4 Years Ago…

June 15, 2014 Filed in: Motherhood

kelli_and_dadFour years ago tonight….I answered a phone call that drastically changed my life. The voice on the other end called to tell me that my dad was gone, that he had passed away.
Death and sorrow are game changers. Even the Bible says so: “It is better to go to a funeral than to a party. We all must die, and everyone living should think about this. Sorrow is better than laughter, and sadness has a good influence on you. A wise person thinks about death, but a fool thinks only about having a good time.” Ecclesiastes 7:2-4

Montana is the last place that I wanted to be in 2010, but on June 15th….my ideas and my plans and my focus in life shifted. Sorrow truly had an impact on me and I surrendered all of me….for the plans the Lord had for Reed and I. Even if that meant hangin’ my hat in Tennessee in exchange for the Northwest.

There are people in Montana who need Jesus and this fueled my desire to move. Within 60 days our house had sold to a cash buyer and we were driving a u-haul out of Nashville, TN towards Whitefish, MT.

Two things that put a smile on my dad’s face were COFFEE and PEOPLE. He lived for the conversations that took place at his favorite coffee shop. And here I am….a coffee shop owner, with an opportunity to touch so many peoples lives. In Montana.

I miss my dad. I miss dad hugs….nothing can compare. I wish so badly that he was here to be Papo to Ezra. My dad encouraged me my entire life. A critical or discouraging word was never spoken over me. My dad was full of life and lived each day with intention….he had time….never rushed, distracted or hurried. These are qualities I still try to live up to.
Fathers Day musters up different thoughts an emotions for each of us. For those missing their dads….I pray that you sense our Heavenly Fathers arms around you tonight.

Thankful for Heaven….

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Why link building is important in SEO

June 12, 2014 Filed in: Photography

For search engine optimization, the goal of link building is to increase the quantity of high quality inbound links to a webpage in order to increase ranking (view more here)

Link building is a powerful way to increase traffic to your website and it’s also one of the best and most important methods of increasing website rankings.

SEO Company in Karachi | SEO Website Development in Karachi

Before we dive into the topic of link building, let’s first see a short overview of the types of link building and how they work.

Types of Link Building

Link Building Tactics

In order to be a strong link builder you’ll have to consider a lot of different types of link building. Here are some popular techniques and tools that will be considered. Links to external web sites – This one is the obvious one, but it’s important to note that if your link is to a URL that you control then you’ll need to ask yourself whether you want to have your site listed in a search engine’s directory or to direct people to the exact page that the link is pointing to. If you’re considering linking to a page in a directory, make sure it’s relevant. You can also opt to link to a page within your domain by using a link shortener, as explained here.

Here are a couple more guidelines to take into account when deciding how to structure your website links.

Include a Backlink Checker

While most websites are not built by people who understand backlink building, if you have the opportunity to link to your site, you should make sure you’re linking to something relevant. This will ensure you’re creating a positive, useful link.

There are two important steps to building a backlink. The first is to set up a link profile for your website. For more info on how to set up a link profile, check out the backlink profile guide. Once you’ve created a link profile for your website, the next step is to set up links that lead to it. These links will also help your website link back to other websites. In general, the more relevant your links are to your site, the more valuable they will be.

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Glacier National Park

June 11, 2014 Filed in: Motherhood, Photography

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Last week, I took a spontaneous trip to Glacier National Park with Ezra and two [past and current] employees from our coffee shop, Red Caboose. We drove up to Bowman Lake and stopped by Polebridge Mercantile, of course we had to pick up a few of their infamous Huckleberry Bear Claws! We also had a few rain clouds over our heads for a bit, but who doesn’t love dancing in the rain? Ok, we actually started playing Hide-N-Seek with Ezra.

Glacier Park is about a 30 minute drive from where we live, but in years past….we’d go once or twice in a season and leave those special visits to when we’d have guests in town. Why do we do this? We did this  same thing while living in Nashville too- we’d rarely ever go downtown, but when we did….it always left me smiling. I could never get enough of the incredible live music at the staple honky-tonks and neon signs.

This summer, I plan to visit Glacier Park every chance I get. It’s the perfect place for Ezra to roam and explore….and my momma heart explodes to see him experiencing new sights and sounds [those birrrrds!]. He loves rocks….and he loves to throw them….so Glacier is his perfect playground.

If any of you are up for a trip to Glacier Park- let me know, it’s always more fun with buddies!

Below are a few images from our day.

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// I see a future fisherman…

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// Photos of Ezra and I were taken by my friend Andrew.
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6.11.14

Allyson - Love love love the one of the two of you standing in front of the lake. Priceless. That needs a frame! I am hoping to make it out to Montana this summer to visit my brother and GNP is at the top of my list of places to go if I do!

6.13.14

Amberly Tanzosh - When we make it to Montana, I would LOVE to go with you!

June Desktop + Wallpaper

June 9, 2014 Filed in: Collaboration, Photography

I am super excited about this months FREE DOWNLOAD. This quote totally resonates with me….in this season. Actually, I feel like this has been my anthem for a few years now.

“Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in Faith.” -Elisabeth Elliot

When Ashley and I dreamt up the idea to collaborate on this monthly series- and offer it for FREE- the heartbeat of our vision was to encourage YOU. Yes, YOU.

It’s been awesome to see our collaboration all over Pinterest and re-tweeted by authors themselves…and I’m totally name dropping here and talking about Christine Cain [she added an IG filter to it, but it’s still awesome]! Although we rarely get credit [we’d rather not watermark our desktops]….we still hold tight to our original vision of creating something beautiful that would be passed around the world wide web…..in hopes to touch peoples lives we’d normally not get the chance to.

VISION…..it’s so important to our heart and soul. It’s certainly what fuels everything I do in my life. Whether we are walking in a season of notice and spotlight or doing things behind the scenes and you think no one is noticing……hold tight to the things the Lord has placed before you today. As my pastor often says, “God may not be saying no, but not now.” I love this! So encouraging.

Another example of pressing through and clinging tight to VISION & FAITH is in our coffee shop, Red Caboose. It’s a lot of hard work, but more than that…..we’ve had offers from people to buy our building…..all so they can tear it down and build another bar. I know that the Lord brought us to Whitefish, Montana for a reason and one of those reasons is to have stake in our small community and create an inspiring and encouraging environment. For now….we press on….we continue to do our thing and not allow doubt, fear or the temptation of money steal from us……the glory and reward we have in walking out the assignments the Lord has custom made for us in this season.

What is it that you’ve planted in your heart? A dream? A goal? An intentional effort to be a better wife, mom or a friend? Don’t let the weeds of anger, insecurity, fear, doubt or the temptation of money and riches keep you from what you’ve purposed in your heart. God sees YOU. He loves you so much. Don’t give up….instead keep watering your soul with Gods Word and allow Him the room to work in your everyday.

XOXOXOXO!

DESKTOP DOWNLOAD // right click and “use as desktop picture”

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iPhone WALLPAPER

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8.13.14

What I pinned Thursday | DonzWebb - […] Words I love this week. God really does have a plan for our lives. I’m saying ‘no’ to doubt and fear. I’m learning to be patient and just have faith. P.S. I downloaded this to my desktop via Kelli Trontel. She offers free monthly desktop downloads. They’re all pretty amazing so be sure to check out her blog! […]

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