Jesse is joining me for another really honest episode where we share our more of our story. This time around, we dig into one of the harder seasons of our life, when Jesse was still in law school and we had just had Kathrynne, our first daughter.

We talk really candidly about one of the hardest years of our marriage and how stress caused such a toll on all areas of our life -- and ended up landing me in the hospital. 

At the time, it felt like our world was falling apart. But we look back and see how much good came unexpectedly from hitting rock bottom... and how never would be where we are today if it weren't for that very rough season.

 

We’re over halfway through January and I know this is a month where many people are thinking of setting up new routines and better systems for this coming year. If you’d love to feel less frazzled and more organized in the mornings, I put together a completely free 5-day challenge for you called 5 Days to a Better Morning.

When you sign up for this challenge, I’ll send you a short email every morning with a simple project for you to complete that day to help start your day well. Each of the projects are simple but straightforward — and I can guarantee they will make a big impact.

Plus, you’ll also get access to an exclusive Facebook Group with daily videos from me just for those who are going through this mini course, so we can all keep each other accountable to follow through with our daily projects.

Want to join the 5 Days to a Better Mornings Challenge and start your days more successfully? Just go here to sign up. It’s free and you can start immediately after you sign up.

In This Episode:

[02:30] - This week, what’s saving my life is a commitment I made for 2019 that has already made such a big difference.

[04:18] - The first book I read in 2019 is likely going on my Top 10 list of books read in 2019 because it was just that good.

[06:08] - I was so excited to get my first checkbook and write my first check. Do you remember that thrill too? If so, check out this episode’s amazing sponsor, Checks Unlimited!

[07:53] - Jesse is back! We joke about our competition to say “happy anniversary” first and talk about the year I forgot our anniversary.

[10:28] - Jesse talks about the time of our life when he was still in law school and we had just had our first daughter. It was the year we both look back on as the hardest year of our marriage (so far).

[17:36] - We talk about how shocked we were when his boss lost the election and how a lot of our hopes and dreams died that night... and he was going to be out of work really soon, too.

[19:31] - He ended up getting a new job that required a very last-minute move when I was in the middle of morning sickness. We had hopes for this job... but it ended up being incredibly stressful. The stress of the job trickled down to me and my pregnancy and ended up landing me in the hospital.

[23:55] - They thought I had something severely wrong and I was tested for just about everything under the sun that they could come up with. It was a scary time -- and it was multiplied by the fact that we had just recently moved to Kansas City and we didn't have a lot of support.

[27:08] - This difficult season of our life got even harder after Kaitlynn (our second daughter) was born, because I had postpartum depression and Jesse had to find a new job... and he couldn't find one. Our marriage was on the rocks, we felt our world crumbling around us, our bank account was nearing empty, and our pride was dashed to pieces. 

[29:53] - I close out the show by sharing about my word I chose for 2019... I didn't mean to keep you all waiting so long before I shared it!

Links and Resources:

• 5 Days to a Better Morning Challenge
• Checks Unlimited (this episode’s sponsor!)
• My new alarm clock
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• Episode 13: How I Broke Free from Legalism (with Jesse Paine)
• Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron
• My Word of the Year for 2019
• CrystalPaine.com
• MoneySavingMom.com
• YourBloggingMentor.com
• My Instagram account (I’d love for you to follow me there! I usually hop on at least a few times per day and share behind-the-scenes photos and videos, my grocery store hauls, funny stories, or just anything I’m pondering or would like your advice or feedback on!)
• Have feedback on the show or suggestions for future episodes or topics? Send me an email: [email protected]

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