“. . . the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation . . . and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy⁠“

— Pres. Russell M. Nelson

Latest Posts


  • Finishing Out the Month of March

    March was such a whirlwind of all the things, that even though the days were often long, the month seemed to fly by. As the month has progressed, my yard has truly exploded with life. My iris are blooming, my… Continue reading

    Finishing Out the Month of March
  • That Arthur of Ours

    Our Arthur, while he definitely has his struggles as he navigates being thirteen, middle school, autism, and ADHD, continues to awe and amaze us all. This past week or so have had quite a few things that showed us, yet… Continue reading

    That Arthur of Ours
  • More March Adventures

    The struggle with my emotions lately is very real. Frustration, anxiety, sorrow, all laced with gratitude and hope. Because of that, I have been leaning even harder into my faith and finding reminders that the Lord has me and is… Continue reading

    More March Adventures
  • The Rest of Spring Break

    I already posted about the discouraging news I have received recently about my cancer. I was so grateful to have Kevin by my side and Pamela with me when I saw the results of my PET scan. It was terrifying… Continue reading

    The Rest of Spring Break
  • An Escape to Paradise for Spring Break

    After my diagnosis last year, and as we settled into life with cancer treatments, we stopped planning things for a bit. I had a trip with some friends I already had tickets for that I was still able to go… Continue reading

    An Escape to Paradise for Spring Break
  • Discouragement: Finding Hope in all the Hard

    Over the past few weeks, there have been a lot of hard things – bad news, discouraging results, and lots and lots of pain. There have been a lot of days where hope and positivity was very hard to find.… Continue reading

    Discouragement: Finding Hope in all the Hard
  • A Crazy Birthday Day

    My birthday tends to fall on weird days – days with tons midterms when I was in college and high school, days when there is a ton of things going on, etc, etc. It seems to be in the heart… Continue reading

    A Crazy Birthday Day
  • A Few Arthur Adventures

    Life with Arthur is always an adventure. I never really know what I am going to hear from him or what he is going to do. Yes, there are the teenage boy moments and difficulties you get with most thirteen… Continue reading

    A Few Arthur Adventures
  • Finishing February

    This month has seemed to fly by, while also felt like it moved slowly, like walking through mud. Isn’t it strange how both things can be true at the same time? I think that is one of the paradoxes of… Continue reading

    Finishing February
  • Life With Elder Brown

    It is crazy to think about how Derek, aka: Elder Brown, has been serving his mission for more than 9 months now, and will hit a year of service before we know it. He loves being a service missionary and… Continue reading

    Life With Elder Brown