Real life

  • Hi! It’s time I introduce myself

    I’m a born-and-raised Alaskan girl who grew up in Ketchikan — where the rain never quits, the salmon runs are strong, and childhood means mud-stained softball pants, playing soccer in a rain storm, purple berry-picking fingers, and learning to drive… Continue reading

    Hi! It’s time I introduce myself

  • Brave Beginnings

    I found out I was pregnant with Odin in the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic—when the world had suddenly gone quiet, and fear flew in the air like a storm that would never pass. There was no celebrating with… Continue reading

    Brave Beginnings

  • rich in love, laughter, and family

    As a mother, there are days when I feel like I’m barely holding it all together. But when I take a step back, I’m overwhelmed not by the chaos, but by the gratitude I feel for the village that surrounds… Continue reading

    rich in love, laughter, and family

  • you’re more than what you have survived

    Single mom. That was the only way I saw myself. The label I wore, quietly but constantly. Not out of shame—but because that role was so consuming, so defining, so all-in. It was survival, grit, sacrifice, and love tangled into… Continue reading

    you’re more than what you have survived

  • magic, mayhem, & meaning

    There’s a mom I know—I’m sure you know one like her too. Her house is tidy, her fridge is organized, and her kids always seem to have perfectly coordinated outfits. She’s calm, structured, and somehow remembers to pack snacks that… Continue reading

    magic, mayhem, & meaning

  • Today, I’m just not winning

    Today, I hit that familiar wall — the one where no matter how hard I tried, it just doesn’t seem like enough. I tried to respond with the right words, keep the peace, hold it all together, and meet every… Continue reading

    Today, I’m just not winning

  • cold coffee, a lot of rain, and then some more rain

    Let me set a common scene for you: It’s 7:46 a.m. I’m wearing one sock, a Carhartt hoodie that I did a sniff test on to make sure it was clean *enough*, and I’m trying to convince a tiny human… Continue reading

    cold coffee, a lot of rain, and then some more rain

  • surgery, sacrifice, & balance

    There are many days in my world where I feel like I’m living two lives — one where I’m in the OR, gowned and gloved, suction in one hand and a hemostat in the other. And another, where I’m wiping… Continue reading

    surgery, sacrifice, & balance

  • vulnerability, encouragement, & commitment

    As many of you know, Adam and I are engaged, and in just a few weeks— I’ll be standing beside the man I love and we’ll commit to forever. In some ways, it feels like a new chapter, but in… Continue reading

    vulnerability, encouragement, & commitment

  • goodnight prayers from a little leader

    Tonight, something tiny—but very meaningful—happened. Ten minutes after I had tucked my 4 year old into bed, turned off the lights, and finally settled into bed myself, I heard his sweet voice: “Mommy, we need to say our prayers to… Continue reading

    goodnight prayers from a little leader