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I Love My Body – Baby Bump
[Guest Post by Kimberly Davidson Campbell] – Weight gain and the numbers on the scale have always been a troublesome spot for my mind and heart. From the time I was in 3rd grade I remember disliking the school pictures for the year book. I always criticized them and stared at them wondering if there was anything beautiful I could find in them. I recently finished a 39+ week maternity photo shoot. I sat at our dining room table and started glancing through them, then sobbed uncontrollably and buried my head in my husband’s side. I hated all of them. Why? No, my hair was great and makeup looked good…
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I Survived My 20s – Dreams
[Guest Post by Caris Adel] – I love the movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. When I watch it, I relive my dream from high school. My dreams were to move to New York City and spend my 20s living the city life– whatever that meant. The issue of cost never did resolve itself. My more realistic plan was to get an apartment and go to school in a midwest town near my high school boyfriend. But alas, we ended up pregnant instead, giving birth right before his final exams his freshman year of college. We got married, and by the time we were 26, we had our fifth and…
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I Survived My 20s – Moving
[Guest Post by Marie Osborne] – I survived my 20s by moving over and over and over again. In 2004, I was married to my best friend and at an amazing church. We had a fantastic support system of friends and family. The next 3 years, my job just kept getting better, our friendships deeper, our family closer, and our marriage stronger. Then in 2006, we decided my husband should go back to school. So we moved to Los Angeles for two years as he completed his MBA. Suddenly, our deep roots were gone, and I didn’t know a soul. I had worked hard for 6 years to build an…
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What's Your Story – Ashleigh
[Guest post by Ashleigh Slater] – My oldest daughter celebrated her eighth birthday two Saturdays ago. As she blew out the candles on her “Sew Cute” Lalaloopsy cake, I marveled that I’m “Mom” to a second-grader. Not to mention a first-grader, preschooler, and toddler. Let’s just say, over a decade ago it wasn’t where I’d expected to find myself at 33. Me, filling sippy cups up with pink milk throughout the day? No. Me, carrying snack-sized bags of Goldfish and Chex Mix in my purse? Nuh-uh. Me, making multiple trips to the grocery store for that bottle of ketchup that’s perpetually forgotten? I don’t think so. I wasn’t attending grad…
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What's Your Story – Jenn
Jenn is my first best friend. Jenn and I met at North Coast Church’s college group and became best friends. It’s funny how God uses certain people to remind us who we are, and who bring out the best. Jenn is that person to me. I felt bad that I couldn’t be there for her when her story started. Jenn became a single mom. She went through much criticism by her family, peers, the church—and worst of all herself. As a result of her choices she had a lot of questions to answer. My first question to Jenn was a heavy one, one that I’ve wrestled with myself. Why do…
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What's Your Story – Ashley
[Guest Post by Ashley] I always had a close relationship with God, and felt I could always lean on Him. In high school, I got a job at a leather store in the mall. I was a trainer on the football team and fell head over heels for popular guy on the team. I had my whole life planned out. I wanted to be a stay at home mom and be an active part of a church. I knew I wanted to save myself for marriage, but I started to drift from God. He wasn’t into going to church or praying. I ended up dating him and we had a…
