The last 2 years: Hello again, I’ve missed you

Hello there, and welcome back to Our Inspired Hearts for the first time since March 2020. What’s happened in the last 2 years?

Truthfully, it’s as if an entire lifetime has passed since I last penned an update on my little corner of the web. Life has been overflowing with blessings, but it has also brought its own heartaches, too.

Many times I’ve thought about reviving this little love of mine. I could never really summon the courage though. I would have a wonderful idea, some nugget of wisdom to share, but I just couldn’t bring myself to follow through. It felt like I couldn’t just “come back” to this place without an explanation. Silly, I know. But alas, it kept me away the last 2 years.

But still, Our Inspired Hearts made herself known online thanks to a few somewhat-viral posts on Pinterest. As it turned out, my dream for this website remained alive solely because of my clever idea to write letters to my friends at Hogwarts — one for each house: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor.

So here I am today, writing my comeback. Below, you’ll find a brief recap of the last 2 years — the groundwork for a return to my creative passions.

a summary of the last 2 years

Love

For starters, I began dating the cutest, sweetest, and funniest guy in the world in November of 2019. After nearly 2 years of adventuring together, we got married on September 4, 2021. There is so much to share about my beloved Garrett and our life together!

In addition to having a pandemic-altered relationship, we also survived a tornado together, faced multiple family cancer scares, and suffered several incredibly painful seasons of loss, grief, and pain. Through it all, Garrett was my ray of sunshine, the supportive teammate and best friend I never knew I needed…and we are living proof that beautiful love still exists. I can’t wait to share our story with you in the future.

Did I mention we met in elementary school, only to be separated for more than a decade before we were to fall in love?! *Insert dreamy eyes here…*

No, but really, I have so much to share with you. As part of our life in ministry, we hope to serve as mentors to other young couples who desire relationships that are more significant than what the world often has to offer today. As I breathe new life into Our Inspired Hearts, expect to see posts related to marriage and our family mission and vision.

Dog Mama

Sir Martin Winston

In 2019, I adopted the love of my life: Martin.

He was a heart worm survivor with an unexplained lesion on his left forebrain, which left him with severe anxiety, urinary incontinence, balance issues, memory loss (like, he didn’t know his name)…and, the most clear sign of his brain damage: walking in circles to the left. The more excited or anxious Martin was, the more he walked in circles.

We struggled a lot in the first 9 months together. Living in an apartment, I had to take him on walks about once per hour, and twice overnight, to prevent accidents and to settle his anxiety. It was so hard, but eventually, it got better.

True to the Millennial name, I bought my dog a house. And we lived happily ever after! Almost a year after we moved into the house, he was a brand new boy. Happy as could be, relaxed, and rarely having accidents. He loved to snuggle and give his mama kisses, and he lived for a nap on the couch. But his heart worm disease caused long term damage, as it often does, and Martin passed away suddenly in February 2021. The next four weeks were some of the worst in my life. I still can’t look at the pictures from that time. But then came the light.

Miss Ellie Bellie

I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive long without the love of a dog. After three weeks of constant tears, I reached a breaking point: I needed my next love, and fast.

Together, Garrett and I brought Ellie home.

We named her Ellie for a few reasons, one of which is that the name means “shining light.” But we also named her Ellie because Garrett & I love the movie “Up,” and we thought Ellie would someday meet her Carl, and they could live happily ever after, too.

Since we weren’t married yet, Ellie stayed at my house, but she spent time with her papa every single day. As she grew from the little ball of fuzz we brought home, I would curl up with her every night in bed. Just as Martin used to snuggle beside me to sleep, Ellie would do the same. She restored my hope, and she reminded me that the pain of losing Martin was worth every second we got to be together.

Ellie just turned a year old and reminds us so much of Martin in all the best ways! She is our silly, goofy girl. We love watching her play, make new friends, and learn new tricks. Her favorite one is by far staring into our eyes and making us melt into puddles.

Work

A large part of my silence on the blog was due to my job as a pastor, which demands an exorbitant amount of creative energy. I have been a pastor for nearly 3 years now, and I have learned and grown so much not only in ministry skills and experience, but as a Christ follower.

But something else I have come to learn is that when I give all of my creativity to my vocation, which just happens to be ministry, that there is then nothing left for me to dip into when I need to recharge. I used to work as a freelance writer and photographer as a side gig, and it brought me so much joy. Now, all I have is the digital files upon which to look back. I hope to see change in this area in the coming months. I’m ready to actively pursue these passions once again, and I believe it will bring a tremendous boost to my creative energy.

Although I spend so much of my time in ministry, I don’t foresee this as a ministry blog. I have always talked about issues of faith here, and I will certainly continue to do so, but you won’t find this website changing course in favor of a vocational ministry advice column. Ministry is complex and difficult, and it is also so much more than just the logistics of planning events, programs, and Bible studies. Here, hopefully, you will find elements of ministry in language of grace, mercy, and overwhelming love. That’s forever my goal.

What’s next?

Well friends, that’s a good question. I have a long list of topics I’d love to share with you from the last 2 years, from marriage to what I learned from my special needs dog all the way to more of those clever Harry Potter posts that helped keep Our Inspired Hearts beating while I was away from the desk.

I know that very few people, if anyone at all, have made it to the end of this post (if you have, leave me a comment and let me know). But I also know that more than anything, I needed to write this comeback story. Without this, anything I chose to write would’ve felt inauthentic.

The path before me is wide open, and I hope that the proverbial pen will be in my hand more frequently than once per year. I hope to see you soon, friends! In the mean time, please follow the blog on Instagram for updates!

Nikki Shover