Life is a journey, with peaks and valleys, sharp turns, speed bumps and the occasional state trooper. It also has winding roads leading God knows where, along with long, quiet, peaceful bits in between. Initially, we join our family on their journeys until we find our footing and take our exit, stage left. Along the way, we meet fellow travelers. Some of these wanderers were sent to help us, and for these gentle creatures, we are thankful. There are those who come along with the sole purpose of knocking us off course and into a ditch. Hopefully we've enough of the former to help us out-maneuver the latter. Then there are times when we're alone on the road--and need to thank God for U-turns.

I figured it was about time I put a "Cast of Characters and Settings" on this thing! Here is where you can come and get the low down on just who exactly it is I'm talking about, especially now that so many of my entries have been privatized and you can't go back to figure out who is who. 

Main Characters (most likely mentioned in nearly every entry): 

Jesus Christ: He is my Lord and Savior, with whom I walk daily. Truly, He lifts me up when I am down and causes me to become a better person. 

Justin: My husband since April 30th, 2005. We have been through a lot together and I'm so grateful that God has given me a strong, caring man to walk beside. Justin tests my limits and helps me to not take myself so seriously. He is the spiritual leader of our home and the sole provider while I stay at home to take care of our four children. He is the Senior IT Tech with a local company that produces commercial speakers. You'll often hear me referring to his "gaming habits," as he is quite enraptured with his xbox. Neither of us are perfect, but we've both come very far.

(he hates taking pictures, but since he loves me he agreed to take this one..)

Laureli: Oldest daughter. We are currently working on her Second Grade year of homeschooling. She's dramatic like her mama and stubborn like her daddy. Her observations on the world around her often make me pause and see her as such a little lady, instead of a little girl. Sigh.

Jacob: Only son we've got. He takes after his daddy's teasing ways. He loves his sisters something fierce, though, and has a little follower in Elaina. He can be very funny at times and has us cracking up.

Elaina: We should have named her Trouble. We've decided she is definitely going to be the one we need to call the fire department after one of her antics. She is STUBBORN and STRONG WILLED. She's also funny and lovely. 

Kayla: Our last child. She is full of vim and vigor, lemme tell ya. I've never seen a child throw a bigger fit than what this one can produce. She is a tech savvy baby, so hold on to your iPhones/Pads, cause she can unlock 'em and delete your apps.

 Minor Characters (people important in my life, but don't play a role in my Day to Day): 

My sisters: Allison is my oldest sister. She is an RN and recently graduated from graduate school to become a Nurse Practitioner. She's also a wife to Stephen and mother to one of the cutest little guys out there, Caleb. Bridget is my youngest sister and is at an exciting point in her life. She works at a library in Little Rock and just got married to her love, Benjamin. I wish everyone lived closer!

My brothers: Older brother Ryan is a writer, college student and works at the same place my dad does, though I'm not sure doing what exactly. Tony is the baby of the family and recently got married to a woman named Shelly. They have a daughter named Delilah. He is in the army and is currently stationed in El Paso, though is trying to get out of the army altogether. 

Dad: He's ..uh, my dad. He lives about 500 minutes away and loves to work with wood. 

Mom: She's my mom, even if she didn't give birth to me. She lives about ten hours away, which is better than when she lived in Hawaii, but still pretty far.

In Laws: Mikey (aka Nana) is my MIL. Joe (aka Papa) is my FIL. Mindy and Cassidy are my SILs. Jason, Bryan and Jamey are my BILs. Audrey, Gracey and Kaydance are my nieces. Elijah and Noah are Jamey's son's, our nephews.

Friends: Kim, Courtney, Rebecca, Kami, Rachel, Beth, Heather and Queen. Yes, a few of you were mentioned there ;)

Settings: Temple is Justin's home town, and has nothing to do with Mormonism. 

There are more people, but these are the basics. I'm a stay at home mom who homeschools and tries to be a good example of Christ's grace. I fail every day and am not afraid to admit it. God bless you!