Life Lately- Three Things I’ve Learned in Three Years of Waiting

November Edition

Part 1: God Still Has Purpose for You, Even in the Waiting

We have some BIG news to share!

Blake and I are having a BABY GIRL!!!

And today, we’re officially 20 weeks pregnant! HALFWAY THERE!

A few weeks ago, we gathered with our family to share the news. We celebrated with pink smoke, lots of excitement, and the sweetest glimpse of just how loved this little girl already is!

And I’m SO excited to finally be sharing this news with YOU!

It’s a moment we’ve dreamed about for a long time. In fact, Blake and I spent almost three and a half years praying and hoping to grow our family.

And while we’re beyond excited to meet her, I’ve been reflecting on those years of waiting and everything God taught us along the way.

Over the next three months, I want to share just three of those lessons. Not because I have it all figured out (I definitely do NOT!), but because I believe God has a purpose for us in every season, even when life doesn’t go according to our plans.

The Beginning of Our Journey

I remember when we first started trying in March 2023. The EXCITEMENT! We were in Florida with my family, and I remember feeling so ready for this next chapter of our lives.

We were both healthy, and it seemed like the ideal window to have a baby. (If one could plan such a thing. ; ) )

A year later, we were honestly surprised we weren’t pregnant yet.

We still felt like it would happen when it was supposed to, but as we approached that one-year mark, we started to realize something.

Finding Purpose in the Waiting

While we weren’t pregnant, God still had purpose for us in the waiting.

We had been SO excited for the next chapter of our lives, and while that was good, we began to feel this strong sense that God still had things for us to do right where we were.

So we turned our ears toward heaven and asked God what His will was for us in this season.

We weren’t entirely sure what that looked like, so we started with what He had already entrusted to us.

Our businesses. Our neighbors. Our friendships. Our families.

And we dug in.

We continued building RWP with the hope of creating more opportunities for other creatives, while also preparing for the family we hoped to have someday. We invested in our friendships, became more intentional about building relationships in our neighborhood, and spent more time with family.

Two years into trying, we decided to see a holistic doctor to help us along the way. It felt a little crunchy to us (HA!), but we really wanted to see if we could get pregnant naturally first. Everyone’s journey looks different, but this felt like the right next step for us.

Even as we took those next steps, we wanted to keep investing in the life God had already given us.

So we started volunteering at church together again.

And honestly, these are some of my favorite memories from those years!

I would get home LATE from photographing a wedding on Saturday night, only to wake up EARLY Sunday morning to take orders at Cup of Joy.

But it brought us so much JOY!

Getting to serve alongside Blake, chatting with everyone at the register, and shouting orders back to him in the café. It felt like our own mini version of The Bear. (We still haven’t made it past that Thanksgiving episode. Or was it Christmas? We’ll circle back someday.)

I loved the high energy. I loved getting to bring smiles to people’s faces on a Sunday morning. But best of all, I loved doing it with Blake.

Life Doesn’t Stop in the Waiting

Life wasn’t on hold just because we were waiting.

We were still hoping, still praying, and still wondering when our next chapter would begin. But looking back, I’m so grateful for the life God was building around us, even as we prayed for the life we hoped was ahead.

And if you’re in a season of waiting, whether it’s for a ring, your wedding day, a new job, a promotion, a baby, or simply clarity on what’s next, I hope this encourages you. God has purpose for your life right now, in this very season. Lean into what He’s already entrusted to you and see where He leads!

Next month, I’ll share the second thing I learned, and perhaps one of the hardest: learning to build a future when you don’t know whether God’s answer is “wait” or “no.”

Until then, Blake and I are SO excited to keep preparing for our sweet baby girl! And if you have any favorite baby things, send them our way. We’re all ears!

Much Love,

A few little snapshots from Life Lately…

1. Sneaking in a quick 9 with a friend so I can use my new 3 wood!
2. Coffee date with the love of my life. : )
3. Mailing my In-Laws something fun to share the gender!
4. Only TWO of the neighbors thought it was a girl, and one of them already knew it was!
5. Behind the scenes, trying to create a cute gender reveal video. : )
6. The time my husband, whom I love, decided to wear a wig for our ONCE A YEAR family photos. HA!