My name is Kristen. I am happily married to Brian, whom I also call Good Lookin’, my wonderful partner in this intentional life!  We were given the early advice to invest in our marriage, because the introduction of kids and their departure can cause rifts unless we are deeply invested and in love with each other. We took that advice seriously and that has been a priority for the past 25 years. 

We have 4 children. I love each of these unique beings deeply and am grateful for how each of them has grown and challenged me to be a bit better and more intentional in the steps that I take. In our house, we talk about everything!  The fact that I am now taking these conversations outside the walls of our home, does not surprise my children at all!  Ha!  They know that if guests enter our home, no story is sacred if we can teach or offer direction for growth to someone else. My blog will include many of these experiences that led us to a richer understanding of children and to an area of personal growth. 

But, to help my children maintain their beautiful confidence, I am going to use pseudonyms for each of them in the stories I share. Many of you reading this are my closest friends. Thank you for encouraging me to move forward with this!  You know my stories and who they actually involved, but, for the rest of the world, you will just have to wonder. You will get to know my children as Lava, Abercrombie, Passion, and Phoebe. Each of these names even has a story behind them. Ah, I do love these kids!  

A few more details about myself to make us feel more like friends. I love baking, please don’t ask me to fix dinner, though — that is not the same (though I am capable of making a delicious meal!). I enjoy long talks with friends over several cups of coffee!  I would much rather talk transparently about deep issues than get caught up discussing the weather. A meet and greet situation, sharing basic info and chatting about the weather, is one of the most uncomfortable opportunities that I find myself in. I would rather share my biggest struggle with a single friend. I enjoy reading, though wish I was faster at it!  I love researching nutrition. I love creating a perfect recipe that works perfectly, at altitude, every time and will wow the taste buds of whoever gets to enjoy it (this may or may not show what my nutritional dive has uncovered). I love tacos!

I can’t wait to get to know you better!  And to share more of myself with you!

_{^{All photographs are original property of @GlassPhotography. The cover art is by Anna Priebe.}}