As I held the phone in my hand talking to the receptionist and looking at my calendar I held my breath and tried not to let my worry show through the phone lines when she gave me the next available appointment date. My words said “Great, I’ll take it, thank you”, but my heart said, “Oh ...
When You Adopted Before Adoption Was Cool
Happy World Adoption Day! Who knew there was such a day? First and foremost, we need more people willing to open their hearts and homes to people in need (not just children). I get that, I believe that. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. This post isn’t going to hit home with all of you. This post ...
Happy Birthday, Dorothy. Life is Hard.
My mother-in-law has been with Jesus for almost nine years. Cancer took her far too soon. In August of 2007, we welcomed our first son into this world, and within a week, we learned she had cancer in her colon and pancreas. I remember thinking, how could life give us new joy while threatening hers? ...
My 30th Birthday Recap
What a great day! Not because we did anything spectacular for my 30th, but because we spent it together. I’ve always been the type to celebrate absolutely everything, and usually to celebrate BIG. Learning to Slow DownLately, I’ve been praying for God to teach me how to slow down. To savor quiet ...
Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet Girl
Sweet Girl, Tonight I am going to put you to bed as a 2 year old. When you wake up (I’m guessing at about 3:30am, and again at 6:30am), you will officially be a 3 year old. Man, just when you got the hang of admitting you were 2, and not 15 when people asked, you’ve got another age to ...
My Heart Today: The Orphans
Photo Courtesy of Courtney Lorenz Photography. My family and I drove home from church today in our Town and Country van. We bought it new, had it custom-fit for our family, and delivered to the same dealership where we had bought our last minivan, just a couple years before that. When we got ...
An Open Letter To My Adventure Boy, As He’s Turning 8!
Dear Buddy, Just a couple more sleeps and you’ll be 8 years old. 8! I remember when I was pregnant with you, and your daddy and I went to the gender ultrasound. When the ultrasound tech told us you were a boy, we cried tears of happiness. Then we called to tell your great grandpa, Carl (dad‘s ...
My 29th Birthday
Yesterday, I turned 29. When I was in 5th grade, I invited every girl in my grade to my birthday party. I hand-wrote the invitations, and my mom drove me all around town to drop them in mailboxes. Back then, RSVPs were practically legally binding… but I got exactly zero in return. I called each ...
Rain, Remembrance, and Peace
It rained all day yesterday. My husband took the day off work to take me to a doctor’s appointment, the one I've been dreading, for my breast exam. I told him I could have gone on my own, but he knew better. He knew I needed him with me. My mom watched the kids, and I was so thankful, since the ...
All Are Welcome
Last weekend we hosted a birthday party celebrating another year of Mr. Awesome’s life. We closed off the bedrooms, opened every other door in our 1,500 sq. ft. home, swept the garage, moved a few things, and welcomed in over 90 friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members. A few guests we ...
My Friend, Amy.
Amy Elizabeth Hild. September 9th, 1987 - February 25th, 2015 Amy Elizabeth Hild I’ve known Amy’s full name for well over 10 years, and I’ve never forgotten it. She used to doodle it in her math notebook all.the.time. She’d put fancy designs around her name and play around with ...
{Sneak Peak} DIY Hot Cocoa Stand for Family Pictures
This post contains affiliate links. {Sneak Peak} I'm crazy excited about this hot cocoa stand my hubby built, for our family photo shoot. The best part is that when I asked him to make it, he.didn't.even.try.to.talk.me.out.of.it! Folks, he's learning! haha I pulled the idea off of ...
Reflections from my 10 yr class reunion
Thoughts the day before my class reunion: I'm not going! But just in case I do, in the next 24hrs: Drink water Avoid carbs Whiten teeth Shave legs Thoughts just hours before the reunion: Crap, I ate carbs! Could I buy one of those girdle things? I really wasn't cute in high school, so I'm sure no ...
A Letter to my Children… & You
Written for my children, for when they are older and will understand it more. In the meantime, maybe you {my dear readers} could use this right now, too? I know I would benefit from these words being spoken to me daily. My Dear Children, I pray you are clinging tightly to Jesus. Be ready. Be ready ...
Christmas Cheer: Simple Gift
Here's a very simple gift for anyone on your list. We won big at our town Christmas Celebration (I'm talkin' grand prize kind of big. It blessed our socks off, folks!). It was such a great surprise that we chose to turn some of that money back into blessing others. I ...
The Boy Turns Five and a Half
This past Saturday our family celebrated something special. Even though we didn't celebrate in the way we normally do, because we were busy cleaning and taking care of household things we were still celebrating. The celebration was marking 5 and a half years of what we call "The Carben1 Comedy ...
DIY Table Top S’mores
Last night we made Table Top Driveway Smores. I had everything on hand already except the charcoal and the pot. Driveway S'mores Being impatient we roasted some while there was still a little flame, this makes deliciously burnt mallows. ;-) The Basics. I think this bag of charcoal will last us ...
THANKSGIVING
Philippians 4:6 (Worldwide English (New Testament)) Do not worry about anything. Talk to God about everything. Thank him for what you have. Ask him for what you need. Thank you God for: Loving me, unconditionally. Really, no one else could do it like you do. The family I grew ...