Welcome to our Family Blog

We are quickly realizing how difficult it is, with a new baby especially, to keep family and friends up-to-date with what is going on in our household. John and I decided we will post recent photos of Lakers, and share some of our current info with all of you. Hopefully, we'll all be able to connect a lot easier! Thanks for stopping by!

What's In a Name?

More often than not, I wonder if our son, Lake Austin, will ask how his name was derived. Or actually, when he will ask rather than if he will. When I was a little girl, I loved the water more than anything on God's green earth. It only made sense to me, when deciding what to call our first child, that his name be indicative of something important. Something worth remembering.

As a young child, we spent many days and nights at the lake close to our home. There was no doubt in my mind that the "happiest" place on earth was found in that 13-mile long stretch of water. The peace I felt there, mixed in with the overwhelming excitement of a day spent slalom skiing, tubing, and camaraderie with family and friends - could rarely be matched by any other event in my impressionable life. I am thankful for the fact that my parents made it possible for us to spend as much time out on the water as we did.

As my siblings and I got older, we ventured out into larger, more well-known lakes in the Midwest for family vacations. Cabins, tents, or houseboat trips on Dale Hollow, Lake Cumberland, or Lake Michigan made for unbelievably funny memories. The stunts we pulled as preteens in the campgrounds, although silly at the time, became instant classics in our repertoire of childhood memories when replayed as adults. In fact, in high school, I had a running joke with my father that I wouldn't "marry a man unless he had a lake home somewhere", as I was happiest on the water.

Fast forward 5 years. Little did I know when I started dating John, that his family had a small lake cottage on Peron Lake in Sturgis, Michigan. A mere 3-hour drive, we've managed to spend a good amount of time up there, once again reminding me of the love I have for the water. I am more at peace at the cottage, than I am anywhere. It is so easy to escape the daily grind that continually wears us down. The second I step through the door, I feel the release. I can sit for hours just listening to the glorious sounds which surround the property. Water lapping, fish jumping, birds calling, children splashing and laughing at the church camp swimming hole next door....all of it feels like home. And, as the sun sets over the water, or the fog rolls in, I can again feel an unparalleled peace. Again, for me, this feeling is rarely found in the struggle of every day living. Another place I find this complete feeling of peace, is through daily prayer with John. Then, and only then, can I release all of my worries, anxieties, and fears into the hands of our Father. And recently, I've found this contentment while rocking Lake gently to sleep.

Our marriage is built on faith, friendship, love, trust, and the sheer joy we find in being able to live every single day together. No matter how tough things can get, we know we will be victorious as a team. John is strong, passionate, honest, loving, funny and true. Honoring these traits made me want to gift our son with his father's middle name, "Austin," even more.

One of the lessons I wish to instill in our son, is that you can find a peace in your heart, even when life is rocky, rough, or unfamiliar. First, I want to teach him to look to our heavenly Father, then to us as parents, and someday; hopefully he'll be able to recognize what it is that gives him peace, and he'll learn to seek it out. And, perhaps there, he'll find the same level of contentment he has already given to us.