As we’re nearing the end of one month and looking to the beginning of a new one, I’m confronted again with my inability to finish things well, with my tendency to skip ahead to the next thing. In an effort to quell this propensity, I’m reflecting on my May, all the way to its 31st day. June can (and should) wait.

We stayed with my in-laws in Tampa to celebrate Tucker’s cousin’s wedding, and our mornings were a respite from a dull, foggy February - sunny, slow, restful, and needed. 

February is probably my least favorite month of the year.

Where I live, it’s cold and dreary most days. When it’s not raining, the sky is usually hospital-room white and the threat of rain still hangs heavy in the air (often triggering a migraine for me, yay). Sure, there are random warm spells, the sun makes an appearance every once in awhile, and there’s Valentine’s Day to look forward to, but these feel like few and far between moments of joy in an otherwise bummer of a month.

Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot was my favorite book from 2023. In a collection of letters Elliot wrote to her then newly-engaged daughter, Valerie, Elliot tackles the question “what is a woman?” What she means is, “who am I?” and to answer it, she first askes, “Whose am I?”

I’m so excited to begin a brand new year and with it, brand new goals that I’m eager to share with you all. Life Update: We had a baby and I’m now a fulltime stay-at-home mom! I’m also relaunching my blog as a place for me to write about new motherhood, reading and writing, and glorifying God in ordinary life.

We found out we were pregnant on April 3, 2023. I loved that night, and everything its changed.

On April first, Tucker and I finally took our annual trip to The Barn Nursery to rebuild our little garden after a long, cold winter. Everything was in bloom, and though it was a very windy day, it was a perfect afternoon for plant shopping.

I’ve been listening to the Percy Jackson book series on audiobook and suddenly, I’m 14-year-old Kayley in love with 15-year-old Percy Jackson again.

Today is our first anniversary as a married couple, so I’m reminiscing about our beautiful brunch wedding this time last year. If we had a theme, it was “brief, brunch, and blueberries.” Read about our special day!

Our Engagement Story: If you don’t know us, or even if you do, and you’re curious about how Tucker and I ended up together, please enjoy our cheesy, brief little love story, aptly titled, “That Summer Camp Love,” followed by our proposal story.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I do know one thing: I’m thankful for a calm and collected husband. This is the 3rd or 4th time I’ve set the house on fire, and he’s just as patient and composed as the first time, if not more so since this seems to be a pattern.

One major thing we all have in common is that all our guys are gamers. They’d probably hate that I would call them “gamers,” since the word conjures images of smelly guys in their mom’s basement, yelling about needing more G-fuel and cursing out little kids in a COD lobby. But, thankfully, those aren’t the boys we married. And those aren’t even most “gamers” anymore.

2022 is over and I was nowhere near my reading goal for the year. I read 11 books last year, which isn’t great considering how many I read in 2020 and 2021, both linked below.

BUT, I also had a busy year, what with getting married, quitting a stressful job, starting a new job (that I love, btw), and traveling quite a bit. So I figured in addition to my 2022 booklist, I’d also include brief updates of what I did this year.

On Saturday, December 3rd, Tucker and I brought a tree home and set it up in our living room - our first Christmas tree as married. On Sunday, December 18th, we finally finished decorating it. We started some traditions last year, with our first and only engaged Christmas, like buying a real tree and putting the lights on together. But this year is our first married Christmas together, and here’s how we built an ornament collection.

I definitely started the fire(s). But we both like to leave the oven on.

Tucker and I have been married a little over 6 months and for some reason, we’re both struggling with keeping our home from burning down.

The Road is a deeply depressing book that still provides beacons of hope; the story bestows a heaviness that comes with a true understanding of brokenness. The burden is too much to bear.

I read Brian Moore’s essay “Going Home” earlier this year while finishing up my degree, and it’s been in the back of my mind since. I chose to annotate the essay for school because I think one day I’d like to emulate it and make the subject my old home in Kansas City, rather than Moore’s home in Connemara, Ireland.

A lot has happened in the last few weeks, so a little update seems to be in order.

For one, I finished my Master’s program and was fortunate enough to see all my classmates and fellow graduates in person one final time, as well as walk and celebrate in person. My loving parents joined me to celebrate, which was such a blessing. I hadn’t seen them since February (the cons of moving states away from family), so it was a welcome addition to the joy of graduating.

It’s been about a year since I’ve had a roommate, and I think I’ve discovered that living with someone else is better than living alone. At least for me.

I’ve had quite a few unexpected phone calls and conversations these last few weeks, both with friends with whom I talk regularly and with friends I haven’t spoken to in years.

I was wonderfully surprised to hear from the friend I hadn’t spoken to in years, and I felt terrible that I hadn’t called sooner.