I went to a youth group a few nights ago at a nearby church. My cousin and sister and I had been talking about this for a while, but like all things we never actually did it. Talk, talk, talk, but no walk. I wasn’t going to go, but I finished all of my work, so […]

The number of people I hear complaining about their present situation in life is fascinating. While there are undoubtedly circumstances that are uncontrollable, the majority of these complaints are centered around things that are totally within their realm of influence. Of course, I make these judgements not merely based on my observations of others, but […]

I. “I just saw Ann Voskamp” was not the first thing I thought I would hear after getting through the LGA airport security. I scanned my friend’s face as I would a map for some specific direction on our search for Ann, but we were dumbfounded. In one excited breath, Bethany described the sight of […]

TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE WHO HAVE EVER ASKED YOURSELF, “WHY CAN’T I JUST BE CONTENT BEING AVERAGE?” – THESE WORDS ARE FOR YOU. Today I sat in a senior luncheon to celebrate the end of my undergraduate college career and it was awkward. Even though I’ve had classes upon classes with this same […]

Dear New Kid, So, you moved, eh? I bet you didn’t see that one coming. Actually, I know you didn’t see that one coming. But, I have a few reminders and words of advice for you. Don’t be so caught up in the thought of, “This is the worst thing that could ever happen.“ I say […]

Passion. I’ve always heard that word and felt super inspired. Like wow. Yes, passion, let’s do this thing! But do you ever feel like your “passion” isn’t going anywhere, or isn’t ever enough? I’ve been pursuing a professional career in the performing arts since I was nine, and even before I knew exactly how to […]

Dear Liv, Bad news: you’re not going to get any less awkward. Good news: you’re going to become more confident and embrace “adorkable.” It turns out, boys do like adorkable, so you’re going to be just fine. About boys, we might as well hit that topic right away. Boys are weird. They don’t become less weird […]

The year 2017 is here and like many of you, I’m making my list of New Year’s Goals. One of those goals being to spend LESS time on social media. But HOW ON EARTH am I supposed to stay connected to people?! How am I supposed to stay up to date on the latest trends?! […]

I love ice skating.  I’ve been going ice skating since I was really little. Although I really like it, I am so, so bad at it.  I grip the wall of the rink and shuffle myself around. If I slip even slightly, I freak out. I went ice skating a few weeks ago with a couple of […]

The glimmer of my tiny Christmas tree lights shimmer and I exhale, writing this to you. We are about to celebrate the greatest of all miracles in a few short days – God coming to earth. It is truly a miracle, that God came down to get us. There are just some times and some seasons […]

I clutch onto the candle, look at the glimmering lights of the tree, and I know what my heart needs most this Christmas and every Christmas. His light to penetrate my dark. Sometimes that’s painful. I spent many mornings this season, in front of this little tree with God, praying like He’s my only hope […]

When I was in 6th grade, I went to my very first dance.  I watched as all of the boys and girls found partners, and began swaying an arms length apart from each other.  My mom had insisted on coming to the dance with me, and she made it clear that if I wanted to […]

I met this girl many years ago, although I don’t really remember how or when she became such a huge influence in my life. Nonetheless, here we are. She’s ruthless, cold-blooded, and extremely detrimental. She’s insulting and, frankly, she’s just annoying, and I can’t seem to get her words out of my head. I know […]