A Purposeful Peek

Yesterday was my 33 rd birthday. I woke up early in the morning feeling empowered and filled with great expectation, ready to welcome in a new year with all of the adventures it will bring. I felt hopeful, joyful, and in a mood of celebration.   Until I saw the news headlines, that is… I was jolted out of my elated mood when I read the breaking news about the tragedy in Las Vegas. A feeling of sickness washed over me as I learned of the early details that surrounded the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. How could I possibly celebrate this day, when it will forever go down in history as the worst day of so many people's lives?   --- Two months ago, I had a very special little patient who I'd gotten to know over the many weeks he was in the hospital. This little guy was extra special to me because he was exactly one week older than my own toddler. I bonded with his mother over laughter about life with a two year old, and I constantly tr...

For the past three years since moving to Oklahoma, we get a letter in the mail at least quarterly that looks like this: The name of the donor listed on this letter is a name I do not personally know, and so the first time we received it, I asked my husband who in the world this person is... and what had he done that caused this person to donate in his name?! My husband smiles each time and says he was just doing his job. At Wake Forest, JJ was known throughout the entire hospital as the "bow tie guy" - the pharmacist who showed up each day dressed in a bow tie, suspenders, and a beard. He always brought corny jokes and a willingness to go above and beyond to serve his patients. As manager of the Specialty Pharmacy, JJ did a lot more than simply filling a prescription; he regularly met with patients to educate them on their disease and therapy, called them at home to follow up, visited them when they came to clinic appointments, and checked in on them when they were ...

THREE.  Three is the number of balance. When we were only two people, you came into our world and brought a most perfect balance we never knew we needed, when we became three. You made us parents and have taught us more than we could have ever fathomed about life, joy, and love. Three is the number of time.  Beginning. Middle. End. Past. Present. Future. Time with you seems to fly by and yet stand still all the same. You have flourished before our eyes into a fiercely independent, thoughtfully compassionate, joyfully persistent little girl. You were wide eyed and drinking in the sights and sounds of the world around you from the moment you were born, and you continue to seek adventure wherever you go. Curious and intuitive, you explore every boundary and exceed our wildest expectations. Time with you is a sweet past, an invigorating present, and a promising future.    Photo by HolliB Three is the number in the trinity. F...

Today was appropriately a gray, rainy day. It's as if the whole world was grieving. Two days ago, I drove to work under the most beautiful rainbow, a sign of promise that filled me with hope. Hope for a miracle beyond the medical circumstance that held him captive. His small body, racked by a blood disease that showed no mercy, had undergone a bone marrow transplant many weeks ago. But the cells infused into his body that were supposed to save his life now lay dormant, as a virus raged against all efforts to control it. I stood at his bedside with his mother, praying over the new medication we were to start that day. It had been a long road for this faithful family who already knew so much loss, and we were believing for a story of beauty from ashes. We declared that he would live to proclaim God's glory, and that his testimony would be one for the ages. I had only known this family for the time that they had been in the hospital, but it seemed like I had carried this boy...

The summer of 2017 is one I never want to forget. It was a summer of the sweetest moments between sisters, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles --- all a part of the family that I feel incredibly blessed to call mine! Having a photographer in the family made it all the more memorable, as my amazing brother in law was able to capture so many images of these people who made it a summer of LOVE. (Photos by Gib Park Photography, unless otherwise noted) Summer of COUSIN Love: Levi (6), Adeline (infant), Charlotte (2), Liberty (2), and Nathanael (4) had the best time connecting, especially since they have lived apart from each other for the past year overseas. Baby Adeline fit right into this cousin crew, and the way these 5 laughed, played, got into mischief, snuggled, and even argued like siblings was truly a highlight of this summer. Five different personalities, all with a ton of energy, kept us laughing (and running) all summer long.  Photo by Ta...

Last night, I was awakened at midnight, 3am, and now 6am by cries from a tiny person just down the hallway. Nurse, rock, place in crib. Repeat. Every 3 hours. She's now 8 months old, but it almost feels like we've started over in the newborn phase. Having previously slept through the night, teething and growth spurts have now thrown us off schedule, and the sleep regression is real. We've made another huge change that also affects our nights... we've officially moved the sisters into a room together! This was a big milestone for both of our girls this past month, as our toddler has never known anything different than having her own room, and our baby has only known life sleeping a few feet away from me. But soon after the she turned 7 months old, we knew it was time for the roommate situation to change, and so we did the thing. Some people thought we were crazy. Many friends and even family watched with hesitation as I proudly announced that we were moving our ...

Addie Grace, Seven months have flown by, and you continue to grace us with your sweetness, cuddles, and thigh rolls. We simply can't get enough. There are so many things to say about how you've started sitting up, are babbling more (I  swear   you're already saying "Momma"!), and giggling all of the time... but for now, I think I'll just sum up this month with this... This month your Uncle Gib, a talented photographer, gave us the gift of a Mommy/daughter photoshoot! We will cherish these photos forever, as they capture your innocence and beauty:  We love you SO much, little lady! You are such a gift. Love always,  Momma and Daddy Oh... and this might be my favorite one of you... ; )  **Photos by Gib Park Photography**