Blog

Find all your community-building resources right here.

Blog

Find all your community-building resources right here.

The Latest:

Ornament Exchange Party for Holiday Friend Fun

Ornament Exchange Party for Holiday Friend Fun

As a young adult, I remember approaching my first Christmas and realizing: I DON’T OWN ANY ORNAMENTS for my tree. I didn’t want to go out and buy just any particular ornament, I wanted it to have meaning. Having an ornament exchange is a great way to share something...

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Gift-giving to Friends: Do’s and Dont’s

Gift-giving to Friends: Do’s and Dont’s

Every Christmas, I make the effort to give gifts to my closest friends. Sometimes, it’s a mixed CD (yes, I still make those) or perhaps it’s my favorite highlighter pens. I like to make it personal, affordable and fun. Yet, there is always this awkward pause when I...

read more

Ornament Exchange Party for Holiday Friend Fun

As a young adult, I remember approaching my first Christmas and realizing: I DON’T OWN ANY ORNAMENTS for my tree. I didn’t want to go out and buy just any particular ornament, I wanted it to have meaning. Having an ornament exchange is a great way to share something...

read more

Gift-giving to Friends: Do’s and Dont’s

Every Christmas, I make the effort to give gifts to my closest friends. Sometimes, it’s a mixed CD (yes, I still make those) or perhaps it’s my favorite highlighter pens. I like to make it personal, affordable and fun. Yet, there is always this awkward pause when I...

read more

How to end a friendship respectfully

I knew the friendship had run its course—yet, the shared history and guilt over closing the doors kept me feeling chained to this unhealthy friendship. For years I wanted to sneak out of the friendship quietly but my conscious wouldn’t allow me to just disappear from...

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The Archives:

How to Protect and Fight for Healthy Friendships

“THAT’S MY SISTER!” I yelled as I sprinted across the dining hall to break up a friendly dog pile of stinky boys tackling one of my friends. It was summer, and I was a camp counselor. It felt like a rite of passage: an opportunity to love on kiddos, have new...

How to end a friendship respectfully

I knew the friendship had run its course—yet, the shared history and guilt over closing the doors kept me feeling chained to this unhealthy friendship. For years I wanted to sneak out of the friendship quietly but my conscious wouldn’t allow me to just disappear from...

Encouragement for you when friend’s cancel plans

My husband, Tim, was hosting a football party this fall and was discouraged when a few of the guys cancelled last minute. He was walking around the house, making loud sighs as he read the texts coming in on his phone. He looked at me and said, “How do you do this?...

Reconciling a Friend’s Betrayal

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” “Hear what?” My husband and I asked our then, trusted companion. We were sitting in our living room, crunching on snacks while watching football. We thought it was a normal Saturday afternoon but, later remember it as an ambush. Our friend...

Resources to Navigate Tough Conversations with Friends

Welcome to tough conversations with friends. We all want to avoid them and yet, we have felt that tug to dig in and say what we feel the Spirit leading us to say. Hard conversations do not equate to conflict or criticism but when done in love, can be edifying and...

Reconciling a Friend’s Betrayal

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” “Hear what?” My husband and I asked our then, trusted companion. We were sitting in our living room, crunching on snacks while watching football. We thought it was a normal Saturday afternoon but, later remember it as an ambush. Our friend...

Resources to Navigate Tough Conversations with Friends

Welcome to tough conversations with friends. We all want to avoid them and yet, we have felt that tug to dig in and say what we feel the Spirit leading us to say. Hard conversations do not equate to conflict or criticism but when done in love, can be edifying and...

The Science Behind Coffee Dates

“Let’s grab coffee?” you ask. “I’m more of a tea girl, but absolutely,” I respond. Coffee dates are a tale as old as friendship time. They’re perfect for their casual, treat-inspired friend time. Yet, there is something more going on when we sit down to talk with...

Together is a Beautiful Place Book Launch Party Recap

Planning a book launch party was filled with a lot of little details and help from many local vendors. The vision for the party was "friend date." I didn't want it to just be a book signing but an actual event that created an opportunity for women to gather with their...

three guidelines for friendlier mom circles

No matter how long I’ve been a mom, I still get intimidated by new mom circles. Just recently, my oldest started kindergarten and I agreed to attend a new family meetup. This was an opportunity for families to get to know one another before the school year started. It...

Books to help your kids through life’s big transitions

Books have held an important role to help our kids through life's big transitions. Whether it is potty training or visiting the dentist for the first time, it can be hard to grasp this new, sometimes scary thing. We want to have conversations but, we also don't know...

How to prioritize friendship as a mom

A serious conundrum every mom faces –how do I make time for friends, experience quality connection and keep my sanity all at the same time? I know many will say, “invite people into the mess, be flexible with your kiddos, etc,” which are not bad thoughts. But as a mom...