Fill up to Spill out

  It was March 15, 2020 when life as we knew it suddenly changed.  We had just gotten back from our trip to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon and hike the infamous Devil's Bridge, a trip that was supposed to include a medical conference for me, but was cancelled that week due to increased concerns over a global pandemic on the horizon.  We decided to go anyways, as our flights were non-refundable at the time, and we really had no clue what was about to happen.  That Monday, our kids, along with most kids in the country, were supposed to return to school, but something called Coronavirus (later known as Covid-19, the global pandemic we would talk about for a year or more) had other plans.  "Flatten the curve" is what our leaders and health experts told us to do as school was cancelled for a couple of weeks and then moved to virtual for the remainder of the school year.  We were basically put on "lockdown" as non-essential businesses were forced to close and people

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a big reader, but I don't think I made the shift from fiction to nonfiction until about 10 years ago.  It was when I became a mom that I really started turning to educational, self-help, Christian living, personal growth type books.  I craved stories of encouragement, inspiration, and wisdom.  I desired to be a better version of myself, and by discovering these books that spoke to me during different seasons of my life, they helped grow me into the person I am today.   I've wanted to do this post for a while.  I love hearing about the different books that have been transformational in someone else's life.  So, I figured why not share mine?  Here we go...  1. Out of the Spin Cycle by Jen Hatmaker.  This little book filled with devotions and motherhood humor introduced me to Jen Hatmaker during my early years of being a mom.  From there, I became a huge fan of hers, reading most if not all of her books and following her on soc