Halfway to Anywhere You Put Your Mind To

I’d choose you again in a heartbeat.

Somewhere along the way, you became my calm, my shelter—my safe.

Thankful to be hand in hand doing life with you, Johnny. 🤍

On the final day of our anniversary trip, we closed out our celebration with something special—an early morning photo shoot at sunrise. Just us, the ocean breeze, and our love captured in the softest golden light.

Our theme? “Under the Boardwalk,” in honor of the movie Beaches—a film that’s always tugged at my heart with its story of enduring friendship and love.

It was dreamy, intimate… and yes, filled with a lot of smooches (our photographer made sure of that 😅). I felt a little nervous, but there was something magical about capturing this season of life—the messy, meaningful, beautiful middle of our story.

I wore a cream-colored dress and some inexpensive silver and turquoise jewelry I picked up at Wally’s before the trip. Silver, the symbol for a 25th anniversary, felt like the perfect nod to the milestone. I layered it with a lacy Buckle shirt, added a silver hat band I made into a belt, and topped it all off with my favorite cream-colored glitzy Bella hat—decked out in rhinestones encased in silver. It wasn’t all designer, but it felt just right—full of personality, sentiment, and sparkle.

Johnny? As classic as ever in a cream button-up, khaki shorts, and his silver wedding band—his third one, actually.

The first one? Flew out the car window when he had his hand out like a wild man.

The second? Lost in the swimming pool when we lived at the Parkwood Townhomes.

This one? Hanging on, though it feels a little loose too—so we’ll see. 😄

Sentimental touches made the morning even more meaningful. On one hand, I wore my original wedding band—gifted to me by my mom—which we had customized with tiny diamonds. On the other, I wore my promise/engagement ring—the one Johnny bought with his paycheck from Rick’s Food Store in high school. Out of all the rings I’ve worn, that little promise ring might feel the most special. I paired it with a unique silver ring from an antique store in Dodge City—a surprise my mom mailed to me when it was out of our budget.

From grade school friends to prom king and queen…

Two kids who had no idea the life ahead would be full of beauty, heartbreak, growth, and so much grace.

When my family lost our home to a fire in junior high-you were there.

You carried your own quiet storms, too.

And when I was in a life-altering car accident in high school

—you showed up again, bringing me homework while I was on bed rest. That season shaped us. It prepared us.

In October of our senior year, we welcomed our first baby.

Teenagers stepping into parenthood, learning early what it meant to show up for each other-every single day.

From teen parents to business partners…

From small-town beginnings to a life full of grit, grace, and growth.

We became parents to four—our three sons and our daughter who came to us through adoption. Aleah, our youngest and only girl, joined our family at just 9 months old. Though the journey was complicated, filled with court dates and uncertainty, our hearts never wavered. We fought for five years to give her not just our last name, but the life we felt she deserved. And we’d do it all again.

Today, Keith is 25, Landon 24, Ike 22, and Aleah 21—and watching them grow into the people they are has been one of our greatest honors.

Before planting roots in Salina, I owned Tangles Salon in our hometown of LaCrosse, KS for five years. We worked closely with a business consultant through the SBA to help launch that first salon. During that time, we became foster parents to help Haley and Allison—two sisters who babysat for our family—get into a safe space.. joining our home. We also became licensed to help facilitate Aleah’s adoption. What began as a way to support others quickly turned into one of the most meaningful parts of our family’s story.

Later, we partnered with the SBA again to build our second business plan—this time to relocate and open a larger salon in Salina, KS. It felt like the right move—for growth, for our family, and for new beginnings.

As a cradle Catholic, faith has always been a steady thread in my life, and it was important to us that our children be raised with those same values. We enrolled them in St. Mary’s Catholic School, wanting to give them not only a strong education, but the kind of community-rooted, faith-filled upbringing that shaped us.

Two years into that journey, we were honored as Emerging Business of the Year—a milestone that affirmed we were on the right path. That same year, we organized Fashion Art Revolution TwentyTen, a large-scale fashion show at the Bi-Center that raised over $20,000, with some proceeds supporting the American Heart Association. We poured our energy into it—lining up models, sponsors, tickets, and purpose. The footage was recorded by Access TV, and though we lost the DVD during a later chapter of upheaval, the impact lives on.

Then came one of the hardest seasons we’ve faced.

A broken lease, dishonest dealings, and deep betrayal by the property owner of our first Salina location forced us to relocate unexpectedly. It took the wind out of our sails. But it built something stronger.

It shaped our grit. Refined our values. Taught us how to rebuild with faith, not fear.

There are so many other parts of our story most people don’t see.

Johnny and I both come from humble beginnings. He’s quieter about the hard things he’s walked through, but his steadiness says everything. His German Mennonite roots run deep—his family immigrated to the U.S., and he and his younger sister are the only ones in their immediate family born here. That legacy of perseverance, faith, and hard work lives on in the way he leads, loves, and builds.

Over the past seven years, we’ve committed to a sober life, as an example for our kids and a safeguard for our marriage. That clarity has been everything. It’s allowed us to show up fully, build businesses, and parent with intention.

We raised four kids in private school for almost a decade.

We’ve poured our hearts into more than one career—balancing passion, purpose, and persistence every step of the way.

We’ve said yes to hard things.

And now—we’re planning to grind extremely hard for the next seven years, until we reach 50.

After that? We hope to slow the pace—maybe even retire someday, if we choose to. But more than anything—to live in the freedom we fought for.

We’ve broken cycles.

We’ve refused to be a statistic.

We’ve invested in marriage, family, and individual counseling, and it has reshaped us.

We now realize: we never truly went without. Neither did our kids.

It just took a whole lot of grit and grace to make it happen. It’s getting a little easier now. And we’re remembering:

Not all winning seasons look the same.

I’m here to encourage others—especially those in their own in-between.

I recently onboarded a new career as a Realtor 🏡, and I’m bringing everything I’ve learned—about people, perseverance, and passion—into this next chapter.

Just enough challenge builds the biggest driving force.

And we’re still chasing forward.

📸 The photo shared with this post is from right after our sunrise shoot—wet from the ocean breeze, hearts full, and tucked inside our new Bronco. I’ll be sharing the official photos soon when we get them from the photographer, and I already know they’ll mean the world to me.

Stay rosy,

Amber 🤍🤟

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