A T T H E P A R K ' S

Hi friends, for those of you who don't know or are new to the blog, my husband and I (and our golden retriever) live in a 39-foot 5th wheel/toy hauler on some family property just outside of Bend, Oregon. As a minimalist living in an RV, I thought you might be interested in seeing how I spend my mornings with intention, before heading off to work. For as long as I can remember, I've always been a morning person. A few years ago, I was getting up as early as 4am to go to my CrossFit class before heading off to work. While I don't rise quite that early now, I still enjoy waking up before the rest of the world. And really, I feel my very best and am the most productive between 5-10am. If you are the same way and you'd like to know what I do to have a more joyful and productive morning, just keep reading. And, here are a few tips to help you get started. Tip #1: Get up early You must allow yourself time to accomplish the things you want to accomplish. If y...

Well, today's the day. It has been four years since we lost our precious little one. If you haven't read the story, you can find it here . This is the first anniversary that I can actually say I haven't had any tears today, just joy for what's to come when we meet in heaven. Wow! I never imagined I'd be able to say that but, well, I've had some breakthrough. That's not to say that I'll forget, because I will never forget. However, I'm at peace. Let me back up. After our tragedy, I struggled. Well actually, I struggled for almost three years. My heart was fighting God and I was angry at what had happened, bitter, anxious, and depressed. On top of that, I was physically struggling with an autoimmune disease and its repercussions. My heart and body wanted to be healed and whole again but I had no idea how I could ever get there. I thought my body had betrayed me and I thought I'd have to fight this for the rest of my life. At times, my thoug...

For the past three years, the end of February, the beginning of April, and the beginning of November, have been some of the most difficult times of the year. They mark painful anniversaries of the day we lost our baby and the expected due date.  It was over three years ago the only time I saw the word "pregnant" on a stick. Yes, I've been a Mom for three years. No, I'm not raising a child, but I'm a Mom to one in heaven. Over the last three years, God has been working in my heart. For so long I was angry, depressed, anxious, life was challenging to say the least. Then early last year we learned about my autoimmune disease and the other conditions it has caused and everything began to make sense. Now I could put names to what was causing me to feel so awful all day, every day. About three months ago, I had a bout of tachycardia while working (certainly not the first time this has happened). So, I ended up seeing my doctor and the anxiety was consumi...

A LOOK BACK AS WE MOVE FORWARD Let's review some of the events in 2016. Well, let's be fair. The blog has been quiet for a few months so some of this that you'll read is new to you! After a three month hiatus, I am hopeful to start blogging again and posting more regularly. Ok, let's get into it!  FYI, this might be THE longest blog post I've written to date, so please bear with me. JANUARY After trying for another year to get pregnant, we scheduled dr appointments with a naturopathic physician for JP and I to start infertility testing. JP went first and besides being diagnosed with some food allergies, he is healthy as an ox. FEBRUARY We watched our 9th Super Bowl together. It was our first date and something we hold so special to our hearts. JP celebrated his 35th birthday! We had dinner at The Blacksmith restaurant and it was amazing as usual. If you are in Bend, I'd highly recommend checking it out. We've eaten there for both of ...

Ok. I cannot hold it in any longer. OUR HOUSE IS ON THE MARKET!! Once the house closes and we move, I'll post all of the photos that our wonderful photographer captured a few days ago. He made our house look amazing!!! Specifically, I love the evening shots where the house almost glows, and the drone shots. A few years ago I wrote about our home list which included all the lofty projects we wanted to complete in order to make the house our dream home. Well, plans changed and we decided to do just a few upgrades and leave the rest as is. We are so happy with the results and are so thrilled with how the photos turned out. This week we had a large group of realtors come in and tour the home before the house went "live" and then this weekend (today and Sunday) we have our open house! We already have a number of showings scheduled so we'll see what happens. We've been officially on the market for a couple of days and have had a ton of interest so far. O...