I made a promise to myself.

 Pregnancy.

The season that Mr. Cummings & I are in right now.

It's a beautiful season--one that is accompanied by extra hugs, kisses, and prayers. 

Extra pictures, laughter, and cuddles.

Extra money spent, hormones, and fears.

But with all of those extras, time is not one of them. 

Quite actually, time is running out. And far too quickly. 

Which is why, when I caught myself telling everyone all the time, 

"I can't wait until Baby H gets here"

God let me know that my attitude needed to change.

I can wait.

In fact, I want to wait. 

I want these last few months to be memorable. 

I want to live in the moment of feeling her inside of me & watching Scott's face light up when he feels her.

I want to live in the moment of dreaming about her.

I want to live in the moment of dating my Husband before she arrives.

I want to live in the moment of just being us, 

because there will never be a time when our family was just the two of us ever again. 

(As my mom has always said, "Once you have kids, you will always have kids.")

I want to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie without having to hear cries and jump up exhausted.

I want to go on adventures so when we are asked,

"What did you guys do before kids?" We can answer them.

 I want to live in the moment of slowly watching my belly grow, knowing God is knitting our sweet blessing together.

I want to be able to have as much 'me time' as possible.

I want to spoil Mallow with extra cuddles&walks.

I want to be able to slow down & take it all in

before she gets here and time really flies by.

I want to hold onto the anticipation of what it will be like to hold her for the first time & watch Scott melt as he does the same.

I want to experience all of our 'lasts' whole heartedly before we experience our 'firsts' as parents.

After Baby H arrives, Scott&I will never again be a family of two. 

We will be PARENTS.

{Still giddy&terrified at that thought.)

And really, we are over-the-moon excited for that day, 

but until then.. we'll just be over in Hawaii soaking up our last days as just us. 

I can wait until Baby H gets here.

"I dare you..."

I dare you...

While the Hubs has been gone on another mini deployment, 

Neflix has become a dear friend. 

A friend that I can cuddle up with, eat dinner or too much dessert with, 

and frankly, let's me shed my tears.

Well tonight I stumbled across a movie called Ragamuffin.

SERIOUSLY one of the best movies I've ever watched.

It's about the life of Rich Mullins. 

An American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter.

He didn't try to be liked by everyone, he just wanted to shout the truth to all those who were listening.

 Whether you liked the way he delivered it or not, he was going to tell you.

I had no idea that he wrote two of my favorite songs:

"Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step."

And my new favorite song of his:

"Hold me Jesus." 

Especially during those lonely nights where I only wish Scott could be home to hold me tight as we fall asleep next to each other. 

Or when I miss my family so much it hurts.

Or when I would rather be across the world on a mission trip.

"So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf

You have been King of my glory

Won't You be my Prince of Peace."

So, about that dare...

I especially loved a part in the movie where the pastor made me cry. A much needed, heart-wrenching cry for my God. 

One that just makes sense and doesn't make sense at all.

It was all about the depth of God's love for me.

For US, all of us.

A message that my broken, sinful, battered heart needed more than I needed the next breath of air. 

Brennan Manning said:

"The Lord Jesus is going to ask each of us one question and only one question: Do you believe that I loved you? That I desired you? That I waited for you day after day? That I longed to hear the sound of your voice?

The real believers there will answer, “Yes, Jesus. I believed in your love and I tried to shape my life as a response to it. But many of us who are so faithful in our ministry, in our practice, in our church going are going to have to reply, “Well frankly, no sir. I mean, I never really believed it. I mean, I heard alot of wonderful sermons and teachings about it. In fact I gave quite a few myself. But I always knew that that was just a way of speaking; a kindly lie, some Christian’s pious pat on the back to cheer me on. And there’s the difference between the real believers and the nominal Christians that are found in our churches across the land. No one can measure like a believer the depth and the intensity of God’s love. But at the same time, no one can measure like a believer the effectiveness of our gloom, pessimism, low self-esteem, self-hatred and despair that block God’s way to us. Do you see why it is so important to lay hold of this basic truth of our faith? Because you’re only going to be as big as your own concept of God.

Do you remember the famous line of the French philosopher, Blaise Pascal? “God made man in his own image, and man returned the compliment”? We often make God in our own image, and He winds up to be as fussy, rude, narrow minded, legalistic, judgemental, unforgiving, unloving as we are.

In the past couple of three years I have preached the gospel to the financial community in Wallstreet, New York City, the airmen and women of the air force academy in Colorado Springs, a thousand positions in Nairobi. I’ve been in churches in Bangor, Maine, Miami, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, San Diego. And honest, the god of so many Christians I meet is a god who is too small for me. Because he is not the God of the Word, he is not the God revealed by it in Jesus Christ who this moment comes right to your seat and says, “I have a word for you. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of sin, shame, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life, your inconsistent discipleship. And my word is this: I dare you to trust that I love you just as you are, and not as you should be.

 Because you’re never going to be as you should be.” 

So, friends, I am passing on the dare.

I dare you to trust that Jesus loves you just as you are, 

and not as you should be. 

And then...be radically changed because of it!

It only gets better with age.

One reoccurring lesson that I keep learning from my 

Grandma&Bompa is this:

It only gets better with age. 

Life. 

Love.

Marriage.

Family.

Adventure.

The week my grandparents visited was completely amazing 

and worth a million lasting memories---

a couples trip that Scott and I will never forget. 

One week, five different cities.

 We learned so much about my Grandpa and Grandma, 

from stories told and just by observation. 

They are the most kind, generous, humble, and loving couple I know. 

Making friends and lasting impressions wherever they go.


Thank you Bompa&Grandma for gracing us with your presence and filling our home and hearts with your love! 

Thank you for constantly spoiling my baby dog. 

Thank you for being such a great example to Scott and I! 

Thank you for exploring new places with us 

and laughing hysterically. 

Thank you for just being so great! 

Tryon Palace. New Bern.

Feeding the goats at Mike's Farm.

Showing Bompa the tractor graveyard.

Horse carriage tour.

We all LOVE desserts way too much.

"Best shrimp&grits."

They had to document this moment when I ordered sea food for dinner.

The gorgeous Boone Hall Plantation.

This is the lake where Allie&Noah jump in!

And this is where Ryan Reynolds&Blake Lively were married.

This is where Noah eats dinner with Allie's family in their backyard.

The Angle Tree.

My dream home!!!

Margaritaville. Myrtle Beach.

They love the beach.

There you have it,

It only gets better with age.

My travel must-haves.

My Travel Must-Haves

Right after my mission trip to Haiti, I received an email from the community coordinator from Turo asking if I would write a blog post for my travel must-haves. Turo is a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace where private car-owners can rent out their vehicles. They also have an airport rental page on their website, a perfect solution to those times you need a vehicle right when you land and get going on your adventure.   

Sounds pretty awesome if you ask me! I will most definitely keep this in mind during my travels.

My Husband, Scott, is in the Navy and we are currently stationed in North Carolina. 

{Just found out that we will be moving to Hawaii in December--so stay tuned for more adventures!}

We are both from Utah, and now my husband's family lives in Virginia&North Carolina, so we are constantly going on adventures-- whether around here or going back to Utah to see my family and  friends. Oh and the mountains, definitely the mountains. 

This blog post is about my travel must-haves and I will be talking about those that I love for out of country adventures!

The first real adventure that I had out of the US (not including a day in Mexico on a family vacation) was when I went with a best friend's family to the Bahamas. We stayed at the gorgeous Atlantis Resort--highly recommended. Then that same friend and I moved after I graduated college to Australia for six months with a month road trip around the south island of New Zealand. During the time in Australia, I went on a mission trip to Cambodia to work with Rapha House, a safe house for girls who are rescued from sex trafficking. My Husband and I were very fortunate to have spent a Christmas in Costa Rica with his family and then Haiti just recently with my family for a mission trip. 

Basically--after that first out-of-country trip, I was hooked!!

Wanderlust at it's best.

Here is my list of my travel must-haves:

1> Qalo Ring.

My Husband and I came across Qalo rings last year and fell in love. {Huge plus, they had a women's ring in turquoise!}

They make super comfy silicone wedding rings for outdoor lovers and for people who have jobs where wearing a normal ring is dangerous.

Scott wears his ring almost 24/7. 

He is a Navy corpsman and his silicone ring is absolutely perfect for his career!

We also wear them when we are working out or traveling. 

I wore mine in Haiti instead of taking my real wedding rings and it was such a relief knowing I wasn't going to lose them.  

2> A Journal.

A journal is a great way to write down every bit of the adventure that you don't want to forget. I will never go without a journal, even when I just travel back home to Utah. I love writing down special tidbits and finding treasures to stash away in the pages. I actually have one journal for all of my mission trips that I just add to when my next one arises, it's very special to me. 

3> A Physical Map.

It might be the adventure part of me or the part where a it can then become a souvenir, but I love using maps. 

When we were road tripping New Zealand, our phones weren't working so we had to resort to a physical map. 

It also makes me pretty proud of myself when I find the final destination all by myself, no help from Siri.

 The best part is that you can track your adventure and then show it off when you get home.

4> A Great Pair of Walking Shoes. 

My husband's love for Nike wore off on me and I won't go anywhere without at least one pair of my Nike shoes. We are pretty active and love going places only our feet can take us--perfect for that great pair of tennis shoes. One day in Australia, we traveled to the beautiful Byron Bay's lighthouse. The only bad part was that we were just at the beach when a local told us to hike to it and we were in flip-flops. Trust me, always have a great pair of walking shoes with you!

 5> Toiletry Bag.

I have this Thirty-One bag and it's wonderful. I can fit all of my toiletries in it and it is the prefect size. 

Not too big, not too little.

 It also is great because I can take one bag with me to the bathroom and not worry about having more than one and juggling everything.

6> Dry Shampoo&Hairspray

Sometimes when you are traveling there are times when you have to forgo washing your hair. Dry shampoo is a life savor! 

I really love this stuff. Not only for traveling, but at home.

I also always take hairspray.

7> Coconut Oil. 

I absolutely LOVE coconut oil for everything! I use it for cooking, conditioning my hair, face moisturizer,& lotion.

The best part about that is that you cut out excess bottles and products, perfect for when you are trying to pack everything in one or two suitcases. 

8> A Headband.

A headband is perfect for those days where you need your hair up and you want it to be at least semi-cute. It was extremely helpful while I was in Haiti where the showering conditions are not..well, perfect. You definitely didn't wash your hair every day and when you did it was with a freezing cold, drizzle of water that ran out pretty quick. So believe me, find a headband that you love and match it with as many outfits as you can!

9> A Water Bottle.

A water bottle is perfect for traveling. 

I always have one with me in my carry on so I can fill it in the airport and have it with me on the flight. It is always wonderful to not have to constantly buy water bottles and just have my own so I can just refill it. 

Water when traveling is a must!! 

10> A Good Read.

The best thing to keep you occupied while you are on your flight, waiting for a bus or train, or when you have extra time on the beach  is a good book. I always love reading while I am traveling. 

Reading an adventure, while you are on an adventure.

Perfect.