Chickens

A girl I work with has an acreage and keeps a lot of chickens. She’s been lending out her incubator so other people can see how cool it is when chicks hatch. This month, we decided to hatch our own batch of eggs.

Emmy and Abby were excited—but I might have been the most excited of all! In just 21 days after placing the eggs in the incubator, we’ll have baby chicks.

When I told my mom about it, she was excited too. I did have to give her a quick refresher on how chicken reproduction works, which cracked me up. You’re never too old to learn something new I guess!

 

Des Moines Trip

After a couple of hectic weekends, I was more than ready for a slower, low-key one—especially one spent with my sister Steph. She had surprised me with tickets to see Nadia Bolz-Weber, an author and speaker we both love. Her tour, The Democratic Revival, was making a stop in Lincoln but that night didn't work with our schedules so the next best thing was to go to Des Moines. 

Nadia has an incredible story—she became a pastor after a really rough start in life, and her message is one of radical grace. She talks about how God is for everyone—not just for those who fit neatly into the mold of what people think a Christian “should” be. Her talk was uplifting, honest, and filled with the kind of hope that sticks with you. Even better, we were surrounded by people who were there for the same reasons—open, accepting, and eager to grow.

Before the event, we met up with Steph’s friend (and pacemaker nurse!) Jenn for dinner at a steakhouse. It was the perfect warm-up for the evening—good food, good conversation, and lots of laughter.

We stayed the night at an Airbnb, which I’ll admit made me a little nervous at first. It wasn’t a whole house—it was just a rented room in someone’s home, and the owners were going to be there. Steph, in classic Steph fashion, reassured me: “If this is a bad idea, they picked the wrong badass sisters to mess with.” Fair enough.

Turns out, the home was in a charming older neighborhood that’s being revitalized, and the house itself was beautiful. It was owned by a friendly gay couple who welcomed us warmly. One of them was super into plants and had a sunroom full of orchids and greenery—so naturally, we had plenty to talk about.

The next morning, we checked out and went on a mini adventure—thrift shopping, plant browsing, book hunting, and bakery sampling. Honestly, could a day get any better?

Spending time with Steph reminded me once again how lucky I am to have a sister I can talk to for hours on end without ever running out of things to say. I truly don’t know what people do without sisters—because I could hang out with mine for days and never get bored.