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One of the happiest Halloweens I can remember! Esther was a sheep, Joel was a wolf, Samson was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I was Bo Peep. The rest of the fam were Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, and Madame Rosmerta. How fun to have an excuse to go trick or treating again! What a nostalgia rush to race from porch lit door to porch lit door in the chilly dusk, wearing a costume unsuited for the weather, to rack up smiles and sweets as other creative characters go by. So grateful for the time spent with family much sweeter than candy. 🎃👻🍭🍫🍬
Scroll to the end for a video of me becoming a finalist in a limbo contest with a bunch of seven year olds 😂

One of the happiest Halloweens I can remember! Esther was a sheep, Joel was a wolf, Samson was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I was Bo Peep. The rest of the fam were Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, and Madame Rosmerta. How fun to have an excuse to go trick or treating again! What a nostalgia rush to race from porch lit door to porch lit door in the chilly dusk, wearing a costume unsuited for the weather, to rack up smiles and sweets as other creative characters go by. So grateful for the time spent with family much sweeter than candy. 🎃👻🍭🍫🍬
Scroll to the end for a video of me becoming a finalist in a limbo contest with a bunch of seven year olds 😂

Wow, for as dirty as one gets on a camping trip, it sure does make me feel clean! I love a walk in the woods any time, but in the peak weekend of October is a special sort of medicine. And getting to take our daughter camping in the Gorge for the first time was so rewarding! I was nervous and praying fervently. I thought I knew better than to seek comfort or even success on this trip, but shame on me for having little faith because by the grace of God we received it anyways! Though I know she can’t see perfectly yet, I can tell Esther felt the sense of awe inspired by looking out over those vast ridge lines of God’s glorious creation. She was so peaceful and content to be there. Feeding her by the campfire in a pile of blankets may be the coziest thing I’ve ever done, and she was snug as a bug overnight in her coat suit! 😂🤭 Camping with Esther is not a damper at all. It has rather unlocked a new level of happiness! Every time we go back to the woods I’m amazed at how calm and how right I feel, how the distractions of the world seem to fade and what is truly important seems so much more obvious. I’m always therefore regretful that I don’t make it out more often. But praise God for the solitude and nearness to Him that can be found in nature. For the wonderful balance of it that makes so much sense, for the beautiful way he designed us to live in harmony with His creation, and for the senses and souls He gave us to appreciate Him in it. Also for bright red leaves to collect, coffee to contemplate over, chili to warm us, crisp weather good for hiking, an open campsite to sleep in, able bodies to do our favorite hobby, and His hands to keep us safe. All glory be to Him.💚🍁🥾🌳🔥🪵☕️🍂 #thewoodsaremyhappyplace

Wow, for as dirty as one gets on a camping trip, it sure does make me feel clean! I love a walk in the woods any time, but in the peak weekend of October is a special sort of medicine. And getting to take our daughter camping in the Gorge for the first time was so rewarding! I was nervous and praying fervently. I thought I knew better than to seek comfort or even success on this trip, but shame on me for having little faith because by the grace of God we received it anyways! Though I know she can’t see perfectly yet, I can tell Esther felt the sense of awe inspired by looking out over those vast ridge lines of God’s glorious creation. She was so peaceful and content to be there. Feeding her by the campfire in a pile of blankets may be the coziest thing I’ve ever done, and she was snug as a bug overnight in her coat suit! 😂🤭 Camping with Esther is not a damper at all. It has rather unlocked a new level of happiness! Every time we go back to the woods I’m amazed at how calm and how right I feel, how the distractions of the world seem to fade and what is truly important seems so much more obvious. I’m always therefore regretful that I don’t make it out more often. But praise God for the solitude and nearness to Him that can be found in nature. For the wonderful balance of it that makes so much sense, for the beautiful way he designed us to live in harmony with His creation, and for the senses and souls He gave us to appreciate Him in it. Also for bright red leaves to collect, coffee to contemplate over, chili to warm us, crisp weather good for hiking, an open campsite to sleep in, able bodies to do our favorite hobby, and His hands to keep us safe. All glory be to Him.💚🍁🥾🌳🔥🪵☕️🍂 #thewoodsaremyhappyplace

What a fun day in Louisville with family and friends celebrating our beautiful soon to be bride @ismg333 at a lovely bridal shower hosted by @landry.not.laundry, then going to the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular! 👰🏻‍♀️💍🎃🧡 And I’m so glad that Lois and Esther finally got to meet! 🥰👶🏻🍼 @sabrina_rayne

What a fun day in Louisville with family and friends celebrating our beautiful soon to be bride @ismg333 at a lovely bridal shower hosted by @landry.not.laundry, then going to the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular! 👰🏻‍♀️💍🎃🧡 And I’m so glad that Lois and Esther finally got to meet! 🥰👶🏻🍼 @sabrina_rayne

Esther has chosen her pumpkin and Samson his corn! 🎃💛🧡🌽🌻

Esther has chosen her pumpkin and Samson his corn! 🎃💛🧡🌽🌻

This little milk goblin is 2 months old today! We love her so 🥰💕🌸

This little milk goblin is 2 months old today! We love her so 🥰💕🌸

Picking flowers, painting leaves, and eating fall treats in a fairy lit garden on an October evening was the best way to reminisce on our wedding day. 🥰 Thank you @blackberryridgeflowerfarm for such a lovely experience! 🧚🏼🍄✨🌼

Also we escaped and I made a spice cake which is conveniently what we ate at our wedding! 🥰🍰

Picking flowers, painting leaves, and eating fall treats in a fairy lit garden on an October evening was the best way to reminisce on our wedding day. 🥰 Thank you @blackberryridgeflowerfarm for such a lovely experience! 🧚🏼🍄✨🌼

Also we escaped and I made a spice cake which is conveniently what we ate at our wedding! 🥰🍰

The Hobbits really have it figured out. 💛💐🍯🥖🧀🥔☕️🧙🏻‍♂️🧝🏼‍♀️

@alethiafieldsfarm

The Hobbits really have it figured out. 💛💐🍯🥖🧀🥔☕️🧙🏻‍♂️🧝🏼‍♀️

@alethiafieldsfarm

Posting the horizontals from our newborn shoot before she grows up too much! 💕🌸

Thank you @gillianlynnphotography 😊💕📸

Posting the horizontals from our newborn shoot before she grows up too much! 💕🌸

Thank you @gillianlynnphotography 😊💕📸

A little late to post but Esther Rose is one month old! 🎀🩵👶🏻

She is ever as tiny and petite as a little doll and pink as a rose, and she enjoys sneezing, drinking milk, making peeps, and staring at the ceiling fan.💕

A little late to post but Esther Rose is one month old! 🎀🩵👶🏻

She is ever as tiny and petite as a little doll and pink as a rose, and she enjoys sneezing, drinking milk, making peeps, and staring at the ceiling fan.💕

Stroller skating! 🛼👶🏻 The first of many shenanigans to which Esther will be subjected. Excited to share a giant icy pop with her one day🍧🥰 (sound on for the last video 😆)

Stroller skating! 🛼👶🏻 The first of many shenanigans to which Esther will be subjected. Excited to share a giant icy pop with her one day🍧🥰 (sound on for the last video 😆)

Esther literally cried the whole time but at least Samson understood the assignment. 👶🏻🍼👩🏻‍🍼🌸

📸: @gillianlynnphotography

Esther literally cried the whole time but at least Samson understood the assignment. 👶🏻🍼👩🏻‍🍼🌸

📸: @gillianlynnphotography

September is my favorite month. One day Esther will understand too, but today is not that day (swipe to end). 🍎🍏🧡

September is my favorite month. One day Esther will understand too, but today is not that day (swipe to end). 🍎🍏🧡

Swipe to the end for the most adorable sneeze 🌹♥️

Swipe to the end for the most adorable sneeze 🌹♥️

And today Esther got to meet Auntie Bella and Uncle Brennan! I’m so glad they got to make the trip to see her in her first week. Even though she cried a lot because they wouldn’t let her have any of their cheeseburgers! My heart is full from this week of time with family and friends. 🤗🌸🍋💛 (Followed by a refreshing evening walk in the outdoors which have felt so far away this past week. 💚)

And today Esther got to meet Auntie Bella and Uncle Brennan! I’m so glad they got to make the trip to see her in her first week. Even though she cried a lot because they wouldn’t let her have any of their cheeseburgers! My heart is full from this week of time with family and friends. 🤗🌸🍋💛 (Followed by a refreshing evening walk in the outdoors which have felt so far away this past week. 💚)

We’re so glad that Auntie Heather spontaneously flew in from Branson for a less than 24 hour visit to meet Esther! She taught Esther her exercises and got to do a photoshoot with the beautiful sweaters she made for her and Esther. What a happy time! 👯‍♀️🌸💕 Esther gets to meet Auntie Bella and Uncle Brennan on Saturday! 😊

We’re so glad that Auntie Heather spontaneously flew in from Branson for a less than 24 hour visit to meet Esther! She taught Esther her exercises and got to do a photoshoot with the beautiful sweaters she made for her and Esther. What a happy time! 👯‍♀️🌸💕 Esther gets to meet Auntie Bella and Uncle Brennan on Saturday! 😊

Little Miss Esther Rose is finally here! (8/8/25 @ 4:25pm). All praise be to God for a healthy pregnancy and baby! Need I state that she’s stolen our hearts? The last five days have been the most beautiful life changing journey. On cloud nine. I feel like I’ve been to Narnia.

I woke up at 2:30 Friday morning in active labor and 14 hours of unmedicated back labor later, Esther was finally crying in my arms! An utterly primal and surreal moment I can’t stop replaying in my head when I wake up at night (which is many times). The back labor was so hard and intense because I didn’t really get a break from the pain between contractions, but I can honestly say it was so wild and empowering to experience it so raw. Though it is sadly corrupted by pain, it felt so cool to participate in God’s incredible design for bringing life. Looking back I feel so strong and resilient and elated by the experience of being so present for our daughter’s entrance into the world. I would totally do it unmedicated again!

Joel was and is such an incredible partner through it all. So patient, so grounded, so selfless and serving. If either of us need anything he is there in a millisecond without complaint. My heart bursts with gratitude every time I ponder the goodness of his spirit and watch the way he has fallen head over heels for our daughter.

Esther is just as healthy and peachy as can be. She is my fuzzy wuzzy little hungry caterpillar, my sweet little glow worm, my tiniest little bestie, and truly ever as lovely as a rose. Taking care of her is already an absolute delight and it’s so amazing to be her mom and call her mine. I would say I can’t wait for what the future with her holds, but each minute I’m with her I wish time could just stand still.

What a blessing to share her with so many loved ones over the last few days. We can’t wait for everyone else to meet her! 🩷🌸🌼🌻💐

Little Miss Esther Rose is finally here! (8/8/25 @ 4:25pm). All praise be to God for a healthy pregnancy and baby! Need I state that she’s stolen our hearts? The last five days have been the most beautiful life changing journey. On cloud nine. I feel like I’ve been to Narnia.

I woke up at 2:30 Friday morning in active labor and 14 hours of unmedicated back labor later, Esther was finally crying in my arms! An utterly primal and surreal moment I can’t stop replaying in my head when I wake up at night (which is many times). The back labor was so hard and intense because I didn’t really get a break from the pain between contractions, but I can honestly say it was so wild and empowering to experience it so raw. Though it is sadly corrupted by pain, it felt so cool to participate in God’s incredible design for bringing life. Looking back I feel so strong and resilient and elated by the experience of being so present for our daughter’s entrance into the world. I would totally do it unmedicated again!

Joel was and is such an incredible partner through it all. So patient, so grounded, so selfless and serving. If either of us need anything he is there in a millisecond without complaint. My heart bursts with gratitude every time I ponder the goodness of his spirit and watch the way he has fallen head over heels for our daughter.

Esther is just as healthy and peachy as can be. She is my fuzzy wuzzy little hungry caterpillar, my sweet little glow worm, my tiniest little bestie, and truly ever as lovely as a rose. Taking care of her is already an absolute delight and it’s so amazing to be her mom and call her mine. I would say I can’t wait for what the future with her holds, but each minute I’m with her I wish time could just stand still.

What a blessing to share her with so many loved ones over the last few days. We can’t wait for everyone else to meet her! 🩷🌸🌼🌻💐

Bebe shower part 2! 👶🏻👩🏻‍🍼🚿🌸 Whether we got a picture together or not, thank you to everyone who came for giving your time and sweet gifts! It meant so much to Joel and I, and baby Esther too. 🤗🥰💚

Bebe shower part 2! 👶🏻👩🏻‍🍼🚿🌸 Whether we got a picture together or not, thank you to everyone who came for giving your time and sweet gifts! It meant so much to Joel and I, and baby Esther too. 🤗🥰💚

The most peaceful place 💜🌧️🐝 To have tea ☕️ to pick lavender 🪻 And to paint it too! 🎨 #lavender #BayerFarmsLavender #CrittendenKY @bayerfarms

The most peaceful place 💜🌧️🐝 To have tea ☕️ to pick lavender 🪻 And to paint it too! 🎨 #lavender #BayerFarmsLavender #CrittendenKY @bayerfarms

Sights and scenes of Mackinac. The most peaceful vacation I’ve ever been on. 🌸🚲 #mackinacisland

Sights and scenes of Mackinac. The most peaceful vacation I’ve ever been on. 🌸🚲 #mackinacisland

Maybe it’s that third trimester oxytocin bubbling up, but I sure do feel the deepest love from this man. It was so heart warming and a privilege to have so much quality time with him before our lives vastly turn. He is so patient, loving, friendly, disciplined, smart, hard working, goofy, adventurous, understanding, trustworthy, loyal, and his joyful spirit, kind eyes, and warm smile light up any room. He is so much like Jesus, a servant first in any situation, and I know he is going to be an incredible girl dad! In the tender and careful ways he treats me I get glimpses of the ways he will be with Esther and it always gets me teary eyed. The really rewarding and beautiful thing about marriage and I guess having kids too is you’re always finding new and deeper ways to love and serve each other.

So a big shoutout to him for giving me countless (unrequested) running pushes on my bike when he knew my sciatic hurt too much to take the first peddle, for carefully gathering me flowers in the woods, from the sidewalks, or even from the potted orchids in the men’s bathroom because he knows how happy they make me, for patiently waiting without even a huff or a sigh as I slowly hobbled along on our hikes and stopped to pee a million times, for the giggles, the hand holds, the IT band massages, the patient and kind words, and for all the help and support he has shown over the last few months that serve as proof that although I do not deserve him, God has given me the world’s best parenting partner. 🩷💛🌸🤱🏻👨🏻‍🍼👶🏻

Maybe it’s that third trimester oxytocin bubbling up, but I sure do feel the deepest love from this man. It was so heart warming and a privilege to have so much quality time with him before our lives vastly turn. He is so patient, loving, friendly, disciplined, smart, hard working, goofy, adventurous, understanding, trustworthy, loyal, and his joyful spirit, kind eyes, and warm smile light up any room. He is so much like Jesus, a servant first in any situation, and I know he is going to be an incredible girl dad! In the tender and careful ways he treats me I get glimpses of the ways he will be with Esther and it always gets me teary eyed. The really rewarding and beautiful thing about marriage and I guess having kids too is you’re always finding new and deeper ways to love and serve each other.

So a big shoutout to him for giving me countless (unrequested) running pushes on my bike when he knew my sciatic hurt too much to take the first peddle, for carefully gathering me flowers in the woods, from the sidewalks, or even from the potted orchids in the men’s bathroom because he knows how happy they make me, for patiently waiting without even a huff or a sigh as I slowly hobbled along on our hikes and stopped to pee a million times, for the giggles, the hand holds, the IT band massages, the patient and kind words, and for all the help and support he has shown over the last few months that serve as proof that although I do not deserve him, God has given me the world’s best parenting partner. 🩷💛🌸🤱🏻👨🏻‍🍼👶🏻

I’m so grateful we were blessed with the resources to take this sweet, reflective, and rejuvenating baby moon before we meet our Esther in just two months! 🌹

I’m especially thankful for the presence and solitude we found in the isolation of this 4 mile island that time travels you back to the 1800s, where cars are peacefully banned! 🚫🚙✅🚲🐴It is so easy to tap into God’s presence when distractions are limited and our senses are heightened by His creation and all the good gifts He has allowed us to have. Not only that, but the abilities He’s given us to perceive in such detail the intricacies of His design. He didn’t just create all this for his own pleasure, but made our minds capable of sharing in the wonder. 💛

So on this trip I was grateful for…
✋🏼The sense of touch, to feel the wind whistling around every pore of my skin as we biked around the coast and flew down scenic hills.
👃🏼The sense of smell, to intake the scent of sweet waffle cones on Main Street and moist dirt on the bottoms of fresh plucked woodland forget-me-nots.
👅 The sense of taste, to enjoy blueberry waffle cone ice cream, lilac lattes, and fresh lake fish.
👂🏼 The sense of hearing, to listen to the clip clip of horse shoes and carriage wheels on the streets, the occasional ding of a bicycle bell, the gentle beat of Huron’s waves, and other than that, quietness.
👁️ And of course, the sense of sight, to see lilacs, geraniums, tulips, and wildflowers blooming in every color with some crazy vibrant life, as if we were in some utopian world where plants can never die.

God is good in the valleys and hardships too. But it sure is easy to worship in a place like Mackinac! 🌸🪻💐🌼🌷☀️🌊🍦🚲🐴

I’m so grateful we were blessed with the resources to take this sweet, reflective, and rejuvenating baby moon before we meet our Esther in just two months! 🌹

I’m especially thankful for the presence and solitude we found in the isolation of this 4 mile island that time travels you back to the 1800s, where cars are peacefully banned! 🚫🚙✅🚲🐴It is so easy to tap into God’s presence when distractions are limited and our senses are heightened by His creation and all the good gifts He has allowed us to have. Not only that, but the abilities He’s given us to perceive in such detail the intricacies of His design. He didn’t just create all this for his own pleasure, but made our minds capable of sharing in the wonder. 💛

So on this trip I was grateful for…
✋🏼The sense of touch, to feel the wind whistling around every pore of my skin as we biked around the coast and flew down scenic hills.
👃🏼The sense of smell, to intake the scent of sweet waffle cones on Main Street and moist dirt on the bottoms of fresh plucked woodland forget-me-nots.
👅 The sense of taste, to enjoy blueberry waffle cone ice cream, lilac lattes, and fresh lake fish.
👂🏼 The sense of hearing, to listen to the clip clip of horse shoes and carriage wheels on the streets, the occasional ding of a bicycle bell, the gentle beat of Huron’s waves, and other than that, quietness.
👁️ And of course, the sense of sight, to see lilacs, geraniums, tulips, and wildflowers blooming in every color with some crazy vibrant life, as if we were in some utopian world where plants can never die.

God is good in the valleys and hardships too. But it sure is easy to worship in a place like Mackinac! 🌸🪻💐🌼🌷☀️🌊🍦🚲🐴

🌊🎉3️⃣0️⃣🎂��🌭🍔🍉

🌊🎉3️⃣0️⃣🎂🌭🍔🍉

Thank you to everyone who made our 3️⃣0️⃣th so special, for all the birthday wishes and love and treats! Especially to our sweet boys who treat us so well.🎂

I’m so grateful for the time we got to have in Branson but sometimes the long distance and all our friends and family being so spread out hits extra hard. My heart hurts so much today as I wonder if we will ever all live in the same place again. If home is where the heart is, my home is spread around the country. I’m grateful for the high quality time we get when we are together, but sometimes it opens a wound I thought had healed. It almost hurts to have so much fun together because you know that it will be cut so short. Maybe the older I get the more I realize it’s not so important where you are as it is who you’re with. I have no resolution other than to say to all my long distance friends and family how much I love you and how much you mean to me even though we can’t always be together like we should be. God can still work for good and I trust that He will somehow. He’s all we have to lean on but He is sufficient.

Thank you to everyone who made our 3️⃣0️⃣th so special, for all the birthday wishes and love and treats! Especially to our sweet boys who treat us so well.🎂

I’m so grateful for the time we got to have in Branson but sometimes the long distance and all our friends and family being so spread out hits extra hard. My heart hurts so much today as I wonder if we will ever all live in the same place again. If home is where the heart is, my home is spread around the country. I’m grateful for the high quality time we get when we are together, but sometimes it opens a wound I thought had healed. It almost hurts to have so much fun together because you know that it will be cut so short. Maybe the older I get the more I realize it’s not so important where you are as it is who you’re with. I have no resolution other than to say to all my long distance friends and family how much I love you and how much you mean to me even though we can’t always be together like we should be. God can still work for good and I trust that He will somehow. He’s all we have to lean on but He is sufficient.

Memorial weekend done right! 🇺🇸🌳🥾🛶🍦🍓⚾️🌭⛴️🎆🌟

Memorial weekend done right! 🇺🇸🌳🥾🛶🍦🍓⚾️🌭⛴️🎆🌟

Of all the natural gifts God has given us, strawberries is definitely on my list of favorites! If I had a guess I’d say Heaven will smell as succulent and sweet and nice as fresh picked strawberries. And what a perfectly gorgeous May day He has given us to search for these bright shiny red surprises through the patches! Do you ever just marvel at the vast variety of colors, smells, and tastes God has created, and the deep and detailed senses and minds He has given us to perceive and appreciate them? He is amazing! (Samson enjoyed his fair share too.) 🥰🍓🩵🍃☀️
Strawberry shortcake, strawberry salsa, and strawberry jam are now under way! 😋
#strawberryseason

Of all the natural gifts God has given us, strawberries is definitely on my list of favorites! If I had a guess I’d say Heaven will smell as succulent and sweet and nice as fresh picked strawberries. And what a perfectly gorgeous May day He has given us to search for these bright shiny red surprises through the patches! Do you ever just marvel at the vast variety of colors, smells, and tastes God has created, and the deep and detailed senses and minds He has given us to perceive and appreciate them? He is amazing! (Samson enjoyed his fair share too.) 🥰🍓🩵🍃☀️
Strawberry shortcake, strawberry salsa, and strawberry jam are now under way! 😋
#strawberryseason

First trip to the Gorge with the *four* of us, but also the last trip before our *daughter* becomes way more high maintenance than just chilling in my body 😂🌸🩷. We still can’t wait to take her camping post-womb! Only 3.5 more months until we meet her. 😁🏕️ 🥾🚣🏻‍♀️🔥💦🍕 #redrivergorge #miguels

First trip to the Gorge with the *four* of us, but also the last trip before our *daughter* becomes way more high maintenance than just chilling in my body 😂🌸🩷. We still can’t wait to take her camping post-womb! Only 3.5 more months until we meet her. 😁🏕️ 🥾🚣🏻‍♀️🔥💦🍕 #redrivergorge #miguels

Thank you, Singin’ in the Rain, for the memories, the laughs, the dancing, and the opportunity to be onstage with my baby’s first show! 🎉 Being five and a half months pregnant by our closing weekend was something I was definitely nervous for, but I’m relieved to say I made it through! 😂🤰🏻💃🏼💪🏻 Glory and praise be to God for getting to do what we love.💜 I love you, CLP family! Until next time! 🤩❤️☔️🎭

Thank you, Singin’ in the Rain, for the memories, the laughs, the dancing, and the opportunity to be onstage with my baby’s first show! 🎉 Being five and a half months pregnant by our closing weekend was something I was definitely nervous for, but I’m relieved to say I made it through! 😂🤰🏻💃🏼💪🏻 Glory and praise be to God for getting to do what we love.💜 I love you, CLP family! Until next time! 🤩❤️☔️🎭

We thought it was fitting to take these photos at Table Rock Lake because it has meant so much to me and now inherently us over the last six years. Like a loyal friend it has been there for summer swims, autumn runs, winter walks, and spring picnics. It was the place of my first of many contracts in Branson, MO, and has been the source of inspiration for much of my writing over the years. The place for “parent trap nights,” boat days, cabin stays, and hammock sways. From kayaking a pizza across its banks at sunset to floating off its shores in the summer rays, it has been a place of adventure. From sailing smoothly under the stars at night to hanging a hammock just high enough to let the waves lick my feet, it has taught me to stop and observe. From hosting birthdays to bachelorettes to family reunions it has been a place of celebration. From tap dancing on the showboat as we traversed its waters at golden hour, to learning to love to run on its waterside trail, it has been a place where I’ve been challenged and tried new things. We have soil from its banks planted in our wedding tree, and this is also the very spot where we got engaged one Christmas Eve. Whenever we didn’t know what to do, we went to the lake. With so many ways that it feels like home, I don’t think there could be a more fitting place, and I can’t wait to take Baby H there to experience the friendly inviting beauty of its cotton candy waters. 💙

(A special shoutout to @heathernm73 and @bstolf12 for always being there and capturing two of our biggest milestone moments! 📸❤️)

We thought it was fitting to take these photos at Table Rock Lake because it has meant so much to me and now inherently us over the last six years. Like a loyal friend it has been there for summer swims, autumn runs, winter walks, and spring picnics. It was the place of my first of many contracts in Branson, MO, and has been the source of inspiration for much of my writing over the years. The place for “parent trap nights,” boat days, cabin stays, and hammock sways. From kayaking a pizza across its banks at sunset to floating off its shores in the summer rays, it has been a place of adventure. From sailing smoothly under the stars at night to hanging a hammock just high enough to let the waves lick my feet, it has taught me to stop and observe. From hosting birthdays to bachelorettes to family reunions it has been a place of celebration. From tap dancing on the showboat as we traversed its waters at golden hour, to learning to love to run on its waterside trail, it has been a place where I’ve been challenged and tried new things. We have soil from its banks planted in our wedding tree, and this is also the very spot where we got engaged one Christmas Eve. Whenever we didn’t know what to do, we went to the lake. With so many ways that it feels like home, I don’t think there could be a more fitting place, and I can’t wait to take Baby H there to experience the friendly inviting beauty of its cotton candy waters. 💙

(A special shoutout to @heathernm73 and @bstolf12 for always being there and capturing two of our biggest milestone moments! 📸❤️)

On this rather gloomy first day of spring, let’s think of something happy, like Baby Haskin coming in August! We’re so excited for the journey of being parents and would appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby! 💟💟💟

On this rather gloomy first day of spring, let’s think of something happy, like Baby Haskin coming in August! We’re so excited for the journey of being parents and would appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby! 💟💟💟

I never have high expectations for Valentine’s Day but he always makes it special. He took me on a tour of the Music Hall and we got to stand on the stage, and see this beautiful massive organ play “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It brought me to tears! Live music is so arresting, especially when it’s such a nostalgic song from my childhood. It hit me straight in the soul.💘💌 We finished the night with dinner, strawberry cake, and Downton Abbey. I love him so! 🥰🌹🍽️🇬🇧☕️🍰🍓

I never have high expectations for Valentine’s Day but he always makes it special. He took me on a tour of the Music Hall and we got to stand on the stage, and see this beautiful massive organ play “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It brought me to tears! Live music is so arresting, especially when it’s such a nostalgic song from my childhood. It hit me straight in the soul.💘💌 We finished the night with dinner, strawberry cake, and Downton Abbey. I love him so! 🥰🌹🍽️🇬🇧☕️🍰🍓

What a joy it is to dance. Especially amongst such beautiful art, beautiful music, beautiful people, and in a beautiful space. 😊

#artafterdark @honeyandhouston @cincyartmuseum @ponesinc @_hey_ian_timothy_

What a joy it is to dance. Especially amongst such beautiful art, beautiful music, beautiful people, and in a beautiful space. 😊

#artafterdark @honeyandhouston @cincyartmuseum @ponesinc @_hey_ian_timothy_

Thanks @_hey_ian_timothy_ for this cool promo video, and for being an awesome choreographer and dance partner! I hope you’ll come to the @cincyartmuseum for Art After Dark tonight! The free event starts at 5:00, with live music from @honeyandhouston and @ponesin performances happening throughout the night. I believe our duet is around 7:30! 🙂

Thanks @_hey_ian_timothy_ for this cool promo video, and for being an awesome choreographer and dance partner! I hope you’ll come to the @cincyartmuseum for Art After Dark tonight! The free event starts at 5:00, with live music from @honeyandhouston and @ponesin performances happening throughout the night. I believe our duet is around 7:30! 🙂

🎶When we’re together, I have everything on my list, and when we’re together, I have all I’ve wished.🎶 The rare moments we are all together may not be high in quantity but that makes them extra high in quality. The closeness is real, the love is pure, the laughs are plenty, and these times feel so special. I am so grateful for them. ❤️🎄🌟

🎶When we’re together, I have everything on my list, and when we’re together, I have all I’ve wished.🎶 The rare moments we are all together may not be high in quantity but that makes them extra high in quality. The closeness is real, the love is pure, the laughs are plenty, and these times feel so special. I am so grateful for them. ❤️🎄🌟

Christmas! ✨🎄🍊☕️🛷⛸️❄️🏠

Christmas! ✨🎄🍊☕️🛷⛸️❄️🏠

Blessed to have so many people and places that I can call home. ❤️ There’s nothing like Christmas in Branson! 🎄✨🌟

Blessed to have so many people and places that I can call home. ❤️ There’s nothing like Christmas in Branson! 🎄✨🌟

A fun quick overnighter at the Gorge! 🏞️🌳🥾🗺️🧭

A fun quick overnighter at the Gorge! 🏞️🌳🥾🗺️🧭

A happy opening to the cast of Annie Jr! Featuring the many adorable and star striking faces of Sandy. ❤️🐶🐾🤩 @royal_theatre_company #anniejr

A happy opening to the cast of Annie Jr! Featuring the many adorable and star striking faces of Sandy. ❤️🐶🐾🤩 @royal_theatre_company #anniejr

Yo-ho ☠️🏴‍☠️ still working on our pirate faces…

Yo-ho ☠️🏴‍☠️ still working on our pirate faces…

We don’t really get trick or treaters on our street so it was fun to stay in and watch a couple Ghostbusters with this glorious soup and ghosty cookies! 🎃👻

We don’t really get trick or treaters on our street so it was fun to stay in and watch a couple Ghostbusters with this glorious soup and ghosty cookies! 🎃👻

Sunflower season 💛🌾🌻🌻🌻☀️💙

Sunflower season 💛🌾🌻🌻🌻☀️💙

On this third anniversary I’ll take the opportunity to dote on the most Christ-like man I know. This man is a hero, a solid rock to depend on. He will drop whatever he’s doing to help anyone. He is patient, kind, and the epitome of selflessness. His treatment of others is filled with grace and compassion. He is trustworthy, straightforward, hardworking, and determined to do whatever he does to the best of his ability. He is a wonderful example to all who know him, and I’m so glad to spend every day with him in hopes that his goodness rubs off on me! Not to mention he is the best adventure buddy, appreciator of the arts, and tinkerer, and puzzle solver. God blessed me richly when he brought Joel into my life. I know whatever the future holds, I can face it boldly with God as our guide and the world’s best partner.

On this third anniversary I’ll take the opportunity to dote on the most Christ-like man I know. This man is a hero, a solid rock to depend on. He will drop whatever he’s doing to help anyone. He is patient, kind, and the epitome of selflessness. His treatment of others is filled with grace and compassion. He is trustworthy, straightforward, hardworking, and determined to do whatever he does to the best of his ability. He is a wonderful example to all who know him, and I’m so glad to spend every day with him in hopes that his goodness rubs off on me! Not to mention he is the best adventure buddy, appreciator of the arts, and tinkerer, and puzzle solver. God blessed me richly when he brought Joel into my life. I know whatever the future holds, I can face it boldly with God as our guide and the world’s best partner.

📍Glacier National Park🗺️ (2/2)
It wasn’t a vacation, it was an adventure! Carrying your food and shelter over any mileage is no joke, but especially when climbing up and down rocky mountainous trails. During the last few days in the backcountry we kept our weary battered bodies perky by stooping down to pick handfuls of wild huckleberries from the vibrant red bushes that lined the trails. I know why the grizzlies like them. Huckleberries are so delicious! I’m sad that they are such a localized food, so we made sure to try as much as we could while in the area. We had huckleberry pie, huckleberry ice cream, huckleberry scone, huckleberry chocolate fudge, and huckleberry jam and syrup to take home. Every bite of what we’ve tried has been to die for! And there was something reviving about that wild juicy burst on the tongue delivered freely by the earth while traversing tiresome trails. I’ve always thought Joel’s spirit animal was a bear. This trip confirmed it. He kept stopping behind me to feast and I’d have to keep him moving. 😂 I’m so glad I have an adventure buddy who enjoys the woods and mountains as much as I do. And I’m glad to have spent a week in the huckleberry region! 🫐🐻
#glaciernationalpark #huckleberries #backcountry #camping

📍Glacier National Park🗺️ (2/2)
It wasn’t a vacation, it was an adventure! Carrying your food and shelter over any mileage is no joke, but especially when climbing up and down rocky mountainous trails. During the last few days in the backcountry we kept our weary battered bodies perky by stooping down to pick handfuls of wild huckleberries from the vibrant red bushes that lined the trails. I know why the grizzlies like them. Huckleberries are so delicious! I’m sad that they are such a localized food, so we made sure to try as much as we could while in the area. We had huckleberry pie, huckleberry ice cream, huckleberry scone, huckleberry chocolate fudge, and huckleberry jam and syrup to take home. Every bite of what we’ve tried has been to die for! And there was something reviving about that wild juicy burst on the tongue delivered freely by the earth while traversing tiresome trails. I’ve always thought Joel’s spirit animal was a bear. This trip confirmed it. He kept stopping behind me to feast and I’d have to keep him moving. 😂 I’m so glad I have an adventure buddy who enjoys the woods and mountains as much as I do. And I’m glad to have spent a week in the huckleberry region! 🫐🐻
#glaciernationalpark #huckleberries #backcountry #camping

📍Glacier National Park 🗺️ (1/2)
A beautiful whirlwind trip 2 years in the making, driving 30 hours to Montana and back, with 5 days/40 miles of day hiking and back country camping in between! Our bodies are beat but our eyes are refreshed with views that look like Kinkaide paintings and wildlife sightings. We hiked along ridge lines, to a glacier, around lakes, and through forested valleys and got to see grizzlies, moose, mountain goats, deer families, and my favorite was running into 4 big horned sheep right on the trail. Gods vast creation is remarkable!

We’re still somewhere in North Dakota on our way home. See the end for pics of the journey there. We stopped for ice cream in Minnesota, got to see the Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and car camped on the outskirts of Glacier before heading in for our first day. I had never been straight across the northern part of the country before. It was amazing how flat it was in North Dakota, only to have random mountains spring up here and there. The clear night sky yielded so many stars with no hills to block them. At the end of our first night driving the Big Dipper was hanging so hugely over the horizon, it looked like the earth was the table it sat on. So magnificent. Also, cooking breakfast in the wilderness remains one of my favorite things.
🏔️🐻🫐🫎🏕️
#backpacking #glaciernationalpark #nationalparks #hiking

📍Glacier National Park 🗺️ (1/2)
A beautiful whirlwind trip 2 years in the making, driving 30 hours to Montana and back, with 5 days/40 miles of day hiking and back country camping in between! Our bodies are beat but our eyes are refreshed with views that look like Kinkaide paintings and wildlife sightings. We hiked along ridge lines, to a glacier, around lakes, and through forested valleys and got to see grizzlies, moose, mountain goats, deer families, and my favorite was running into 4 big horned sheep right on the trail. Gods vast creation is remarkable!

We’re still somewhere in North Dakota on our way home. See the end for pics of the journey there. We stopped for ice cream in Minnesota, got to see the Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and car camped on the outskirts of Glacier before heading in for our first day. I had never been straight across the northern part of the country before. It was amazing how flat it was in North Dakota, only to have random mountains spring up here and there. The clear night sky yielded so many stars with no hills to block them. At the end of our first night driving the Big Dipper was hanging so hugely over the horizon, it looked like the earth was the table it sat on. So magnificent. Also, cooking breakfast in the wilderness remains one of my favorite things.
🏔️🐻🫐🫎🏕️
#backpacking #glaciernationalpark #nationalparks #hiking

From village to ballroom 📖💛 @cceventscincinnati

From village to ballroom 📖💛 @cceventscincinnati

🍁nothing makes it feel like fall like a stroll through the apple trees 🥰🍂🍏🍎

🍁nothing makes it feel like fall like a stroll through the apple trees 🥰🍂🍏🍎

The best family beach trip ever! I love you all so much. It’s not right that we all live in different states. Time with you is too special. 😔 I miss you already. Thanks for a wonderful week of warmth, laughs, wildness, and riotous night swims. Until Christmas. 🩵

The best family beach trip ever! I love you all so much. It’s not right that we all live in different states. Time with you is too special. 😔 I miss you already. Thanks for a wonderful week of warmth, laughs, wildness, and riotous night swims. Until Christmas. 🩵

🌊☀️🧡⛵️🧜🏻‍♀️🌕

🌊☀️🧡⛵️🧜🏻‍♀️🌕

It’s peach season! 🌳🍑🍶🥧 #peachesandcream #peachpie #peachcobbler

It’s peach season! 🌳🍑🍶🥧 #peachesandcream #peachpie #peachcobbler

Nothing like a weekend in the woods! Made the super spontaneous decision yesterday, packed up our stuff super quick, did a nighttime hike to camp, and got to have breakfast on a bluff before hiking Samson up Cloud Splitter(quite a feat), going for a swim, and of course stopping at Miguel’s. A trip to the Gorge never disappoints. What a great way to seal off the last day of summer camps! I’m ready for that back to school feeling. 🤓🍕🌳🌄

Nothing like a weekend in the woods! Made the super spontaneous decision yesterday, packed up our stuff super quick, did a nighttime hike to camp, and got to have breakfast on a bluff before hiking Samson up Cloud Splitter(quite a feat), going for a swim, and of course stopping at Miguel’s. A trip to the Gorge never disappoints. What a great way to seal off the last day of summer camps! I’m ready for that back to school feeling. 🤓🍕🌳🌄

Spice cabinet overhaul 💥 #organization #getorganized #cozyhome

Spice cabinet overhaul 💥 #organization #getorganized #cozyhome

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