As little girls, my sisters and I loved watching the Miss America pageant.  We’d pick out the gowns we wanted to wear, use our homemade score cards to judge the talent competitions and cry when Bert Parks would sing, “There she is, Miss America.”  (If you don’t remember Bert Parks, my apologies.)  It all looked so easy.  It still does. What we didn’t see during that two-hour television show was the incredible amount of preparation and planning that took place before the competition.  A young woman doesn’t wake up one day and decide Continue Reading

Living with purpose and making smart, healthy, and productive daily choices is something many of us strive for.  But it’s not always easy living an intentional, faith-based life in a world that demands so much. Don’t you agree? I swear the joy of the Lord just stays in bed some mornings, even when I choose to get out from under the covers.  I know that exercise is good for me…but it takes energy!  And let’s not even start discussing all the reasons why I know my eating habits need some tweaking.  I love spending quiet moments with Continue Reading