Fiery, Fierce, and Five Foot-Nothing.

In my last post here, I made the announcement that I was no longer working a regular job and was working on building my own business. It has now been three months since I stopped working a job and began working for myself. I wish I could tell you all that business has been booming but I'd be lying. Starting a business is hard work. It's not easy to get your name out there, and it's not easy to actually get started when you don't have the means to do so. These last three months have been the most difficult season for Levi and I. Our marriage is great, there aren't any issues there, and we have almost made it through our first year of marriage,  but financially we have been hit pretty hard. So far, we have survived. We aren't dead. We aren't starving. We aren't homeless.  Making the decision to quit my job was a joint one. We thought long and hard about it, we prayed about it, and we both felt confident that was what we were supposed to do. My job was...

As of April 12, 2017, I have been a stay at home wife. Before Levi and I got married, we discussed what we wanted for our life together, including our jobs/careers. He always wanted to be the provider for the family, have a stay at home wife/mom, and I have always wanted to be that person. Let me start by saying this, no, we are not pregnant, yes, I have had people ask that since I've been "unemployed".  Me working from home has been something that Levi and I have felt for quite some time now and we know that this is the direction that God has lead us towards. We knew that my time at my previous job was going to be coming to an end, but to be honest, we expected me to still be working there at least through the month of May. We expected more time to save up as much as we could, more time to build a plan for what I would be doing once I was home full-time, and more time to figure out where we could minimize our expenses and make sacrifices in order to survive financially...

I recently read a few articles regarding Vice President Mike Pence and his decision to not dine alone with any woman who was not his wife. While I did see comments from people defending his decision, I saw more people bashing him for it and it really got me thinking.  When I was a single gal who had just moved to KC to pursue a better life for myself, I made the decision to be completely, utterly, 100% single. I knew that I moved here out of obedience to what God told me to do and given my history, I understood this meant that I would need to set myself apart from any sort of relationships with the opposite sex. While I won't go into a ton of detail about that at this time, I will say this - not having one-on-one contact whether it be face-to-face, through social media or through text message with anybody of the opposite sex (with the exception of pastors, leaders, or family members) was the best decision I ever made. No, I didn't shun guys who tried to talk to me. I was st...

February 14, 2014. This day will forever be on my list of favorite memories. Also on my list of most nerve-racking memories.  On this particular day, I was packing and loading all of my belongings into my bright red, two-door, Pontiac Grand Prix. I was leaving the home I had known for the previous six months of my life, just outside of Manhattan, KS. Two weeks before, I formally withdrew from Kansas State University, to pick up my entire life and move to Kansas City.  Every Valentine's Day, including this one, for the majority of my teen years, had been the most bitter days I've ever experienced. I remember being upset when I didn't have "the one" special Valentine to spend this "holiday" with. I would be disgusted by all of the mushy posts on social media. I hated all of the stores leading up to this day with their flowers, stuffed animals, and chocolates. I avoided any and all shows or movies that had one bit of romance in them. I couldn't ...

December 1, 2014.  Two years ago today, my grandma passed away after a battle with breast cancer. Her journey was full of ups and downs. One day she would be feeling well and she was able to do everyday things such as work, running errands, and spending time with family. Then, the next day she would feel ill, not have much energy, and be in lots of pain. My grandma was a fighter, the most selfless woman I've ever met, and she had such great love for people, but that's not what I want to focus on here.  While my grandma was one of the greatest human beings I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving, what I want to talk about here is the pain, heartbreak, and loss I experienced after she passed.  I will never forget where I was, what I was doing, and how I felt the moment I found out that she had died. I will never forget the sinking feeling I had in my gut, knowing that I'd never see or speak to my grandma on this side of Heaven again. I'l...

Flash back to spring of 2013. I am 20 years old and I'm in my sophomore year of college. One spring day, I get invited over to one of the star basketball players dorm rooms to watch a basketball game on TV. What starts out as a time of fun and laughter ends up in pain and suffering. I didn't ask for it. I didn't want it. I didn't consent to it. I was raped.  Despite the fact that I had spent the ages of 14-20 willingly giving away pieces of myself and handing over my innocence, I never thought I would experience something like that. The worst part of it all was that someone I trusted told me it was my fault. From that moment on I decided that I would never open up about it again. So there I was, going through each day trying to convince myself that it never happened and trying to pretend that I was okay. I spent the next year torturing myself and stuffing it down further and further in the hopes that it would one day disappear.  Fast forward to January 2014. I have ...

Well, I've officially been married for 23 days, and let me tell you, it has already been a learning experience.  For example: I absolutely cannot get my husband to put the toilet seat down.  Or to close the shower curtain after he's done showering.  Or to push the Keurig back up against the wall when he's done making his coffee in the morning.  Or to make the bed after he wakes up since he is still sleeping when I have to leave for work.  Now, before you go off and tell me that my expectations are too high, or that I am living on fantasy island, or that I'm being an OCD freak, or that I'm being totally and completely ridiculous about these things, please keep reading and hear me out.  Before we got married, I knew that Levi wasn't fond of putting the toilet seat down. I knew that he wasn't an all-star bed maker. I knew that he wasn't as particular about things as I am, and that was perfectly  OK .  In my 23 short years, I have he...