My First Speeding Ticket | Monday Musings

My First Speeding Ticket | Monday Musings

Sigh. The title of this blog just makes me cringe, and it has taken me a month to share. But in June I got my first speeding ticket. I was traveling home from surprising my dad for Father's Day weekend, driving on a road parallel to the interstate. I truly thought the speed limit was about 55mph...turns out it was 35 instead. As soon as I saw the lowered limit I slowed way down but just as I did, a police car pulled out behind me and my stomach dropped.

He clocked me driving 59mph in a 35mph zone. I was so shaken up that I remember thinking, "whew, at least I was only going 14 over...otherwise it would be reckless driving!" When I did the math again, though, I realized how fast I was traveling. While I truly did not mean to drive that fast - and honestly I never do! - I knew it was my fault for not noticing the speed limit sign.

The officer walked up and asked for my license and registration. I just sat there praying he would have mercy on me for some strange reason. ..

Happy Birthday, Lilo! | Personal

Happy Birthday, Lilo! | Personal

A few months after Nathan and I got married he started his master's degree online. This was before I ever began my photography business and I'll admit - I very quickly got bored and lonely. As he spent long hours toiling over math problems I could not understand I filled my time with any and everything I could. Still, it just didn't seem like enough.

So in the natural course of married life I decided that I wanted a dog. My dream dog was an Irish setter or a standard poodle, but with Nathan allergic to dander and our condo with no yard, neither was an option. Instead we settled on a cockapoo and I drove about 3 hours to pick up this squirmy black puppy we found...

How to Help a Friend through Grief | Monday Musings

How to Help a Friend through Grief | Monday Musings

This blog has been on my heart for a long time, but I have hesitated to write it because it’s a hard thing to talk about. Though I had experienced loss before, losing Joel made me face true grief in a new and bigger way. We truly could not have made it through that time without our friends, family, and the community that lifted us up as we grieved, both then and now.

One of the biggest blessings to me was that everyone treated Joel like he was our son – because in our hearts he truly is. I was afraid that others would not understand our grief because we never actually got to take him home, and yet the opposite was true. Each person who spoke to us did so with grace, gentleness, and compassion, knowing that we had indeed lost a son...