No one prepared us for this. How could they have? The grief, the pain, the anger and hope and spurts of being "okay" the despair and the guilt... it all just cycles over, and over, and over again. You hear about grief and it's stages. But unless it enters into your life, you don't actually know the ... READ the POST

You're not taking time to continue to develop yourself. Reading, learning, studying, meditating... these are all crucial elements to developing yourself. We often get so busy that we don't have times of solitude. It's important to take time to do the slow paced things. It calms our minds, it makes ... READ the POST

I'll never forget a time when I went with a group of Shine followers down to a women's shelter in Phoenix. We organized clothes for hours, for these women who had been in domestic abuse situations for a very long time. We learned that when they finally escape to a shelter, many times with their ... READ the POST

(found this bus last year in North Carolina) Our country is sitting and watching a screen play role out right before our eyes. Most of us are angry, many of us are hurt, and the majority of us are scared about what this all means. The shootings these past few days have opened a bigger discussion to ... READ the POST

We were up north this past weekend with my family. While we were on a hike one day, my dad decided to ask Zoe the age old question, "Hey, Zoe! If there's a tree in the middle of the woods, and nobody is around, and it falls down, would it still make a noise?" She looked at him with her sassy look ... READ the POST

1- Give yourself time to unwind It's so important that before you go to bed, you turn off your mind and give yourself time to blow of steam and energy. Working out at night is something that has really helped me just decompress and allow myself to calm down. Reading, adult coloring books, playing ... READ the POST

We're always looking for a fun place to take our family and cool off during the summer here in Phoenix. One of my favorite resorts ever has always been the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass. We grew up going there for holidays like the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, birthday parties, and other life ... READ the POST

I woke up this morning, already missing being able to walk outside of our door and see the ocean. Newport Beach was such a fun family trip and I am having serious withdrawals already. We stayed in a little thousand square foot cottage that has been there for decades. Sometimes I let my mind wander ... READ the POST

This morning I woke up with my family in Newport Beach. We went on a walk, got ready for church, worshiped God, went to the beach and hung out all day together. I woke up grateful to be with them, happy to be in a beautiful city, and was full of peace to finally be able to take a step out of the ... READ the POST

Swimsuit, hat, sunglasses (similar) I never thought we'd actually make it... but we are here! Our most looked forward to week of every year. Each June we take a beach trip for summer vacation and I can't believe I don't have to do anything but lay in the sand for the next 7 days. We decided to go to ... READ the POST