 2016

Find Your Courage

Do you ever wish you could remember truth in the middle of a hard circumstance? That somehow you could recall what you know for sure in the midst of a misunderstanding, painful experience, or emotional discussion? So many times what we know in our head doesn’t translate to our heart in the heat of a moment or over a prolonged […]

September 29, 2016

What I Know For Sure

I am a control freak. Can we just be honest for a minute? We act like it’s a secret. Can my fellow sister freaks please raise their hands for a second? There. It feels so good just to say it. Let’s back up. First, I apologize I’ve been a little MIA this summer. We traveled, I […]

September 16, 2016

Are You a Control Freak?

Have you checked the status of your life lately? Honestly, I’m curious… How are you? Because if you’re like ninety-nine point nine percent of the world (myself included), most times you don’t really know. You’re not quite sure. For many of us, probably most of us, the answer is dull, uninteresting, and shockingly the same. Far […]

August 30, 2016

Choosing Against Busy

Just the other day I found myself typing a text response. “Finally a break! Woohoo! Hopefully we’ll have smooth sailing from here.” Then I caught myself. [Delete. Delete. Delete.] Is that what I really want? Smooth sailing? My grandma always said smooth sailing never made a skillful sailor. True, grandma, yet so much of the time […]

August 19, 2016

When Life isn’t Smooth Sailing

Do you want to love yourself better? The truth is, loving ourselves is hard. As wives, moms, caretakers, homemakers, friends and everyday do-ers…life is full. Full of people, things, responsibilities, conflicting demands, need-tos and want-tos. Full of expectations, should-dos, wish-I-could-bes, and never-measure-ups. If we’re honest, we’re pretty hard on ourselves. It’s not about setting goals or dreams, that’s […]

August 17, 2016

Love Yourself Better

Last week there was a veritable war happening between my heart and mind and soul. A battle between what I know and what I feel; truth that feels so dang hard to remember in the midst of our circumstance. Strong people know that there is a battle for peace that they must fight to hold onto. I know […]

July 31, 2016

What Strong People Do

Half way through summer and I already managed to neglect some really important things in my life. Things that make me centered, humble and at peace. Maybe you relate? In the midst of unlimited unscheduled time, the chaos of kids at home all day, and the constant lure of water, sun and sky — have […]

July 26, 2016

Reconnecting Your Soul With Peace

Growing up I was acutely aware of body image, and endlessly curious about all things female. I remember watching my mother bathe, dress and put on makeup. Growing up in a house with an open door policy, nothing was off limits and I had permission to ask any question that came to mind. Mom believed she would far […]

June 20, 2016

Redefine Your Body Image

While I’ve been working on redesigning my blog I’ve also been busying myself with several other new and fun ideas. I just finished a book by Adam Grant called Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World. One of the things he talked about in the process of generating good ideas is to start having more ideas. It makes […]

June 8, 2016

Get Fit For Life

Brene Brown is one of my favorite people. I’ve read every one of her books, listened to every podcast and Ted talk I can find, and own all of her audio series, which I have listened to a ridiculous amount of times. One of the things I love most about Brene is I feel like her […]

June 6, 2016

7 Ways to Cultivate Rest

Perhaps like you, I’ve been on a quest to free myself from a lot of things. Mostly for me, those things involve people — and what they think of me. For as far back as I can remember I defined myself through others’ eyes. From my siblings to my peers what mattered to me was […]

June 6, 2016

Don’t Take it Personal

Several years ago I traveled to Austin, Texas for a writing conference. Sitting down at dinner one night, a precious woman named Susie Davis asked me a question I’ll never forget. Buoyant with unfettered curiosity, it seemed her feet never hit the floor. What’s your big God dream? she bubbled. She was so excited to know and I really didn’t […]

May 22, 2016

Finding Your Big God Dream

This morning I sat in the company of thirty amazing women sharing their heart and how God has personally and intimately impacted their lives. For the last nine months, we’ve walked with the apostle Paul every week through every trial and suffering imaginable —  only to be met with his unwavering example of obedience, faith […]

May 11, 2016

On Waiting and Faithfulness

Every year in December I choose a word to guide the upcoming year, and if you’ve been here long enough you know that the word usually chooses me. This year the word was PEACE. That I would find PEACE in the midst of all things. That somehow His supernatural and abundant peace would fill the undone; the messy; […]

April 20, 2016

A Life of Peace

Some days it’s just hard t0 get up. Believe me, I know this. After raising babies for eight years I can’t remember the last time I slept in. But this week waking up took on new meaning. Leaving our blustery northwest spring, we hopped a plane in search of sunshine. Prone to over-schedule and under-enjoy our […]

April 7, 2016

Waking Up to Your Life

A few weeks ago my husband and I went away to a wellness retreat soaking in whole days of clean eating, deep breathing, quiet soul searching, and doing excessive amounts of what we love: exercise. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some chips and guacamole and pool-side sitting down doing nothing too…but our mission […]

March 25, 2016

Reset Your Life

Every year in May when the rains stop and the soil warms I race to plant my tiny seeds in the ground. There’s something exhilarating about spring and the promise of new life, right at our fingertips. But every year fall comes, and the garden’s early days of hope and life turn brown and wither. Cold […]

March 12, 2016

The Very Nature of Life

I never ceases to surprise me that when God is using our lives, the enemy will make a sneak attack. Seriously. Why does it trip me up every.single.time??! I know better. A friend of mine told me years ago that when that attack comes directly aimed at your achilles heel, that’s when you know it’s him. […]

March 10, 2016

Choosing Growth Over Comfort

I’m a big believer in calling. By calling I don’t mean that feeling you get when you love something or feel drawn or brought to life by an activity. What I’m referring to is that weird, sometimes uncomfortable feeling that you are being LED. In fact I think sometimes you don’t really want to do the thing at […]

March 2, 2016

The Cost of a Calling

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my life. The question that keeps coming to the forefront is: what I want to do when I grow up? It’s hard, right? How do we even think of sending our eighteen-year-old babies off to college when, after undergrad, law school, a bar exam, motherhood and nearly forty […]

February 24, 2016

Living a Life of Purpose

Three years ago when I started this blog I couldn’t have imagined where it would take me, the lives I would have the honor of intersecting with, and the strangers I would come to call friends. Nor could I have imagined that I would ever write such a vulnerable piece about God and church. I […]

February 10, 2016

The Church

Many times I wish that God would pour out His mercy and grace on a relationship, a circumstance or just a really bad attitude (many times my own). Too often it seems no matter how hard I try, how much I pray, or how deeply I desire it – it doesn’t come fast enough. In a […]

February 4, 2016

Waiting for Grace

I love all my jobs being a wife, mom and writer but it’s safe to say I have grown to love sharing them with you the most. And honestly, that’s kind of weird. When I started this blog three and a half years ago, I never would have imagined I would come to truly love […]

January 21, 2016

5 Things I Know For Sure

I’m ashamed to say that for the last few years I’ve tuned out. Numb to the daily grind of propaganda and fear-infused headlines, I tuned out from the news channels and the networks and completely disconnected television from our home. Honestly, I’m mostly okay with that part. Yet there’s a part of me that now […]

January 18, 2016

One Million Thumbprints

I’m a person of routine. My close friends know that I eat the same things and adhere a similar schedule day after day after month after month. I find comfort in routine. In the ordinary everyday things that reinforce my real (or perceived) notions of safety and security. Which makes it kind of funny to think that the reality of my […]

January 14, 2016

5 things about change

I’ve started life over again more times than I can count. For the last few years I’ve resolved to begin every year with a single word to guide me, and this year I’m endeavoring to know, hold and live with peace. Peace in the midst of the messy, the unfinished and the unknown. Perhaps I should […]

January 11, 2016

Starting over again

  Every year I choose a word to guide me through the coming year. A touchstone if you will. If you’re new here or want to read more about this journey and process and how I come up with my word, you can read that here.  The short version is that every year I feel like God […]

December 31, 2015

Word of the Year 2016

Running out the door at 8:10, I was desperately trying to motivate three rambunctious little boys on their way to school; packing up a brand new puppy in a crate, hauling two backpacks, three lunch boxes and a spelling list flapping between my teeth. I had to run back in to set the alarm and get […]

December 27, 2015

5 Ways to Find Your Power

We live in a time when distractions run our days. We tune in to the news feed of our choice to tune out from the reality of our lives. Our marriages are failing, our kids are fighting and we’re tired of the noise. Noise of who we should be, what we should do, how we aren’t measuring […]

December 8, 2015

Remembering Who You Are

I wish I could pinpoint the moment it happened. There have been so many times in my life I can distill down to a moment. A conversation, situation, experience or feeling that changed everything. Or at least changed something. This time I can’t. In every single way it feels different. As frost etches the corners […]

November 23, 2015

Living in a state of transition

I find it no strange coincidence that after two full weeks of absolutely amazing, mind-blowingly beautiful, redemptive community, love and the overwhelming goodness of God, that eventually the other shoe would drop. After all, we live in a fallen, broken world. I belong to a family of broken people. Me, my parents, my siblings, my […]

October 6, 2015

When you’re under attack

It’s been a very long time since I’ve written here. I know. To say life has been crazy is an understatement, but as wild as it has been – as high and low as the roller coaster track has taken us – God has shown up so big in so many ways. I’m not sure […]

October 5, 2015

Falling down

Last week it was disgusting outside. Endless ninety degree days and dirty, smoke-filled skies made it nearly impossible to breathe. For a person who relies on taking full deep breaths to find peace in the midst of a noisy life, it was hard. For thirty-six hours we were confined to the house and I couldn’t […]

September 1, 2015

Finding space to breathe

I’ve never been one to hide my feelings or sugarcoat a stage I’m going through. If I have learned anything through blogging and sharing my life here with you it’s that we’re all in this together. The places where I struggle, you struggle too. The emotions that rise in me, rise in you too. Lately […]

August 26, 2015

Taking hold of the harvest

My mind is the driving force behind everything I do, and everything I cannot do. From running to writing to being a wife and a mom and the daily tasks it all entails – my mind either hijacks my power, my ability and my joy, or lets me live fully and beautifully alive in it. […]

August 25, 2015

Change Your Thoughts

This summer has been a time of remembering. Remembering what is important and what is real, while at the same time standing amongst all that is happening around me. In me. Life is messy. It’s confusing and complicated and disappointing and sometimes just really, really hard. Sometimes it’s hard to know the right things to do or […]

August 20, 2015

5 truths about obedience

Waking up, my mind begins to recall every detail from the day before. The off-hand comment made, the story I wish I hadn’t told, the glass of wine I shouldn’t have had. Just before I careen out of reach somewhere between the darkness of disappointment and the pride of perfection, I remember I’m merely human. Flawed, imperfect and […]

August 16, 2015

When you made a mistake

A few months ago I told you life was getting too serious so I added a new word to my word for the year. The word was fun. I knew I needed to have more of it and, quite frankly, I’m not particularly good at it. I can be pretty type-A, so usually I need to get all my work […]

August 12, 2015

How to get your groove back

A few weeks ago a sweet friend of mine had a birthday. A handful of us girls rode our bikes with balloons on them like we were twelve. Seriously. How cute are my friends? We pedaled around town to a few local stops telling stories and laughing, literally, all the way. At our final stop […]

August 6, 2015

5 things I learned looking back

I was sitting on a bail of hay on my brother’s farm in northern Michigan. The air was heavy with fog and my thick skin was wearing thin. Truth is, my heart was worn right through. He was feeding the horses while I sat in a heap crying. My young marriage to my high school […]

July 26, 2015

7 Secrets to finding the life you were created to live

One of the hardest things about following God’s call on your life is actually hearing His voice. I’m not saying God speaks audibly. In fact, far more often he doesn’t. I usually hear His voice in the rhythms of nature and the quiet spaces of life. But sometimes the silence doesn’t speak. Sometimes it’s just quiet. Sometimes we […]

July 14, 2015

When you’re stuck in the middle

Last summer I shared a story here on the blog about my boys and how they were teaching me to fly. It’s true. Although if I’m honest, it’s not getting a whole lot easier. You see I’m terribly afraid of heights and life is about learning to let go. Learning how to let go, especially […]

June 21, 2015

When the jumps don’t get easier

Have you ever given yourself permission to dream only to find that your dream wasn’t ever going to be? Or maybe the dream you envision is going to take a whole lot of work? Last week I told you how my husband and I have been waiting in disobedience to sell our house. How we […]

June 9, 2015

When your dream takes work

I met Alexandra Kuykendall last summer at my friend Krista’s house, while she and her family were visiting from Colorado. She and Alex have been friends since college and, though I felt like I already knew her through stories and her writing, I had never actually met her face to face. In the months since […]

June 7, 2015

When your relationships aren’t pretty

I read this quote by Bruce Lee the other day and it literally made me catch my breath. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” As my kids grow and change I feel like I’m literally watching the years pass us by. So many times I get focused on the […]

June 4, 2015

5 things I’m doing this summer

Late last summer my husband and I started getting the feeling we were supposed to sell our house. Let me tell you one thing: we love our house. Over the past eight years we’ve worked really hard on this place, pouring time, attention, love and a lot of money into designing, decorating and building a home. When […]

June 1, 2015

When obedience is inconvenient

It’s winding down to the end of the school year, which means inevitable chaos as we rush in between parties, ceremonies, graduations, talent shows and regular life. My last week included all of these things plus a last-minute costume ensemble. Never mind finding the time and energy to properly recognize and thank the people who […]

May 31, 2015

Creating the perfect teacher gift

The other day I was bringing my son to preschool. As we were getting out of the car he asked me to carry him. He’s my youngest and I am willing to carry him anywhere because I can. And he’s my baby. He’s a big baby, mind you, but I’m one of those snuggly-huggy-kissy moms […]

May 26, 2015

The problem with secret relationships

Hi friends! Well the first group of you have made it through the 7-day video challenge with great success! I think it’s just awesome knowing there were a few hundred of you taking that journey together! I can only imagine the number of burdens that were set free to fly; the dreams that were given […]

May 19, 2015

Just released: FREE study guide!

They say everything happens for a reason. They also say everything will all turn out right. They say a lot of things and there are times I’m not really sure I believe them. There have been times I’ve questioned every single thing, pretty sure things were never going to be alright. I guess some things […]

May 17, 2015

When you feel weary

So often we talk about lowering our expectations. We tend to believe that most of the disappointments we face in life are because our expectations are too high and we set ourselves up for a let down. My mom has told me that a million times: “Your expectations are too high.” In some ways, she […]

May 12, 2015

Why you should expect more, not less

Last week I took our new puppy, Gus, on his first trail run. Needless to say I wasn’t impressed. I had a sneaking suspicion he was going to be a bit of a drag, but I didn’t really know how much. His cousin, our 10-year old late puppy Ajax, was also a bit of a lush […]

May 11, 2015

For when you feel like you’re dragging

Happy Mother’s Day friends! To those who are moms and those who are not I’ve got a few fun things for you here on Mother’s Day! But first, please don’t forget to sign up for the 7-day video challenge to LIVE FREE! Here’s the introduction with me and one of my best friends Krista from Meaning […]

May 9, 2015

A few little Mother’s Day gifts for you!

This past weekend my middle son and I were home alone for an hour one afternoon. If you have more than two kids, you know the plight of the middle child. Stuck in the middle they don’t get the attention the oldest did and still demands…and they don’t get the attention lavished on the baby because […]

May 5, 2015

Learning to flip

Maybe it was growing up in a family where I didn’t always feel heard, or somewhere tucked in the years I felt I was never enough; somehow I managed to equate doing something good with doing something big. When I graduated from high school I was chosen to give the commencement address. My speech all those […]

May 3, 2015

The power of doing something small

It’s no secret that sometimes it’s hard living a creative life in a critical world. Inspiration is seemingly everywhere, but so is discouragement! An artist would be lying if she said she didn’t face direct opposition of her work and her gift on a regular basis. In fact, I think we should expect it! Or […]

April 27, 2015

For when you feel uninspired

My whole life I wanted to follow God. Sometimes I didn’t know how and sometimes it wasn’t convenient but He was always there. And of course I took a few detours along the way, and tested boundaries and alternative routes, but I always wanted to follow Him and be more for Him. I always thought I needed […]

April 23, 2015

Learning how to live free

If there’s anything you’ve come to know about me it’s that I’m honest and completely transparent. I honestly don’t know how to be any other way. I grew up surrounded by strong women and there was very little, if any, room for fake. As I’ve grown up I’ve learned that sometimes this serves me really […]

April 20, 2015

Breaking free from your past

Every year I embrace a word for the year. If I’m honest I’m not great at resolutions. My first year blogging I took on three. I was going to qualify for the Boston Marathon, do Beth Moore’s scripture memory team and something else ridiculous and gigantic. See what I mean? I can’t even remember. By […]

April 17, 2015

When life gets too serious

A thousand miles of silence lay behind me as my shaking hands found the courage to reach out. Misunderstanding and unforgiveness had destroyed what was once relationship and, though nothing in me wanted it back, I longed for peace. I wanted it so deeply I was willing to risk my pride, once again. Willing to submit in the sheer hope that […]

April 13, 2015

Learning to let go of hurtful relationships

We live in a dark world. And the truth, I’m afraid, is that it’s getting darker and meaner every single day. I don’t mean to be pessimistic; I actually pride myself on being realistic. Perhaps sometimes to a fault. If I were to sway in either direction, my hope is that I’m an optimistic realist. […]

March 31, 2015

When fear has you stopped

  I sit at the stoplight numb. Watching the world drive by, I suddenly find the words I’d been trying to locate all week. Out of the silence they crash into my head and I realize I’d been holding my breath. Tears well in my eyes and flood over their gates as I choke out the words […]

March 25, 2015

When you feel like you’re drowning

Have you ever felt like you were headed in the right direction only to suddenly wonder if you’ve been going the wrong way the whole time? Or maybe you always knew you were headed off to no-man’s land but you just didn’t really care until now. Or perhaps you got sidetracked by a different goal […]

March 22, 2015

When you need to start over

I woke up this morning and I couldn’t even see out my windows. After getting my kids ready for school we got in the car and headed for school. When I got to the stop sign to leave our little neighborhood, I needed to turn left but I couldn’t see more than twenty feet in […]

March 19, 2015

When your faith is tested

There’s something magical about a garden. Growing up, my parents and grandparents spent time with their hands in the soil. Planting, tending, weeding, watering, and harvesting. As a girl, I watched as they worked the earth in quiet peace. Although times were not always peaceful, the garden seemed to be a place of quiet. Of […]

March 13, 2015

Planting seeds: the garden we call life

I stand at the bottom of the steps listening to what I can only describe as death. Struggling to find words or direction I feel the chaos and immeasurable fear rising above me. In me. Every beat of my racing heart counts the cost. Weighs the words. Measuring all that has already been lost, I struggle to […]

March 9, 2015

How to be a witness

Sometimes I don’t feel like a very good mom. Distracted, I stare into the lighted magnifying mirror to analyze the state of my skin. What I see there isn’t wholly comforting. I’ve regressed back to the bumpy hormonal skin of my teen years. I don’t like what I see. I don’t always like the other things […]

March 5, 2015

Finding peace when you feel undone

The revelation came as a bit of a shock, honestly. I saw it clear as day, yet I still didn’t quite believe it. For reasons yet unknown to me, I couldn’t make sense of all that I knew to be both true and real, and the stark contrast of what was laid bare before me. Deception. […]

February 24, 2015

The transition to surrender

This morning started out like any other morning except last night I hung birthday banners and balloons at the kitchen island. Today was my oldest son’s eighth birthday. It’s one of our traditions and every year, every birthday, the tradition is the same. Oh, and today there were doughnuts. We don’t usually have doughnuts for breakfast. […]

February 19, 2015

What matters most

We’ve all got dreams, right? Some of us specialize more in nightmares and I can certainly relate as I had a bad one last night. I’m not sure my husband will ever live it down. Nightmares can scare us to death, but dreams are a whole different monster. They’re trickier. More elusive and complex. And […]

February 17, 2015

When surrender feels a lot like fear

Running is the way I make sense of life. If you’ve been here for any amount of time you know that I don’t know much for sure anymore, but there are still a few things. One is that I need to MOVE if I’m going to do anything well. I shared my story with you […]

February 12, 2015

When you don’t know the way

  Often I think back to the young woman I was at 21, 22, 23… Three very important years of my life; chapters in a book that is still being written. Years that, through brokenness, infused the very nature of who I am today. Times I made decisions, felt rejection and abandonment so piercingly, that […]

February 9, 2015

Running to faith: finding God in the street

When I was a girl I loved to sing. Truth be told I still do, but these days my singing is relegated to the shower where the acoustics make me believe that I am really that good. My oldest son loves to draw. He’s a creator of all sorts of inventions made of scraps of […]

February 5, 2015

Living a creative life in a critical world

All of my life I had a grand vision of who I was supposed to be. Well, maybe not grand, but if I’m completely honest: perfect. My whole life I believed that if I could just be a little bit better than what I was, I could avoid all the painful situations I found myself […]

January 30, 2015

Letting go of who you are supposed to be

There are going to be tough days. Hello. If I’m any good at guessing you’re probably having one about now. In my experience, I’ve learned the first ten days of anything are the hardest. It’s the time when we’re breaking old habits and making new ones, challenging all the things we’ve thought about ourselves and what […]

January 8, 2015

Creating a personal mantra

I’m a big believer in setting goals. If you don’t know where you’re going, how on earth are you ever going to get there? This isn’t to say I plan everything and write things in stone, I don’t. However, I do believe you’ve got to have a goal in mind if you ever hope to achieve […]

January 6, 2015

Get out of your way

If you’ve been here long at all you know I’m a runner. I guess you could say I’m a runner in many different senses of the word. When I don’t know what to do, I run. Running was how I found freedom from a lot of self-made chains, how I found my faith and how […]

January 4, 2015

Move your body

  Do you love the skin you’re in? If you’re being honest, I’m going to guess that answer is probably no. If I’m honest there are days I don’t like the skin I’m in either. If I’m really honest there are days I don’t like the skin, brain or body I’m in and I complain […]

January 1, 2015

Love the skin you’re in: Ground rules

I’ll be honest, I’m not good at writing down goals. In fact, I’m not really good at planning in general. Like, at all. When my husband and I go on a trip we usually end up wherever we’re going without much of a plan or itinerary. We’ve learned to just kind of go with the […]

December 31, 2014

A good life requires a little planning

The last two years instead of making new years resolutions, I have chosen a word of the year. One word to guide the upcoming, new year. It’s strange how it’s worked too, because somehow I look back and see how relevant and pivotal those words have been. I look back and wonder if I would’ve traveled […]

December 29, 2014

Word of the year 2015

She’s sitting at a table lost in thought. I watch her for a moment before she looks up to find my face. We haven’t seen each other in months and yet it’s like no time has passed. The truest friendships are like that. They span the length and test of time to reconnect in the space of a single […]

December 18, 2014

Breaking Light

There is no escaping it, peace is hard to tie down. It’s elusive and subjective and difficult to catch. Just when I think I’m grasping hold of it, it it silently slips through my grip and runs all the way down the street. By now you know, I write where I am. The things I […]

December 7, 2014

Waging peace in the midst of circumstances

Let’s be honest, marriage is hard. Anyone who says it isn’t is either lying or doesn’t care anymore. We’re not those people. Despite the fact that marriage is one of the hardest jobs you will ever have, it can also be rich and full and fun. I know some of you just started questioning my judgment. […]

November 18, 2014

5 steps to reignite your marriage

I wrote a post a few months ago where I admitted that the older I get the less I know for sure. Clearly, I’m getting older again. I spent the past weekend at Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend, in Seattle. To be honest, it was pretty amazing. I was surprised by the level of […]

November 12, 2014

How to cope in grief, loss & pain

In western culture, people are ironically defined by their do-ing. What do you do? As if what you do for a living somehow tells us who you are. On so many levels I hate it, and yet it is the normal start to any conversation. What do you do? For so many of us our […]

October 31, 2014

The secret in surrender

Do you ever feel like life is so crazy there’s hardly time to breathe? Like if you took the time to do something for yourself then the rest of the things just wouldn’t get done? I get it. This is the story of my life these days. You see, I started this blog on a […]

October 30, 2014

Creating space to breathe

Here’s the deal. We’re working on being less busy and finding more time to be still. More time to enjoy the things you love. The things that make your heart beat strong. The things that make you hear that quiet voice that too often gets drowned out by all the noise. But lets also be […]

October 29, 2014

Choose what you love

We all know the holidays are coming. I mean, next week we will officially embark on a month of thankfulness. And then a few short weeks later we’ll forget all about that, and dive headlong into not having enough. Some things are so predictable. It’s the struggle of life. Contentment slams it’s head into ungratefulness […]

October 28, 2014

Embracing the season you’re in

Honesty is hard. It’s difficult to give and sometimes even harder to receive. The hardest honesty is the kind spoken to your own self. The kind that looks in the mirror and just says it like it is. That kind hurts. But here is what I know: It also heals. Recently I had to look at […]

October 27, 2014

Why it hurts to confess

Let’s agree that every single one of us could use just a little bit more time.  Unless you’re a mom alone in your house for hours on end with crying babies, then you’re hoping for a little less time! I get it. I’ve been there too. But for the most part, we’re always longing for a […]

October 26, 2014

One decision away

Can we just be honest that busy is making us crazy? I ran into a new friend the other day and I could see it all over her face. Her eyes told the story of a life too full. Full of good things, great things, exciting, wonderful, happy things. Oh wouldn’t we all wish to be […]

October 25, 2014

Why pajamas all day is a good idea

Have you ever wondered if you had it all backwards? I do a lot. Just this week I took a field trip with my son’s class to a little farm. I got lost in the dreams of a much simpler life. A home in the country where good company consists of chickens, horses and barn […]

October 24, 2014

Sometimes we must get lost to be found

If you’re anything like me, you seldom know for sure what you know. I mean, the older I get the less sure I am of anything. But despite how little I know for sure, and how often our minds can change, the only way I have ever found the answers have been in quiet. In […]

October 23, 2014

The secret to discover who you are

Have you ever had the feeling you were headed the wrong way? That gut feeling that says, ‘If you go this way it’s just not going to end well.’ I’m not talking about navigating a map, but it can definitely show up in that case too. I’m talking about the moments you’re at a crossroads in […]

October 22, 2014

The secret hidden in anxiety

Saying no is hard. Lets just put that up there, straight away because we tell the truth here. Anyone who tells you saying no is easy is either mean or rude or just plain doesn’t get out much. OR they’re just talking about their husbands or kids and then, well yes, saying no IS easy! […]

October 21, 2014

Saying no gracefully

We’re just going to keep this one pretty simple today. Because the truth is I could talk a lot about it, but it really isn’t necessary. I’m as guilty as the next person and too much talking would make me sound like I’ve got it figured out or something. And I haven’t. Do you find that […]

October 20, 2014

Take charge of your to-do list

I’m not a baker. I guess I kind of believe you’re either a cook or a baker but not both. Maybe you can do both, but you excel at one. One is more natural. More intuitive and organic. For me, that is cooking. Growing up in a restaurant I learned not to be afraid of […]

October 19, 2014

Learning life in the kitchen

Have you ever had someone tell you you’re nice? I have to be honest that I’ve never really been a fan of that word. I mean, sometimes we can be nice. I have definitely been nice before. Like the times when being honest is just too hard. Or when I have a hard time just being quiet. […]

October 17, 2014

Why you should stop being nice

I firmly believe that we would live life differently if we took time to look at the stars each night. We are blessed that we have an old family cabin up on a lake in northern Idaho and every summer the whole family, about thirty-five of us, make it there to spend two weeks under […]

October 17, 2014

The secret that might change everything

It’s quiet here. I must admit that most days, this is my favorite place.  The place where I come to let my thoughts, imagination and dreams run free. Because the world is noisy and with three little boys my life is loud. Even my laundry is obnoxious. The other night I heard the most dreadful […]

October 15, 2014

Create a quiet place

We’re well on our way to savoring stillness this month! A 31-Day REVOLT Against Busy, the life our culture so sweetly lures us to live. So today we’re really going to practice still. So still that you might even hold your breath. The handy thing about technology today is that most of us have an […]

October 14, 2014

What takes your breath away

Okay, so I just want to say right from the start here that this day might be uncomfortable. Just go with it. Here’s the deal. I’m not encouraging irresponsibility or disrespect to all of our commitments and obligations but, lets just be honest… Some of them are ridiculous. And I bet even after crossing off […]

October 12, 2014

Permission to play hooky

There was a time long ago when I didn’t know how to be alone. Just the thought of it made me anxious. That was a very long time ago. In the nearly two decades since discovering how to be alone without feeling lonely, I’ve learned more about myself than I ever could have otherwise. More than […]

October 12, 2014

Finding strength in solitude

We live in a culture where more is better. Bigger is better! Do we even know what small is anymore? Have you been to the movie theatre lately? We’ve been out of the loop for awhile because, well, three kids in four years, but we went to the movie a few weeks ago and hello. Wow. […]

October 11, 2014

Learning to savor small

As a writer I spend a lot of my time remembering. Reflecting. Thinking back on my life and the stories I have lived. The ones I have heard, witnessed, or been fortunate to have someone share with me. We all have a story. Sometimes we’re quick to judge, or slow to forgive, but we’ve all […]

October 10, 2014

The place where joy lives

In my experience, my greatest times of self-doubt arise when I’m not trusting my own inner voice. The quiet whisper of the spirit within me telling me to wait on God, or push forward with conviction. To reach out, pull back, step forward. Be still. I always know I’m in trouble when I start polling people on what […]

October 8, 2014

Learning to trust your own voice

How often do we find ourselves at a fork in the road? The place where the road we are traveling down ends and we’re forced to make a decision. Which way will we go? Robert Frost penned the famous words: “Two roads diverged in a wood. I took the one less traveled by, and it has […]

October 7, 2014

Take the fork

So far we’ve prepared our minds, rid our calendar of FOUR unessential obligations, and are working on the art of celebrating stillness. We are off to such a good start! I have a small victory to share. Since starting, I have made the conscious decision on a few occasions to leave my cell phone behind in […]

October 6, 2014

Set your day for success

I was cleaning out my boys’ shoes the other day. With three boys all close together, sometimes one pair can make it through two kids. Not these. These I bought for my middle son, Oliver and he literally wore them out. I never noticed how raggedy and worn through they were because, well, ummm…busy. But […]

October 5, 2014

Not your ordinary shoes

Well we’ve made it through the first three days! Sometimes I think the first three days are the hardest. I remember when I was sleep training my babies, all the books said if I could just gut it out three days it would be over. With all three of my boys, they were right. Some […]

October 4, 2014

Learning how to celebrate stillness

We’re on day 3 of our 31-Day Revolt Against Busy Challenge! I recently read this quote by Bob Goff: “The battle for our hearts are fought on the pages of our calendars.” Where do you find your heart? I think for many of us {probably all of us if we’re being totally honest}, we’re not […]

October 3, 2014

Reclaiming your calendar

We’ve officially embarked on a one-month REVOLT Against Busy! Yesterday we began by determining our minds to stop defining our lives as busy. To stop allowing that to become our first response when anyone asks us how we are. We are not busy. Sometimes we feel busy, act busy and sometimes we actually create busy…but WE […]

October 2, 2014

Prepare your mind for action

Have you noticed a theme lately? More and more of us are apparently changing our name. Is it just me or is it happening more and more, that you meet up with a friend or pass by an acquaintance and ask, “how are you?” the response is always “BUSY.”  When we ask someone how they are, […]

October 1, 2014

When you feel busy

  Do you ever feel like CHAOS is running your life? That an overwhelmed schedule is fighting for the space where meaning and connection occurs between your family and friendships? We live in a world where things are changing and moving at a staggering rate. From news and media to culture and carpools, busy has become the new […]

September 30, 2014

A 31-day revolt against busy

I’ve had so many people write to me lately about forgiveness. How to forgive when the pain still hurts so deep. How to move on when the person has caused so much loss. How to let go when what you really want to do is pull in close. And believe me I have been in […]

September 23, 2014

Forgiveness is for you

If we’re honest, to some degree we all want a stage. A place to stand upon which we can say all that we think we know. Share all we have learned. Perhaps to realize how little that really is. Maybe a stage would be good for those who think they know better. Those quick to […]

September 10, 2014

Creating a circle instead of a stage

I’m not sure if this is the way life works or if it’s just the way it is happening for me, but the older I get the more unsure I am about what I know. If you asked me a year ago I would’ve said I admired the people who seemed to know where they were […]

September 7, 2014

One thing you need to know

  I remember the day I moved to college as if it were yesterday. I remember feeling so grown up and accomplished and ready to take on the world. Ready to start my life on my terms, do things my way, and live the life I imagined. So much hope and so many dreams packed into […]

September 4, 2014

4 tips to surviving roommates

  If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time you know that I write directly from the places I am struggling in my own heart. Places that many people don’t like to even acknowledge, let alone talk about. But through your emails and messages this community has taught me that the truth is […]

August 26, 2014

Letting go, when you feel like holding on

Depression is not a state of mind. It’s a whole body experience. In the wake of the heartbreaking death of Robin Williams it seems time to acknowledge the silent pain that lives among us. Time to fight back against the whispered lies that those who suffer lack the willpower to get better. Lack the skills […]

August 13, 2014

Depression doesn’t mean you’re broken

Have you ever wondered if you are who you think you are? Or worse, if you’re trying to be someone you’re not? Lately I can’t help but wonder. After a very difficult conversation with an agent I’m beginning to wonder who I really am. I mean the woman behind all the masks and insecurities and all […]

August 11, 2014

Overcoming the identity you thought you had

I awake on the airplane at 30,000 feet. Wearily, I remove the ear plugs and sleep mask I had worn in the effort to secure as much rest on the red-eye flight as I could. Still half drunk on dreams, I stretch and look out my window to meet the sun. It’s a new day. I […]

August 2, 2014

How you can be brave

Ever wonder why you just can’t forgive that person? That one. That group. You know who comes to mind. The one who caused such pain. Hurt. Deep, searing wounds. You think you’ve forgiven them. You think you’ve moved on. But the trigger is so easily tripped and you face plant. It’s right there. Just beneath the […]

July 20, 2014

How to prevent a root of bitterness

I keep hearing this new buzzword: reinvent. Everyone’s talking about how to reinvent yourself. Be reinvented. What comes to mind when you hear this word? If I’m honest, it’s irritating me. Because there’s something implied in the word reinvent. As if what we currently are isn’t enough. The definition itself means to remake or redo […]

July 18, 2014

Let’s all be great

I don’t know if this is the way life works or if it’s just the way life works for me. But often, in order for me to come to true peace, sometimes I’ve got to go through a storm. That storm might be a relationship or a struggle outside of myself, but far more often […]

July 7, 2014

When peace comes like a storm

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think you’re teaching your child and they’re actually teaching you? It reminds me to be humble. It was one of those days when I’d about had it with their repeated mistakes, and I was feeling self-righteous and angry and rather astonished that they just couldn’t learn a simple lesson. Well. It was […]

July 1, 2014

The secret that makes you beautiful

I’m learning that when we stop judging, and start just paying attention we find that we are all more alike than we are different. We find that the things that really bother us about someone are the very things that we struggle with in our own lives. This summer I volunteered to teach a class […]

June 24, 2014

How to be less judging, more loving

  I’ve lived too much of my life in the punishing grip of another’s tightly clenched fist. Holding on, waiting for, and longing to be set free. Wishing and praying and hoping and dreaming I would have done something differently. Said something more perfectly. Begging and offering and asking for forgiveness, never given. Never enough. […]

June 11, 2014

Forgiving yourself when they won’t

I’m a firm believer in Pema Chodren’s words, that nothing goes away until it teaches us what we need to know. Over the course of my life I experienced some difficult relationships and friendships and, as a result, made agreements with myself about who I was and what I was worthy of. Allowing these experiences […]

June 2, 2014

When change is within you

If you’re anything like me you’re well enough into parenting and life to know that the calendar isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In fact, it’s quite possible it may never let go of it’s fierce hold on me unless I get downright bossy about it. And so I’m bossing. We live in a day and […]

May 30, 2014

Take back your schedule (like a boss)

They say friends are the family we choose. For many of us family hasn’t always been easy. For some of us friendship hasn’t either. We’ve had wounds and disappointments and prayers unanswered. Perhaps we’ve longed for the approval of our father or the unwavering love of our mother. Maybe we wish we could have a […]

May 27, 2014

Calling out the illusion of a superficial life

One of the greatest oppressors we live under today is the belief that perception is reality. We live in a time when the ad campaigns run not only the external, but the internal dialogue of our lives. We’ve bought into the marketer’s pitch that perception is reality and it’s tearing us apart. It’s tearing our marriages, friendships, relationships and […]

May 24, 2014

Naked truth

You guys….it’s here! The day is finally here that I get to share with you my BOOK! My heart. For those who are new, and those who have traveled the road with me over this last year, my book is finished and available for download! But first I want to share with you my heart, […]

May 20, 2014

Pretty, VIDEO book trailer!!

You guys. It’s seriously here! WE MADE IT! I am so incredibly excited to share with you the release of my first-ever book!!  If you missed the last post, you can read what the book is all about {right here.} Mostly she is about starting a conversation that matters. One that resides so deeply in […]

May 20, 2014

BOOK RELEASE!

This last year has been an incredible journey. One of long-lost ambitions and dreams I never even believed I would begin, now coming true. For as long as I can remember I have searched and fought for acceptance and belonging in a world where it seemed I was never enough. Never good enough, smart enough, […]

May 15, 2014

Breaking free from a superficial life

Mother’s Day. A day to celebrate the woman who brought us life. The women who continue to bring us life. The ones who breathe into our spirit a part of herself. Form us physically, spiritually and emotionally. Mothers take many shapes and come by different paths. Whether by thought, deed, kindness, closeness, or the the […]

May 10, 2014

The mothers we have

The last few weeks I’ve been fighting an unseen battle. A relentless war waging in the confines of my own mind and yet I feel powerless to stop it. Have you ever been in a battle with your own self? Caught in the moment where you know something in your brain but you just can’t get your mind […]

May 6, 2014

Calm my anxious heart

I strongly believe every one of us was made with a calling, though I’m only just beginning to entertain the idea of mine as a writer. Somehow it doesn’t seem true for me. As if I’m some kind of impostor in this great big world of put-together writers and readers and an all-around more interesting, eloquent and […]

April 29, 2014

Running your race when you cannot see

It amazes me how many days I get caught up in something. A fear or worry, failure or thing I wish I would’ve done different. A task, habit or escape from living in the reality of my life. The many distractions that keep us from joy. Prevent us from paying attention, and participating in the […]

April 25, 2014

How to live with a childlike heart

  I recently finished Glennon Melton’s book Carry On, Warrior. I cannot encourage you enough to read this book. Quite honestly, it’s one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever lived. Strikingly honest and bold and courageous, Glennon forges a path of truth and grace and living out our broken, messy lives in a tumultuous balance of […]

April 22, 2014

Showing up when you’d rather give up

Are you in a season of life where you feel alone, lost, confused or things are just hard? No matter what you do or how hard you work – no matter how many times you apologize or try to make it better – it just isn’t? Times when it seems like there is a really […]

April 15, 2014

Finding God when you feel alone

  Last fall my husband and I took a hiking trip to Canadian Rockies. We were absolutely stunned by the spectacular beauty that surrounded us each day. Majestic mountains reaching their rugged arms to the sky, dipping to drink from the serene turquoise water. Day after day of one breathtaking view after another. Climbing into […]

April 9, 2014

How to stop comparing yourself with others

It’s easy to say “have faith.” It’s much tougher to live it when things aren’t going your way. When you’re in the middle of a loss or facing a deeply entrenched wound. When shame rears up and roars like a raging lion from the depths of which you do not know. Faith seems a lifetime […]

April 7, 2014

Choosing hope when you can’t find faith

If you’re anything like me you’re a bit of a sucker for thinking the approval of others will make you happy. You see for some reason I was born with an extra helping of tender heart. My parents tell me when I was a girl I rarely got in trouble because they would look at […]

March 26, 2014

7 guidelines for a peaceful life

Have you ever found yourself in a troubled relationship? One where there just seemed no worldly way of making it through? If you’re anything like me you’ve had your share of difficult ones. Whether in the family we were given or the ones that we choose, relationships are hard. They’re tangled and messy and full […]

March 23, 2014

You’ll get through this

Make no mistake, I’m no stranger to failure. In fact, I try to remind myself of that every day to keep me humble. Not in a punishing kind of way, but in a know my place in this world sort of way. I don’t ever want to get too big for my britches. To think […]

March 20, 2014

Embracing the gift you were given

Many years ago I hit the reset button on life. One of the handful of times I started over. This was the first time, when my marriage to my high school sweetheart was officially over. I was just 21 years old when we divorced and I began anew. You can imagine, I didn’t know the first […]

March 19, 2014

Make room for fun

  If there’s anything I’m learning it’s that shame holds no real power. I mean, it tries. It certainly tests me over and over again to see if I will give in to it’s illusion, or challenge it’s strength. If I’m honest, most times I fail. But lately? Lately, I’m winning. You see I’ve been […]

March 14, 2014

A place to be free

For most of my life I’ve been living and dreaming and doing for someone else. I bet you have too. When I was young it was for the approval or affection of my parents, boyfriend and friends. In my adult life it hasn’t really been all that different. We still crave the approval of those […]

March 11, 2014

The secret advantage of being you

For every single one of us married, we know it isn’t easy. In fact, marriage is really, really hard. Add in kids and it just ratcheted up to the hardest job in the world. Bar none. Because you see, marriage is not only the union between flesh. It is a marriage of souls, dreams, a […]

March 9, 2014

Use your marriage to make you better

I’ve been thinking a lot about grace this week, and the sure threads of redemption that bind our tattered stories together. Things go around and come around and never, ever run in a straight line. We hurt one another because of our own embroiled bitterness, insecurity and pain. When bad things happen we blame karma, and […]

March 6, 2014

Finding grace when they’re driving you crazy

  When I started this blog I shared my story of running to faith. The story of a broken down girl, living in a broken down house, with a broken down life. That was nearly 14 years ago. It is the story of finding a personal relationship with God out on the open road, because […]

March 3, 2014

Running by faith

I’m a big believer in calling. By calling I don’t mean you that personal feeling that you love something or feel drawn or brought to life by an activity or purposeful act. What I’m referring to is that actual feeling that you are being LED. CALLED. In fact sometimes you don’t really want to do the […]

February 27, 2014

Be worthy of the calling you have received

It’s snowing today. I wasn’t expecting it to snow. And yet I woke up this morning to a beautiful perspective of white. Clean. Fresh. New. It happens that way sometimes. You wake up and life is different. Changed. Have you looked around lately? Do you see? Not just look, I mean really see. See into […]

February 22, 2014

What love does

So much of life is constrained. As wives, moms, caretakers, homemakers, income generators, volunteers and all around do-ers, we’ve got a lot on our plate. Expectations loom large and there’s just never enough time. So often we feel like we’re failing in any number of ways. Just when one thing starts going well, another falls […]

February 21, 2014

Blacktop Therapy

As I sit down to write this morning I’m faced with a blank page. All I can think of is my boys.  All of them. Each day I am humbled and overwhelmed by the gift of men God has placed in my life. My husband. A man so full of love for me. Who sent […]

February 17, 2014

Let the children lead: lessons from a house of boys

I’m not going to lie, I’m no stranger to hard relationships. Are any of us, really? Often the ones closest to us are the hardest of all. Our parents, siblings, spouses and children. After all, they know us. They’ve seen us at our best. And our very worst. There’s history. Story. Joy and inexpressible pain. […]

February 12, 2014

When joy rides shotgun

Who doesn’t know what I’m talking about? Who’s never left home, who’s never struck out. To find a dream and a life of their own…a place in the clouds a foundation of stone? Many precede and many will follow. A young girl’s dreams no longer hollow. It takes the shape of a place out west […]

February 6, 2014

Finding where you truly belong

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think you’re teaching your kid something and they’re actually teaching you? It reminds me to be humble. To not react when they start crying, whining or just generally freaking out one more time. It was one of those days when I’d about had it with their […]

February 4, 2014

When you fall, get up stronger

without a moment’s hesitation i knew we were climbing. i place my hands on the cool rugged surface of the rock and find the first foothold. unsure of my next step i brace for a fall. but a push comes from below and a hand from above and i climb atop the natural stone bridge. […]

January 28, 2014

chasing extraordinary

As I’ve wandered through life it’s become clear to me that one of the greatest obstacles we face as women is the trap of comparing ourselves with other women. As soon as we even think about what we’ve accomplished in light of another’s success we’re a goner. We’re sliding down that slippery slope of comparison […]

January 24, 2014

5 simple ways to become more confident

for much of my life i felt like an outsider. don’t get me wrong, i was always kind of cool enough to be invited…about half the time. but being invited didn’t help me from feeling somewhat different, you know, like i didn’t get the punch line. {i’m sorry, what??} for a long time i felt […]

January 22, 2014

the powerful advantage of being an outsider

Do you struggle setting boundaries? Do you find yourself hurt by the same people or similar situations over and over again? Me too. Or at least, I did. I have. And the truth is I probably will again because I’m awfully prone to forgetting. But the lesson I am learning is the art of letting […]

January 13, 2014

When letting go means having more

last year i chose a single word to guide my 2013: renew. as the year went on, i thought perhaps i should have chosen an easier word. because God decided to honor my choice. test my resolve. challenge my firm belief that through hardship we are refined. molded and crafted and made to be more […]

January 7, 2014

word of the year: intention

the end of the year can be a bit predictable. every december we bake and indulge and savor a season filled with rich flavor. and on the heels of christmas we begin googling diet and exercise plans. ways we can change the trajectory of our lives in new and extraordinary ways. the joyful, carefree music […]

December 30, 2013

2014: personal mission statement

do you ever feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders? well, maybe not the weight of THE world…but the weight of YOUR world? right. sometimes it feels like the weight of THE world. our feelings are pretty little liars aren’t they? time, however, is not. we’re a bit wound tight. well […]

December 18, 2013

pretty little liars

so it’s true. today is the day i should be boarding a plane headed to sunny sacramento. to run a marathon, chasing down a decade-old dream to qualify for the boston marathon. a dream that has eluded me all these years. and still. my head keeps telling i can push through and run this race, […]

December 5, 2013

the humility of defeat

do you suffer from forgetfulness? surely not half as much as me. as a truth seeker and lover of words, i love nothing more than reading. learning. finding peace and truth rooted in the transcendent words of God. words shared in the life and story of other writers, soul-searchers, truth-tellers and grace-givers. there is little […]

November 26, 2013

forgetful listener

what’s your dream? maybe you’re like most women and you don’t even know. you forgot. so busy being a wife and a mom and a friend and a daughter you’ve forgotten what makes you come alive. don’t worry, we’re about to change that. when you close your eyes and lay your head on the pillow […]

November 19, 2013

how to be the star of your life

what is a friend? if you’re anything like me you’ve asked yourself this question a million times. more than a million times. you’ve been in friendships where you’ve wondered if you were crazy to love them, or crazy not to. so many times i’ve wanted something from a friend or a relationship that they couldn’t […]

November 15, 2013

we are the branches

I hardly recognize the girl I used to be. I think back and can vaguely remember a girl who was scared to be alone. A girl who didn’t know why a person would ever want to be alone; nor had the first clue how to be alone. Nearly 20 years ago, after my first marriage and […]

November 12, 2013

How to be Alone Without Feeling Lonely

sometimes i go into a bookstore just to calm my spirit. something about walking into an entire building of books, i feel the wisdom of each author whispering from behind the book jackets. maybe it’s just the kinds of books i read. the authors i’m drawn to. hope spreaders, life givers, big dreamers and love sharers. […]

November 7, 2013

when no really means yes

he stands at the potty willing it to go. a few minutes pass as i stand outside the doorway, around the corner pretending i’m not watching. his shy little eyes dart back to see that indeed i’ve kept my promise. not to see. i smile. tousled hair and bare little bottom he stands at the […]

November 4, 2013

pee on the seat

So often we chart our path, set out to run a mile, five, ten…and it’s hard. The road before us looms long and dark and I can’t help but wonder if it’s been uphill the whole way? It seems like that a lot of the time. Uphill and long on tired, weary legs. I was running […]

October 31, 2013

Looking back : {extra}ordinary view

a few years ago my boys and i were walking into the gym where i work out and spotted an abandoned little bee hive on the ground. my boys are gatherers…scavengers you might say. any errant feather, stone, stick or object found on the sidewalk is likely to find it’s way into one of their little […]

October 30, 2013

bee hive : {extra}ordinary heart

i was out for a run the other night. a run i’ve taken many times, but for some reason this old fallen down house caught my eye. when that happens it’s usually Him, telling me to look at something i’ve missed. a simple truth, waiting for me to see. i wonder how many of us […]

October 28, 2013

broken down : {extra}ordinary house

hands down, a favorite. we serve an amazing God who covers us with amazing grace. i am so thankful Jesus. so thankful that you lived to save me. that you died to set me free. no matter who you are, what you have done, how far you have wandered or how you have sinned…He covers […]

October 27, 2013

amazing grace : {extra}ordinary sound

i love sending a special note in my boys’ lunch box for school. who doesn’t love a love note? i made this fun halloween printable and wanted to share it with you. slip one in your kids’ lunch box this week, and make their ordinary school lunch feel {extra}ordinary! to download this free printable, click {here}. print on […]

October 26, 2013

free printable : {extra}ordinary lunch

have you ever felt like you were entering a season of life where you were unsure what you were doing? felt ill-equipped to face the task at hand? a God-sized dream for a life-sized girl. hopes and dreams and vision of infinite boundaries wrapped in the burden of finite time.  wanting talent and untraveled roads, we […]

October 25, 2013

season : {extra}ordinary balance

this is one of my favorite pictures from our summer. for part of our time away we were visiting my dad in northern wisconsin and the boys were having the biggest time of their young lives. grandpa’s house was one big, wild adventure. from catching frogs and lightning bugs, setting off lanterns, floating down river […]

October 24, 2013

boy : {extra}ordinary man

they say it should be easy. you know, those people. the ones who influence our every day, our every choice, our every thought. nearly. they craft words and images to toy with our minds, make us think it should be easy. that if we’re truly talented it should come natural. without effort. but it’s not […]

October 23, 2013

training : {extra}ordinary work

with two kids in different schools and sports, our family has spent a lot more time in the car this year. and i see other mom friends with kids older than mine spending even more time in the car each day. let’s face it: as moms we’re spending hours and hours in the car every […]

October 22, 2013

car dancing : {extra}ordinary carpool

while hiking in the canadian rockies this fall i was stunned by the {extra}ordinary beauty all around me. everywhere i looked i saw obvious, striking beauty. breathtaking mountain peaks and jagged rocky cliffs. raging waterfalls and pristine, turquoise glacial lakes. rugged foot-worn paths and beautiful autumn flowers. beauty in 360 degrees. as we were walking […]

October 21, 2013

surprise : {extra}ordinary inside

this is one of my old favorites. it reminds me that no matter how far i fall short, no matter where i wander or lose my way, He is there. He catches me. He tells me i am His. not because of who i am, but because of who He is. because of grace. it […]

October 20, 2013

who am i : {extra}ordinary grace

hey ya’ll i’m here in texas and having an absolute blast! so the short story is i didn’t win the writing contest. but the longer story that i do not know, is that the journey is not over yet. this God is an amazing God and i’m just practicing obedience and doing my part…believing He […]

October 19, 2013

caramel apple pie bars : {extra}ordinary goodness

this fall my husband and i took an anniversary hiking trip in the canadian rockies. we spent a week in pure awe of the majesty of the world in which we live. settings too beautiful to describe, my words falling so woefully inadequate. one day we went on our longest hike, nearly 10 miles as […]

October 18, 2013

the cross : {extra}ordinary stillness

So many times we get caught up in the perceptions of others. What they think, what they might say, who they think we are. We get caught up in their perceptions because we aren’t really sure ourselves. We aren’t really sure who we are. We’ve spent most of our lives trying to make others happy. […]

October 17, 2013

It’s not the critic who counts

I was out in my backyard the other night picking zucchini for our last batch of zucchini bread when I saw one of my favorite trees in the yard turning color. She’s an autumn flame maple and at her peak color she is covered in a brilliant, fiery flame red dress. My husband nicknamed her […]

October 16, 2013

Color : {extra}ordinary destiny

if you don’t know my friend krista, you’re going to want to. one of my dearest and most treasured friends, i just know you’re going to love her. she is the creator of meaning in a minute, a ministry that cares so deeply about the heart of family. your family. a grace-filled, power-packed, life-giving woman whom […]

October 15, 2013

meaning in a minute : {extra}ordinary moments