When I left New Zealand for Budapest, I stopped calling New Zealand home, but it definitely wasn’t from lack of love.

If you know me, you know I’m not a details person. But in order to get where we need to go, they have to be sorted. So here I sit, rifling through papers, praying I don’t miss something important that could cost us dearly.

Since I’m thrice-coffeed (and my ramblings in this state can be hard to follow), I thought I’d make a small list of the things I’ve been noticing during our present wanderings. Scroll at your leisure, coffee optional, I shall not partake in another lest I completely write myself off.

God is always directing, pivoting, and clearing ways for us when there seems to be no way, using painful situations to bring out that deep character that comes from abiding in Him.

When we read the Bible and its laws, we should see them as God’s way of breaking down a big vision into achievable steps, both on a large scale and an individual level.

It would be no exaggeration to say I haven’t truly been alone for a very long time. Since I was a young child, I've always craved companionship. In new situations, I would seek it out as soon as possible.

When something painful wounds us, we need to handle it gently, taking care to assess and clean it out. But then healing needs to follow—hopefully with minimal scarring—but it definitely needs to happen.

Why am I talking about netball courts and awkward prepubescent interactions? Because now, in 2024, at 36 years of age, I still feel the same way.

I don’t believe God stops talking. I think He’s speaking right now. But the noise of life and the voices in our head get in the way, and His whisper goes unheard.

I’m a bit of a snob. I like my coffee houses how I like my men: I stick with just the one.

Miss you a lot. Funny how we don’t say that over the phone. But there it is. There are a few people in my life who would give a kidney to be able to say that to their dad a couple more times. So I wanted to say it now.

Perhaps it’s best to avert your eyes, avoiding the nuances and the pain. Maybe if it’s not seen it can be tidy and clear, sparing you from wading into the unfathomable mess.

My feelings were being confronted with truth, and truth trumps feelings.

What about those moments when you’re honing in on a dragon? What happens when it’s taking all your concentration and discipline to defeat that which is in front of you? How do you make sure your back is safe?

Shocking confession: About a month before I was married to my husband, I went on a date with another man.

We actually have more to learn and less to offer than we think, and the sooner we learn that the more useful we can be.

As I’ve consistently said, this past year I’ve found myself in some of the darkest, coldest places internally; it’s been a real challenge at times. But even when I find myself in that cold place, I have still felt the warmth of the sun on the back of my neck.

Never in my wildest imaginations could I have dreamed up what this year held for both me and my family.

Making sense of the world around us is sometimes a dizzyingly overwhelming task. I for one rely upon intuition a lot. But what happens when feelings lead us up the garden path?

Over the past few months, the challenges have been endless, but there have been some perks so I’m going to share five of my faves with you today.