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Okay let’s talk about it: Sober concerts.

Just did this for the @morganwallen concert and it was amazing (even for a set that mentions whiskey in nearly every song! 😂)

If you’ve ever quit drinking (or thought about it for a brief moment), a few things come to mind that you immediately begin to mourn — even if you are drinking a cocktail in the moment:

How could you possibly have fun at:

— a concert
— a wedding
— on vacation
— at a party

Or maybe your’e like, I seriously CANNOT live through summer without margaritas on the patio of my favorite Mexican restaurant, or beers at a baseball game.

It’s just a thing.

Trust me, I’ve dreamed about salted rims and spicy tequila margs more than a few times.

But I’ve gotta tell you, friend, life is not bitter without a buzz. And concerts aren’t worse!

I’ve been to quite a few at this point and here’s what you begin to realize (about concerts or weddings or parties), the “buzz” you thought was so critical to the experience already exists.

>>Because the buzz isn’t in the beer. It’s in the air 😘

>> It’s in the amped up volume, the sweaty crowd of bodies, the excitment of being close to your favorite singer.

>> It’s in the anticipation and the sing-alongs, and the happy vibes of the freedom fo the night.

You will still shout “whoooo!” and wave your hands and sing with the stragner next you when the best lines come up.

You will still laugh and holler and be really glad you’re there.

You will remember it all.

You will be able to find your car and drive home.

You will be able to sleep when you get home and wake up clear and fresh to start a new day.

You will not waste it feeling hungover and shovel greasy food i your mouth the next day.

You will be glad you went and how fun that you can now buy a t-shirt instead of 4 $15 beers 🙂

Youc an go to a concert sober. Lots of people do it (believe it or not!). There are more sober people than you realize. You won’t be alone and you’ll finally realize you were worried for nothing.

👉👉 SobrietyCurious.com

#sober #soberlife #soberaf #sobercurious #sobermom #sobermomtribe #soberjourney #sobriety #morganwallen #morganwallenconcert

I have a habit of spilling my guts on the Internet.

Maybe you find it cringe. Maybe you find it liberating.

Honestly, I can’t be any other way. It’s me.

Because I like to make others feel seen.

I’ve got things, you’ve got things…we might as well know we’re not alone.

And back when I was questioning my relationship with alcohol, I had NO ONE – not even an “internet person” I could follow for advice.

It felt like wandering a dark hallway alone, and all the doors along the way were locked. And no one could hear me.

There’s nothing like sitting down and getting super, soul-level honest with another person.

Like not gulping back the tears. embracing the shaky voice and saying the thing – all of it.

There’s nothing like seeing each other for elements and memories and bad decisions we all are.

When you say things out loud like…

…I can’t stop buying things
…I had an affair
…I stole pills from work
…I struggle with liking my kid
…I regret my marriage
…I can’t stop eating
…I hide wine in my closet
…I had an abortion
…I ruined a friendship
…I’m a hypocrite and no one knows

I’m telling you this: When say it out loud to someone who loves you, it begins to lose the power it has over you.

I’ve done it. I keep needing to do it. And it’s not as scary as you think once it’s done.

Also: I’m not saying you need to it publicly like me. But do it privately with prayerful consideration.

So back to that whole spilling my guts thing: I did that again this week – TWICE (scroll carousel to see both!)

Even though I’ve done this before, it’s always scary dropping it out into the world and wondering what will come back.

But I feel pretty confident these words are for someone.

I don’t think God would have given me this gumption if I wasn’t supposed to use it.

Full text in this weeks email newsletter! ❤️❤️

🎧 Not holding back! Sharing my alcohol story honestly with the lovely @shesurrenders_sherry on the pod!

Here, I share how I talk with my young kids about alcohol too!

> The first step to coming out of my secret, shameful struggle with alcohol was telling my small group from church.

Shame dies when it’s exposed to light.

Sin & struggle are no match for an army of Christians praying for you and supporting you.

We get confidence and spiritual fuel when surrounded by the Church (the people!) He gave us!

In this episode of the “She Surrenders” podcast, I share my alcohol story — including some things I’ve not shared before on audio or video.

I’m currently coming up with a title for my upcoming book and though I probably won’t call it this, part of me wants it to be:

Christian Women Struggle with Alcohol Too.

Yeah, the ones volunteering in the nursery on Sunday mornings, the most active Mom in your Bible study, the pastor’s wife, the worship leader, the missionary even.

Addiction doesn’t discriminate based on religion.

The only way out is honesty, connection and God’s grace.

You have no reason to be embarassed or ashamed. Addiction isn’t your fault. God isn’t disappointed in you.

Grab my resources: SobrietyCurious.com

Listen to this episode on iTunes or Spotify under She Surrenders podcast.

#soberaf #soberlife #sobercurious #soberchristian #soberliving #sobermovement #soberjourney #sobermom #sobermoms #soberaf #sobercommunity #christianwomen #christianmom

When my kids are grown up, they’ll see every pink sky and think of me.

I tell them, dawn and dusk are God’s gift to us.

It’s Him saying He loves us twice a day.

It’s a mess of colors and glory He didn’t have to give us, but He did.

So it’s fitting to spend this Easter at the beach, where I got to see the sun rise and set each day between island palms and white Ibis’ honking in the trees.

My bare feet crunching over tens of thousands of soft coral and white shells, their final resting place the shores of Sanibel.

Maybe it was a beautiful sunrise the morning the women came to honor Jesus at the tomb.

Maybe it was the best sunrise *ever* because the Light was among us, reflecting back his own Creation.

Maybe there were spontaneous rainbows and deeper oranges than ever before or since.

I can’t help but think He rose at dawn. That as the sun peeked over the horizon, so too did His body just before the women showed up.

When my kids are grown up, they’ll see every pink sky and think of me.

But I hope they think of Him first.

I hope they remember every time I whispered to them that this sky is a gift from our God, the One who made it and rose with it.

I hope they think of Easter. I hope they think of a Savior. I hope they think of You.

He is risen ✝️

#eastersunday #sanibelisland #heisrisen #sanibel

I never had a place like this growing up, one spot we always returned to, a spring haven to look towards when winter felt long.

A place that defines a certain piece of childhood, that’s painted in sunshine and tattooed with nostalgia.

Sanibel is every storybook beach town you’ve ever read about, with white decks perched near ocean tides, cotton candy pink painted signs directing you toward the beach, and people peddling bikes in floral shirts down palm tree-lined pathways (beware of the alligators!)

There are high-end beachwear stores next to kitchsy shops, with rows of rainbow flip flops, shell-adorned souvenirs and soft, island tees.

A cheap, direct flight from home gets us here…and my Dad, who envisioned a place like this to gather.

I watched my Dad at dinner last night, just smiling looking down the long table of kids & grandkids. He wears shirts that say “Life is Good” and he really means it.

It’s exactly where he wanted to be and is so happy to welcome us here to his house in #SanibelIsland.

I’m so thankful for these moments and this place.

I hope one day my kids remember these days as good, true and magical.

That each trip will hold a specific, sand-crusted memory, and they will look back with warmth on the days before life got harder, when frozen custard and sunset ocean swims were all it took to feel satisfied and secure.

Honored to write again for the Wall Street Journal on this very important and vulnerable subject matter.

The truth is, I will be mourning these for a lifetime, these big decisions and tiny lives.

For @wsj today, I’m writing about the heartbreak of leftover embryos & what women deserve to know when they begin IVF.

Excerpt: “I wish I’d had more clarity when I began IVF. No one counseled me to consider other options, nor was I told how many extra embryos may be possible.

I wasn’t advised to think about what I might do with excess embryos. I simply hoped to produce as many as I needed.

Of course, clinics are businesses. This means there are real incentives to promote potentially costlier and more invasive treatments rather than to offer a more comprehensive evaluation of fertility problems and solutions.

Transparent conversations about reproductive choices are always necessary, but especially now, when so many Americans are struggling to understand what options they have about whether or how to have children.

We may argue about when life begins and which lives to prioritize, but surely we can all agree that hopeful parents deserve to know all the ways they can have a baby.

Maybe then some will be spared the grief I’ve felt about my own choices.”

GIFT LINK TO READ: https://www.wsj.com/health/did-i-need-to-make-extra-embryos-to-have-a-baby-a6b0c584

#prolife #prolifegen #embryoadoption #IVF #ivfjourney #ivfcommunity #prochoice #christianwomen #christianmom #christianarents #embryotransfer #wsj #conservativewomen

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