Remember - Check

List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.


1. My love for Jesus and my desire to follow Him.
2. My love for Adam and my heart to be a Wife that meets his needs and makes him happy.
3. My love for my kids and my example to them as a mom.
4. That I am a prayer warrior. You need prayer? I will pray.
5. I care about others.
6. My walk with God being honoring to Him.
7. When I sing, I sing for Jesus.
8. I am a good friend and someone others can count on.
9. My home is a place where others feel welcome.
10. That I live a full life and have a blast during the journey.

As I was writing this list, I began to feel convicted. Right now, if I died, would people say/think these things of me? These are things that I should be striving for. These things should be a part of my daily life. Looks like I have some work to do.

Misunderstanding - Check

What do you think people misunderstand most about you?

Honestly, I do not feel like I am misunderstood. So I asked Adam what he thought and he said he does not think I am misunderstood either.

So. Apparently you all know and understand me.

It is probably because the most complex thing about me is my obsessive need for my house to be cleaned a certain way and that I am a woman.

I have my quirks. They just make sense if you know me. Apparently.

Dinner - Check

If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

This question makes me laugh because it doesn't ask why I would pick that person, it is more about the food. Which is fine with me because I LOVE food. Haha.

It would have to be Masako Trosen. She was a fabulous cook and such great company. She would probably make some interesting dish that I have never heard of or eaten before, but it would taste fabulous. And conversation would be wonderful.

Some of my favorite childhood memories include Masako. I am grateful to have known her. She was truly a woman seeking God.

Body - Check

What is your favorite part of your body and why?


Well, I have always liked my feet. They were my favorite part of myself for a pretty long time until I got a scar on my foot.

My favorite part of my body now is my arms. They have stayed the same size through two pregnancies which pushes them into first place above my feet.

Really interesting, right?

Popular Notion - Check

What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?


It irritates me when our society makes light of sex. Sex is not an activity meant for just anyone and everyone. It was designed by God specifically for a husband and wife.

I am not limiting sex to just intercourse.

Sex can be anything from a butt grab to a lingering kiss.

It is that moment when your mind goes from "This is special." to "I want more."

Sex is not a recreational activity that you do for fun with whoever you want. There will be emotional baggage left behind. There will be consequences.

When it is used that way, the special luster is gone and it is dirty and worthless. Might as well be mowing the grass or driving a car.

Sex is a beautiful gift and when it is used correctly, it is a fantastic wonderful thing.

When a man and woman save themselves, every thought - every deed. For their wedding day. Their is nothing more special than offering yourself as a gift to the one you love. Pure. Untouched. Ready. And accepting that same wonderful gift from them.

Too bad the world has it all wrong.

They are missing out.

Love Language - check

What is your love language?


I shared this a while back, but my love language is words of affirmation. I honestly wish it was something else. Like acts of service. I feel like it is a lot easier to do stuff for someone than it is to affirm them with words.

I think Kaylee has the same love language so I have to really work at telling her "Good job!" or "You are so kind!" I am still not sure what Ella's is but I am leaning towards physical touch. She is such a cuddler.

Adam is definitely acts of service. He feels loved if I have the girls dressed, the house cleaned, and the dinner ready when he gets home.

While each of us have one specific language that we "speak" the most, the truth is that loving someone takes a conscious effort on our part. So usually I feel most loved when Adam tells me that I am beautiful and that he appreciates what I do around the house, but some days I may just need for him to sit down and talk with me or give me a hug.

Love takes work.

Family Dynamic - Check

Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

My family has always been very open in sharing what is going on in our lives with one another. I honestly believe that is because we moved a lot and since friendships take time to form, we simply were each other's friends.

Now I have shared before that one of my biggest regrets in my kid years was not being friends with my brother. While that is true, there is some element of friendship that was there, it just mostly included me aggravating him until he would play Barbies with me.

Over time our friendships have all changed.

My relationship with my Mom and Dad went from a parent-child relationship to a friendship. My relationship with my brother has changed from a sibling relationship to that of close friends.

Now that Michael and I are married and have families of our own, it bums me out that we all live far away from one another.

I love my family and am so grateful for them.

I want my kids to know and love them they way that I do.

Maybe some day we will live closer.

5 Hobbies - Check

List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

1. Scrapbooking - Working on scrapbooks is very rewarding and finishing them is very satisfying. I enjoy putting pages together and then flipping through them to see the way they flow together. Thinking about looking through them years from now when my girls are older is even more exciting. I can't wait to share all of my stories and experiences with them through my scrapbooks.

2. Board gaming - This is a hobby that I think we will have for a very long time because it can include lots of people. It gives opportunity to talk while getting to play in a bit of competition. I can't wait until my girls are old enough to play as well so we can have family game nights. Kaylee has already claimed blue as her color which leaves Ella with yellow as her only option.

3. Sewing - My newest hobby. I have been sewing for about two years now. I have not done a project in a very long time because I hate getting it out and putting it back. (Maybe I will have a craft room in our next house where I can just leave my projects out. - hint, hint.) Sewing is fun because I can start with just fabric and slowly see it turn into something awesome. I think my next project is going to be a t-shirt quilt made out of my college shirts.

4. Reading - My oldest hobby. Books are so much fun because they can get you away from your life and into an imaginary world within a matter of seconds. Reading has been something I have always enjoyed doing. When I was a kid, I would get into trouble because I would stay up all night with a flashlight finishing a book and I would be super cranky the next day from my lack of sleep. There is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you complete a book or a series.

5. TV/Movies - Ever since Adam and I have known each other, we have enjoyed watching movies or TV series together. We joke that Smallville brought us together because that was one of the things we would regularly talk about with each other before we were dating. I enjoy this hobby simply because it is mindless and because I get to cuddle with my husband.

Do you have any hobbies in common with me? Tell me which one(s) that we share.

The Future - Check

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?


5 years - Done having babies. Done potty training my children. (NO MORE DIAPERS!!!) Living in the country. My and Adam's parents close by. College loans paid off. Probably teaching my girls if we decide to homeschool.  Regular date nights with the husband, thanks to family living close by. (And Katie driving?!?) Planning a cruise with my besties. (Let's get on this girls!) Adam still working for the government. Both girls know Jesus at this point and hopefully have made a choice to follow Him. Adam and I are involved with youth ministry at our church.

10 years - Still living in the country. Still close to family. Regular game nights. Lots of traveling to see friends. Adam thinks he will be bald with a pudge belly. I will probably have a Mom hairdo by then since I will almost be 40. Adam and I will be planning our 20 year wedding anniversary trip and continuing to make our marriage a priority. Watching the girls play sports and participate in gymnastics. Lots of slumber parties. And painted nails. Youth trips for Kaylee. All of us doing some sort of ministry at church together.

15 years - Hopefully, still living in the country near family. Kaylee will be about to graduate highschool and go to college. Elanor will be driving. Adam and I will be turning gentleman callers away that are coming by to get our approval to date our girls. By this time I hope I have seen Niagara Falls and Mt Rushmore. I also hope that I have went on a cruise and been to Disney World. I hope our girls are following Jesus and are leaders to others around them when it comes to sharing their faith. Adam and I actively pursuing each other and falling deeper in love with each other daily. Continuing ministry together as a family.


This will be fun to look back on later. Even though it was harder to write than I expected it to be, I am glad that I have a reminder of things that I would like to have accomplished before I am in my 40's.

Superpower - Check

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

Well, this is a no brainer. I would want to fly. Then, I could go see my family and friends that are all over the map and be back in time to make dinner. When I have a day off, I could go spend it with my Mom getting our nails done or with my friends getting some coffee. It would be just fabulous.

Since I doubt I will ever have a superpower maybe I can convince Adam that we need to purchase our own private plane. Isn't that such a great idea? Let's start saving! 

3 Memories - Check

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
This question is part of a collection of questions that I am working through. If you want to check them out, they are all under my tab "The List".


1. The first time I broke my arm. - My Mom had dropped my brother and I off at a Mother's Day Out program for the morning. We were playing tag in the gym and the kid in front of me that I was about to tag, ducked. I did not have time to bend my arm and I ran straight into the wall with my arm outstretched, breaking both bones in half. Thankfully it was a clean break and did not go through my skin. And I was strong for my brother and did not cry until I was with my Dad at the hospital.

2. My summer Michael and I stayed with Papa and Grandma and our uncles. - My cousins, Tara and Jonie, and my brother and I went to spend what if I remember was supposed to only be a couple weeks away from our parents, but it ended up being like a month. I somehow ended up being at my Uncle Joel and Aunt Pam's (they didn't have any kids yet) house for a short bit without my cousins or brother and got to know some fabulous people in Oskaloosa. (Looking back, they probably separated us because I was pretty big brat back then.) Anyways, it was a super fun month of making music videos, dancing, getting to know my 3rd cousins, riding bikes around Osky, and having water balloon fights at Papa and Grandma's.

3. Our clubhouses in the woods in Byron. - Our house was next to some woods that was right behind a hotel. This hotel would drop mattresses and other stuff in the woods and we would use it for our clubhouses. In one of the clubhouses we hung the mattress from the tree to sit/lay on and put a couch up in the tree high up between some branches. Then in another clubhouse we had the lid of a washer as a door to get up into it. I have some great memories in these two clubhouses.

Live - Check

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?


Mine is not necessarily a place, although somewhere warm would be nice, rather a place where I am closer to my loved ones.

Right now my parents are in St Louis. My brother and his wife are in Colorado. My Dad's parents are in Mississippi. My Dad's brothers and their families live in Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, and Costa Rica. My Mom's whole family lives in Arkansas. My best friends live in Minnesota and California. Everyone is so spread out. The one perk is that we do live near Adam's parents, but they even live far enough away that we can't just "stop by when we are in the area".

So. If I could live anywhere? It would be near all of these fabulous people. I would love to get together for a holiday and not have to drive over 30 miles to get there. I would love to watch my cousins or my friend's kids so that I could get to know them better and give my family and friends a chance to get away. I would love for my kids to be able to ask Michael to come over on facetime and he be able to say yes. I would love to be able to take food to them when they are sick.

I would love to live near them because I love them.

That is where I want to live.

Forgive - Check

What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?


Probably my own stupidity in high school. Forgiving myself for turning away from everything that I was taught was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

I actually can even pinpoint the time that I started to forgive myself. I was at an event called Dare2Share and the speaker asked us to write on a sheet of paper something that we are so ashamed of and feel as though God could never forgive us for that sin. I wrote my sin on that tiny sheet of paper as tears filled my eyes and poured down my cheeks. Then the speaker had us tear it up into tiny pieces and hold it tightly in our hands to represent our last moment bearing this burden alone, and to openly ask God to forgive us of the sin that we have held on to for so long. After a few minutes of prayer, the youth leaders (my Uncle Rick in my case) came around to collect the little pieces left and in our ears whispered, "You are forgiven." I sobbed like a baby as I watched him carry my sin that I had buried and held on to, up to the cross.

At that moment, the process of forgiving myself began.

Great - Check

What is the thing you most wish you were great at?


Self-control.

Self-control when it comes to food. No, I don't need that second piece of pie with ice cream and even though it looks so good and is calling my name, I am not going to eat it.

Self-control when it comes to time. While a nap sounds super fabulous right now, I am going to work-out instead.

Self-control when it comes to attitude. Why yes I have told you 13 times today to not put toys in your sister's clothes and I have zero patience left for this continuous behavior, but I am not going to raise my voice at you because it does neither of us any good.

Self-control when it comes to mood. The sun is not out again for the 9th day in a row and it is too chilly to take the girls outside, but I am going to make this an awesome day to make a tent and play like we are outside in the woods somewhere having a camp out.

Self-control is after all a fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Definitely one I wish I "were great at".

5 Greatest Accomplishments - Check

What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

1. Married the man of my dreams.

2. Graduated college with my best friends.

3. Saw my favorite people in the world get married.

4. Bought a house

 5. Gave birth to 2 beautiful little girls.

 Kaylee

 Ella

Animal - Check

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
This question is part of a collection of questions that I am working through. If you want to check them out, they are all under my tab "The List".


I would be a bird. Because then I could fly and sing all day. The best part is that I could go south during the winter and come back north with it is warmer. Besides they move a lot and I know what that is like. And I could be a fat bird and nobody would care. I would not fall prey to those clean glass windows. And I might poop on cars just for fun. It would be fun to be a bird.

5 Strengths - Check

Describe 5 strengths you have.


Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been avoiding this, but decided that it is time to attack and conquer.

1. I consider myself to be a good friend. - I place great value in friendship. I have seen friendships come and go over the years and through that I have come to set boundaries for myself and expectations on those that I become friends with. These expectations I apply to myself as well. If I expect a friend to call and see how I am doing, then I better be doing the same for her. If I expect a friend to come visit, then I need to visit her. Relationships require give and take and if I am unwilling to give, then I should not be allowed to take. Being a friend is something I work hard at.

2. I want others to fit in. - Honestly, I don't know what to classify that as, I just have always had a heart for that one person that everyone else ignores. Or that new couple that I see in church. It bugs me when other people ignore the new person or the people that are not like them. As a Christian I feel like the people most out of my comfort zone are the ones that I should be reaching out to. Now let me back up and say that I do not necessarily think that I need to befriend all of those people. I only have so many connectors and I cannot be friends with everybody. However, I can do my best to get them connected with someone that they could be friends with. Example: A new young couple without kids comes to church. They are newlyweds, but around the same age as Adam and I. I feel like I should step out and say hello and introduce myself. I feel like I then she ask a little about them and then introduce them to the leaders of the newly marrieds connection group. Instead of just ignoring them and watching them leave without ever saying anything. We may never really hang out with that couple, but it does not hurt me to say hi when I see them and encourage them to join different things going on at church.

3. I have deeply rooted compassion. - It hurts my heart to see broken people. I know several people that are currently struggling with different health issues, some of which are life threatening. My heart weeps for them. I know others that are dealing with intense life circumstances that are draining them. My heart weighs heavy for them. This compassion drives me to my knees for people I don't even know. People that I want to help, but cannot do anything more for. Compassion encompasses all sorts of people in all kinds of situations and I know that this is something that God uses in my life to draw me to Him and meet with Him about those things.

4. I am an encourager. - I want others to succeed so I encourage. I know I always do a better job when I know someone is there to encourage me along. So, maybe others are the same way. If I know someone that needs encouragement, I try to lend a hand.

5. I am hospitable. - Hosting is one of my favorite things to do. I love having people over and knowing that they had a great time. Since we have young kids, my hosting has slowed down a lot, but we still have our game days that we do once a month. I enjoy having people in the house, feeding them something yummy, and then sending them on their way. When my girls are older, I look forward to having slumber parties and get-togethers. I want people to feel like family when they come to my house.

5 Weaknesses - Check

Describe 5 weaknesses you have.


I find this one to be super personal. But here we go.


1. Food - Especially sweets. Over the last few months I have been trying to re-train myself to eat less and to have self-control in general when it comes to food. It has not been easy, but I am finally getting to where I am ok with the way I look. However, food is still very much a weakness for me. Specifically ice cream, Oreos, or chocolate.

2. Insecurity - This is so huge. Between the baby belly that did not leave with baby 2 and the fact that my hormones have been a huge mess since Elanor was born, I have just been on a roller coaster with myself. Again, in efforts to help this along I have gone back to number 1 trying to get rid of the baby belly. It just takes so much time to really see results and when I do not see them, my insecurity gets the best of me.

3. Patience - Oh man. I do not know what happened to my patience. I used to have incredible patience. I would hide in my brother's room for hours just waiting for him to come in so I could scare him. My patience is ultra thin now and something I really have to work on.

4. Gentleness - Have you ever met those Moms that talk so gently and sweet to their children? I know that I am not one of them. I struggle to not be harsh with my girls. Going back to my lack of patience, I simply do not have the patience to be gentle. I try, but fail miserably.

5. Anger - Goodness, these last three are all tied together for me. I have such a short fuse patience wise that I can lose my cool really fast. And because I am not a gentle person, my response is mean and sometimes loud. As Kaylee gets older, I am starting to see her behavior reflect my own and I know that this is a weakness that I need to nip in the bud before it becomes my daughter's weakness as well.

These weaknesses are things that God has been really helping me overcome. Work in progress. I praise God that I serve Him and that He gives me grace and forgiveness when these weaknesses are visible in my life and heart, and that He gives me strength and persistence to pursue growth in each of these areas.

‎2 Corinthians 12:8-10 -  8 "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Typical Day - Check

Describe a typical day in your current life.


Oh my. Hope you bear with me. Haha!

Usually, I wake up to Kaylee singing or playing in her room and Ella is either cooing or fussing. After I brush my teeth and go potty, I get breakfast ready for the girls and more importantly make coffee for myself. I open all the curtains (hello sunshine!) and then go get Kaylee and take her potty. Then together we get Ella up and change her diaper. We eat breakfast and during breakfast is when I try to get my email and facebook checked. (I have found that if I keep the computer in the kitchen I am more productive.)

Anyways, after breakfast the girls play in the living room while I clean up breakfast and empty the dishwasher from the night before. Then, I join in the play/referee as Kaylee is still learning how to share. (In case you are wondering, Ella woke up in a great mood and is currently throwing a diva temper tantrum on the floor because I did not let her play in the bathroom.) At 10ish Ella goes down for a morning nap and Kaylee and I usually read a little and then do some cleaning until lunch.

After lunch I try to take the girls outside for a little while to burn some energy. If it is too cold to go out, I make Kaylee run laps in the hallway. At 1:30 I put both girls down for naps and I clean, work-out, and take some time for myself while they sleep. Adam gets home and I entertain the girls while he takes a short amount of time to himself. I make dinner and Ella hangs onto me during the process.

After dinner we play in the living room until it is time for the girls to go to bed. Adam usually lays down on the floor and becomes their human jungle gym. Adam and I rotate on which girl we put to bed so that we can each have alone time with one of them. After the girls are down, we either play a game or watch a movie/TV together.

Some days are easier than others depending on the amount of laundry and the mood of the girls. Some days I do not get anything done and simply hold the girls a lot because they just need to be cuddled. (Today looks to be one of those days. I do not know what Ella's deal is today. Kaylee is no better as she is instigating Ella. Oh the love of siblings.)

Happy Friday!

Pet Peeves - Check

Describe 10 pet peeves you have.


1. Bad drivers - this includes but is not limited to the driver that is rude and will not let you merge onto the interstate, the driver that turns so slowly that you could have bought Christmas presents for all the Dugger kids by they time they have finally finished turning, the driver that is going so fast and zooming in and out of traffic almost causing an accident, the driver that stays in the passing lane with their cruise set and does not get out of the way for the line of traffic behind it, and the driver that takes what feels like 5 hours to go at a green light.

2. Lack of Pregnant/Young Children Parking - When I was pregnant there were days where I could hardly move, but I needed to pick something up at the store. I would have to park forever and a day away and walk forever to get into the store. This did not become any easier once I was not pregnant anymore because now I am carrying an infant in an infant seat into the store and trying to recover from having a baby plus handle my emotions. Now I that I have two kids, I have to carry one and hold the other's hand while trying to maneuver the diaper bags and my purse. This would be so much easier if we could park closer. Or have designated parking next to the cart corral so that I can just plop them right into a cart.

3. Rewashing dishes - Our dishwasher is not the greatest on the market and so all the dishes must be rinsed well in order for the dishwasher to do a good job. Sometimes the dishes do not get rinsed well and the gunk that was on it before the wash is now glued to it thanks to the drying part of the dishwasher being super awesome.

4. Creaky carts - I always end up with the noisiest cart that is super difficult to drive.

5. Empty toilet paper rolls - Seriously?!? Am I the only one in the world that knows how to change them?

6. People blowing their nose in quiet public places - Like church. Mainly because I visualize the germs flying over to me and grabbing me. And then burrowing into my skin. And it is loud. And distracting. (I have the same reaction to people that don't cover their mouth when they sneeze or cough.)

7. Cat hair - I know I have a cat, but seriously I will just finish scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees. I will stand up to look upon my work proudly and see a stupid tumble weed of cat hair floating across and now sticking to my perfectly polished floor. I promise I sweep.

8. Constant whining - Drives. Me. Crazy.

9. People that don't wash their hands after using the restroom - Gross. I don't care if you "didn't get anything on you". Wash your hands.

10. People that clearly have way more than 10 items going to the express lane because they do not want to wait in line - Oh man. When I worked retail, if I was in a really bad mood, I would tell those people, "I am sorry, but my machine has a 10 item limit. It technically goes up to 15 (you know if you get gum in line or something), but after 15 an alarm goes off and it is really humiliating. So, if you would please go to another line that would be great." Much to the pleasure of the person behind them.