Kelly O'Melia

Unglued

Isn’t it so cool how God works?? I find He often waits until I’ve reached that critical juncture. Where the pain has become great enough that I’m super motivated to seek change. When my guard slips down in surrender, and I’m prepared to throw out the old and accept the new. This time was no…
Luke’s Story (Or should I say…Benjamin’s??)

Boy, did God ever bring us to the midwestern state of Wisconsin for a reason. It may only have been for 12 months… but it served a timeless purpose. God sometimes needs to remove you from the busyness. He needs to limit the distractions and cut back the obligations, finally gaining your full attention. He…
Keagan Grace- The Rest of the Story

So once the boxes were unpacked, I began my search for a good, VBAC-loving OB or midwife. It was then that I was introduced to the concept of “alegal midwives”. Not legal. Not illegal. But alegal. I’m not sure “alegal” is even a real word, but it is the adjective used to describe direct-entry midwifery in…
Keagan Grace O’Melia- Part I

It was October of 2003. Our little family of four flew to Phoenix, Arizona, to visit Nana and Pops (Duff’s parents). They lived in a nice gated community which housed a heated pool and jacuzzi. I recall trying out the hot tub only to discover that it made me feel quite nauseous. This wasn’t too…
A Scandalous Story of Love: Intentions

I had reached that point in the relationship when I was ready to get married and have his babies. But mercy! You can’t just come out and say that to a 20 year-old college boy! Talk about the top ten things you don’t say to your boyfriend! Seriously though, I couldn’t live without him. He…
The Scandalous Story of Love: Kissing Disease

It was November of 1993. I hopped onto the stairmaster at the gym for my afternoon workout. My legs felt noticeably weak. I wrote it off as one of those days when you initially feel fatigued. I just needed to push through. Get warmed up a little. But I barely finished my routine and headed…
Madeline’s Story

I had pretty much wanted children my whole life, back as far as I could remember. I was the neighborhood babysitter, the nanny, the girl who dressed up as a pregnant nerd one Halloween. (No, I’m not kidding.) I loved kids. I was drawn to them. I loved their honesty, their energy, their imaginations, and…
A Scandalous Story of Love: Gram and Gramps

Junior year at Boston College began for us in the fall of 1993 with all of our money pooled together in a joint bank account. The morning air grew crisper and the trees around campus began to turn breathtaking shades of yellow, orange, and red. Autumn was my very favorite time of year. I loved…
Gavin’s Birth Story

It was Christmas time in the year 2000. Auntie Colleen was visiting and we were heading home from Jumpin’ Jupiters, an indoor playspace that Maddie loved to frequent. I suspected I might be pregnant and just had to know. I suggested we stop by a store on the way home and grab a pregnancy test.…
A Scandalous Story of Love: Joint Account

As the spring semester of our Sophomore year came to a close, we decided we couldn’t spend the summer apart. We began searching for inexpensive summer sublets in Boston. While we would have loved to find a cute little apartment for the two of us, I was troubled by the obvious potential for upsetting our…
One Fall Day

One fall day all of us headed out to Vollmer Farm for some good old family fun. We piled on the hayride and rode out to the “Back Forty” playground. We started off by trying out the Great Pumpkin Jump which is a HUGE 2500 square foot jumping pillow. Duff and the 4 oldest loved…
Mama Makinley

Here is Makinley. She is now 18 months old and a little mama in training to be sure! Always toting an armful of dolls around and loving’ on them. Occasionally she’ll invite Luke to play “the daddy”. She dons her sunglasses before running out, straps the babies in, and off she goes to run her…
A Scandalous Story of Love: Secret Lovers

Duff and I decided without a doubt we wanted to be together. I gradually became convinced that everyone would see the big picture. We were all adults. We wouldn’t be in college forever. We wouldn’t be bound to this group of friends for much longer. If Duff and I were destined to be a couple…
A Trip to the ZOO!

Last week we made a day trip to the NC Zoo. If you’re a homeschooler and a planner, register 2 weeks in advance for tickets and save some serious cash. Here is the link to reserve tickets ahead of time for free admission as a homeschool student or instructor. If you’re challenged in the planning…
A Scandalous Story of Love: The Break Up

Winter break came to an end and the guilty verdict soaked into my conscience. I headed back to college to start my spring semester of Sophomore year with my mind a complete jumble. I needed some clarity about this situation. I needed to reach some conclusions. The tiny analytical portion of my brain would need…