I remember that morning so vividly. I woke up to a phone call from my mom. She sounded shaken and shared the news about my dear friend Paul. Early that morning, the morning of April 5, 2013, he had been overcome when a fire broke out in his home. He was gone. And I sat on the floor and cried.
This happens every time. Well, each time? I get back from Guatemala and I simmer like hamburger helper on the stove trying to reconcile what in the actual heck just happened. Continue reading
I’ve found myself in a not-so-fun game of tug of war the past few weeks … except I am the the little ribbon in the middle and at one end, the Lord is pulling me towards His grace and undeniable freedom. At the other, the enemy is like, ‘whoa, no you don’t. this girl is mine. she knows she isn’t strong enough to do the hard things.’
I finished a workout early Saturday morning and laid my worn-out (and now older) self on the floor completely out of breath. I had unwillingly found extra time in the day due to an early wake-up call from a horrible (never to be shared aloud again) dream. As I slowly worked back to a normal rhythm of inhales and exhales, all I could do was appreciate that I could and recall that she couldn’t.
‘2017. We made it.’
This is exactly what I heard a young woman almost breathe with a voice of relief as we started our trek back to our car after Kalamazoo’s annual New Year’s Fest.
The good news is that it’s not quite winter so I’m not even late to share the last of our fall adventure. Right? #fullofexcuses
Pre-game day, folks! I mean, happy almost Thanksgiving! Connor and I are able to sit side-by-side to round up our marathon Saturday in Atlanta just under two weeks ago now. I’ve asked him to make sure I don’t forget any of the wicked cool stuff we did because we most certainly want you all to feel like you were right there with us because, family.
Oh, I am well aware you’ve all been waiting for this since last year’s summer edition of #adventureswithcj so let me just assure you, the wait is over! Now, this year’s edition is less picturesque as we literally ran through the city streets of Atlanta. In a day and a half. But please don’t let your hopes be dashed. You need more time this week to think about turkey and cranberries anyhow!
Because it’s late. Because we all have a little baseball on the brain. And because I never tire of tearing up over … temporary tattoos.
Ever since Connor expressed a real interest to play (american) football (mostly as a result of third-grade recess games), I’ve had some angst over not only the choice of that over soccer but also over the likelihood of an injury. (Yes, I’m aware that soccer injuries are a real thing as well.) Continue reading
a brand new ending 