Encouragement

This past year certainly brought challenges no one could have predicted and it's certainly a year that will be talked about for a long time to come. As this year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to say how much we truly value, appreciate and respect each and every one of you. We also wanted to share the 10 most popular blog posts of 2020, determined by page views. They are stories of faith, humor, loss, marriage, motherhood and so much more. We hope you enjoy re-visiting them as much as we did. Top 10 Posts of 2020 1. Dear High School Senior, Your Mom is Grieving Too "There are probably a lot of emotions running through you right...

When I envision getting a Christmas tree, I think about the time we cut down our own at my Grandpa’s cabin in Michigan, snow covering the ground, dragging the gorgeous tree back home and warming up by the cozy fire with hot chocolate as we decorated the boughs. Here in Louisiana, tree getting usually involves a trip to Lowe’s in seventy degree weather, not quite as magical, but still fun. This year we leaned to the extreme opposite of my Michigan dreams and decided on a fake tree from Dirt Cheap since we’ll be out of town for Christmas. The result? Not-so-picture-perfect.  You do this, right? You envision the perfectly magical moment in your head, you stage it with all the...

I whole-heartedly jumped in so many activities fearlessly in my childhood, teenage, and college years, even when I absolutely sucked at said activities. My mom cheered the first time I got a foul during my short basketball stint because I was actually on the court I was in the right place on the court for the first time to have a chance at even getting a foul Yet, I still proudly walked around with my status as a basketball player. I look back at my 18-year-old self and can learn a few things from her. I gave a speech called “Failure is an Option.” That girl knew that it was okay to try new things and fail. She knew failure was...

    I’m sitting at my kitchen counter, thanking God I finally got my two-year-old to nap, and I start to make a list of what I want to do the rest of the afternoon…fold (AND put away) the laundry, figure out the dinner situation, cut out box tops for school, etc. And the question that often lingers in the back of my mind slowly creeps to the forefront: am I wasting my degree? Should I be wearing a suit sitting behind a desk somewhere instead of wearing maternity leggings in my kitchen? To provide a little background, in my junior year of high school I decided that I was going to be a lawyer. It was after I and...

Tonight, I’m tired... I’m tired of the laundry. I’m tired of "momming." I’m tired of having full responsibility of my children. I’m tired of making sure that everyone’s fed. I’m tired of making sure that everybody’s teeth have been brushed. I’m tired of making sure that everybody has lunch for tomorrow. I’m tired of politics. I’m tired of this pandemic. I’m tired of hurricanes in the gulf. I’m tired of my children falling and getting hurt. I’m tired of bath time. I’m tired of bedtime. I’m tired of reading stories. I’m tired of cleaning the house. I’m tired of watching what I eat. I’m tired of driving everywhere. I’m tired of carpool. I’m tired of waiting for the bus. I’m...