New Year. New Look.

Well HELLLLLLOOOOO, Friends! We are long overdo for a game of catch up, so warm up a drink and sit with me for a bit. Sooooo how do you like the place? 4tunate was in serious need of a freshening up, and what better time than a new year? All the props to my uber …

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Life After Loss

As much as I’d like to post something light and fluffy, perhaps a post about Hudson scaring himself with his own burps, or how Brooks and Clark have been writing some of the best narratives, or how Isaac scored 12 points at his last basketball game, or how Henry can’t get enough of Jedi Academy …

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Thoughts From The Bedside of the NICU

Hudson Bradley Murray came unexpectedly and eventfully on June 22 at 10:01 am. It’s been a complete whirlwind ever since, and we are just now trying to find a rhythm after his arrival. Hudson gave us a very scary and uncertain first 72 hours, and I’m still processing all that transpired in those first few …

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Spring Life

We always welcome Spring in Indiana.  Part of what makes spring so glorious in the Midwest is the contrast from the bitter winter. Here the Magnolias trees are giving their encore, the grass is the deepest of green, the pear trees are beginning to bloom, and a few wild flowers are starting to pop. This …

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The Many Seasons of Marriage

Life has seasons. Marriage has seasons. Currently we are in a 70 degree, mostly-sunny season, but it hasn’t always been breezy. Brad and I have had to watch several marriages around us crumble in the past few months. It’s so brutal and feels helpless to watch. The only thing we can really do is pray …

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Steps Forward

  Today I stepped back in the coffee shop I visited on the morning we got that Monday morning jaw-dropping positive surprise. I was able to walk in without tears, without anxiety, without heaviness, and without despair. This winter has been such a stark contrast to last. There’s sunshine where there was once darkness. There’s more …

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Fresh Year, Fresh Starts

Even in its bitter harshness (ummm -7 this morning was completely unacceptable, Indiana), there’s something I love about January.  I love fresh starts. I love the blankness of a clean slate.  Do-overs are embraced, and we all cheer on each other’s ambitious. There’s real beauty in that, Friends. After if we all learned something in …

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Turn By Turn Decisions…

Hiya, Friends. Still there? All tan, refreshed, and summerfied? Remember me? The quad mom with 4 boys. Yeah, the crazy one. I know I’ve been quiet. It’s been summer, and crazy, and different, and the ole blog got the shaft. Thanks for stickin’ it out. I’ve missed this space, and hope I can write a …

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