Just in case you missed any - here's the very best of 2012 from DFD! Top 10 Devotionals: On Struggling through the Dark Places How to Hold on to Your Dreams It's Okay to Grieve God is Still at Work Fighting Against Boundaries How to Be Perfect Thank Someone {November Challenge 2012} Post-Election Thoughts Christmas Card Intercession Top Book Reviews: 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess Merry Christmas, Meager Budget Work Shift Top Recipes: Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix How to Cook Spaghetti Squash Top Series: Our {Love} Story: Part 1, 2, 3, 4 Things I've Learned from Chronic Illness: Part [...Read More]
Real Life Stuff – food and randomness
August 8, 2012 By 4 Comments
I am sort of a foodie. I like to dream about how unbelievable food will be in heaven, when we won’t need to eat but we’ll get to eat. Can you even imagine? I think any food with tomatoes and melted cheese is absolutely perfect. Add basil, and it's beyond perfect. Some favorites are Margherita pizza, meat lasagna, three cheese penne, Caprese salad, anything parmigiana... need I go on? I am kind of obsessed with fresh fruits and veggies. In fact, when I go to the farmer’s market, I feel like a kid in the candy store. I want one of everything! (And I love the whole buying experience too.) It's my grocery-budget weakness. I am somewhat addicted to coffee. I [...Read More]
Real Life Stuff – hobbies, tv & movies
August 1, 2012 By 9 Comments
I am a multi-dimensional person. In other words, a hobby geek. If you read my first post about "Real Life Stuff," then you already know I'm a lover of (written) words. I am also a bit of a computer geek. Ask me how to do something and I can probably figure it out for you. Or I'll ask my husband (also a computer geek). And yes, I do like to hear about his latest computer projects (though I don't understand everything he tells me). I started playing the piano when I was six (because I wanted to be just like my big brother!). I still love playing for church - or just for fun. My mom-in-law got me started making cards when I was housebound from the Wegener’s. Give me paper, glue, and [...Read More]
Real Life Stuff – the word edition
July 27, 2012 By 9 Comments
Welcome to the first installment of "Real Life Stuff" - discovering who the person behind all these words really is. This was originally going to be one post. And then you all asked some great questions, and so I've broken it into a couple posts instead. For today, all the stuff about writing and reading that you wanted to know (and probably more than you wanted to know). I am a writer. I write because I have to. Because I cannot not write. I usually write on my laptop, on the sofa, where I can look out the windows and see lots of trees (one of my inspirations). Only thing is it's terrible posture, and my back has been letting me know that lately. So that might change in the days [...Read More]
Our Story, Part 4: Husband & Wife
July 6, 2012 By 10 Comments
Make sure you read parts one, two, and three! Our great friendship led to our engagement on Christmas Eve 2006. And our adventure together was just beginning… here’s part 4 of our story: After Christmas, we headed back to South Carolina so James could finish his final semester of undergrad. He studied, I worked, and my Mom helped us do some serious long-distance wedding planning {from SC to MA!}. And then in April 2007, my life completely changed when Wegener’s Granulomatosis hit me hard and fast. I will always be so grateful that James is an EMT {Emergency Medical Technician} – he’s the one who realized I was so sick, and called my parents to come down, and [...Read More]
Our Story, Part 3: I said ‘Of Course’
July 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
If you missed part one and part two, be sure to read them first. So we’d been dating seriously for almost two years. We were headed to my home in Massachusetts for Christmas, and I was about to get the surprise of my life! Here’s part 3: It was Christmas Eve Day 2006 – and a cold, snowy Sunday – in Plymouth, Massachusetts. But after the morning church service, James asked me if I wanted to go drive by the Plymouth harbor {one of my favorite sights in my hometown, about 10 minutes from where I grew up}. I was up for anything, and agreed quickly. But in the back of my mind, I thought it was kind of random… But I didn’t think much of it. Maybe he just wanted to see the Atlantic [...Read More]
Our Story, Part 2: My First ‘Yes’
July 3, 2012 By 4 Comments
If you missed Part 1 of our story, find it here. I’d just gotten whacked over the head with a virtual 2x4. I’d found the guy I wanted to marry and discuss theology with for the rest of my life. But I had to wait for him to catch up... Here’s part 2 of our amazing love story: I’m kind of old-fashioned. I’ve always wanted the guy to take the lead – asking me out, saying ‘I love you’, initiating the first kiss. So even though I was pretty sure this was “the” guy for me, I waited. By that point in the semester, we were heading home for Christmas break. I think we talked on the phone once during the break, to make arrangements for him to get me at the airport when I [...Read More]
Our Story, Part 1: Written by God
July 2, 2012 By 12 Comments
Five years ago, my husband and I said our vows, and enjoyed our very first kiss. But more on that later. For now – I thought it was time that I shared our love story. A story that could only have been crafted by the greatest Author of all. We don’t actually remember the first time we met. And we didn’t fall madly in love anytime soon after it. All we know is, we met sometime during our very first semester in college, probably around a meal in the Dining Common. I was the people person who would fill my table with friends, and he was the quiet guy who sat by himself. But we had mutual friends, and so we eventually met enough to say “hi” as we passed on the sidewalk. So we [...Read More]
2011 in Review
December 28, 2011 By 1 Comment
I love looking back over the year and seeing what I've accomplished (or not so great, what I haven't) and learned. I've shared a lot of these things with you all throughout this past year, but I wanted to reminisce a little. So for starters, here are some of the top devotional posts from this past year. If you just started following my blog, take a moment to read through the ones you've missed. Or, if you've been with me for a while, refresh your memory. Maybe God has something for you in one or two of them: [...Read More]
