Estimated reading time: 10 minutes Hi lovely people! I’m writing to you from a highway outside of Seattle… we’re stuck in stand-still traffic and I figured “what the heck, let’s write that blog.” Because I still need to share our experience in Montana! Montana was state #2 on our roadtrip. If I could sum it up in a few words, I’d say: They sure like their huckleberries. When we entered Montana, that’s the first thing we noticed! Huckleberry and cherry stands dotted all along the road, everywhere. I didn’t realize, but Montana has a lot of orchards. It’s a beautiful state. Let me paint the pict ..read more

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes Hi family! As many of you know, we finally hit the road last weekend and started our big road trip. Over the next 4-5 months, we’ll be traveling the whole USA! I’m writing to you from Missoula, Montana – just a few days since we left Wyoming. Looking back at everything we saw along the way, I had to share our experience. So here’s what we experienced in Wyoming! Entering Wyoming (AKA firework central) Surrounded by scorched grass and barely rolling hills, southern Wyoming isn’t super exciting. As we crossed the border from CO to WY, we were immediately bombar ..read more

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes Everyone should go to therapy – that’s something I’ll stand by for the rest of my life. A bold statement, some might think. What if I don’t need help? What if I had a healthy childhood? What if I can’t afford it? At the end of the day, regardless of your testimony or past – we are imperfect people, who adhere to lies from the pain we’ve experienced. If you know Christ you should especially understand: not one of us is exempt from needing help. And I believe therapy is an investment you should prioritize. This subject is on my mind recently because there are a ..read more

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes Hi lovely people! It’s been a while since I popped up in your inbox! I’m truly sorry for not being as consistent as I was before. I’m giving myself grace—but I intend on posting here again because I miss it, and I missed you. It’s been a long winter. Long, not bad (although summer has never felt more exciting lol). Here are a few updates since I last posted! 1. We Moved Into Our Van Dec. 7th We actually did it—we moved into our van! We shared our finished build and entire process here – but I’m excited to share a van tour here soon:) October and November were ..read more

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes:) Marriage is full of surprises. Nathan and I have been married for almost 8 months now (WHAT! Time flies) and we’ve learned a lot so far. Obviously we’re still new at this, so we’re not experts. But turns out, we had some misconceptions before we got married. I wish I had known these simple facts before we got married. Not that not knowing them caused great devastation, but I think I would have been better prepared and equipped for for marriage if I did. No one ever told me these before we got married. Hopefully by sharing these misconceptions, you can better ..read more

Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes Hey Fam! Today I wanted to share my first van life-related article – so thanks for coming alongside me as I try something new! Why did we choose the van life? What made us take the leap? Are we bored? Broke? Crazy? The Van Life Story So Far… Nathan and I have been thinking and praying about van life for a few months now, but we first suggested the idea probably 6 months ago. Honestly, we kept it between us two until about a month ago. We wanted to make sure we were making the right decision – and that God was leading us in this direction. We toured quite a few ..read more

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes Hey family! I know it’s been a while since I last posted – I’m sorry it’s been so dead over here at WithAbba! But I’m back and wanted to update you on a few recent developments – God has been tugging on my heart the last few months and I’m excited to share. But before I dive head first – there are some new faces around here! So I wanted to introduce myself. Hey! I’m Annabelle, 20 years old and wearing a lot of hats (I tend to do that lol). I published my first fantasy novel when I was 17, which kicked off my writing career. Last year, I fell in love with the c ..read more

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes This morning, Nathan and I got breakfast burritos and walked around the mall together. It was SO fun. Nathan got off work this morning, so I was stoked to see him. And those breakfast burritos were But anyway, on the way home, I made one of the *dumbest* driving mistakes to date. I was turning left and thought the person coming my way had a stop sign (fun fact: they did not). I realized this in the middle of the intersection and panicked. And because I’m still kind unfamiliar with CO Springs roads, I turned directly into oncoming traffic. I know. Terrible. T ..read more

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes:) One thing I’ve noticed about myself is that it doesn’t really matter if something is my fault or not – I will always feel guilty. Of course, more times than not I’m the one at fault – and thus (in my head) worthy of the guilt. But often when things aren’t even my fault, I still feel guilty for them. Maybe you can relate? Someone says something rude to you – and instead of understanding what they said was hurtful and forgivinging them, you automatically assume you deserved the comment. Or something circumstantial happens, some tough situation – and instead of ..read more

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes:) The resounding lie of my life has been this: “you are not good enough.” I was always the perfectionist, the go-getter, the high achiever. My nickname in youth group was “try hard.” I accomplished a lot at a young age. But if I were to examine my true motivation behind a lot of my greatest accomplishments, I wouldn’t be quite as proud. Because for so many of them, that deep down insecurity was the main voice swaying me to keep striving: “you are not good enough.” “You are not good enough.” So I applied for every honors and AP class I could take. “You are not ..read more