Happy Birthday Brooke!

A year ago today I was very pregnant. I woke up dreading the thought of facing another day of customers at work saying comments like, "You still haven't had that baby yet?" and "Wow, are there two or three in there!?" (People say wonderful things to you when you are pregnant and the pregnancy hormones don't help.)

I felt extra tired and a little "off" when I woke up that morning so I went back to bed for a while. I woke up again a few hours later and decided I was going to go to the hospital and get checked just for the heck of it so I could at least get a break from work for the day. After all, I was two days past due and was wondering when this baby was going to make her grand entrance anyway. (I promise I usually have a good work ethic, just not when I'm nine plus months pregnant).

You can imagine my surprise when I got to the hospital and they told me I was in active labor! The next few hours were a blur as Thomas came to be by my side and doctors and nurses flowed steadily in and out of the room. Seven hours after I arrived at the hospital, my life changed forever.

At 7:56pm Brooke Evangelina was born. Immediately I knew my life would never, ever again be the same. My heart grew ten times that day.




The past year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs as I've adjusted to my new role as a mama. One thing is for sure, I've never loved anyone more!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE!

What a big God we serve...

This is a simple post. I just want to say that I'm humbled to be serving such a big God...such a loving and wonderful God. He is so good. I see Him do amazing things every day...things that could only be from God. He showers me with His blessings. I will praise Him in the good times and in the bad. His truth brings joy beyond anything that the world could ever offer. I cannot imagine living life without Him!

My Gamma Alpha Lambda Girls

I got saved when I was 16 by God's sweet grace. After I was introduced to God's love, I knew I wanted to give up my life to follow Him, whatever that meant. My junior and senior high school years were tough because I really felt like this new me did not fit in. It was a difficult journey discovering who this new me was as opposed to who I had been and it was a lot for a 16 year old girl to sort through, especially in the face of the pressures of high school.

When I went to college and moved into the dorms I met the most amazing group of women. I know without a doubt these women were placed in my life by God. The women were part of a Christian founded sorority named Gamma Alpha Lambda. These women were beautiful and were on fire for God. They had their values in the right place and were smart and funny too. I rushed and joined Gamma Alpha Lambda in Fall of 2004. I became very involved in this sorority holding the philanthropy chair one year and the Vice President of Public Relations position the next. Although I was in an executive position, my sisters in the sorority taught me more than I could have ever taught them.

I am currently a GAL alum and sit on the Board of Directors for Gamma Alpha Lambda. This past weekend we held a leadership conference in Springfield. The executive members from GAL chapters all over Missouri came into town for training on leadership. I had such a wonderful time with these beautiful young ladies. I also got reunited with some fellow GAL alums. We are all grown up now and many of us have started families, but we still share a strong foundation of friendship in our Lord. The weekend was a blast and it gave me such great joy to see what God is still doing through this sorority. I would hate to see where I would be today without the support and relationships I formed in this sorority.

GAL Leadership Conference; Summer, 2010


Alum members Leah Gronewold, Kathleen Sharp, Laura Fenton, Lindsey Batson, Brooke Bayer and Kristen Clasquin.

Lost at Sea

I write hundreds of poems that are too personal to ever see the light of day, but I felt like sharing this one. I am certainly no poet, but the significance of this poem is the story of my life.

As I soak up the day's yellow lace, I contemplate...
Navigate the ship of my past.
Differentiate between the right turns I made
and the rocky waters I sailed due to getting off course.

I spectate it wasn't just the wind
that caused the ship to be lost at sea.

The ship sails, lonely, in the dark...
battered by the wind and waves.
A map saves. A map saves.
A map can show the ship the way
back to land and grass at last.
No longer lost at sea.