Less

Faithful followers may have noticed that I took a bit of a break from the blog and social media here at the beginning of the year? Why? I'm trying to re-evaluate. My husband pointed out that although I enjoy a lot of things, the stress of doing so many things outweighs the joy in doing them. So I am trying to do less. In fact, "Less" is my word for 2026.

Less is not the word I wanted for 2026. I had other contenders:

Dream

Joy
Margin

Priorities

Try

But what I settled on was, "Less." I don't really know what that looks like, but I am trying. May the Lord be my guide!

For now, I am experimenting. I am unsubscribing and unfollowing. I am trying to purge excess items (though not going minimalist, because that is more work in and of itself!). I am trying to scroll less and read more. I am trying to stop accumulating (even if it is just more books on my to be read list, or more podcasts on my too listen list). I am trying to keep myself more accountable and put less pressure on myself at the same time. I am trying to have less priorities, so I can focus more on the main one(s). 

Am I doing great? No, honestly, I am not, but I am here for it. Maybe in less, I can learn to be more present, even if that does mean being present for some of the stuff I'd rather not acknowledge.

Top Ten of 2025

Whew! This year has flown by. Praise the Lord for all that has happened in it, and how He has carried us through it!

This year, yoga once again won the attention on Instagram:

My top blog posts this year were mostly past ones, but these 2025 ones also made the cut:

1) Eats and Empties (Week 4)

2) I enjoy running, but...

3) Everything I Read in January

4) Girls on the Run 5K

5) Real Life Marriage: I Want You to Have Nice Things!

(This seems like such a strange group of posts. Why certain blog posts take off, I will never know!)

Over on Facebook, these were the top posts for the year:

1) Real Life Marriage: The Honeymoon Year (Six Years In)

2) Grieving the (Maybe Not So Little) Things Anew

3) Eats and Empties (Week 17)

4) Nationwide Children's Columbus Half-Marathon

5) Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Five)

To all my faithful readers, thank you. Lord willing, see you for a round of writing in 2026!

Top Ten of 2024

Here is my top nine grid from Instagram. No surprises that it is all YSYD Crew poses, as that is the largest community with which I engage there:

As for this blog, most people seem to view posts on Facebook. The top ten posts there were:

1) Real Life Marriage: Winners and Losers

2) 2024 Christmas Movies

3) Everything I Read in June

4) Real Life Marriage: We Believed He Could, and He Did!

5) I Ran a Marathon! (This one ranked top ten in actual blog reads as well.)

6) Real Life Marriage: I'm Abdicating

7) 40 Year of Faithfulness

8) My Cruise Packing List

9) Real Life Marriage: The Business of Marriage (Also a blog top ten)

10) There is a Savior (Another blog top ten)

Thank you all for reading! Lord willing, see you in 2024!

The Simplified Life (An Update)

You know that word I chose for the year? (Simplify. Yes, it's also a form of my blog title.) I am realizing it has a lot more nuance than I thought. When I chose it, I imagined simplifying, paring down, doing less. I am realizing I don't really want to do that, or at least all of that. As of now, simplifying is looking more like prioritizing what is really important.

I like variety, really, I do! When I read about people eating the same breakfast every day, the inner me revolts (Becker, n.d.). Sure, I eat varieties of the same breakfast most of the time, but I also like to switch things up! When I read about minimalism and think about paring down, I get it, but I also don't want to do it. There are a lot of little used things that bring me great joy when I do use them (think bundt and doughnut pans in the kitchen), and I want to keep them. I have also come to the conclusion that some splurge buys are worth it, like random new flavors of things, which are totally a gimmick, but bring me joy, and little holidays things that just enhance the mood. [Thanks, Hungry Runner girl (2024) for reminding that "novelty can enhance our moods."] I guess, at least for right now, the minimalism version of simplifying is not for me.

So what am I doing? I am trying to prioritize. I'm trying to stop doing things that feel like have-tos, but really aren't. For example, I like doing a lesson of DuoLingo every day to keep my brain sharp, but why do I have to keep up with the quests? They just eat up my time and make me angsty. Next! I am also trying to reduce items in my fridge and pantry, not to get rid of variety, but to limit it so that it is less overwhelming. In terms of cooking, I am making larger batches of things and freezing them. This gives us variety, with a little less work. (Thank you, husband, for buying us a chest freezer and being willing to eat frozen and reheated food.) I am also trying to make less recipes that require me to buy unique ingredients. When I do buy those ingredients, I am trying to have a plan for using them up. Again, this results in less overwhelm and decision fatigue for me.

In terms of my closet, I am not trying to pare down to a capsule wardrobe. I have some single, or rarely used items that bring me great joy! I am trying to work through wearing everything in my closet, though. There are a lot of pieces that probably have neutral value and aren't needed (eg t-shirts), and when I find those, I am trying to set them aside so that I can consider getting rid of them. Things I have discovered? That though I have a lot of leggings and yoga pants, I have already worn them all, multiple times! Having less would just necessitate more frequent laundry. No thanks!

What will this journey towards a simplified life look like by year's end? I truly don't know. Whatever comes, may I be receptive to the Lord and what He has to teach me!

References:

Baron, J. (2024, January 26). Friday favorites! Hungry runner girl. https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2024/01/friday-favorites-259.html#

Becker, J. (n.d.). You eat less variety than you think. Embrace it. Becoming minimalist. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/meals/

Top Ten of 2023

It's time for the yearly wrap up! Here are my top nine Instagram posts:

And my top ten blog posts (as viewed on Facebook, where most people seem to prefer to read):

1. Everything I Read in October

2. Everything I Read in March

3. Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

4. How to Motivate Yourself to Read Scripture

5. Why Not Covenant Marriage?

6. Fresh 15K Race-Cation

7. Grace

8. Real Life Marriage: Let Him Dream

9. Afghan 75

10. Real Life Marriage: The Value of the Word

I am surprised how many views my reading wrap ups got. I guess you all like them? If so, please let me know so I can do more in 2024!

Top Ten of 2022

I guess my top nine Instagram posts and top ten blog posts (primarily read on Facebook) have really started to diverge. My top nine was all about yoga, something I've done less of, but engaged more with on social media this year:

And the majority of my top ten blog posts had to do with marriage:

Real Life Marriage: Doing Love Wrong...Again!

Three R's for Rekindling Romance

100 Books

It Shouldn't Be This Way

Watching and Waiting with Expectancy

Couple Crafting

Real Life Marriage: Doing it Together

I'm Having a Reckoning.

What to Do? What to Do?

Marathon Marathon 2022 10K Recap

I don't know if people are just interested in my marriage, or if what I write resonates. Either way, I hope readers benefit.

--

Until 2023...

Happy New Year!

Top Ten of 2021

Well, it's that time again, time to wrap up the year. I always find it interesting what and where people read. Most people read on Facebook, and these were the posts with the most reach (in descending order, from greatest to least):

When Fun Isn't Fun Anymore
Payson Vacation
Afghan #65
Afghans 61 and 62
Real Life Marriage: Keeping My Marriage
Best Books of 2020
33.
Real Life Marriage: When the "Stuff" Comes Up
I Need Him.
Real Life Marriage: Deciding Versus Sliding

On my blog itself, the posts visited most often were (in descending order, from greatest to least):

Yoga Revolution (Yoga with Adriene) Review
The Three E's of Trauma
A Review of Yoga Fix 30
I Need Him.
Good Communication: Self-Aware and Selfless
The Importance of Parental Support for Marriage
The Strong Woman
Self Care is My Responsibility
When the Weight is Too Great to Bear
Marriage, Year Two: The Highs

Interesting that "I Need Him" is the only crossover post. And apparently my top posts are still from previous years. Oh well.

I hope you all enjoyed reading, and see you next year.

P.S. If you have a favorite post from the year, please feel free to share in the comments section. Thanks!

Top Ten of 2020

Well, without further ado, here's the traditional year-end wrap-up post....

(My top nine from Instagram)

The top ten blog posts according to Facebook (where most viewers seem to read):

Real Life Marriage Anger 
Real Life Marriage: Things I Never Expected 
Real Life Marriage: This is Us 
Reframing our View of Money
There is enough 
Real Life Marriage: Date Your Spouse
Staycation: Quarantine Style
Masks and Me
Meaningful 
The Other Shoe 

And the top ten blog posts viewed on the actual blog:

Don't Envy My Body 
To All My Single Sisters
My Mother's Legacy
Masks and Me
Simple Summer Suppers
When My Heart Doesn't Believe
Real Life Marriage: Fair Doesn't Mean Equal
Unilateral Decisions
Real Life Marriage: Date Your Spouse
Real Life Marriage: My Identity is in Him
Staycation: Quarantine Style
Reframing our View of Money
The Best Snack Ever

Metrics aren't everything, but it seems you readers like love love, so as long as I can write about it from a place of honesty and transparency and it's beneficial, I will continue to do so.

So long, 2020, and see you in 2021!

Three Things That Got Me Through

As I reflect over this past year, I recognize many things I did wrong. Many ways I failed. Many things I could have done better. And I also see things that worked. Things that mattered. Things that gave life meaning. Among these were:

1) Sally's Baking Challenges: Something "silly" I picked up, but stubbornly managed to make my way through each month. The challenge instructions were sufficient to ensure sufficient success, and the completion of each challenge gave me a sense of confidence. The baking recipes also provided me with goodies to share with my neighbors, an "excuse" to form connections even while social distancing was the norm.

2) Hiking: I have written many times about the benefits of hiking. Hiking took on special value this spring and summer, however. At the height of the pandemic, it was one thing I could still do. Something that gave me a sense of accomplishment. Something that tired my body while helping my mind rest. An occasional way to connect with others, even if walking spaced apart and/or with masks. I started hiking more regularly when I realized the consequences to my mental health when I didn't do it. Meltdowns. More burnout. Less processing. As Abby Cannon stated in her episode of the Just the Good Stuff podcast, sometimes what we need is not more professional therapy, but more therapeutic activity (yoga for her). Hiking was that for me.

3) Blogging about marriage: Suffering is easier to endure when it has a purpose. Don't get me wrong; marriage is an incredible gift. This last year has been extremely difficult, however, in marriage and beyond. Being able to write and share about what God is teaching me has made it easier. Having people who read made my struggles feel more purposeful. And finding purpose in the struggle provided me with courage to endure.

What about you, readers? If you had to list three things you've taken away from this year, what would they be? What habits give meaning and purpose to your existence? What traditions or routines do you hope to carry from 2020 into 2021? I've listed mine above. Please share yours in the comment section below.

Top Ten of 2019

“Love will expand your horizons in ways you can't even imagine” (Shauna Niequist, Savor, p. 387).

(My top nine over from Instagram)

And here's the top ten posts from year 2019, arguably one of the best and most beautiful, yet hardest, and most life-changing years of my life:

God-Things and Dreams 
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Love 
Real Talk Marriage: One Month In 
Dear Daddy, I Still Love You 
What Cutting My Hair Taught Me About Belonging to Myself 
How We Had a Low Stress Wedding 
My First 10K 
Birthdays (Why and How to Celebrate) 
Our Most Used Kitchen Products (So Far) 
Wedding Day 

May God get the glory as I continue to write about life, love, marriage, and other stuff.

Here's to 2020!

Three.

Three years. I've made it three years, y'all. Three years of readjustment and learning and growing and more fully discovering who God made me to be. (Read my year two recap here.)

If you'd told me last year that I'd be celebrating July 4th and my Arizona anniversary as a married woman, I would have told you you were crazy. My husband and I had just started talking at this time last year, and I was so uncertain and...scared. And here we are a year later. And I've now got a lot go a lot more learning and growing to do as a wife.

Shortly before I moved to Arizona, my then boss quoted 2 Corinthians 5:7 to me, "For we live by faith, not by sight." I believed that truth then, as I said I was jumping off a cliff moving to Arizona with only my family and my church to fall back on: no real friends, no real community, no house. I moved back and in a year, the house I wanted to buy fell through. I changed jobs. Our church went through a season of struggle. And then last year, I got so desperate for community that I started facing my fears and reaching out. And God brought me my husband, who quite frankly wasn't who I was looking for, but a blessing nonetheless.

Over the past year, I've worked more than ever, hopefully grown in my profession, and learned more about living and stressing less. (But I have a long way to go. Ask my husband!)

God brought me back to Arizona for a reason, for many reasons, I believe, and I probably don't know all of them. But for now, I'll praise him for these that He's allowed me to see:

1) To help those struggling.
2) To reconnect and redeem some family relationships.
3) To help me face my fears and become more myself.
4) To grow.
5) To get married.

God is good. Life can be hard and life is full of change. But God is good.

Top Ten of 2018

It's been quite a year, a year of learning and struggling, a year of losing and gaining, a year of struggle and success, a year of sadness and yet some really great joy. So without further ado, here are my top ten blog posts from the year:

Seven "Healthy" Habits I No Longer Practice
Taking the Good With The Bad
Things I'd Like To Lose to Live a Healthier Life
The Bucket List Project
My Lack of a Smile Doesn't Mean I'm Unhappy
Why I Don't Plan to Celebrate Valentine's Day
Fresh 15 Race Weekend + Visit to Family
I Care About Kids...
Living in Limbo
It's My Birthday!

I am not a blogger by profession. My blog is really a passion project, and a way I practice self care. So for those who read posts like these, thank you! I see this blog as a mission field, and I truly hope and pray that what I write speaks to your heart and encourages you.

And in case you want to see my #TopNine from Instagram, here they are:

The Bucket List Project (Re-Cap)

The year of 2018 is almost over, so I probably owe everyone an update on #thebucketlistproject. Let's just say it's been a year! I honestly didn't expect to accomplish my list (which is why I didn't post it originally), but I completed all but one item (#6) on my list, and had a few added blessings along the way. I also did several things on my list more than once. Hooray!

I don't need lists to live, I need Jesus, but having this list did motivate me to live more bravely and courageously. And that's what I needed. By God's grace, I'm trying to actually have a life. Read on for the actual items on my list and pictures to prove I accomplished them!

1) Visit brother and sister-in-law. 
2) Run a 5K with brother and sister-in-law. 
3) Cruise to the Bahamas. 
4) Attend a college friend's wedding. 

5) Hike Hotshots and Journey trails at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park 
6) Hike the Grand Canyon. 
-Maybe next year?
7) Hike a new trail in Prescott (x 6). 
-Easter Island Trail
-Quartz Creek Trail
-Boulder Creek Trail 
-Goldwater West 
-Constellation trails 
-Clark Spring 
8) Attend a Diamondbacks game.

9) Get half-way to licensure hours (800/1600).
-Done as of September 2018
10) See a movie in the theater (x 2). 
-Forever My Girl 1/27/18
-I Can Only Imagine 3/24/18
11) Attend the Unshaken conference with Mom. 
12) Run in the Patriot Run. 
-I ran in the Butterfly Run instead.
13) Shop at the mall. 

I bought a pillow at JCPenney. It counts, okay!

14) Buy a new pair of jeans. 

Genetic Denims jeans from Poshmark.

15) Crochet a scarf for brother. 
16) Go on a date with Dad. 
-The Road Show 
17) Try a new cereal. 
-I made one.
-And I tried one.

18) Roast some nuts. 

Candied almonds from Budget Bytes

19) Go ice skating. 

20) Read a non-fiction book (biography). 
-Convicted by Jameel McGee and Andrew Collins 
21) Read a non-fiction book (self-help: x 10). 
-Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst 
-I Thought It Was Just Me by Brene Brown 
-You'll Get Through This by Max Lucado 
-Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado 
-Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
-The Indwelling Life of Christ: All of Him in All of Me by Major W. Ian Thomas 
-Everybody Always by Bob Goff 8/12/18
-Beautifully Interrupted by Tessa Swanstrom Anderson
-Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist
22) Read a fiction book (x 3). 
-Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury 
-The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers 
-To The Moon and Back by Karen Kingsbury
23) Eat at a new restaurant in Prescott.

Spaghetti with spicy meat sauce at La Bruzza's 

24) Eat at a new restaurant in Prescott Valley.

Chili rellano and bean burrito at Casa Perez

25) Go to a new restaurant in Chino Valley. 
-Arturo's was part of my bucket list birthday weekend.
26) Go to a King and Country concert (x 2). 
27) Make more family meals (x 13).

My favorite meal was probably the butter chicken and naan I made with my little brother.

28) Sing on the worship team more (x 18). 
29) Memorize more Bible verses.
-Still working on Romans
30) Girls' weekend with my Ohio best friend 
-The cruise counts, right?!?

Here's to 2019 and all the adventures it will entail!

Arizona: Year Two

I've made it two years, y'all. I've gotten a few funny looks lately when I've expressed my excitement about the anniversary of my move to Arizona, and that's okay. They don't get it. These past two years have wrecked me, in good ways, but in hard ways.

Work: If you had told me in grad school that I'd spending close to fifty hours a week helping kids, I would have said you were crazy. I fought against my elementary school internship placement. I asked the community clinic to only give me teenagers and adults. I didn't take the play therapy training classes offered to me. And now I have a birth to five year-old case load. You'll find me outside throwing a football more than you'll find me in an office. I'm now taking play therapy and sand tray classes. And I'm growing to love what I do. Go figure.

Church: I came home to Arizona partly because my family belonged to a strong church. And it's fallen apart. The brokenness of the people that make up the church has become apparent and though we are pursuing healing, it is messy. We are currently without a pastor and our body has decreased to about a third of the size. But we're still together and the Word is being preached. Thanks be to God.

Family: I planned to live with my parents only long enough to set up my own independent life, but here I am two years later still living at home. It's been hard, but good. I have found a lot of healing in relating to my parents as adults. I've been forced to let some of my perfectionism go and recognize that relationship matters more than having a perfect house or an ideal life. If God ever sees fit for me to get married and have a family of my own, this has been good training.

Worship team: I sang in choir growing up and never thought I'd sing on stage. But I've found community in worship team and you'll find me on the platform a few times a month singing, but for God's glory and not my own.

Car: I thought I knew what I wanted and fought against Dad's suggestions. But I drove the car I liked and it wasn't what I thought. Now I'm back to Dad's suggestions. In fact, I am supposed to get that new car Dad suggested today. My dad is a smart man.

Community: I've expected community to come to me, but I'm learning that I've got to go to it. Relationships aren't one sided. I've met a lot of cool people here, but it takes a lot of intentional effort to connect. Connecting means being honest and vulnerable and belonging to myself above all else. It's hard work.

Health: My health struggles have reminded me that I am human and not invincible. Though I am thankful that my conditions are not fatal, they are frustrating. Dystonia is yet another way that God is sanding off my rough edges. I didn't choose it, but God has allowed it into my life for some reason.

I still have goals in life, but I'm trying to hold them loosely. As God takes what I have known and breaks it all apart, He reveals His bigger and grander and more beautiful plan. And You, my God are greater still.