jamie y. watkins

Tag: family

  • Hope That Breaks Your Heart

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    jywatkins
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    I wrote this the night my dad had his stroke. He has since recovered with no permanent damage to his mind, his memory, or his body. We’re thankful and also still praying for no more strokes.  This Father’s Day, I had lunch with my dad as we talked about gardening and hiking. I hope for many…

  • In All the Ways We Grow

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    jywatkins
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    This past Thanksgiving, my family gathered at my parents’ house: my parents, my two older sisters, their husbands, and two children each, my younger sister and her boyfriend, me, my husband, and my mother-in-law. It was most of the family; eleven adults and four kids. My family isn’t particularly religious. They don’t go to church. They…

  • {pretty, happy, funny, real}

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    jywatkins
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    ~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ {pretty} With the help of family and friends, I hosted a 30th birthday for my husband Chad this past weekend. It was fun and I really got into the decorations. I used maps and crossword puzzles and chalkboards and some other items to dress up…

  • {pretty, happy, funny, real}

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    jywatkins
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    ~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ {pretty} Chad and I got to spend some time with The Big 5 this week and one of the things we did together was take a tour of Penn’s Cave. The cave floor is covered with a couple feet of water, so you take a boat…

  • To the Moms in My Life, From Your Friend Without Kids

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    jywatkins
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    Chad and I have been married for almost six years. Many, if not most, couples who plan to have children would have already started by now, but the truth is we love being just us. And we will probably have kids in the future, but we’re in no rush for the most part. But we…

  • We Do Look Crazy, and Yes, I’m One of Them

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    jywatkins
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    I am the only member of my family who goes to church. And when I started going to church in high school, I kinda went all in… Sunday services, Friday night youth group, Wednesday night Bible study at a friend’s house. And then I chose a Christian college and volunteered with my youth group at home…

  • {pretty, happy, funny, real}

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    jywatkins
    in

    ~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ {pretty} Chad and I got to spend the weekend with his mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece and brand new nephew. We had a great weekend, doing some things around the house and spending time with the kids, and we celebrated Sue’s birthday with a very lovely…

  • {pretty, happy, funny, real}

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    jywatkins
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    ~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ {pretty} We got our new Cradle-to-Cross Wreath in the mail yesterday. I ordered it from JoyWares.com after reading about it on Ann Voscamp’s blog. We don’t have a candle to fit in it yet, so we didn’t use it last night, but I’m excited to have…

  • Illness Knows No Schedule

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    jywatkins
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    I was ready this year. Christmastime can be a whirlwind. I have this crazy tradition of editing together all my family’s photos and video clips to create DVDs for my sisters and brother of all their kids. It’s time consuming and I always create a schedule for myself to make sure I can get all…

  • 30 and Loved

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    jywatkins
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       I had a plan for this weekend. I thought, I can’t stop 30 from coming, so I might as well throw myself a party. So I was going to have my family over to our house yesterday, and then all my friends over today, but Chad had a different plan. Apparently, he’s had a…