About Me

Hi! This is me. Want to hang out on Instagram? My handle is @k.west.stories

Kelly1

I love finding Jesus through everyday life. I grew up with a sweet and simple childhood on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere along the way between hundreds of conversations in the kitchen with my mama and heart-to-hearts with my daddy under the stars, I picked up a knack for seeing how God is everywhere in everything we do. This is an invaluable gift that has sustained me through the real-life, grown-up heartaches that inevitably challenge our faith and identities along the way.

I met this guy near the end of my time in college who added a great deal of meaning to my life. We decided to write the rest of our life’s stories together and made it official by getting married more than 10 years ago.

Us

Our story has had many twists and turns just like everyone else’s. He’s now a fire fighter and I’m a teacher-turned-stay-at-home-mom-turned-teacher-again. Together we raise these two cuties.

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They’re helping us both grow in a way only kids can. It’s hard to explain how it’s possible to be equal parts happy and exhausted, but that’s how I can sum up my feelings at the end…and the beginning…of most days.

We’ll call my boy-wonder Dash. He’s a quick one, that boy of mine. God uses Him in my life every day. When he was little, people would tell me how fast he was, and I agreed while running quickly after him. We spent five years at home together, both of us growing up more than we realized, but growing up requires a person to spread his or her wings eventually. So we moved into a new season of life together when Dash started kindergarten and I became a working mom.  Nothing was sweeter than facing the scary newness together and learning to be the new kid with him.

My sweet little Daisy – she’s another kind of gift as well. I find myself equal parts challenged, entertained, and inspired by her confidence, her impeccable taste when it comes to shoe shopping, her need for minimal sleep, and her flair for the dramatic. Her laugh, caring heart, and snuggles have brought me out of some dark seasons of trial when I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t know what would come next. She is a ray of sunshine where ever she goes, never missing the opportunity to pick a flower to put in my hair.

Through living, laughing, crying, surviving, and growing together as a family, I’ve finally started to grasp how extraordinary God’s love truly is. That love has changed me into a completely different person with a new perspective on life, purpose, and identity.

Thanks for joining us on our journey through life! I pray that, if you stick around long enough, you’ll see Jesus and develop an eye for finding the extraordinary love of God in the exceptionally average parts of life, too. More than anything, I hope that you will choose to make your own personal quest to finding the love of God. He has never loved you more or less than He does right now, and if He can get through to me, I know He can do the same for you.

11 thoughts on “About Me

  1. I’m looking forward to learning from your experiences and gaining knowledge from your insights! I feel like my story is similar to yours. I also grew up with Christ at the center of our home and I came to know him at a young age. I met my husband in high school and we’ve been married for 6 years. I have 2 daughters – a 2 year old and a 7 month old. However, I lack the passion for my job that you seem to have found in teaching. Thank you for being willing to share with us!

  2. Hi Kelly! It has been so fun getting to know you here! We have a lot in common: a wonderful Christian family, faith at a young age, a love for helping others learn and Hot Wheels on our floors. I love that you said, “I know that God has given me the ability to express myself through the written word in a way that I just can’t when I speak.” I feel the same way! Thank you for sharing your heart and your talent in His service!

    1. Jana, you’ve already been an encouragement to me in the short time I’ve been following you! Thank YOU for sharing your talents! God bless!

  3. I am a mom and grandma, named “Teese” by my 1st grandson (no clue why, but love that he named me). I love the community feeling of your blog. I “bookmarked” it and plan to revisit! Keep up the good work!
    Carol aka Teese

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