Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Becoming still

March 24, 2020 by Kristin 1 Comment

In the fall, fresh off a hard season of grief, I wrote down in my journal everything single thing I spent any amount of time doing: Laundry. Taxiing kids around. Paying bills. Sending emails for a local group. Volunteering here and there. Lunching with friends. Making dinner. Grocery shopping. Serving on my kids’ school board. Blogging. Social media. Reading. And, you know, the list goes on and on.

Then I got rid of some commitments, passed along some responsibilities to other people, and lessened the priority of other things. Honestly, it hurt. I find worth in my productivity and knew that needed to stop. I was rushed too much and knew I needed to slow down.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know I am God.” I’ve heard this verse often, but it’s only been as a 40-year-old woman that I’ve really started to understand it. In this verse, “still” actually means “cease striving.” Being still in the presence of God is more than just not moving; it’s actually about our mental posture and being willing to surrender our stubborn wills.

In that season of letting go, I had to let go of some commitments I truly loved in the spirit of stillness because they were draining me and overfilling my emotional capacity. I was reminded of how sadness and joy can co-exist, how the same decision can hurt and heal.

I started this new year saying no to some of the same things and being aware that I might have to say no again so I can have time at home, capacity to be a good wife and mom, and space to be able to see God working in me and around me.

Then on Saturday, March 14, we started social distancing ourselves from almost everyone we usually see in hopes of avoiding the coronavirus. It’s like God took what He’d been doing slowly in my life and forced a deeper surrender. Now, a little more than a week into this unprecedented season full of so many unknowns, I’ve loved my time at home with my kids and our weekends with wide-open agendas.

Even the things I couldn’t and wouldn’t take off my list in the fall are now basically canceled: soccer practices and games, school pick-up driving, lunching with friends, volunteering, and kids’ dentist and pediatrician appointments. I went days without looking at my calendar, which is highly unusual. Yes, my kids are doing schoolwork at home, but we still have wonderful teachers pouring into their lives from a distance. I’ve gone to the grocery a couple of times to keep our fridge and pantry stocked, but I’ve loved the time to linger in the kitchen preparing meals and playing board games when we finish eating.

Truthfully, I’m feeling free.

Yes, I miss my friends and was happy to roll down my window and briefly chat with a few during the assignment drop-off and pick-up at my kids’ school. I’ve gone on a walk with my best friend and hung out at her house one evening. But I’ve mostly been in soft pants – as Cate as long called them – enjoying my people and our home.

Yes, of course, I hope we don’t get sick and sometimes have anxiety creep in when I think too hard about why we’re hunkered down at home. The first couple of days made me a little twitchy as texts, phone calls, and emailed canceled every detail of our normal lives. And, of course, the kids sometimes pick on each other and exploit their personality differences.

But I’ve seen evidence of God working in a long-time prayer request I’ve had for our family. I’ve witnessed simple goodness that offers a refreshing perspective. I’ve been able to keep in touch with people thanks to many technology options.

I’ve also seen evidence that when all five of us are here way more than usual, we produce a lot of trash and go through a lot of food and drinks. But we’ve also cuddled on the couch to listen to church, watch movies, and read books. For the record, in less than twenty-four hours, we watched “Freaky Friday” and “A Cinderella Story,” so just now I’m doing my part to introduce my kids to Chad Michael Murray. We previously watched all three installments of “High School Musical.” We have rotating crafts happening on our dining room table and I’m waiting on two puzzles I ordered to arrive from Amazon. Somehow the days go quickly.

I could go for a little more sunshine so we can take more walks in the woods, wander down by the creeks, and take advantage of our country living. Regardless, we’re going to soak in the blessings that come with surrendering, slowing down, and simplifying.

*****

This coronavirus-inspired social distancing really goes with the word {BECOMING} God has been teaching me about this year. I’d love to hear your stories about God working in these unprecedented circumstances. Rachel has been coloring many pages in this simple but great preschooler activity book and I’ve put together a list of our favorite board games.

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A muggle goes to Universal

October 24, 2019 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I’m all muggle when it comes to Harry Potter, but I sure was impressed with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando. I still don’t think I’ll read the books or watch the movies, but pass the butterbeer and bring on the Forbidden Journey ride.

We spent two days at Universal’s two parks in Orlando when we were staying at Disney World – and I’m so glad we did. If you’re thinking about going, I’d say the two-day, two-park ticket is the way to go. We did everything we wanted to do in those two days – well, except ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, but it wasn’t open part of the time and the line was really long when it was.

We prearranged private transportation from our Disney resort to Universal and that worked out well. It was easy to navigate when the driver dropped us off. Like at Disney, we took in snacks in my backpack with no problem.

Other than being impressed with the details of the wizarding world Universal has created, here’s what else I loved about Universal:

  • It wasn’t as crowded as Disney. Well, maybe Diagon Alley was, but it was still manageable and enjoyable. (It did rain for hours one of the days, and I could have done without that, but there are many indoor rides.)
  • The child swap is EXCELLENT. Rachel couldn’t ride some rides (although she could ride a lot!) so we used the child swap system: We all would wait in line and then Greg would sit out with Rachel in a family room near the exit of the ride. The themes of the rides were incorporated into these rooms. They’d watch the movie playing or have a snack from my backpack and then when I got off the ride, Greg and the rest of our entire party (two big kids, two grandmas) would ride while I sat with Rachel. They only had to wait a few minutes at the exit. Rachel felt part of (most) the experiences and most of our group to ride it twice after waiting once.
  • The food we ate was delicious. We ate breakfast and dinner at Disney because we’d already paid for the dining plan there, but we had two great lunches at Universal: Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure was delicious Harry Potter-inspired food and atmosphere. Richter’s Burger was an earthquake-themed restaurant in Universal Studios that had excellent burgers and milkshakes. Universal knows how to do simulation rides! We rode most everything and each ride was so well done and on theme. There were fog, heat, and water effects when appropriate. Movie stories and characters were incorporated so well. (Of course, now I need to show my kids the movie “ET” so they’ll have more appreciation for that ride.)
  • The Dr. Seuss-themed area for little kids was so fun! I hung out here with Rachel while the rest of our group rode the Hulk roller coaster and I didn’t mind. (Plus, that’s where we got really large, fresh cotton candy.)
  • Rachel loves Poppy and Branch from Trolls, so seeing her star-struck when she got to meet them was sweet. We also met the Penguin of Madagascar, which was a nice surprise. I’m sure we could have met more characters, but the trolls were the only ones we sought out.

Here are some mom confessions for y’all: I truly was only incorporating Universal into our trip because of my eldest child’s love of Harry Potter. I didn’t expect to want to go back. But I totally do. When it comes to amusement in Orlando, what I really want to do next time is spend a couple of days at Universal and then board a Disney Cruise ship.

Have you been to Universal? What did you think?

*****

I shared an earlier post about the Disney portion of our trip, so be sure to check out that post if you haven’t already. If you’re thinking about going to Universal, my planner Jennifer Hart can help you with reservations there just like she can at Disney.

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Welcome to my home, college kids.

August 16, 2017 by Kristin 18 Comments

My big kids went back to school last week – and I went to the grocery. Because, hello, taking one toddler who is strapped into the cart is way easier than taking three of whatever other ages. Granted, my older two are helpful. They can fetch items from other aisles and hand the toddler more Goldfish from the package we just opened two aisles earlier. They also ask for more things because they have WAY MORE words than the not-quite-two-year-old.

I was silently celebrating my own back-to-school-week grocery shopping trip as I bought the baby carrots, Wheat Thins, yet another gallon of whole milk, bread, eggs, not-yet-ripe bananas along with one already spotting that would be good for banana bread sooner rather than later, mini Oreos (both the chocolate and golden varieties, of course), and four kinds of cheese.

And then I saw four college boys who were obviously doing their own kind of back-to-school shopping.

Dressed in khakis, collared shirts, and flip flops as if the friendships came with a dress code, they walked together into the dairy section. One wandered to the eggs and said to his friends lingering in the frozen foods, “How many eggs do we need?” One of his friends advised him to get one carton of 12 eggs, so he did.

I really wanted to explain to him that my family of five – that includes no college-aged boys – eats at least eight eggs at one time. Surely these boys – perhaps they’d prefer men – need more than a dozen eggs at one time. Won’t they make all those for one breakfast? Do college guys even eat breakfast together?

Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought they’d shop together, so I’m clearly not the one to ask.

As I’m having these conversations in my own head, I hear another one of the college guys say, “Hey, did anyone get the salsa?” Priorities, obviously. And they did have that in the cart.

Then they negotiated how they’d pay for the cart-load. Yes, once again, I wanted to offer advice: Just go pay for it and then when they get home split up the total. I wanted to mother these boys-almost-men.

Our town changes when the students come back each August. The traffic is heavier, the restaurants busier, and the grocery store aisles slightly more entertaining. And I like it this way.

I’m grateful I’m not the same as I was when I was a college student wandering the aisles of a grocery store wondering if I had enough of the right items. I’m thankful for God’s promise to finish what he started in my life.

God promises to complete what He starts,
which makes remembering even sweeter.

{Tweet that.}

This college town is my college town and now it’s my hometown. It’s where I met my husband and grew up as a person. Our best friends are college friends. College memories collide with my everyday life because I often drive by where my dorm used to be before they tore it down. This is where I’m raising my kids as people and Racer fans. Even Rachel, who isn’t quite 2, pumps her fist in the air and says, “Go, go go!” when we pass the basketball arena or she spies an MSU logo.

We plan our winter social life around the college basketball schedule and have season tickets to watch our Racers. We even went to our first-ever Murray State women’s soccer game Sunday because Ben had been to the team’s camp and wanted to go watch a game.

Individually and through our church, we still support the campus ministry that helped influence us for the good and gave us some great friends. My family has made a couple new college-aged friends because of this same campus ministry and we still miss the former-student-now-adult who was our go-to babysitter for several years.

So, welcome back to Murray, college kids. I’m glad you want to be in our town. It’s a good place to call home. And, hey, my family is here if you need any grocery shopping tips or want a home-cooked meal. We buy more than a dozen eggs at a time and are thinking about getting chickens.

*****

You can also read a letter I wrote to Murray State freshmen last year. Be sure to check it out because there’s an old picture of Greg and me from my college graduation day. And come back tomorrow because I have another college-related story to share.

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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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 eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool 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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Shout out to the Calloway County Road Department f Shout out to the Calloway County Road Department for repairing our road in LESS THAN A WEEK! #countryliving
This past year has been full of lots of closures a This past year has been full of lots of closures and road blocks as we’ve all navigated #socialdistancing and the #coronaviruspandemic. But more recently my life has involved more pivoting, regrouping, adjusting, and waiting in daily everyday life.

I’ve waiting for the insurance company to handle the repairs that need to be done so my van trunk can open again after a guy rear-ended me at a stoplight last week. I’ve been making decisions to finish a renovation at our lake house, which also had a flooring issue complicated by recent flooding. I’ve been driving different routes while our road gets fixed. I’ve been parenting kids in different seasons that require different things from me. I’ve been watching friends carry heavy burdens. I’ve been processing what belonging looks like right now. 

The road we expected to take may be closed, but there’s another way. And the unexpected may even be the better way. Grief and hope, frustration and gratefulness, sadness and joy all can come alongside us in the same moment as we navigate our way through.

I’m feeling hopeful today, even though the circumstances haven’t really changed. My trunk still won’t open. There’s still warped and destroyed flooring. A propane gauge is broke and misled me. Friends are still hurting. But we’re still journeying through life and all its surprise curves.

#reallife #PorchStories #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #countryliving #bettertogether
It’s hard to believe it was a year ago this week It’s hard to believe it was a year ago this weekend we were at the #OVCtourney in Evansville with thousands of Racer fans a week before the world shut down. Here we are again, circumstances are incredibly different, but we are still rooting for our #Racers. 💛 #WeAreRacers #RacerNation @ovcsports @racershoops #TeamTaylor #roadtrip #socialdistancing
☑️ Second dose of a covid vaccine. I’m thank ☑️ Second dose of a covid vaccine. I’m thankful for hope of returning to some version of “normal.” #socialdistancing #covid_19 #covidvacccine
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“Dolphin Island” is a heartwarming feature film about 14-year-old Annabel who lives with her fisherman grandfather on an island paradise. They operate a nonprofit marine research and conservation center. She is surrounded by an extended family of loving but quirky neighbors and her best friend, a dolphin named Mitzy. 

Everything changes when her maternal grandparents arrive with a shifty lawyer to bring her back to New York. Annabel and her friends navigate these circumstances to prove that love conquers all.

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Happy, happy 70th birthday to my wonderful mother- Happy, happy 70th birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law. We all are especially happy to celebrate her life this year after her recent quadruple bypass heart surgery and recovery. 🎉 #weekending #TeamTaylor #birthdaygirl
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