Hi, I’m Wendi, and I’d like to provide a brief description of myself and offer some insight into my hope for this blog.  Probably my most prominent current identifier is stay-at-home mama to two energetic little ones. I have many other identities (wife, daughter, sister, aunt, Christian, musician, daydreamer, introvert, writer, over-thinker, coffee-lover…the list goes on) but the mama one in particular seems to be my most consuming one at the moment.

Life has taken me on a circuitous journey from Minnesota, Tanzania, Montana, Washington, D.C., Oklahoma City, and back to Minnesota. After pursuing a career in several different professional sectors, I’ve recently started a new venture as a full-time stay-at-home mama.

My goal for this blog is to share a piece of life with the world and hope that someone who happens across one of our posts can find comfort or relate on some level to what we share. Since I want to be as authentic and vulnerable as possible (being aware there are limitations to successfully achieving such a goal in an online platform), I may as well jump right in and get real: I’m an over-thinker and second-guesser who half believed perfection and bliss were the only way to successfully achieve a happy ever after. What I’m slowly learning, however, is that even the most happy ever afters come with a healthy dose of the unexpected. I have a hunch that there’s a number of people who also struggle to reconcile daydreams with reality. While we all have our own unique stories, there are often underlying themes, emotions, and experiences that tie us together. There is power in learning you’re not alone. I hope this blog will encourage a culture of tearing down isolating boundaries as we work together to find common ground, share real-life experiences, and find true joy and peace in our imperfect, but still beautiful and joy-filled, unexpected ever afters.

Hi, my name is Jessica. I am a Middle School Social Worker by day and a wife and mama by night.  I am proud of my education, my job, and my family. I have a passion for social justice, raising healthy engaged children, and treating others with love, respect, and grace.  I believe strongly that every person needs someone to unconditionally encourage them and I strive to do this each day for my students and my family. My family includes my husband, our two young children,  and our cat.  

I grew up in western North Dakota, moved to Minnesota for college, took a detour for a couple of years to live in Chicago, and then moved back to eastern North Dakota where I have been ever since.  My husband and I occasionally dream about what it would be like to live somewhere else, but it appears that we have found our home and we are not in a hurry to leave.

I am an introverted life-long learner.  My top strengths on StrengthsFinder are strategic, learner, and empathy; I’m a two on the Enneagram; and, for Gretchen Ruben fans, a Questioner on the Four Tendencies.  It is safe to say that I am always thinking about something. In fact, it is all too often that I find myself sitting in my spinning thoughts thinking that I am the only one in the world that experiences life and its emotions with such vivid intensity.  I have found great joy and power through conversation with friends and family that reveal I am not alone in my experiences. I am excited to share my thoughts and stories through this blog so that our readers may benefit from this same peace that comes from connection.

In addition, my goal with this blog is to write.  I have always envisioned myself as a writer, someone who uses the power of words to share stories and information.  I am so grateful to create and share this blog with one of my best friends and I look forward to sharing this space, our stories, and our honesty with you.