To give full context of our family dynamic, we are currently blending a family (married September 19, 2020) that lost a spouse (me) with three kids, seven, six, and four, and one from divorce (Dustin) with a five year old….
The Man Who Came Next – Father’s Day with the Second Chapter
Marrying a widow who has lost her husband, marrying a family who has lost their dad, is a different equation than most. There is so much happiness and love mixed with so much sadness and a reminder of the loss. Because you are second, doesn’t mean you are less important; second only in timing.
Our Love Story: The Journey
Read part one of my dating journey and beginning of our love story here. Now, I realized I am ready to date. Something clicked in my brain that I was ready. It felt like all of a sudden I could…
Remembering Day – How to Celebrate the Anniversary of the Death of a Loved One – Love What Matters
Are you approaching the anniversary of losing someone you love? The anniversary of their death is often a brutal reminder and a day that is significant to pay respects. We honored Marcus in completely different ways the past couple of…
Successful Co-Parenting – Co-Written by Birth Mom & Bonus Mom
My most recent piece with Love What Matters is about co-parenting, written together with Elliott’s mom, from her and my point of view. I wrote about meeting her and my relationship with her, how our journey has been so far,…
Blending a Family – Featured on Love What Matters
“I asked Eloise on the way home from school last week if she remembered her dad, who died when she was only 2 and a half. After insisting she show me her ‘daddy book,’ I asked her if she remembered…
Our Love Story: The Preamble
The thought of sharing my life again with someone after Marcus died was intimidating. But it was but also something I yearned for deeply. I never wanted to be single. I spent almost a decade leaning on my husband, growing…
A Guide to Managing Grief
Scroll to the bottom for a free printable of a guide to managing grief that you can print for yourself or share with someone who is grieving. The whole world is grieving right now. We are grieving health, stability, finances,…
Valentine’s Day as a Widow
It is a day that revolves around love. Celebrating it, showing it, experiencing it. I wrote on my Instagram this week how even though this will be my second Valentine’s Day since my husband passed, this is the first year…
Saying Yes To Help
Allow people to help. As soon as Marcus died and I could catch my breath, I started the most daunting task of my life: telling people. How do you even begin that conversation? This is something so horrifying, so shocking,…
One Year Without You
It hurts so bad to live this life without him. We are doing really well in spite, but it’s awful. The worst thing I would have imagined in this life would have been him dying. And it happened. And it still doesn’t make sense to me because he was GOOD. And godly. And loving. And honest. And loyal. And all that is so rare.
Year In Review // Decade Recap
A lot has changed in the past ten years, and even more this year. Going through pictures and memories from this year has me remembering the big adventure we have lived! I love doing a year in review and am…