Little Moments-Big Dreams

I remember the first time I saw his name. In a text message from my mom, describing the new pastor of her friend's church and telling me he might be interested in getting to know me. I was as single as a person could be at that point, had been praying about marriage for quite a while. Somehow, I knew that I should step out of my comfort zone and see where this might lead. I remember how he first sent me a message on social media and how we quickly hit it off, chatting for hours the next few weeks. And then, finally, we decided to meet. But first, we spoke on the phone and I remember thinking I loved his southern accent and his deep voice. :) Then, we met and our first date was awkward.. I was quiet and unsure, he was talkative but also unsure. I thought he seemed nice but I was not clear whether our new friendship would continue to develop. Then, somehow, in a matter of days, everything changed. We met up again, had a very nice time with countless things to talk about. And after th...

A new chapter began in my life on March 18th, 2022.  Thursday, March 17th, 2022, my husband, son and I drove home after a few days away in Pigeon Forge. It was Spring Break at the Bible college and we had enjoyed our getaway which included a day at Dollywood, lots of yummy food and fun activities, and just being together as a little family. We detoured north for one night to visit Matt's parents in Somerset Kentucky as well. It was a good visit and a good little getaway but we were glad to be back home and we discussed tackling a couple home organization projects over the weekend. That evening, we ordered a pizza and watched a baking show while eating together. Matt also baked a few chocolate chip cookies from some dough we had in the refrigerator. It was a pleasant, laid back family evening. Matt had been very sick most of the previous month and we were so happy to have this time together as a family after that long ordeal which included two hospital stays. Eventually, it was bedt...

  I wanted to document my day today for a couple reasons.  One being, I need to learn to practice some time management and one way I’m learning to do that is by listing all of my activities- and maybe learn to say no to things I have no time for or that do not fit into my calling and ministry.  But two, it is perhaps helpful for others to see what goes on in a somewhat average day as a stay at home/work at home woman. Some people may assume certain things about stay at home moms based on stereotypes. Whether that is fair or not is not for me to say. I can only speak from my own experience and from what I see from many of the SAHM I know. Our lives are full from sunup to sundown most days. Yes, there are days characterized by rest or boredom but those are not the norm. A day like today is closer to the norm. One note: my husband is recovering from a bad round of bacterial pneumonia that put him in the hospital this weekend. He is home but weak. So my day did feel extr...

On the last day of May of 2017, when my baby son was placed into my arms for the first time, my heart felt like it could burst with joy. The months and months of sorrow and pain fell away and our struggles with infertility and miscarriages were like a distant chapter that we hoped to never revisit.  But as our son grew and I delighted in being a mother to him, a desire for another baby naturally filled my heart. He would be the best big brother is a thought I have often had. He is four years old now. A tall, inquisitive, dinosaur and sea creature-loving boy with a big smile, a mischievous streak, and a tender heart. And I wish he had a little sister or a little brother.  The pain of my second journey of infertility feels almost embarrassing to share with others. After all, we have a child. So many others never experience that gift. Perhaps I should just be content. And there are many days when contentment and peace fills my heart, when, looking at my son and thinking about ou...

 A week ago, I was starting to come down with what I thought was a cold. James had been sick with the same "cold" for several days but was recovering. I went about my day as normal, but by the next morning, I was feeling worse.By the next morning, Saturday, I was miserable. My symptoms were sinus congestion, a sore throat, a general feeling of not being well, and some fatigue. I didn't have a fever and I wasn't coughing much at all. But my husband strongly encouraged me to go get a covid test and I agreed. When the results came back, I was shocked that it was positive. Back home, I started to process the news. As the day went on and I continued to feel pretty bad, I felt some worry. What if I got really sick and also what about my husband and son? I was most worried about Matt since he has bad asthma. I felt fairly sure that James was actually recovering from his own bout with covid.  Over the next day or two, my sore throat went away but I started to cough a bit. By ...

  A few weeks ago, I went to Disney World for the first time. Well, technically the first time, i was inside my Mom's womb. But as far as my first trip to Disney World that I remember.. this trip was it. Now, a few weeks removed from the trip, I find myself looking back and remembering mostly the fun we had and already hoping very much to return someday! This blog post will be just a few highlights of our Disney Trip. I will not attempt to cover everything we did.  I also will try to throw in a few tips as a first time visitor to WDW for those who may be planning their trip. Keep in mind I am no expert by any means on the subject of Disney traveling. There are dozens of excellent websites and youtube channels out there for well informed, detailed trip planning advice! A couple of my favorites are   Blair Lamb's  youtube channel and the Disney food blog  (which also has a youtube channel too) So just think of my tips as simply the ramblings of a Disney newb...

 Months ago, my husband and I started daydreaming about taking a little trip for our anniversary. (Because we got married right after New Year’s, it has usually been difficult to save up money for a getaway so close to the holidays. So we have only done a getaway for our anniversary one time and it was our first anniversary. ) As we discussed planning a vacation, we went back and forth between leaving James for a couple days with relatives or friends..or taking him with us. We finally landed on the idea of inviting someone to go with us who could double as babysitters and vacation buddies. It didn't take us long to ask my younger sister and her husband. They are expecting their first baby in a few months and we figured it might be fun for them to get away as well. They readily accepted our invitation and we all excitedly made plans. We found a cabin with wonderful reviews near Pigeon Forge. We began to plan a few fun activities to try together during our time in the area. We actual...