A Purposeful Peek

Dear thirties, I've been told that you are the "new twenties"... that life in my thirties will continue to get sweeter and life experiences will be even richer... that my family, friendships, and career will bloom into their full potential and that I will have a new perspective on my priorities.  While I am ready to embrace this new season, I am cherishing this last week in my twenties. No offense to you, thirty, but my last decade is going to be pretty hard to beat... it's been filled with some of the most incredible adventures and personal growth that I can imagine. So, before I enter into a new decade this week, I want to reflect on some of the highlights of my twenties... Fell in love with... God's heart for the nations My husband Our first baby First learned how to... Live on my own Drive the speed limit Skydive Snowboard Sell a house Buy a house Completed... 9 moves (thanks, Mom and Dad!) Doctorate degree Pharmacy residency Pediatric spe...

It's becoming increasingly clear to me that I may very well learn more from my child than she will ever learn from me. I don't mean that she is some type of child prodigy and was born with infinite amounts of wisdom; rather, I am beginning to see how God is teaching me truths about Himself, about life, and about myself through the experience of raising this baby girl. Today is Sunday, a day of rest. And that's quite ironic, because Charlotte seems to want to do ANYTHING except rest. She has been fidgety, fussy, tearful, and wide-eyed. All. Day. Long.  In fact, right now, I am sitting in her nursery listening to her try to fight her way out of the swaddle, tossing and turning in her crib, and fighting sleep with every ounce of her being.  I've learned that if she is awake for more than 2 hours at a time, she becomes "over-tired" and nearly impossible to console. As her momma, I know that what she needs most right now is rest. The thing she needs most is the...

Charlottte Ann, Our sweet Charli-Girl, Cuddle Bug, Little Sunshine. HOW is it possible that you are one month old today?! Surely we were just bringing you home from the hospital, the longest drive home of our lives, and rocking you in your big white nursery chair for the first time to stare at your sweet face and soak in the fact that we are now officially parents ... Coming home from the hospital! You've come a long way from that very first night home, when I wondered how I would ever sleep again - partly because I wanted to stay awake and listen to your breathing, and partly because you refused to be further away than in my arms, alternating between constant eating and sleeping. You are now sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night, and while you still love to be held as you sleep, you also don't mind being placed in your swing or Pack -n- Play, both which are just steps away from our bed. You've spent some very long nights being soothed by your Momma, and you a...

In our house we don't just celebrate birthdays...we celebrate birth weeks! We love celebrating each day of the birth week in a different way - with small gifts, acts of service, fun outings, etc.  Today wraps up JJ's big week of celebration: Monday, we had family time all day with our favorite little girl. Tuesday (the actual birthday) JJ worked all day but that night we celebrated with a home cooked meal (a pretty BIG deal, considering I don't normally cook...add a newborn on top of that, and this was truly a recipe for an act of service from yours truly...I even braved the grocery store solo for the first time with our baby! ; ) He unwrapped his gift,  a Jawbone activity tracker, and became enthralled with learning about this new gadget. Wednesday, I surprised JJ with a fun outing to the shooting range with my Dad. Thursday, another day working for JJ and another home cooked meal by me. Friday, we had a special brunch date (Mimi babysat for us!) and movie night on the co...

Eight years ago, I was sitting in class a few rows behind my future husband, unbeknownst to me. Seven years ago, we ran our first 1/2 marathon together at Virginia Beach and officially began dating. Six years ago, we road tripped across the country together, visiting different residency programs and dreaming of where our next adventure would take us. Five years ago, JJ proposed to me on a moonlit Virginia Beach the night before our annual Labor Day 1/2 marathon. Four years ago, we wore out I-40 between Asheville and Winston-Salem, NC, making weekend trips to visit each other during our residencies. Three years ago, we said "I DO" in an intimate outdoor wedding in Oklahoma City, surrounded by 200 of our family and closest friends. Two weeks ago, we welcomed our first baby and became a family of three! One thing is for certain... life with this man has been my greatest adventure! Happy 3 year Anniversary!!! Favorite, L

Happy Labor Day! Today, Labor Day takes on a new meaning for me... I can't think of a day more fitting on which to remember this day two weeks ago when I was literally in  labor ! It is still surreal to think back on the details of that day- the most intense, yet rewarding day of my life. Really, though, our story of labor started nine months ago, when JJ and I made the decision that we wanted to prepare for a natural labor.  We realize each birth experience is different for each person, and there is no one right way to deliver a baby into the world.  I've had many friends who swear by an epidural, c-section, or induction of labor; I respect each of these as a personal decision (and a decision which was sometimes out of their control). Things happen during the labor process that are unpredictable; however, we decided to plan for the best case scenario and realize that ultimately the process would be in God's hands, not ours. Many people have asked me "Why ...

My heart has never been happier!  On a stormy Monday night, August 18th at 9:50pm, our lives were forever changed when Charlotte Ann entered this world.  This sweet 7 lb 15 oz bundle of joy arrived after 28 hours of natural labor and instantly stole the hearts of everyone around her with her deep blue eyes, perfect pink lips, and head full of thick strawberry blonde hair. As I mentioned in this post , I love learning about the significance behind names, and we wanted our daughter's name to be very meaningful... Charlotte is a name we have always loved - classic and sweet, feminine and strong, not to mention a great Southern name! But,  it wasn't until we truly looked at the meaning of this name that we decided it was perfect for our daughter.  Charlotte is the feminine diminutive form of Charles and holds the meaning " free man" in its French origin. Over the past year, as we had prayed for this pregnancy and endured a season of waiting , God lead us t...

August has finally arrived...The month I've been waiting for since last December when we found out we were pregnant! It seemed like it would never get here, and now that it has, we continue to wait. We wait for the moment when we get to welcome our sweet baby girl into the world and meet her face to face. We wait for the journey of parenthood to begin with all of it's adventures, both exhilarating and terrifying. Isn't waiting a funny thing? We spend a lot of our lives "waiting" on things to happen. Waiting on stoplights to turn, elevators to come, seasons to change, test results to be reported. Waiting on Mr./Mrs. "right," getting pregnant, finding the perfect job, reaching retirement. So what do we do when we find ourselves in a season of waiting? We waited for almost a year before we became pregnant. It was a long year of waiting, praying, and hoping. But it was during that season of waiting that we embraced our time together as a couple more th...

Our friends and family have more than showered us with baby gifts; they've absolutely poured  their love and celebrations upon us!  We have been so humbled and felt so honored by the thoughtfulness that has gone into the planning of each occasion.    A Girls' Weekend Double-Shower This was my first official "baby shower," and I was delighted to share it with my good friend Elizabeth, whose due date was only 6 weeks before mine.  Our annual girls weekend is something I look forward to each year as a chance to get away with some of my best girlfriends from college, especially since we are now spread across the country. This year's celebration commenced in Ft. Worth, Texas. Our friend Amy graciously hosted us in her beautiful home, and we spent the weekend pampering with mani/pedis and our first experience getting our hair done at a "blow dry bar." We finished off the weekend at Morgan's family's house for a Baby Shower Brunch. Morgan and ...