DelightStruck

So sometimes God messes with our best laid plans, and contrary to our disbelief, He knows exactly what He's doing. Well, because He's been doing it forever. Think Abraham... Sarah... Mary... Elizabeth and Zachariah, and the list goes on. Because I'm a writer at heart, I think of it in this way, which I'm sure isn't how God thinks of it, but it's how my head works... they each had a plot twist, and it ended up being a pivotal moment on their faith journey. Well, friends our family had one of those plot twists a few weeks ago. For the last year we have homeschooled both kiddos, after quite a few years in public school. I adored the experience of being their teacher and watching them learn this last year, but after much discussion, we decided with our recent move and my growing freelance workload, that we would apply to a Catholic school near our new home. The same school I attended as a young girl. We were so excited at the thought of continued academic excellen...

Coach Man is a creature of habit. When he finds something he loves, he stays with it. Whether diet Dew, Texas BBQ sandwiches, The Office episodes, his gorgeous wife or vacation spots. And something about South Haven, Michigan has landed it on his annual summer must do list. Yes, this Indiana girl loves it too, but Coach Man, says it's a yearly must. We went for a few days this summer in very early June (which I say is the best time to go, great temps, no crowds). Last year we did July. I tried to sneak it a short excursion over to Saugatuck Michigan for dinner. Nope. Sorry, Saugatuck.  So why does he love it so? Let me count the ways. It's a short drive from Indy. Only 3.5 hours.  We pass through South Bend. Do you know what's in South Bend? Another favorite of the Coach Man. #playlikeachampiontoday  It's a beach, but without jellyfish. Life is slower up there.  People are friendly.  There's a quaint walkable downtown with vintage T-shirt ...

Music has always spoken to my soul. I can't sing worth a darn, but I'm an avid listener and carpool karaoker. I love all sorts of genres - pop, country, classical, show tunes, jazz, hip hop... There's not much I don't like, well, maybe some of the stuff on Coach Man's playlist, but even that sometimes grows on me, oh and the Caillou theme song, but who really loves that? Songs take me back to places, songs make me feel, and they make me ponder. While on a short Michigan trip with the family this summer, Roo boy put his headphones on my ears and said Mom don't you like this one? It was I Like Me Better by Lauv . Yes, yes, I do, but I change it up a little in my head. Doesn't everyone? It makes me think of how far Coach Man and I have come over our 18 married years. Yes, there have been more than a few bumps in the road, but I do like me better as his wife. I'm absolutely sure this was my vocation. Not a doubt in my soul. But moreover, I like me bette...

Over the course of my life, I've often had thoughts run through my head that started out, girls like me don't... Girls like me don't wear sleeveless anything. Girls like me don't become cheerleaders. Girls like me don't bust a move at wedding receptions. Girls like me don't wear red lipstick. Girls like me don't hang out with girls like her. Girls like me don't give presentations up in front of everyone. Girls like me d on't become the boss. Girls like me don't dabble in fashion. Girls like me don't do sporty things. Girls like me don't go in front of the camera. Girls like me don't  karaoke. Girls like me don't  succeed at diets. Girls like me don't have their dreams come true. And so on and so on. There have been times when I've overcome some of those don'ts , but for most of my life I've often let fear win. I've believed the lies of the don'ts . I have a feeling it's happened to you a time ...

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School and the Lou. I had been asking my mom about joining a swim team. I even explored some bigger local year round swim teams and tried out, but they seemed a little too big to me. I had loved my Goldfish Swim School lessons at the Fishers location and my mom remembered they had a swim team too! Swim Force. We're lucky because there is a Goldfish Swim School near our new house in Carmel. My mom called and I'm now on practice number 3 with Swim Force at the Carmel Goldfish Swim School! I'm loving it. The way the pool is set-up is different from when I did lessons. They move the lane ropes and now we swim the whole length of the pool as we work on all the strokes. It's so fun and I love all the coaches. Sometimes it's hard work, but I don't want to quit. I want to get better and better, plus they make learning the strokes so fun with games. My favorite is the Catch Up freestyle drill. However, I thought they were...

The year I finally took a leap of faith and embarked on trying to live the life I had always wanted to live, but deep down had always been too afraid to, a wise co-worker (an engineer - go figure), asked me a question that became an important catalyst for change in my life. What was the question? A simple but profound one.  He asked: How many summers do you have left?  Say what?  Not as in how many summers until my own journey comes to an end, but how many summers left that my sweet babies are little. He advised that it's important to make the summers count, build the memories and be fully in the moments that matter, because before you know it, your kids are 18 and on their way to their own adventures. The day he asked me how many summers the answer was 9 and 13. Now the answer is 6 and 10. As they say, time waits for no one. I'm sad I wasted so many summers. Now don't get me wrong, we did fun things over the summers like local museums, the pool, festival...

When you're Dave Ramsey-ing it up, gift giving can be a conundrum. You want to stay the course and reach your goals, but it's also fun to celebrate those you love as well. In late 2017, Coach Man and I began to try to think about gift giving in a whole new way. It was the first year that we didn't go overboard on Christmas and have regrets come January. We're beginning to see that gifts aren't always necessary, and often the gift of time is more precious. That's not to say there aren't times when a gift is appropriate and your heart just wants to do it. I'd say for this mama it's when a moment calls most for a delightstruck gift. Something within your budget and full of meaning. This past weekend was one of those. It was my MIL's 60th birthday. A milestone and definitely a day to celebrate someone we all love dearly. My sister-in-law and I put on our thinking caps to identify the perfect gift! It started the weekend before! We had the c...