2023:)

post by Casey.

DECEMBER 2022

I had just sat down with my espresso and Bible this morning when Rocky needed my help with the front door - I had asked him to take the puppy out (yesssss…we got a puppy…I’ll introduce him towards the end:). I watched him run around, in his puffy orange winter jacket, hood up, in blue swim shoes…with a big ol’ white fluff ball hobbling behind him on the frosty, iced grass:). In the background Rachel Lampas, Somebody to You is playing on 89Q, a channel we switched to recently - on my Grandma Biezes old wooden table top radio:).

“Don’t gotta be somebody when I’m already somebody to you…got nothing to prove anymore, so there’s nothing to lose anymore. You’re gonna keep on loving me for more than just the things that I do…”.

It brought tears to my eyes, seeing this moment I could have easily missed. I might have went to grab my drink, get Evan off the table, scroll on my phone…but I didn’t and it felt like a memory I was meant to have. One of those quick, 2minute moments…glimpses of the good ol’ days in real time:).

2023 was a really great year for us and as we leave it behind I’m moving forward with the very real realization - or reminder - that what we consume…what consumes our hearts, minds, bodies, moments, days, lives…what we allow in…the scrolling, the music, the food, the information, the people, the books, words…it all matters. It all adds up. It takes up space. We have to be so careful that what we are allowing to fill us up is serving us in a healthy way mentally, physically, and I believe, most importantly, spiritually. 

So below are just a few of my favorite memories from 2023! Going back through the photo album is always such a big reminder of ALL that we did and accomplished in just 365 days! It never feels like SO much! 

Celebrations, travel, beach days, thrifting, animals, church, road trips, hikes, cookouts, fires, library, walks…anddddd some yelling, fights, disagreements, depression, death, health scares, and sleepless nights sprinkled throughout. 

But I can honestly say…we grew in our love for God the most this year:). I began reading through the Bible this year, every single day I read and Jacob and I are ending the year praying together daily. 

This crazy world is going to keep spinning (out of control) but I truly believe that a relationship with God can slow it all down a bit. Life still isn’t all easy breezy but God has helped my family focus. Every time we’ve made room in our lives and hearts for God…we’ve felt more at peace than ever before.

Going into 2024 I want silence and consistency. I want to be quiet - if you know me…you know how big of a challenge this will be for me;). Quiet…maybe that means no Instagram, actually shutting up, observing, not reacting, being thoughtful/patient/kind, giving grace (to others and to myself). And doing all of that and more - my time with God, my presence/attitude with the kids - consistently. 

I don’t love making goals, as I can be a pretty easily overwhelmed/stimulated person:/. But in 2024 I just want to hit my stride. I want the few things I know I could and should be doing…to become my focus and priority. I want quiet, consistency…I want constant. I want contentment. 

I want to remember that the small daily changes, as boring as they can feel…an egg before coffee, the Bible before I scroll, a workout before the kids wake up, chores, school, dishes and dinner, a 15minute walk, baths and a book, a prayer with my husband before a not quite so late bedtime…all add up to a very beautiful life.

A life with God is so good, even when life isn’t. 

MARCH 2023

I turned 40:)

MARCH 2023

Jacob and I have our marriage blessed by the church.

APRIL 2023

Jacob and I are confirmed:).

MAY 2023

Huckleberry Bloom makes her debut (my baby sister, Mallory’s, flower business!!!:). 

Courtney graduates as a midwife!!!:)

JUNE 2023

Baby Evan turns one:).

JUNE 2023

I start reading through the Bible for the first time in my life:).

JULY 2023

Our every-other-year Zimmerman Family Fun Vacation!!:)

 

JULY 2023

Jacob turns 40:)

SEPTEMBER 2023

We start homeschooling!

OCTOBER 2023

My sister, Pigg, moved into her new house and my parents move to their ‘shop apartment’!!:)

 

NOVEMBER 2023

We lost our boy, Murphy. We paid a lot of money to an emergency vet and left with no answers:( Our hearts were broken.

DECEMBER 2023

We welcomed, Woody:). He is a mix of Great Pyrenees, Bernese Mountain Dog, and Newfoundland. He truly has brought us so much joy after the sudden loss of Murphy. And what a fun and probably a once-in-a-lifetime chance to surprise the kids with a dog ON Christmas:).

I promise their dad exists - I did marry him twice now;) - but this is one of the busiest times of the year for a caterer so most group photos are missing our favorite guy:/.

DECEMBER 2023

As Homer said at the end of 2022, when asked what he was looking forward to in the New Year: 

Another year to love you.

God + Family, another year to love them. Another year to keep trying:).

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

Happy New Year, friends!

Randoms.

post by Casey.

Last week (j/k…it’s been at least a few weeks now that this post has been sitting in my drafts:) was a whirlwind and for once I can say that had nothing to do with exhaustion (maybe slightly;) or illness running through the house…but just all.good.things (mostly?!;).

March is always a pretty fun month - we celebrate 4 birthdays:). But it was also my 40th birthday - March 23rd - and Jacob and I chose March 25th as the day we would have our marriage blessed by the church. I’ve got so much to say about both - no surprise;) - but I’ll save those for a separate, more lengthy, post:).

Jacob, myself andddd Evan:) went on a Birthday Date Day. We drove N to Bayfield, WI…stopping at several little coffee shops along the way! We did a little thrifting and exploring and a lot of driving and catching-up:). We ended the day with Jacob pulling me, Theo and Homer out of bed to see the Northern Lights. This was a first for me and such a magical way to begin my 40th year:).

my heart.

We had mine and Mals annual Birthday Dinner and I showed up to a pretty hilarious (and inappropriate;) surprise!!!;) My sisters and brother-in-law had printed a tank top for everyone to wear!! The kids all tried to talk me into letting them wear them to school the next day - omg…NO;).

Life has, otherwise, been rather quiet…in the best way. The chickens are laying again! We’re trying to read from the Bible with the kids every night - it’s never quiet and have you ever tried to pronounce Oholibamah;) (that’s the granddaughter through Anah of Zibeon the Hivite - if you didn’t already know;). 

Even though I don’t feel like they’re listening and there’s so much even I don’t understand…I feel like the payoff in trying will be worth it. Just continuing to take the next right step, even when it’s not the easiest:).

And then something about having chosen to celebrate our marriage in the church has felt like the next right step. And the next right step feels like the right direction…there was a lot of peace in that…and don’t get me wrong…I’m still failing out here. What I’ve deemed my ‘Peaceful Forties’ feels downright doable - says the girl who’s been 40 for 5days - j/k…it’s now been 14days but 14 good days).

I hesitate to get too used to or excited about these positive feelings because I have my own personal struggles…but every step towards God has felt big and emotional and hopeful and helpful and…good.

My Bacon Cheese Fries vs Pinterest;):). BUT they got ate:).

In pursuit of being a more helpful housewife and mama…I started meal planning. Which isn’t fun for me. BUT after only a week, I can see the fruits of that planning:). Cooking at the end of the day - with 5 kids underfoot and 1 in my arms - isn’t my idea of funnnn but having a plan is proving to make it less…not fun;).

Spring and sun, giving me life:)

Since this photo was taken, our dryer stopped working…the current 40mph winds are making it hard for me to use the line but we’re contemplating line drying for the spring/summer/fall. Anyone have tips on how to avoid crunchy clothes?;)

Evan and her smile…giving me life!!!;):)

Some recent thrifting finds:).

Thrifted earrings ($.89), gifted necklaces and my grandmas ring (priceless), thrifted dress ($6.50), and new heels ($56):).

“…if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing…” 

- 1 Corinthians 13:2-8

We have a 9yo (again;):)! I can’t believe my first born baby girl is 9:). It really does feel like just yesterday that I got a positive pregnancy test in a gas station bathroom on a road trip to Florida:). It feels like time stands still for me…I’m simultaneously frozen in time and hyper aware of how quickly it’s passing:(. 

Being a mom has been my favorite thing in the world. We love you, Theo Daisy:). 

Future thrifter;):).

A 9yo figuring out what a portable CD player is in real time!!;) I went out on a limb with this idea - she wanted some sort of portable music player. I wasn’t willing to throw her to the wolves/propaganda machine that is pretty much all media these days. This way we’ll be able to continue to try and filter what comes into our homes and into her little mind and heart! AND St. Vinnies sells CDs for just $.99:).

The CD player we purchased her, here. 

The website I used to find a few new CDs, here.

 Being a mom is hard and awesome:).

Jacobs been working on his espresso art;):). And I also can’t drink plain ol’ coffee anymore - I got a beautiful espresso machine for my bday and I loveeeee it!

We VOTED!!!:) We lost:( BUT we voted and we hoped. Regardless of the outcome, we are in good hands:).

And now just a couple things I found interesting this week:).

Did you know the US gives over $950million dollars to Uganda every year?

Below are a couple of quotes I loved from this episode of The Highwire. 

You can listen here.

“…and we started to learn how to understand our own emotions and how to bring awareness to that. And we started to learn tools on how to bring ourself from a stressful, anxious place down to a calm, peaceful place. I had the biggest aha moments there where I thought: oh my goodness, I’m 41 and I’m learning this. How much more powerful would I have been as a leader if I had learned this as a child…how to master my own emotions. How to pull tools out of my own pocket and say: okay, I’m very anxious right now, I’m going to take myself to a calm and peaceful place and I’m gonna breath through this. And I’m never gonna be a victim and I’m not gonna blame others for my emotions…”

- Leila Centner, Centner Academy

“…when we sold our company we kept saying we’ll be happy when, we’ll be happy when. Going to India and learning everything…no no no! Happiness is right here, right now, always. It’s at your fingertips. Do you want it? If you want it, it’s easy. And so teaching the kids happiness is right here, right now…it’s attainable, it’s in your hands and it’s your choice…”

- Leila Centner, Centner Academy

Happy Holy Thursday, friends.

What is Holy Thursday?

April 4th.

 post by Casey.

2 controversial posts back to back…*deep breath*…here we gooooo…

I wish I knew exactly what it was that lead me to switch ‘sides’. From ProChoice (I’m going to refer to it as ProAbortion going forward) to ProLife. 

I keep thinking that if I knew what it was exactly that opened my eyes to the truth about what abortion is and what abortion does, I’d be able to share that with you and it would change minds and hearts, just as it did for me. But I know it’s not that simple. 

I believed I was ProAbortion prior to having my own children. 

I believed I was ProAbortion after having birthed my first baby. 

I believed I was ProAbortion, even still, after having my first miscarriage - the mental gymnastics I had to do to mourn that loss of life but still deny that it was a life at all?!.

I believed I was ProAbortion while listening to and watching Theos heart beating on the screen at only 6-1/2wks gestation. 

This disconnect between what was my body and the baby’s body would go on for many years. 

Looking back, I’m thankful for the endless little conversations and questions (and fights;) with Jacob on these topics. I didn’t have any solid argument and I refused to look at the statistics - see those below. Gosh…I’m thankful for a husband that didn’t bow down to my beliefs or force his on me but instead, was faithful in helping, guiding and just truly believing that I would find my way.

I’m thankful for the accurate and horrifying videos that exist to accurately depict what abortion is - below I’m sharing 2 videos. The first may be difficult to watch but I hope that you do. Then watch the 2nd video, which glosses over what’s actually happening during an abortion. Pay attention to what is and isn’t said and the language being used.

2nd Trimester (usually preformed between 14-22wks).

You can watch the above video here.

The glossed over version here.

Language is important here…A tube or forceps are used to remove the ‘pregnancy’. 

Here is what ‘pregnancy’ looks like. THIS is what is being removed. Unfortunately, abortion not only ‘removes a pregnancy’…it absolutely ends a life.

In Minnesota you can get an abortion for any reason, up until ‘viability’ - which can be 24-26weeks (see above).

You can find all state guidelines here.

When I started truly believing in the sanctity of life…maybe even as I’ve begun to believe in God and the importance of that belief…it’s, honestly, shifted my entire life. Things and days and kids and life…they’re all still…hard. But it’s somehow different. And becoming different…better…more peaceful. Hard and peaceful;).

“Hard is not the same thing as bad.” 

- Abbie Halberstadt, M is for Mama

I fear the further we get from God…the less we believe in that, if we don’t believe in that…we might be more inclined to have more fear around what’s to come. The fear of death. The fear of hardship…of suffering on any level. 

Hard is not the same thing as bad. 

I’d argue that some of my own life’s biggest lessons come not during a season of ease but of discomfort, struggle, sacrifice…?

Have you heard of MAID? 

MAID is Medical Assistance in Dying (in Canada - yes, it’s very real). You can find out the requirements to qualify for medical assistance in dying here.

More recently they’ve tried to add having a ‘mental illness’ to the list of qualifying criteria.

The following Boomclap Podcast episodes touch on this and morality, among other things. I really encourage you to listen - there are too many good ones. OR just go ahead and join the BoomClap Community HERE:)!

Episode 60: CRT and Abortion with Samuel Sey

Episode 72: Loss of Moral Objectivity: The Root of Societal Problems…and Updated CDC Guidelines

Episode 73: Lazy Journalism, Morality Part 2 and Assisted Suicide

Episode 80: Prayer, Voting and the Way to Enact Lasting Change

Okay…because I truly believe SO much of this is intertwined…it’s difficult not to get off track. All I really know is that it always circles back to God, for me. God is the way. God is life. 

When we start to choose ease and any way to avoid struggle…I believe we miss out on so much. I too would prefer not to have to suffer in any way…but I know - from the bit of experience I do have - that there can be such beauty on the other side of it. There are people out there with much much harder stories than mine and yet they still have something very worthwhile to share. They still have purpose and their lives, meaning. What if they had given up? What if they had been encouraged to give up? What if they’d never been born at all?

On April 4th, vote for life. Pray for life - of the unborn babies and their mothers.

I’m so thankful that when I look at my babies now…I see how they’re perfect, unique, purposeful little lives began the very moment of conception and they’ve been alive and living and worthwhile and perfectly made…for such a time as this…ever since.

Man. I don’t know what life will hold but the only guarantee with abortion is that you’ll never have the opportunity to find out. 

Life is just so so fucking precious. An incredible gift. I used to think they were most fragile while growing inside me but that was clearly the safest place for them. The hard - not bad:) - work has just begun. 

Find your local polling place, here.