Blog

Jul 22, 2015•3 min read

Sriracha spinach egg medley bowls

I wanted to share a meal that is quickly becoming a staple in the DeVries home. Of course, it involves eggs, because we like inexpensive, nutritious, protein-based meals. And it's a fast meal, because life is busy (a lot), but that doesn't mean we...

Jul 21, 2015•3 min read

Visiting family & San Antonio adventures

A few weeks ago, Nicholas' family visited us in Austin (of course, they're my family too)! Whenever we have visitors, we take them to our favorite spots, and usually explore some new ones with them.

Jul 13, 2015•3 min read

Pulled to love: On getting unstuck

Do you have periods of life where you can't seem to gain traction in anything? Okay, yeah, me too. Life has been lots of work and then lots of play, and now I'm in the midst of transitioning to a (more normal) blend of the two. But in the midst of...

Jul 11, 2015•4 min read

What it's like being a Registered Nurse (from my perspective)

I don't write about work very often, aside from how it intertwines with our daily life. But I wanted to write a brief post about "what I do" and why. I've discussed the very basics: 12-hour shifts (really, they're more like 13-hour shifts) at night....

Jun 29, 2015•2 min read

Life in the in-between

Hi! For some reason I scheduled myself four shifts in five days, oops! So I've been at the hospital a lot this week. However, I wanted to write a brief post about the bits of life between shifts and sleeping. If I'm not intentional about those...

Jun 22, 2015•2 min read

7 things I'm learning about myself (or: thirsty souls)

I've read these verses dozens of times, but I've never read them in an identify-defining way:

Jun 15, 2015•4 min read

June joys, with reservation

This is a delightfully uneventful month, in the sense that we don't have too many extra events aside from our normal work/church schedule. However, there have been so many small moments in the last week or two that make me pause to appreciate a...

Jun 9, 2015•3 min read

Necessary adjustments: spending, food, & social media

Every several months, I notice a sluggishness in my life, a need for refinement of my priorities. I'm of the opinion that generally, conviction has a purpose & should lead to a change in behavior.

Jun 3, 2015•5 min read

Speaking another language

Friendships, marriages, and family relations all need investment, maintenance, and love. What I've learned and observed in every relationship is that it matters how I invest in and maintain relationships and how I love the people around me.

May 30, 2015•3 min read

May making & planning

When I finish a fun, challenging, but accomplished project, it's a bit like finishing a good book. Coming to the end brings bittersweet feelings—excitement for the completion and sadness that the enjoyable process is done. After I finished my Lila...

May 26, 2015•3 min read

When we have visitors (we have fun)

My sweet mother-in-law, Karen, came to visit recently, and we had such a good time. With no set plans for the week, each day we woke up and decided what sounded best. Despite all the rain we've had, there were a few fairly dry, albeit humid, days...

May 24, 2015•3 min read

Practicing rest & balance

While I do have the luxury of having 4 days off each week (thanks to 12-hour hospital shifts) I'm not very good about setting aside time to rest. I've mentioned it before, but ever since Nicholas and have been married and we share a home together, I...

May 19, 2015•3 min read

Personalizing our (rental) home

After some deliberation, we've decided to extend our lease for our current one-bedroom apartment. Knowing we'll be in the same space for another year or so gives us a even more motivation to continue to make it feel homey. Of course, we're still...

May 12, 2015•3 min read

Homemade granola (gluten-free)

It's no secret that breakfast food is one of my love languages. Eggs, pancakes, waffles...they're all my favorite foods. That being said, I'm not 100% on the granola bandwagon. I generally don't crave it and we rarely buy it. The blend of textures...

May 6, 2015•2 min read

Savoring spring

Just a few snippets of daily life around here lately:

May 4, 2015•3 min read

When it's a bad day

It's usually something I can't anticipate. Little by little, events of the day, residual feelings from the previous day, or wary anticipation can alter my day, pushing it firmly into the bad day category. Everyone has a different definition of what...

Apr 27, 2015•3 min read

Spring refreshers

I'm soaking in all this (admittedly quite warm) spring weather. And with it, we're refreshing our routines, our home, and our activities in a few different ways. Some of my favorite springy things:

Apr 24, 2015•1 min read

The blog turns one

I wrote and posted my first entry in this place exactly a year ago. And what a year it's been! If you're reading this, thank you. I started the blog as a way to keep our families up to date with our life from afar, but it's become a really good...

Apr 22, 2015•4 min read

Andrea, 5 years ago & the nostalgia bug

I fall under the rosy spell of nostalgia at times.

Apr 15, 2015•4 min read

Our take on minimalism

So, we're on this minimalist trajectory over here. When we moved to Austin last July, we sold/donated a large percentage of our possessions. The act of looking for more and more to get rid of was really difficult at the time. But now? Zero regret. I...

Apr 14, 2015•3 min read

A busy, floral week

Last week, my mom and grandma came into town to see the Texas wildflowers (oh, and us ;) We saw a lot of plants, and made sure to visit a few of our favorite "Austin" spots. In particular:

Apr 8, 2015•2 min read

Surprised

Lots of things are surprising me lately—in a good way.

Apr 3, 2015•2 min read

What the Holy Spirit thinks

Faithfulness (and my recognition of it) is a recurring theme for me lately. Our move to Austin was in enormous reliance in God's faithfulness. From jobs, to housing, to community, He moved in big ways. And now that we're here, settled, with a...

Mar 30, 2015•2 min read

Finished Lila Sweater

I mentioned it about a week and a half ago, but I finished knitting my first successful sweater! It's been a bit too warm here in Texas to take outdoor pictures of it, but my sweet friend Molly took some indoors yesterday. Once a completed knitted...

Mar 25, 2015•4 min read

Up north & a wedding

On Monday, we returned home from a trip to Minnesota (where I grew up). Even though we love our home here in Texas, a trip North was overdue. Lauren's wedding was one of many reasons for a visit. This one was jam-packed with lots of wonderful...

PrevPage 23 of 26Next