Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Every month I get to be a part of the magazine team for the incredible ministry Exemplify Online and we are undergoing some pretty major changes!  It's all very exciting and the whole team is behind the ministry founder and editor, Kristen Schiffman (LOVE her to pieces!). I would love for you to read about these changes over at http://exemplifyonline.com and while you're there don't forget to check out the June issue of the magazine where I introduce my new column, In First Person.     

You'll definitely want to get caught up before the July issue releases next weekend. All I'll say is that you won't want to miss the next installment of In First Person. You can even subscribe to have the magazine delivered right to your inbox each and every month!  How simple is that?!

Ok, now that all of the announcements are out of the way, some pretty exciting things are in the line-up for the next few months!

Including, but not limited to:

• A cruise with four of my college girl-friends
• Michele's bachelorette party {Don't worry; we like to keep things classy!}
• A trip to Nashville to visit one of my very best friends 
• Hopefully meeting my weight loss goal {I'm so close!}
• The Whitfield Wedding...it will surely be the celebration of the year.

That's all pretty great, but there's still room for the unexpected! Who wants to be my unforeseen happiness? ;-) 

If My Brain Had A Name It Would Be 'Delorean'

Have you ever had a memory so strong you can still physically feel the past just by thinking about it? Yeah, that happened to me quite a bit this week. It catches my breath and squeezes my chest and induces mild anxiety at the thought that I might never feel that way again in real life like the way I do in my memory.

Do you think the memory of love can be more potent than in real life love? Sometimes, I think the answer to that question is yes because my memory of that love is a mix of the strongest aspects and moments of that time.

I know the answer is really no though. Nothing compares with in real life love shared between two people. My memory is only one sided. A memory can't hold me or tell me "I love you".

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Lately, God has been reminding me of how he uses relationship to manifest his love for me {and you}. I then realize memories are a mere shadow of reality, and if that is true then reality will be much more potent in the end.

God give me the reality.

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Sometimes I think about how it would be so much easier to stay single forever. That's just my self-preservation talking though. I only feel that way because I know the risk involved is great and the vulnerability is even greater. I hear the risk is worth it, but what I wonder is if someone will take the risk with me.

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Truth be told, I have the time and freedom to do many things my married don't have the luxury of having. The reason I know that is because my married girlfriends always remind me! Travel, hours alone, doing what I want when I want, don't have to stay on my side of the bed, girls weekends on a whim, chick-flicks, etc. As much as I love those things about my life, I would trade them in a heart beat to have what they have. I'm not saying what they have is better. It's just different. I don't want to waste the time I have, but I sure do want that difference! ;-)

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This is me.

Review: Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a historical fiction story about young Civil War widows and their quest for something to call their own. In St. Louis during 1872 several of these young widows were lured to a meeting promising free land in Nebraska.  With no other prospects besides relying on unwilling family or marrying men they did not love, sixteen widows boarded a train headed for Plum, Nebraska.  Along the the journey towards their new lives they begin to realize their escort had less than honorable intentions. He had promised the single men of Plum (and surrounding cities) that he was bringing them brides. When the truth was made public at a stop along the way to their final destination, many of the women decided to claim their free land and farm on their own.

The story follows their trials and triumphs in creating a life for themselves.  It's a story about community and waiting on the Lord. I loved it because the women did not succomb to the fate their escort planned.  They learned the meaning of patience and trust...character traits we all need.  It's a story of victory and you'll learn a little history along the way too!

This book was provided for free for review by Bethany House Publishing and can be bought on their website.

Review: She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell

Siri Mitchell's lastest novel, She Walks In Beauty, is set during New York City's Gilded Age in 1891. It's a time in history where marriage was more of a business deal than act of love.  Clara Carter is a 17 year old girl who is more interested in her education than becoming a debutant, but it seems her Aunt has a different plan.  When Clara learns that she is to debut a year early to save the family honor, she knows she has no other choice.  Clara becomes the star of the social season and is in competition with her best friend for the De Vries heir. She longs for true love and not one based on making better social connections. However, she is not sure whether she is worth that kind of luxury.

When I began reading this book I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a historical fiction novel, but in the end I have found a new genre to love. Siri Mitchell does a great job of weaving the love of God through the story of a young woman who has very little choice about her future.  Mitchell also incorporated contemporary artists, poets and authors into her novel, and that gave a depth to what was going on in the Gilded Age.  I got so lost in the story that I didn't put it down until it was finished, and even then I wish the story did not end.

This book was provided for free for review by Bethany House Publishers and can be purchased on their website.