Just when we think that we’ve had enough change for a time, and we start getting a bit comfortable, we just dive right into creating something new: WE’RE HAVING A BABY GIRL! I’m halfway through this pregnancy and it has gone by so fast and has been filled with many differences between what I was expecting vs. reality...

While darkness can have a psychologically negative effect, light, in contrast, has a psychologically positive effect. We need light to survive. I’ve realized that not only physical light in our lives is needed, but also the light that comes through faith, hope, love/charity, and – perhaps above all – gratitude.

In a very unexpected turn of events, we have moved… back to Los Angeles. Not only did we move back to Los Angeles, but we are living literally a mile from the house I grew up in, in Redondo Beach.

If you had told me six months ago that we would be here, I would have said you’re crazy. But now I just know we’re crazy.

“You shouldn't be afraid to fail. Most people take the easy way and they take things they know they can do because they're afraid to fail. If you fail, you try again. If you fail at the same thing 3 or 4 times, then you say maybe I'm not going to do that, but at least you tried and you know.” — David Kleinman

I’ve been thinking of the move to Utah a lot recently – how I went from really struggling, to finding peace – and how that experience has helped me during this last year of the “new normal” and all the things we weren’t expecting in 2020.

At first, it was at least an adventure, something different. Soon though, I began to feel confused, purposeless, and, despite being newly married and with some friends around, ultimately very alone.

As you may know, if you’ve been here before, Matt and I got married June 24, 2017 in Nashville, TN. What you may not know is how it started.

Matt and I met at a transition point in both of our lives…

Fun fact: my grandparents lived in Indianapolis for a period of time while my dad was growing up. That’s part of the reason I heard of Brown County State Park – it’s been an Indiana gem for at least the last 50 years! We know we have a lot to explore here in Indiana, and southern Indiana felt like a good place to go.

A huge benefit of living in Utah is access to incredible hikes and scenery all over the state. It’s something I loved continuing to discover when visiting and eventually living there. I’ve compiled my favorite hikes near(ish) to Provo.