Feb 4, 2026. Washington DC A couple of weeks ago, the Honorable Christopher Robert Wolfe endured the hearing of a lifetime. After months of interviews and extensive vetting and coaching, he sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a confirmation hearing for a...
In addition to birthdays, travel, and CHRISTMAS, the past month has been filled with some pretty spectacular markers for our family. In the span of three weeks, with Christmas smack dab in the middle, we celebrated an Auburn graduation, a Texas Hill Country wedding,...
In addition to birthdays, travel, and CHRISTMAS, the past month has been filled with some pretty spectacular markers for our family. In the span of three weeks, with Christmas smack dab in the middle, we celebrated an Auburn graduation, a Texas Hill Country wedding,...
Another of my favs from Streams in the Desert. Especially with parenting, and particularly living life with young adults. But honestly, this is true for all of us at any age. We hold so many concerns for ourselves and our loved ones. But the Lord knows exactly what...
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 Simply reading those words allows my shoulders to relax. Allows me to take a deep breath in and back out. This is...
"Wait, have you tried on your tux yet, Hud?" I eyed the unopened cardboard box leaning against his bedroom wall. Folding the last of his clothes, Hudson responded with a weary, "Oh, not yet. I guess I need to do that." I'd run upstairs to help him pack up from...
There's no one like Paulette. Family. She knows the beauty of family, and the fraying of family. Friends. She knows the value of a faithful friend, and she knows living lonely. Wealth. She knows bounty, and she knows scarcity. Generosity. She knows how to fill a room...
"Man, I'm thirsty." I glanced down at the young boy nestled beside me on row 29. We hadn't even met, but he leaned into me, our shoulders touching. His expectant brown eyes peered straight into mine. I offered him a soft smile and returned to my book. "I mean,...
55 years of Corbin! Fall 1993. 21 years old, fall of my junior year in college, I climbed into bed with my walkman tape player and headphones. I hit play on Tommy Nelson’s popular Bible study on the Song of Solomon. Laying in the dark, I listened to Tommy’s story...
As our driver wound through the streets of San Miguel last March, the conversation in our car flowed with laughter and anticipation as we headed into a five-day writer's retreat. Minutes before we pulled to the curb in front of our lovely home for the long weekend,...
Who needs a little encouragement this week? Reposting an edited version from 2016, but nine years later I need to hear it again myself. Sometimes perfect strangers will see me out with my children and say things like, "I can't imagine parenting in this generation."...
This photo from last night took my breath away. Crowded into one of the lower sections of Jordan-Hare Stadium, thousands (a record-setting 2349, to be exact) of hope-filled girls huddled together in the stands for Auburn's first night of sorority recruitment. What a...
“Hey Hudson, the directions say to start right here with the picture of the little boy, and then help him get home.” “But Mom, it’s easier to go backwards, see?” With the words barely out of his mouth, six-year-old Hudson completed the maze on his restaurant paper...
Walking to the Amazon return counter at Whole Foods, a little girl interrupted my mental to-do list. Her thoughtful, round eyes locked with mine as she reached out with a pink rose. “Here, this is for you.” A simple smile, no explanation, just an unexpected gift of...
So far I've given away 17 copies. Most notably, four to my children on Mother's Day, with a request that they read it - at some point - as a Mother's Day gift to me. I saw Theo of Golden recommended on a friend's Facebook story and immediately ordered it from Amazon....
Yellow flames dancing in the fire pit rays of sunshine spotlighting the marble floor blonde stucco waving through the windows glittery tiles tap dancing to the sun's movement his favored spot on the rug sits empty. But his golden hues remain plentiful throughout our...
Last Sunday morning found Corbin and I at the Barcelona airport, headed home from a couple of weeks of travel through Portugal and Spain. Our baggage check line snaked through the airport lobby, with agents periodically reshaping the lines to accommodate the...
What is so attractive about simplicity? Grocery shopping at Trader's not because it's trendy, but because there's one option for canned black beans. Cleaning out our closets not for the sake of minimalism, but to make getting dressed a more streamlined process. Fewer...
With Easter just three weeks away, I'm reposting this from a couple of years ago as a reminder - more to myself than anyone else - that God is ABLE. He is able and in the business of bringing dry bones to life. God's very best gift, the resurrection of His Son, is a...
Took a mid-week trip to Auburn last week. My visit was anchored by getting to be at Wednesday night Capernum - when will I ever be in Auburn on a Wednesday night?! Flew out Mon - Thurs, stayed at Basden's, so so many good gifts: Staying with Basden in her house,...
Last week I spent the day with a remarkable woman on a horse farm in the Kentucky Bluegrass. She reminded me so much of my Granny - beautiful, hard-working, artistic, a wordsmith, and with a deep love for horses and animals. On a separate note, special thanks to Dr....
In celebration of my mom's birthday this week, she offers many, many qualities I could describe: Her impromptu generosity, particularly with time and creativity; her frugality and the way she manages money; her seamstress abilities providing the perfect costume or...
Years ago, one of our kiddos surprised us - and I think themself - by making some poor choices as a middle schooler (haha yes, the irony of that statement is not lost on me). But this particular circumstance felt pretty out of character. Corbin and I took our...
Several years ago driving out of the grocery parking lot, I pulled behind a few cars waiting to turn left. After a minute or so without moving, I could see the car at the front of the line with the engine lid raised, so I swerved to the right and maneuvered through an...
A few years ago I hired a young graphic designer for help with updating and possibly renaming this blog. “What do you like to write about?” she asked. “Oh, really just personal narratives, stories about daily life and marriage and parenting, more than anything this is...
Welcome to the family, Shelby. With the massive task of attempting to frame such a meaningful engagement weekend, I'm simply sharing Corbin's letter to Hud's new fiance'. This seems to capture it. And the letter's ending, my favorite part of gifting the perfume ~ all...
“Ah, here comes Judas again. What a fool. Why is he back? We have no more business with him. Or time for his folly.” “Wait, wait!” cried Judas, breathless as he entered the room brimming with elders and chief priests. “Jesus! He’s innocent. He’s done nothing wrong.”...
When Esther moved to Southwest Christian School as an 8th grader, she announced at dinner that first week, "Y'all, it's the strangest thing. Today we had a sub, and HE KNEW MY NAME." I laughed at her incredulous statement, "Yes Essie, that's Mr. Knox, he's not a...
"Who's the kid that just got baptized? I've never seen him before, but there's a massive group of friends waiting to hug and congratulate him!" "You don't know him?" Graham asked, "He was in Hudson's room at ski trip. That's the weekend he decided to follow Jesus."...
"Good morning from Denver, fam" - me "Y’all really are taking advantage of this whole empty nester thing" - Basden Um, yes. It's been a special couple of weeks. A few months ago, our friends Todd and Jessica asked if I wanted to join them on a week-long trip to...
This photo was my morning text from Basden. She is having a ball with her baking. Papa, Corbin’s dad, got her hooked, as he’s been baking sourdough loaves and crackers and English muffins for several years now. Basden took some of Papa's starter from his Angel Fire...
I have this sweet set of three birds, clay painted turquoise, one of those purchases I didn't even have to think about when I spotted them years ago in a little shop. Birds. Turquoise. Perfectly imperfect in the hand-crafted design and paint. This morning I went...
Essie ~ You’ve always been a firecracker. In celebration of EIGHTEEN, a few of my favorite memories: When you were about three years old, our sweet friend Lori was volunteering with the young children’s Sunday School at Christ Chapel. Lori wasn’t technically serving...
Well, buckle up. This is not a book I would suggest for every person I know. But if you're interested a real, honest, guttural, and absolutely redemptive memoir, this story is for you. The writing is among the best I've ever read. And I absolutely could not put it...
If you have some time walking or driving, or doing laundry like my friend Kathryn, take a listen to this Episode 1, Season 4 of Nowhere Close to Famous. The evening spent recording with Josh Storie and Brooke Seale was a real treat for me. They are genuinely funny -...
No one, and I mean no one, can get on an eighteen-year-old's nerves like their Momma. I can think of a couple of others that come close, but I am the Grand Champion of inadvertently pushing my young adult daughter's buttons. And I'm seeing it all around me. When this...
A few weeks ago, Esther and I spent a gorgeous spring Saturday morning celebrating a first birthday party with family friends. The baby was in the middle of smashing the birthday cake when Corbin called. I let it go to voicemail, as Esther was trying to get the...
Basketball season is in full force, and our high school teams are fun to watch. Recently during a rivalry girls’ game, a hush rolled over rowdy spectators as one of the opposing players made a basket - in our basket. Two points for us, a surprised pause from the...
Last spring I experienced a favorite parenting moment. Such a privilege to give Esther her dream camera and lens. For no reason. Not her birthday, not Christmas, and she didn’t earn the money (or even half of the money)... I just got to buy and give this gift to her...
“Does my life make a difference?” That’s the question. Whether we admit it, whether we even realize it, that’s really the most fundamental, most important question we ask ourselves. It’s the reason we watch It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas. Or if we don’t, we...
Hospitality can be defined as “Love to strangers.” It’s the practice of welcoming, feeding, and sheltering travelers - those who come to your door - with no thought of personal gain. The following is one woman’s story of the surprising joy she experienced from simply...
My dad describes a surprising encounter with the Lord, years ago, when he was attempting nighttime prayers. He was lying in bed, going through a mental checklist of all the people and things he needed to pray for, and time and again his prayers were distracted by...
Dear Basden ~ in keeping with Cappy's encouragement to Hud, here are his words penned to you as an eight-year-old. And we couldn't agree more. Happy TWENTIETH birthday, Little Joy! Basden- You have a wise heart. It shows in the way you really want to help Aunt Crystal...
Hudson James, just a couple days shy of your 22nd birthday... a little encouragement from Cappy's email to your ten-year-old self. Twelve years later, I'm encouraged by his words here, along with the joy of reminiscing over this exchange. The power of words on a page,...
Months ago when our SCS Homecoming date was released, we cleared all the kids' calendars and bought plane tickets to get them home. After 17 years in the stands cheering on her older siblings, the big kids showed up to support Essie in her senior Hoco pep rally and...
Bran's new job with InBox, amazing group of men, and a couple of weeks in Vancouver as a kick off Sunday afternoon Rangers game! This last fall of SCS pep rallies and Friday night lights, Saturdays for college football and BU games, repeat... Habakuk 3:19 -...
SENIOR YEAR here she goes (photo creds Morgan Gribble!) Sneak peek on senior pics, can't wait to see more Cheer pic creds Essie - ha! . Last First day Lord, I'm grateful for your gifts. But help me to be more grateful for YOU. You are our delight, you are our portion,...
For all the mommas sending their kiddos to college (or any grown-up adventure), give a listen to Episode #3 Ready to Fly - The Emotional Rollercoaster as you have a few minutes between dorm room shopping and college orientations. Thank you, Stephanie, for having me...
K2 summer Provision of energy, wisdom, patience, problem solving for Hud and Basden during their time working at Kamp Hud and Hooper's handiwork Connecting with Tulsa James crew at Kamp Essie's two weeks at K2, O'nealsons, her siblings and friends. And a...
Working in admissions, one of the things I love most is getting to engage with families as they come visit our school. When we tour families around our campus, we’re not only sharing about our school’s culture, academics, fine arts and athletic programs, but we’re...