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Showing posts from 2016

Whats in a Name?

Hey guys! This post is random and short and you won't gain and spiritual or emotional insight or wisdom from it at all. It's purely informational to satisfy your curiosity. I've been asked a lot lately if I kept my married name after the divorce. Yes. Yes I did. Man I could totally just end this right here! A lot of you have asked why, so here's how I came to the decision.  I originally intended to change my name to "Katie Winzer-Baird" when my ex and I separated. I went ahead and changed it on Facebook, mostly so people would be aware we weren't together anymore. There were a lot of awkward conversations right after we split and making the small change on social media seemed like it would help.  I really wrestled with this choice.  I chose to stay Katie Winzer.  Even though our relationship and marriage ended, I had no emotional pain attached to my name. My kids names weren't going to change. The process of changing back to my ...

Standards & Expectations

Hey Hey! I'm introducing some new words into the mix today! If you've stuck with me on the blog this far, you probably understand the basics of boundaries and why I care so much about them. It's time to start a conversation about your standards for yourself, and your expectations of others. We've established the importance of boundaries and the importance of guarding your heart. NOW! Moving forward in friendships or relationships of any kind (but specifically of the dating kind) let's talk! Standards Your standards are qualities that are important to you. They include your personal boundaries and moral principles. Here are a few examples of my personal standards: 1) I strive to actively pursue a close relationship with God. 2) I budget each paycheck carefully to and try to make wise choices about where the money goes. 3) I try my best not to talk negatively about people, and I'm very cautious with what I share. 4) I have open communication with my fam...

Short & Sweet

December 10, 2016 "Hey girl, you hanging in there?" That's what she said to me when I saw her this morning in the coffee shop. I'm not super close to this lady. I think I've talked to her twice directly and it was always super quick and just small talk. It struck me and normally I would have just smiled and said something polite to indicate that yes, I was hanging in there. Not today! There have been moments in my life this last year, when I would have answered this differently. Probably the way she was expecting. Moments when I could barely pick myself up off the floor. Moments I was so insecure, I turned to alcohol, smoking and men to try to fill the hole. Moments I was just trying to numb the pain and drink myself to sleep so I could wake up, just to make it through another day. I immersed myself in a lifestyle that was so unhealthy for my body and heart. Those days were the days that I was "hanging in there" But not today. Today I said ...

The Secret to a Guarded Heart

When I was a teenager, there was a guy who started to show some interest in me and getting to know me, He was about 5 years older than I was if I remember correctly. I was 17 or 18 at the time, so it was a big deal. One if my close friends married this guys brother, so we were around each other a few times over the next couple months. He talked to my friend about me and told her he was interested and she gave him a very serious talk and told him he better guard my heart. He promised he would. We messaged each other on Facebook a couple times and apparently he lost interest and I never heard from him again. It wasn't long after I heard from, my friend that he was seriously dating someone else. My heart was shattered. I talked to my mom about it and she mentioned something about the fact that he's promised to guard my heart. She said it spoke volumes about his character that he was willing to do that. My response was "But he didn't guard my heart!" What does ...

The Un-Titled Post

So many times these past few weeks I heard something like "Well, life is good except for this one thing. I'd like to have a girlfriend/boyfriend. I thought I would have found someone by now." We use our relationship status as validation that we are doing well in life. Why is being single so scary? It makes us feel insecure if we aren't with who we think we need to be with. Sometimes we will even drastically lower our standards and values just to have someone. "Yeah, maybe we don't share the same basic faith or principles, but they're a good person and they say they love me." I've been on the other side of this also. When I meet people and they start trying to "lock me down" and get me to commit completely to a relationship right away. I've been separated from my ex for 6 months and divorced for all of 6 weeks! I'm in no position to date, and when/if that time comes, I'm going to be super discerning about who I date. There ar...

Introduction To Immeasurably More

Hey Guys! I'm assuming if you're reading this, you're hoping to learn a little about what's been going on in my life the past few months. You may be hoping for all the dirty details. You may know half of one side of the story. Or we may be new friends and you have no idea what I'm talking about. Look, I'm not going to guarantee that you'll go away from here knowing my entire life story. In fact, you'll probably only get a small portion of my past and only if it's necessary for back story to make a point. Everything is useful to God. Even choices that we regret and wish we could change are used by Him to mold and shape us and bring us closer to Him. I'm not going to talk negatively or put down others. Every one has to learn things their own way and in God's timing. It's taken God almost 7 years to fully get my attention. God has laid so much on my heart and I feel it's time for me to open up and share with you guys. If my testimony...