January 31, 2018
Day 34 in Oxford. Welcome to Oxford. If you didn’t know, Wes just recently moved to Oxford, England back in September, where he is attending a yearlong program at Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall and RZIM’s school, OCCA (Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics). I was unable to obtain a job in Oxford, and therefore unable to obtain a visa, so the kids and I had to stay home in Kentucky while he went ahead of us. The only option left was to...
September 11, 2017
Recently I was given the opportunity to be a part of the Launch Team for Katie Davis Majors’ new book, Daring to Hope. I jumped at the chance, and was thrilled when this book arrived in the mail. A few years ago a friend told me about this girl, barely in her 20’s, who had become the mother of many young girls in Uganda. I was intrigued, and when her book, Kisses from Katie, was released, I bought it...
September 4, 2017
Hot lemon drink…when did we start drinking this? Well, over two years ago, we headed over to Nepal to host our first Beyond Workshop for photographers. We stayed with our dear friends, Gautam & Rekha, and their very large family. As many of you know, like in India, drinking tea is a very integral part of the culture in Nepal. And typically that tea is filled with milk and sugar, two things that aren’t always beneficial to one’s health, especially...
August 7, 2017
We have traveled to Nepal many times, and this snack is like coming “home” to our Nepali family. It’s amazing what food does to induce nostalgia and bring back beautiful memories. This is a snack you can easily find being sold on the streets of Kathmandu any day of the week. Our favorite place to eat it is in the home of our dear Nepali family. But since we can’t be there with them today, we can make it here...
August 2, 2017
Guacamole! This guacamole recipe is seriously my favorite thing to eat for lunch a snack. Okay, let’s be real. I often eat it for lunch. But it’s so good for you! It’s full of heart healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and magnesium, and it’s so fresh and delicious. And it takes 5 minutes to make! INGREDIENTS 1 Cup organic Cilantro 2 organic Avocados 1/4 cup finely chopped organic Red Onion 1/2 of an organic Lime...
July 27, 2017
If there is one easy way to start your journey to a chemical-free life, it’s getting rid of your fabric softener. As a matter of fact, it’s probably the most harmful thing you are coming into contact with on a daily basis in your house. I know, I know. I’ve made some of you incredibly sad, and perhaps even defensive. I know some of you are obsessed with your fabric softeners. If you’re like me, you probably use liquid fabric softener and dryer...
July 19, 2017
So in May, Wes and I went on a two week trip through Europe. This wasn’t a vacation, but a work trip. We are working on a project that explores how people maintain hope in the midst of great adversity. The focus of this trip in particular was to meet with Holocaust survivors, and to visit several former concentration camps. The meetings with survivors fell through, unfortunately, but we had the honor of visiting 7 different concentration camps. It was a...
July 17, 2017
*A note about this post. I wrote this back in November of 2016 at a time when our country was in great distress after the election results came in. I believe this is something we still need to hear, because many of us continue to walk out our woundings with little grace for those who disagree with us. I have added a little more to it since then, but 95% of the words written here are from the original post...
July 10, 2017
Nina and I spent 3 months in Ethiopia while we were in the adoption process of Lex and Tizzy. During this time we were introduced to a flour called Teff. The Ethiopians use Teff to make Injera. It is a flat, sponge-like bread that is high in iron. They use this bread to eat their food with, instead of silverware. It is mostly because they eat a lot of what Americans would call stews or wot, in Amharic. It is nearly...
July 3, 2017
Welcome to Magic is Essential, a blog about health, travel, faith, inspiration, and dreams (really, it’s a little bit of everything)! You have probably landed here because you have seen our giveaways on Instagram, and are getting excited with us as we give away products from companies that make a positive impact on the world with their businesses. We love businesses that give back, which is something we are passionate about. But we hope you will keep coming back because...