The Girl Behind BiRL

Hey there, I’m Christy. Thanks for stopping by! My friends know me to be a notorious oversharer, so consider yourself warned. I live in the best place in the world: the California Bay Area. I dream big and try to live an out-loud life with as much authenticity as possible. Because that’s how I roll – what you see is what you get. That’s just me.

Bigger in Real Life (BiRL) is my little corner of the internet where I write about all the hats I proudly wear – Christian, woman, wife, sister, daughter, feminist, activist, post-modernist, musician, fledgling runner, dog mom, book lover, epic-dreamer, coffee drinker, wannabe foodie, wine lover, crafter, sun worshiper, and so on and on andon andonandonandon. I’ve written many times for many different reasons, but this time I’m writing for me, to catalogue this crazy thing we call life. (But that doesn’t stop me from getting fan-girl-style giddy when I get a hint that others are reading too.)

Here are some of the characters you’ll meet on BiRL:

A – aka Hubbs, my ever-loving husband. He’s my partner, my helpmate, my lover, my teammate, my choice, and my friend. He laughs with me and at me, and lets me put my cold feet on him at night.

Mom – pretty self-explanatory. My mother, the most loving, most cheerful woman I know. Very few people have the capacity to be genuinely happy for others despite their own circumstances, and my mom totally does.

The Small One – aka C2, the middle sister. She lives about five minutes away from me and always forgets something when she leaves my house. She’s fiery, geeky, driven, athletic, and scrappy. She has a huge heart and takes on others’ burdens as her own. She also calls for cooking tips. A lot.

The Child – aka C3, the youngest sister. She lives in Southern California and can usually be found napping on my couch when she’s here. She’s thoughtful, passionate, impulsive, artistic, quick to listen and slow to speak. She’s a reluctant hipster and always has great hair, even though she doesn’t do anything to it.

My Church – yes, it’s its own entity. It’s where I’ve found family, community, affirmation,  mentors and mentees, and ministry. It forces me to grow, and keeps me accountable to my God and my faith. It’s the most welcoming place you’ll ever go, a place where no one is perfect; we’re all a bunch of messed up people living with grace and doing the best we can to live lives that reflect what God has done for us. It pretty much rocks.

My kids – I have none, biologically anyway. So when I talk about my kids I’m talking about all the high school kids I’ve been blessed to mentor, either currently or over the years. I’ve been mentoring high school teens and college students (by extension) since 2003, since I was hardly out of high school myself. Being in these kids lives has blessed me far beyond how I may have blessed them. They keep me involved, keep me honest, and know that they can ask me anything and I will answer candidly. (That’s pretty much a rule of life for me, but I advertise it to them.)

My dogs – aka The Hooligans. Two rescue pooches who drive me nuts, but I love them anyway.

If you decide to read along, welcome! I’m glad you’re here.

Cheers,
Christy

P.S. Bow ties are cool.