July has been warm and beautiful and busy. One of the articles I wrote in June was published: you can read about it in HerLife Magazine Central Valley’s July issue. I have a few more upcoming that I’ll be sure to link and share for anyone interested.

Jake has had a few interviews and currently some hopeful leads, but nothing definitive as of yet. We appreciate your continuing prayers as we keep moving forward in faith.

We had a quiet but fun 4th of July. Our local fireworks were cancelled due to the tragic warehouse explosion in NorCal that occurred a few days prior, but we enjoyed BBQ, sparklers, ice cream, and confetti with family and friends.

Jake and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on July 6th. It was a simple celebration: we went out to dinner at our favorite local restaurant. But even the simplest things feel special when I get to do them with him. He makes me a better person, he’s the best husband and father I could’ve ever asked for, and he continues to be the greatest blessing I’ve ever received.

Goodness, I love him so.

We had an impromptu trip to SoCal to see Jake’s oldest niece and nephew, who were in the state visiting (Sorry to all my beloved SoCal friends who I didn’t tell/didn’t get to visit — next time, I promise!). It was a very, very quick turnaround, but we were so happy to spend whatever precious time we could with family that we rarely get to see.

The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins and celebrating the 4th, and now we’re settling into our daily routine again. Jake takes the kids in the early morning so I can sleep in a little (Beatrice is still awake at least three times a night, and we’re still slowly, slowly working on weaning). I take them for the mid-morning and afternoon while he works in his office, then I have an hour or two to write at my desk before we all have dinner together and begin the bedtime routine.

Screen time has increased a little but so has outdoor time and independent play, so I consider it an okay trade for now. They’re actually starting to learn how to play together instead of each taking turns infuriating the other. I’m hopeful that soon we’ll be spending less time separating them and have a moment’s peace during the day.

Despite toddler sibling squabbles, they’re the most wonderful kids. Michael has found a new fascination with trains — specifically Thomas the Tank Engine — and my mom has been enabling him by sporadically ordering him more engines to play with whenever they pop up at a reasonable price. He loves going to the thrift store with me to find “treasures” like a jumbo checker board or books. He loves singing, often at the top of his lungs. If he could ride his bike or swim all day, he would: they’re his two favorite activities.

Beatrice continues to grow quickly: she loves pointing out body parts, dancing to music, wearing any shoes she stumbles across, and drinking from any cup except her own. She has FOMO (fear of missing out) just like her brother, and wants to go everywhere and do everything he does. She also loves swimming and playing in the water. Sleep interferes with her grand plans to take over the world and is the enemy, and she treats it as such.

I’m grateful for our garden and its bounties in this season: drip irrigation has been a game changer. Our veggies are growing happily, and I’m swimming in a sea of tomatoes. I’m still not a dutiful enough gardener: all of my herbs have bolted and gone to seed in the summer sun, but at least they’re beautiful and drawing pollinators to my vegetables. The weeds are also atrocious — I will be fighting crab grass both awake and in my dreams til I die.

My making continues to take a back seat to life’s current demands. However, I knit a small, light head/neck scarf on the drive down to SoCal from leftover handspun. I made some progress on a pair of socks I’ve been knitting for an embarrassing amount of time. I’m also making another bonnet for a sweet baby at our church.

When my brain is absolutely dead in the evenings I’ve been slowly working on the same counted cross stitch embroidery piece while Jake and I watch our podcasts/shows together. And I have hopes of catching up on my Goodreads reading goal for 2025: 55 books, even though I’m currently 6 books behind.

I finished The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (beautifully atmospheric and intriguing) and On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (powerful and convicting). I’m working through Lois McMaster Bujold’s Sharing Knife series (I love her way with words, especially dialogue) and chipping away at a collection of Simone Weil’s essays and letters.

I’ve found that I’ve had to prioritize reading if I want my writing process to go more smoothly. It makes sense if you think about it: words in, words out. Being surrounded by words and intentionally taking time to absorb them in multiple forms. Letting thoughts and phrases and adverbs and punctuation flow through you — then finally from you and your pen, changed and uniquely your own. For a writer, it’s as important as stretching and conditioning for an athlete.

For that reason, I cherish both my reading and my writing time. It’s been good to build the habits back up. It’s nice to have a small side income through my articles in this season of our lives, but I’m also slowly drafting short stories and longer form fiction in the few precious hours I have.

I’ve been struggling with feeling like I can’t do anything in the face of all that’s wrong with the world right now. I can’t magically get Jake a new job, I can’t fix the anger and pain and injustice ravaging our nation; I can’t stop wars.

But I can write.

It may not be much. It might never be published or seen by another person. But the act of writing changes me, and that’s where it begins. Each word is work I put towards a better tomorrow, and a better me.