Today, I'd like to introduce you to my second-cousin, Bethany. Our grandpas were brothers, and amazingly, through family reunions and college years together at Seward, we have become as close as first-cousins. I love both her and her witty husband. Bethany and Mike were actually the first ones to hear my dream of creating this website when Mike and I compared shopping notes, much to Bethany's entertainment. Bethany has a great perspective on frugality which I know you'll enjoy reading. You can read more by Bethany at her website, The Dimly Seen. Thanks, Bethany, for sharing with us! Tell … Read More...

Tell us about yourself and your family. I'm Kristen, the blogger behind Joyfully Thriving. I'm a former Lutheran school teacher turned stay at home mom. I'm married to Andy, a Lutheran school teacher and Athletic director, who teaches junior high at St. Paul's Lutheran School. We met while attending college at Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska. He was a senior while I was a freshman and although we knew each other then, it wasn't until eight years later that we were married. I can say with confidence that Andy was worth every minute of waiting! God's plans were better than mine. They … Read More...

Are you Lutheran? Do you use the Concordia Health Care Plan? If so, have you signed up for the Be Well Serve Well Rewards Program? I hope so! Let me tell you why, just in case you missed the fliers that arrived in your mailbox. Be Well...Serve Well is an initiative to encourage healthy living. It is based on the premise that if you make healthier choices now, you will need less care in the future. My actuary brother would support this premise, I believe. As a result, CHP is started this new Be Well Rewards program. For each healthy living activity you complete, you are rewarded points. … Read More...