Beard & the Braid

We strive to continue learning and being the better versions of ourselves. Adam and myself, Gabri, have been married seven years. We have three kids under the age of six. We love hosting people, playing games, and binging hours of tv after the kids’ bedtime.

Our Story

Adam and I met in 2010 when Adam began attending a local college and started attending my home church. We were something between friends and acquaintances. Real friendship finally bloomed in the summer of 2015. We realized that we had similar interests - movies, literature, etc. Adam began introducing me to board games; I deepened Adam’s interest in things like Disney. We started dating and soon the pieces just fell into place.

We already knew we shared the same basic faith (we met in church after all). But we realized that the “why” of our faiths were similar. We had found hope in Jesus, and we each had a deep desire to live in a way that actively reflected the life Jesus wanted us to.

Adam and I got married in 2017, during my last semester of college. It was the closest thing to a perfect wedding as you could ask for - especially when the weather was supposed to be an ice storm.

After a year of marriage, we found out we were expecting. #1 came into this world in October 2018. #2 followed in February 2021. And we welcomed #3 in December 2022.

Our life is chaotic but perfect. Having three under the age of six is a handful. It’s stressful, tiring, and hard. But it is also fun, rewarding, and worth it.

Why a Blog?

During college, I started doing some simple bookkeeping for a family business. I liked it enough to continue, but I had a desire to write. With Adam’s encouragement, I graduated college with a degree in creative writing. But I’ve largely left that side of untouched since completing my final seminar.

I’ve tried my hand at blogging in the past. Nothing to this scale, but some small personal blogs throughout high school and into college. When I was pregnant with #3, I got the urge to get back to writing.

Adam and I have set a lot of our hobbies to the side for our kids. With #3 here, I know time with be short but I also know I need an outlet for myself. Plus, I find myself the most honest (with both the world and with myself) when I am writing. So I figured now is the best time to start a blog.

What to Expect

I want to write about what I care most about. I might know a little about these things, but I want/need to know more about them. I feel like Adam and I have a pretty healthy marriage. We support each other, we help each other, and we actually enjoy each other. However, there is always room for improvement. It’s easy to put spouses on the back burner when littles are running around like banshees and life outside the home is stressful. We want us to become better partners and better parents together.

Parenting is always a process. As soon as I think I’ve figured “it” out — whatever “it” is — I realize I don’t. I still have a lot to learn in parenting. But I do know what has worked for us and what hasn’t. Although we’ve only been parents for a few years, we have some wisdom to share.

The other main category of this blog is “home.” I mainly work from home. I’ve always enjoyed being at home more than going out. I’m also one of those people that can’t think clearly if the house is a wreck. I’m constantly trying to learn new techniques on managing this fact about myself.

Although our focus is family within this blog, I know I will inevitably write about anything that sparks a thought. So I will always have a spot for those ramblings. It wouldn’t be my blog without it.

This blog is my way to document the lessons and change in our lives as we grow together — as a family and as individuals.