Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Stories from the Porch in March

March 28, 2018 by Kristin 9 Comments

March was full of madness – in good ways! But the month went so quickly. I’m happy winter seems to be waning and spring is coming, but, still, I need to figure out a way to slow down time, especially as I look forward to our busy April and May.

Highlights

We had a lot of fun watching basketball – in arenas and from our couch. We went to Evansville to watch our beloved Murray State Racers win the Ohio Valley Conference championship and clinch the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They ended up a 12 seed, but they got a rough draw with West Virginia and its feisty defense.

We also went to Nashville for one day the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament to watch two second-round games. We saw Nevada make its incredible comeback against Cincinnati and then witnessed Xavier blow its lead to Florida State.

Earlier this month, I wrote about why I like taking my kids to basketball games. And I stand by that after our fun month of basketball.

We also spent a weekend at Kentucky Lake with our best friends to celebrate Jaclyn’s 40th birthday. The whole weekend was truly such a gift. And we won a local Trivia Night fundraiser competition. I wrote about a scary moment from the weekend that showed me God’s faithfulness and kindness.

Favorite things

DropBox app – I realized this month if I could scan documents with my phone, my life would be more organized and my counter less cluttered. This app is a great solution for me! It’s way better than dragging out my scanner or keeping the scanner on the kitchen counter like I used to.

New music – I bought a couple entire new albums this month. Often times I’ll just buy songs I already like. But I couldn’t resist new albums from Brandon Heath and Tauren Wells.

From the bookshelf

I had trouble picking up another book after I finished “The Nightingale,” but I eventually did.

“The Weight of Lies” by Emily Carpenter – I really enjoyed this one and have already recommended it to real-life friends! It was suspenseful and I couldn’t quite put it all together before I got to the end.

“Burying the Honeysuckle Girls” by Emily Carpenter – Thanks to my Kindle recommendations, I realized I wanted to read more of the same author. It immediately pulled me in and kept my interest as the story unfolded with the main character discovering more about the generations before her.

(Plus I could borrow it free from Amazon with my Prime membership. The number of things we order from Amazon, the streaming shows and movies, listening to music for free, and now the books I can borrow are really worth the membership fee. Try Prime FREE for 30-Day Free Trial30 days! And I keep an updated list of books I’ve enjoyed on Amazon for easy recommending to friends.)

“This I Know: Trusting Your Unknown Future to a Known God” by Laura Dingman – I’m slowly working through this study, which is excellent! (You can read my full review.)

“Small Church Essentials” by Karl Vaters – I mentioned this last month, but I officially reviewed it this month.

“Keep a Quiet Heart” by Elisabeth Elliot – A friend shared some of this book with me, and I immediately bought it. I just started, but I already love it.

On the screen

“The Voice” – Thanks to all the promotions for this show during the Olympics, my oldest wanted to watch this. So I started recording, and the kids and I started watching. We love it! Plus one of the contestants this season is friends with a bunch of my friends, so that’s fun.

My DVR is full of episodes of some of my regular shows (“Madam Secretary,” “Blue Bloods,” “Designated Survivor” and “Black List”) as well as a couple new show (“Instinct” and “For the People”). I’m looking forward to catching up now that there is less basketball on TV.

Was your March madness in good ways?
Let’s share our #PorchStories.

{Tweet that.}

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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Filed Under: Porch Stories Tagged With: family, life, seasons, sports, travel, TV

Comments

  1. Sarah Geringer says

    March 28, 2018 at 6:29 am

    Love the cute photo of your children, Kristin! Have a happy Easter with your family.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 28, 2018 at 6:57 am

      Thanks, Sarah!

      Reply
  2. Becky Hastings says

    March 28, 2018 at 6:33 am

    Looks like you’ve been busy….good busy! So happy you have had time with your people and to enjoy the things you love!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 28, 2018 at 6:57 am

      Thanks, Becky! I hope your March has been filled in the same ways.

      Reply
  3. Michele Morin says

    March 28, 2018 at 7:25 am

    I love that book by Elisabeth Elliot. I’m due for a dose of her gritty wisdom, and that’s a book I keep returning to. Can you believe that poem she wrote when she was just a young woman?
    Lord, give me a quiet heart
    That doesn’t need to understand,
    But confident, walks forward in the darkness
    Guided by Your hand.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 28, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      Such a beautiful poem! I’ve only read a couple chapters/essays of the book so far, but I get excited every time I open it. I’m always glad for you being here, Michele!

      Reply
  4. Meghan Weyerbacher says

    March 28, 2018 at 8:05 am

    Making memories!!! I hope our Spring Break trip won’t be soggy the whole time but even if so it will be good to get away for a bit. My daughter would get along well with you all, she looooves basketball. We just had to buy her a new one last night because our dog took over her old one lol.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 28, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      Send her over anytime! 🙂 Thanks for being here, Meghan!

      Reply

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

#84daysofsummer #poolpeople #momlife #momconfessions #faithlife #livingfaithfully #favoritethings #choosingJOY #countryliving #reallife #PorchStories
The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

#familyreunion #lakelife #kentuckylake #kylake #getoutside #familytime #memorialday #memorialdayweekend #favoritethings #84daysofsummer #summerisbest #choosingJOY
Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ #TeamTaylor #girl Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ 

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But this made me wonder: how do we know if a book is going to be weird, contain elements we don’t like, or go places that don’t make sense? I don’t like to read much about a book before I read the book. Usually, I do a better job of picking books for myself. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #donotrecommend #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth
I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant we I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant weather, a mixture of productivity and rest, and had plenty of wide-open space to enjoy our property and each other. 

#weekending #TeamTaylor #poolpeople #countryliving #favoritethings #choosingJOY #maydays
And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watch And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watching them both play. 

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On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a book, but I didn’t know what I wanted to read. Whenever I have indecision about books, picking up a thriller usually helps because of the story’s pace. 

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And when I say summer, I mean we are ready to shake up the routine, mentally regroup, turn off the alarms, establish some new habits, soak in the sun, and catch up with friends we’ve been crossing paths with too quickly. 

I want to savor the #84daysofsummer and I want to embrace this new season. And it’s almost time. Three more days of school. (Deep breaths.) 

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep collecting the moments — the hard, hurried, happy, and heartfelt. The seasons do change, but this is the life we are living. 

“The moments you collect may not be loud or flashy. They might be quiet or covered or a far-off view you were lucky to catch. But this I know to be true: A moment savored says to your soul, ‘You have lived something beautiful.’ And it keeps you buoyed. It sustains you when you’re running empty. It lifts you up and carries you forward.” — Joanna Gaines in @magnolia summer 2023 journal issue no. 27 

#momlife #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #summerisbest #teenagedriver #choosingJOY
I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but t I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but this one by Soraya M. Lane focused on three nurses, their friendships, and how the war changed their lives. It’s a hard story, but it’s full of love and hope despite the destruction around them. 

And it’s the second historical fiction audiobook I’ve listened to in a row! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #Audible #KindleUnlimited #historicalfiction
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