The Blog

I’m so glad you’re here! If you’re looking for recent blog posts, you’re in the right place.

My Joshua Journal – Unexpected Love

I assumed I would meet my husband-to-be in college and would be married in my early twenties. When that didn't happen and I had no prospects in graduate school, I felt pretty hopeless. The relationships I did have couldn't have been more dysfunctional. I wish...

My Joshua Journal – My Father’s Faith

My dad changed dramatically when he retired. He had worked his entire life and he was truly happy when his time was his own. He quit smoking after five decades and spent lots of time fishing and spoiling my youngest brother. It was heartbreaking, when it seemed my dad...

My Joshua Journal – Lost and Found

Me in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in front of a statue of Alexander the Great I traveled to Europe in 1989 as part of a month-long May Seminar through my college. I was so excited to go to the Soviet Union, especially. Although I was excited, I was also afraid...

My Joshua Journal – Winning

Pictured above is my high school speech team, with my coach at the top. I have been able to win at the two-truths-and-a-lie game by including a statement that I was runner-up in a Miss Teen USA pageant. Maybe I should be insulted that people think that's a lie? My...

My Joshua Journal – The Voice

This is my brother with the vehicle we referred to as "The Plymouth." After the accident, it was our only car--at least for a while. People are shocked when I explain that I was allowed to drive at 14 in South Dakota (dawn to dusk). They should be shocked!...

My Joshua Journal – Protected

Every year for many years, my family and some family friends took a weekend vacation at a Holiday Inn. We rented poolside rooms, went out to eat, and saw movies. It was a real treat that we looked forward to every winter. My freshman year of high school, we drove...

How to Homeschool with Toddlers and Newborns

I have a friend who will begin her homeschooling journey this fall. She has been asking some excellent questions like this one: how do you homeschool with toddlers and newborns? I homeschooled for nine years with toddlers and newborns and while I didn't do a perfect...

My Joshua Journal – Dropped But Not Forsaken

Me in seventh grade I returned to my hometown junior high school after a five year absence. There were just over fifty students in my class, so it was easy to get to know everyone again. What was hard was understanding why the girls in particular treated one another...

My Joshua Journal – My Father’s Heart

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of my dad and me. I look like I'm about two and he has that same patient, teaching look he always had with me. My father's family was twice the size of mine, but unfortunately wasn't twice the fun. His father...

My Joshua Journal – My Grandpa’s Faith

Pictured from left to right: my grandmother, (help on who this is, Mom!), me, my grandfather, my mother, and my father This photo was taken during my baby blessing (or dedication) and you might think that I am going to discuss how God began a lifetime of blessing me...

My Joshua Journal

Photo link Several years ago, I was inspired by these verses to create a scrapbook of God's faithfulness to me that I'm calling my Joshua Journal: 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up...

The Rebel’s Guide to GTD – Change

Photo link If you're struggling to get things done or to make significant changes in your life, it pays to consider whether you're at war with your inner rebel. Are you: Giving your rebel too many rules? Are any of the rules extreme, seemingly stupid, or put...