On The Blog

With time spent in the minor leagues and the major leagues, baseball has always been a big part of our story. My husband, Matt, played at Pepperdine University, where we met, and a few weeks after our first date, the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him. Our relationship began, and so did his baseball career. I…

  It’s back-to-school time again, and if this is your last child to leave home, you may be experiencing excitement and fear as you navigate the empty nest—excitement for them as they fly off to a new adventure and fear for yourself as you contemplate returning to a barren house. Our lives have been radar-focused…

  When my daughter asked me to join her in the South of France, I was thrilled at the opportunity for a girls’ trip to the beautiful European coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. Since she had already traveled extensively in Europe and attended school for a year in Switzerland, I let her take the lead…

  I had to shuffle through my big, messy photo bins to find this picture for my son’s upcoming wedding. Seeing the image of us on this day brought some emotion in that moment. Our wedding day almost didn’t happen. The first time my husband proposed, I said no. Harsh, I know. It wasn’t because…

When my daughter was in middle school, she joined our church’s youth group on a mission trip to the Philippines. I prepared my heart for a difficult goodbye. She was excited and eager; I was terrified and concerned. Allowing our thirteen-year-old daughter to fly halfway around the globe without me or my husband required a…

This week we celebrated 32 years of marriage. There is so much to be said about a holy union with your best friend, but one thing I know…God has given us a beautiful portrait of marriage. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper…

Are you hosting Thanksgiving in a few weeks? At times my gratitude for this special family time is overshadowed by my grumble. Planning meals and activities, cleaning, and cooking are all big priorities as I gear up the week before, the week of, and then collapse the week after. Many of you reading this get…

Recently, I took a trip to visit my daughter in Washington DC. Stress and sickness had gotten the best of her again and it was time for a visit from mom. Life in the big city is not for the faint of heart. Adulting as a single young woman in today’s world takes its toll…

    Many years ago, when I was praying about sending my son off to a huge public high school the verse that spoke to me was from John 17:15 where Jesus is praying for His disciples. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from…

Last week my daughter and I had a girl’s day. Following a move, and then unpacking one brown box after another, I was ready to break out and have some fun. The sun was shining so we headed downtown for a walk and some sightseeing. Because Chloe knew I was pretty pumped about our day…