Beautiful Struggles

"Traditions are behaviors and actions that you engage in again and again – regular rituals that you perform at the same time and/or in the same way. Traditions can be big or small, but they differ from routines and habits in that they are done with a specific  purpose  in mind and require  thought  and  intentionality . Meg Cox, the author of  The Book of New Family Traditions , defines family ritual as “any activity you purposefully repeat together as a family that includes  heightened attentiveness  and  something extra that lifts it above the ordinary ruts .” Traditions, when done right, lend a certain magic, spirit, and texture to our everyday lives." Brett and Kate McKay As we approach the wonderful holiday season my heart begins to journey  back to childhood memories and the family traditions that make those memories so perfect. I come from a large family filled with lots of cousins, tons of laughter, and of course many tradit...

Well, hello there November, and yes I am aware that it is November 3rd and well I should have written this three days ago, but anyway  November has always been one of my absolute favorite months, for well the obvious, Thanksgiving, fall decorations, and MY BIRTHDAY! Which is in two days, I'm like V for Vendetta REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER. All of these awesome things are reasons to absolutely adore November, however two years ago November also developed a very different feeling.  November 10th will mark the two year anniversary since Kaleb's accident. And though I will always love November I now have a heavy heart as we fast approach that day. It is as though every birthday will in some odd way be a reminder of my 21st which is what I was celebrating when I received the phone call that forever changed our lives. Every Thanksgiving as joyous and wonderful as it will be will also remind me of the saddes...

  “FALL HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE SEASON. THE TIME WHEN EVERYTHING BURSTS WITH ITS LAST BEAUTY, AS IF NATURE HAD BEEN SAVING UP ALL YEAR FOR THE GRAND FINALE.” —LAUREN DESTEFANO,  WITHER Being a twenty something year old girl of course means I love fall and all its amazing glory. It means oversized sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes. It means cool mornings, warm days, and perfect cuddle weather. It means instagram photos with my boots in the leaves, and yes I am admitting that I searched for the perfect pile of leaves to pose in.  As a former New Mexican it means green chile, balloon fiesta, and leaves that are on fire with color.  As a new wife fall means warm snuggles, a ton of baking, and of course bath and body works candles! I have been obsessed with warm fall recipes, baking spice anything, and making sure that my house always smells like "tailgate", thanks again bath and body works. It means spending our weekends watching f...

Finally I have a moment to sit, reflect, and enjoy some of our wonderful memories from our Disney Moon. I cannot seem to find the words to express just how enchanting that week was. It was magical, but should I have really expected anything different, after all it is disney!  We arrived early Thursday afternoon and was welcomed at our wonderful resort, Port Orleans Riverside. I had done a decent amount of research on which resort would be romantic, fun, and not to much of a splurge. Port Orleans was the perfect match, especially because Kaleb had been stationed in New Orleans for three years. It was the best of both worlds, disney and New Orleans. We of course had to get our happily ever after pins, and I absolutely adored being told congratulations by so many sweet people. It was a nice way of remembering that not only were we in Disney, but we were celebrating the beginning of our adventures as husband and wife.  Our...

Well,  we just returned from the most magical Disney Moon a girl could ever imagine! Every single bit of it was fit for a princess, and well of course it was because it is Disney. I have so much I want to share, and I want to be sure to capture every emotion that was experience this week. But for now I will leave you with this one photo.  Talk soon! XOXO, B

Luke 16:10   ESV / 269 helpful votes “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." I will be the first to admit that I am a bit obsessed with our finances. I guarantee that I ask Kaleb what our balance is a minimum of, Oh I don't know 75x a week, give or take. I am in a constant state of worry that some day it will all just dry up, and we will be left with nothing. Now don't get me wrong I absolutely have no problem with spending our money either, and not always on the wisest of things. I love being able to treat our friends to lunch, or buy little gifts here and there. I am not one to shy away from a Starbucks coffee on a long day, and I will always justify a new purse. We are not at a point in our lives where I should stress about our finances, but that's just who I am.   The other day when I was panicking about money I was r...

So often I see these families who are in the eye of the storm. Their hearts are hurting, they don't know what lies before them. They are having to learn a whole new language. A language where your back is referred to in the form of C's, T's, and L's. A language where transfers, spasms, and returns are used in every other sentence. They are having to take shelter in a building that throws the storm at you on a daily basis. They are having to live with strangers surrounding them at all times. They are scared and alone, and yet never actually alone.  For those of you who don't know, the name of this storm is called SCI, and it stands for Spinal Cord Injury. The location of this storm is Englewood, Colorado, more specifically Craig Hospital. Our lives were hit with this storm in November of 2012 when my now husband shattered his C6 - T1.  Our whole world stopped in that moment, when we had no other solution than to take shelter in Denver, Colorado. We left ev...