When we got married 16 years ago, we had plans.

What we didn’t plan for were five kids, a NICU journey, foster care, adoption, complex medical diagnoses, countless appointments, sleepless nights, unexpected detours, and all the ways life would rewrite our story.

In this special anniversary bonus episode, my husband and I sit down together to look back on sixteen years of marriage and the plot twists that shaped our family. We share funny memories, hard seasons, lessons learned, and the moments that reminded us that even when life doesn’t go according to plan, there is still joy to be found.

Whether you’re navigating marriage, parenting, medical challenges, adoption, or simply the unexpected turns life brings, we hope this conversation encourages you to keep showing up, keep loving well, and keep rising through the unexpected.

Because sometimes the best parts of the story are the chapters we never saw coming.

In this episode:• How our expectations compared to reality• The biggest plot twists of the last 16 years• Lessons we’ve learned about marriage through difficult seasons• Humor, survival mode, and finding joy in the chaos• Why we wouldn’t trade this journey for anything

If this episode resonates with you, please follow, share, and leave a review. It helps more families discover stories of hope and resilience.

Holyoaks Rise: Stories of Rising Through the Unexpected

Topics discussed include marriage, parenting, medical motherhood, NICU life, foster care, adoption, resilience, survival mode, family life, and navigating unexpected life challenges.

Warm Memories - Emotional Inspiring Piano by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

I8h8