If you’re anything like me, you’re looking for ways to save a buck and stay on budget in the midst of earning that degree or navigating newlywed life or the busyness of family. Sometimes it seems like life costs more than the resources we have to pay for it. Over the past few days, I’ve … Continue reading A Penny Saved
Tag: travel
When God Seems Silent: Part 3
We are all close with the people we live with--maybe sometimes too close ;). Those treasured people know all our flaws, imperfections, annoyances and failures. God knows all of them too. But oftentimes, we think we can "hide" who we are from Him. We turn on music and the TV to drown out the insecure … Continue reading When God Seems Silent: Part 3
When God Seems Silent: Part 2
Have you ever people-watched? It can be very enlightening AND entertaining. If you stay silent long enough, you'll notice a lot about a person--how they interact, what they value, where they invest their time. In fact, nonverbal communication often tells us more about a person than verbal. In the same way, silence helps us get … Continue reading When God Seems Silent: Part 2
When God Seems Silent: Part 1
I never would have guessed a plane ride would launch me into a significant time of growth in my spiritual life. With the deafening sounds of jet engines in my ears, I certainly wouldn't have expected that growth to come from something quite the opposite--silence. A few years ago, I left right after my college … Continue reading When God Seems Silent: Part 1
What My Car Wreck Taught Me About Easter
The screeching of metal-on metal awoke me from my frozen state of panic. When the car finally came to a halt, I batted through deployed air-bags and crumbled-in car doors to escape the vehicle. What happened? Was I hurt? Why was I still in the middle of the road? Surely other cars would run into … Continue reading What My Car Wreck Taught Me About Easter
Savoring Singleness
“Dear future husband, it’s getting closer to Valentine’s Day—yet another I will spend single. I am missing you more often around this time. I want you to know that I love you even though I don’t know you yet. I know God has someone extra-special planned for me—you!” Fifteen-year-old Marina penned those words. I still … Continue reading Savoring Singleness
Behind the Scenes: The Heart of a Traveler
If I asked you to tell me 5 places you would love to go in this world, I imagine you could come up with your list pretty quickly. But equally as quickly, you would tell me a lot of excuses, fears, and questions you have before you would EVER consider actually going. Travel is an incredible … Continue reading Behind the Scenes: The Heart of a Traveler
7 Fall Favorites from My Family to Yours
Fall is my favorite. Pure and simple. I love the changing colors, pumpkin-EVERYTHING, the festive decor, and warm apple cider. Now that I’m married, it has been my mission to create new and festive traditions. You all have shared your ideas, I have brainstormed some of my own, and together I wrote about 7 fall … Continue reading 7 Fall Favorites from My Family to Yours
Our Story: Part 2
All girls dream of a magical first kiss...myself included. For years I waited and watched and wondered when "Prince Charming" would arrive and rescue me with a valiant horse and a tender kiss. What all those fairy tales seem to leave out is, well, reality. It was a hot summer day that Mason and I … Continue reading Our Story: Part 2
Our Story: Part 1
“Marina, on March 15 of this year, God told me you were going to be my wife.” I stared blankly at the man in front of me, trying to process the 17 words I had never dreamed of hearing. We had only been dating for two weeks. Memories, confusion, and, oddly, peace flashed before me … Continue reading Our Story: Part 1