Sincerely, Elisabeth

Hello! What a whirlwind of a couple months, am I right?! This year started and it started HARD. Resolutions, goals, dreams, choices, etc. You name it, they have been made, and may have even come to a premature end. I, for one, am not usually a resolution-maker; primarily because I am not a resolution-keeper. I can’t even begin to describe the superfluous goals that I have created for myself that I have completely botched. But, just for fun, here are a couple: Lose weight. The go-to goal of women and men across the globe. Call me a follower. Run a marathon. Thank you, asthma, for the reminder that this is a useless goal. Run a 5K. A toned down version of goal #2. The number of “Couch-to-5K” programs I have started and never finished is appalling. Go for a walk three times a week. You’ll notice that my fitness goals have become more realistic with each aging year. Reality is a beautiful thing to come to terms with. Keep a journal. Nope. Anyway, I am confident that you, dear rea...

Psalm 23. Old faithful. The one that even the non-Christian can probably recite. It's short. It's concise. It is FULL of promise. This morning, I took some time to re-read Psalm 23 for probably the 500th time. Before, dear reader, I elicit the idea that I am a faithful Bible student/quiet time attendee, let me say that this morning's quiet time was my first in about two weeks. An issue in itself, but also the truth. Anyway, I sat down to read Psalm 23. I turned to this Psalm because, as I said in the intro, it is old faithful. I know it by heart, but reading the words from a page is so much more meaningful to me [think holding a book vs. reading one on your electronic device]. I realized as I read, that this short, six verse passage is full of hope! And not only hope but specific. . . gifts . . . if you will. Here's what I mean. The Psalmist lists out what he receives or experiences as he walks with his Shepherd. Below is the passage written out with each received i...

As Dressember looms closer - only FOUR more days until day one - I can't help but feel overwhelmed at the idea of asking friends and family to donate. I've never been good at asking for money for anything. When I was in middle school, I had to go door to door and ask people if they wanted to support my swim team by donating funds. To this day, it makes me feel queasy thinking of asking people for money. I know so many people have limited, just enough, or not nearly enough funds, and it feels like a burden to ask for help. But. Then I think of the women, men, and children who are being forced to do things against their will. Working, performing sexual acts, laboring, not having a way out; these are the people who I deeply desire to help. What is a few weeks of my discomfort in comparison to a whole life being shrouded in misery? It seems too simple to just wear a dress when people have been transported out of their everyday lives, but it is a start to aid in raising awarenes...

I am way excited about this blog post and the coming month of advocacy! Please read on! As a college student at  Northwest University , I learned about the reality that is human trafficking. From chapel services taking offerings donated to  Hope for Justice Int'l , to a full day of praying for the victims. The truth of human trafficking had never been more real to me than it was at that time. Fast forward from college to last December. My friend Alexa wore a dress every day in December to raise awareness and funds for victims who have been rescued out of sex trafficking. She was so committed to the Dressember event, that she even wore a wedding dress to work! I was so impressed! Well, this year, I decided that I want to be a part of the endeavor to raise awareness and funds for the victims of sex-trafficking. So, every day in December, I will be wearing a dress! As there are only FOURTEEN days left before Dressember begins, I wanted to tell you some more about it! As y...

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7 This is the verse that has inspired our latest life decision - we are moving! When Noah and I (in seperate states, having never met one another) decided to attend Northwest University (NU), we both had to take out loans in order to afford our schooling. We both graduated with Bachelors of Arts, for which we are thankful. We made some lifelong friends, some of whom were in our wedding, and who visited us at the hospital for the birth of our daughter. We did stereotypical college things: I gained the freshman 15, I dyed my hair and got a new piercing, we jumped in a lake at midnight several times, Noah made a 3AM journey to Portland 200 miles away for donuts, we had snow ball fights, I made an awkward  Relient K music video , and Noah started an acoustic band, made some solo appearances, and started/ended a screamo band. We also had some high points: Noah was a RA, I was a CB, I ...

As a stay-at-home mother, I have learned how easy it is to fall in to the trap of “I don’t do anything.” Several days go by where there is no need for me to leave the house, so I simply do not go anywhere. There are days that spit-up winds up resting in my hair, and on my clothes, and I do not shower or change. There are moments where I could sweep the house, and maybe even mop, but I do not - simply because the baby hasn’t had a nap all day and now she is sleeping, and I just want to sit down. As a stay-at-home (SAH), my job is not only to keep a tiny human alive, fed, slept, clean, and entertained, my job is to also watch over the affairs of my home. Including: budget writing, grocery buying, meal planning, cleaning, laundry (oh! The laundry!), tidying, running errands my husband can’t run for himself because he works 40 miles from home and has a two hour return commute, cooking (and making sure that I too eat something as the day progresses), bill paying, and now, helping my husban...

Hello! And welcome to the new and improved blog! I now have a much better understanding of how to configure this curious world known as the internet, and am so looking forward to beginning our journey together, dear reader.  First of all, allow me to explain why I chose the word "sincerely." According to dictionary.com, sincerely is defined as "1. free of deceit, hypocrisy, or falseness; earnest: 2. genuine, real: 3. pure; unmixed; unadulterated." These are my goals for this blog. My hope is to bring a viewpoint to you that perhaps you had not yet considered. And in doing so, I plan to be transparent. Not for the sake of divulging my personal or private matters, but rather, to encourage a community that is honest and a space where we can all learn. Second, my goals. In writing this blog, I want to share with you, reader, the everyday experiences of a 20-something, married, mothering, female in the Pacific Northwest (or the #PNW, for the social media savvy). I a...