<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m a woman who loves Jesus. I\u2019m 5 feet tall on a good day. I try to see the good in life and choose joy\u2014on purpose. I love to laugh, have fun, and play games with family and friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m Ryan\u2019s wife\u2014something I\u2019m deeply grateful for, even if I don\u2019t always express it the way I should. God gave me a good one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m a mom to two amazing adult kids. They are an absolute gift\u2014far more than I deserve\u2014and I thank God for them daily. They\u2019ve been two of the biggest blessings in my life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted was to be a wife and a mom. And by the grace of God, I\u2019ve been able to live out both of those dreams. We homeschooled for much of their childhood, did life together, and made space for family time\u2014even when my husband\u2019s schedule in public service meant we had to live a little differently. We made it work, and I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now that both kids have graduated college and are out in the world doing amazing things, I find myself wondering: where do I fit now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That question is tangled up with another part of my story\u2014chronic illness. For years now, I\u2019ve walked with M\u00e9ni\u00e8re\u2019s Disease, chronic pain, and migraines. I work hard not to let these conditions define me, though it\u2019s not easy. Some days, the struggle is very real. But please know this\u2014I don\u2019t want pity. What I do want is to live a meaningful life despite the limits, and I\u2019m so grateful for family and friends who love me well and make space for what I need. Still, it\u2019s hard to accept how much this \u201cthing\u201d shapes our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another part of my journey: I never finished college. I met a boy, fell in love, got married, and soon after became a mom to two sweet babies. And honestly, school just didn\u2019t matter after that\u2014raising those kids did. Would I change it? Not a chance. But does it sometimes leave me unsure of what\u2019s next? Yes, maybe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I do know is this: I love encouraging others. I love hearing people\u2019s stories. I love creating\u2014watercolor, painting, wood projects, crocheting\u2014anything with heart and hands. Though lately, my hands have struggled too, and I haven\u2019t been able to finish projects the way I used to. That\u2019s been a hard letting go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So here I am, doing my best to walk into today\u2014and tomorrow\u2014with open hands. Still wondering: Who am I now? Where can I serve well? How can I be an encouragement? How can I contribute? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t have all the answers yet. But I\u2019m still here, still showing up, still believing that there\u2019s purpose in the becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Love, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laura<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m a woman who loves Jesus. I\u2019m 5 feet tall on a good day. I try to see the good in life and choose joy\u2014on purpose. I love to laugh, have fun, and play games with family and friends. I\u2019m Ryan\u2019s wife\u2014something I\u2019m deeply grateful for, even if I don\u2019t always express it the way…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-empty-nest","category-welcome","category-who-am-i"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions\/37"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaiandfaith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}