Last month, I turned forty-two. John took me out to dinner the night before, and the day of my birthday the kids came home in the early afternoon and the four of us, including Olive the dog, swam out to the dock in the middle of the lake. We jumped off the diving boards, and…
100 Days Alcohol Free
On Emotions, Drinking, and Learning a New Way
I quit drinking wine about a year ago for 100 days. That decision was a long time coming. Those 100 days were so good, so clarifying that a month after they ended, I decided to quit drinking alcohol for a good, at least for a good long while. I’m not exactly sure what a good…
On Alcohol, Nostalgia, and Living in the Present During Advent
Some time ago I wrote a post about about my long relationship with wine, and also about my decision to marry John. I married John, moved out to Lake Joy, and somehow found the courage to write about all these things overtly and covertly depending on my mood. Moods make the piece, whatever they are….
What Does it Mean to Be Holy, and What Does it Mean For Me?
Lately, I’ve been wondering about social media and smart phones. Do I have a phone addiction? Is God trying to speak to me about said addiction? What is my relationship to my phone and I how do I find balance? More importantly, what is God trying to say to me in my life right now?…
Life Without Alcohol: An Honest Reflection
The last month has passed in a whirlwind of excitement. Emma had a move-up ceremony in June at her new high school. Parents and grandparents gathered in the gym to watch as our kids marched in, sat down, and walked forward to receive a certificate that they had moved up and into high school. Emma…
Things Take the Time They Take: a Drinking Post
I quit drinking. Just up and decided I needed to be finished with alcohol for a good long while. I woke up one Saturday morning and knew in my deepest parts, I was finally ready to quit. I had the internal focus, and the self-awareness to say, “I’m finished.” From an outside perspective, it might…
What I Learned on my 100 Dry Days
Back at the end of December, after months of hemming and hawing about alcohol, I decided to do something different. I decided to stop drinking alcohol for 100 days. I wrote about the decision right here, and here, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time on Instagram writing about it. Here’s what happened: I turned…
On Grace that Abounds in Every Season
It’s a quiet weekend over here on Lake Joy. This morning, I woke with a call from my dad, ready to meet me in Duvall so Emma could go out to the barn and ride. We made it out the door within a half hour. Then I edited a class paper, and worked through the…
On Lent and What to do About It
Hi there, Lent is coming around the corner. Ash Wednesday is just a few days away. Lent hits at the tail end of winter and right at the cusp of spring, when we remember the forty days Jesus wandered in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan. Usually, people choose to give up something as…
On 100 Dry Days, and Rising into my Own Voice
“For the first time, I was beginning to see that for a woman to speak her mind in any clear way, unassailable, unapologetic way, she must first possess it.” Last week I wrote a post about my long and arduous journey with red wine. I promised to let people know what I was going to…