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Welcome to Between the Words.

I’ve spent a lot of time wondering what my very first post should be about. Do I jump straight into something deep? Do I talk about life, motherhood, relationships, psychology, healing, faith, or all the complicated things that happen somewhere in between? Eventually, I realized that before I share all of those pieces of my life and the thoughts that come along with them, I should probably start with the person behind the words. Me. Not a perfectly put=together version of myself or a carefully edited intro ion that makes it sound like I have life completely figured out, but the real person behind this blog – the person who is still learning, growing, questioning, healing, loving, changing, and figuring things out one day at a time.

My name is Alexis, and if there is one thing you should know about me from the beginning, it’s that I think deeply about almost everything. Sometimes probably a little too deeply. I think about people, relationships, why we behave the way we do, the experiences that shape us, the things we carry silently, and all the conversations we have inside our own heads that never actually make it out of our mouths. I’ve always believed that there is so much more to a person than what you see on the surface. Behind every smile, every short answer, every “I’m fine,” and every person simply going about their day is an entire story that the rest of the world may know absolutely nothing about.

That idea is a huge part of why Between the Words exists.

A Little About Me

I’m someone who wears a lot of different hats in life, and like most people, I’m still figuring out how all of those pieces fit together. I’m a mother, a woman trying to navigate adulthood, someone who loves learning about psychology and understanding people, someone who values meaningful conversations, and someone who has experienced enough of life to know that things rarely go exactly according to plan. I can be emotional and sentimental, but I can also be stubborn, outspoken, sarcastic, and extremely passionate about the things and people I care about. I’m the kind of person who can spend hours thinking about a conversation that lasted five minutes, wonder why someone said something the way they did, and somehow turn one thought into twenty different questions.

Motherhood is one of the biggest parts of who I am. Becoming a mother changed the way I look at almost everything – love, responsibility, time, relationships, priorities, and even myself. There is something about being responsible for another little human that forces you to look inward in ways you might never have expected. It has shown me parts of myself that I’m proud of and parts that I still want to work on. It has taught me patience while simultaneously testing every ounce of patience I thought I had. It has made me stronger, softer, more protective, more emotional, and much more aware of the kind of person I want to become.

But I’m also learning that being a mother is only one part of who I am.

That has been an important realization for me.

Sometimes we become so consumed by the roles we play in other people’s lives that we forget to ask ourselves who we are outside of them. Who am I when nobody needs anything from me? What do I enjoy? What do I believe? What am I afraid of? What do I want my future to look like? What parts of myself have changed? What parts have stayed the same? And most importantly, who am I becoming?

I don’t have all of those answers yet.

Maybe this blog will help me find some of them.

Why I Started Between the Words

I’ve always had thoughts that were easier to write than to say out loud. There’s something about writing that gives you permission to slow down and really understand what you‘re feeling. When you’re speaking, sometimes emotions take over, words come out wrong, or you leave a conversation wishing you had explained yourself differently. Writing gives you the opportunity to sit with those feelings for a little while. You can take everything swirling around inside your head and somehow turn it into something that makes sense – or at least makes a little more sense than it did before.

That is where the name Between the Words came from.

Because sometimes the most important part of a conversation isn’t actually what someone says.

It’s everything underneath it.

It’s the “I’m okay” when you know you’re not.

It’s the silence after someone asks a difficult question.

It’s the message you typed and deleted because you weren’t sure you should send it.

It’s lying awake at night replaying something that happened months ago.

It’s loving someone while also acknowledging that they’ve hurt you.

It’s missing someone while knowing things can never go back to the way they were.

It’s being grateful for your life while admitting there are still things you wish were different.

It’s having faith while still having questions.

It’s being strong while secretly wishing someone would tell you that you don’t always have to be.

There is so much of life that exists between the words, and that is what I want this space to explore.

I’m Still Figuring Life Out

I’m not starting this blog because I believe I have all the answers. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m starting it because I have a lot of questions.

Life has taught me that things can change much faster than we expect. People change. Relations change. Priorities change. Dreams change. Sometimes the version of life you have pictured for yourself looks completely different from the life you eventually find yourself living. There have been moments when I’ve felt completely confident about where I was going and others when I’ve wondered what I was doing at all. I’ve learned things about myself through love, heartbreak, motherhood, friendships, responsibilities, grief, mistakes, difficult conversations, and simply growing older.

Some lessons came gently.

Others definitely did not.

There are things I would handle differently if I could go back. There are conversations where I wish I had spoken up sooner and others where I probably should have stayed quiet. There are people I’ve held onto longer than I should have and situations where I’ve questioned myself when I should have trusted my instincts. I’ve given people chances, forgiven things, made mistakes, changed my mind, learned boundaries, questioned those boundaries, and sometimes learned the same lesson more than once.

That’s life.

And I don’t think we talk enough about how messy becoming a person actually is.

What You’ll Find Here

Between the Words isn’t going to fit perfectly into one category, because neither does my life. One day I might write about motherhood and the emotions that come with watching your child grow. Another day I might dive into psychology, stress, attachment, communication, boundaries, or why people behave the way they do. There will probably be posts about relationships, friendship, love, grief, faith, forgiveness, self-worth, personal growth, and the uncomfortable process of realizing that sometimes you have to outgrow things you once desperately wanted.

I also want this to be a place where we can talk about the things people often avoid because they’re uncomfortable. Feeling lonely while surrounded by people. Wondering whether you’re doing enough as a mother. Questioning relationships. Losing yourself while trying to take care of everyone else. Outgrowing friendships. Struggling to forgive. Trying to understand grief. Learning how to set boundaries without feeling guilty. Loving people who have disappointed you. Having complicated feelings about situations that aren’t simply good or bad.

Because real life rarely fits neatly into one box.

Sometimes two things can be true at once.

You can love someone and be angry with them.

You can forgive and still remember.

You can be grateful and exhausted.

You can be healing and still hurting.

You can be confident and still insecure sometimes.

You can love being a mother and still miss pieces of who you were before motherhood.

You can believe in something deeply and still have questions.

You can be strong and still need someone.

We are complicated people living complicated lives, and I want this blog to leave room for that.

Getting to Know the Person Behind the Blog

If you continue reading Between the Words, you’ll probably learn a lot about me along the way. Some things will come through serious conversations, some through personal stories, and some through completely random posts where I simply had something on my mind and decided to write about it.

You’ll learn that I care deeply. Sometimes deeper than I probably should. I believe words matter, but I also believe actions tell you things words never could. I value loyalty, communications, respect, honesty, and effort. I believe people deserve the opportunity to grow, but I’m also learning that giving someone grace doesn’t require sacrificing your own peace. I believe motherhood can simultaneously be one of the most beautiful and exhausting experiences in the world. I believe psychology can help us understand ourselves and each other better. I believe grief changes people. I believe love can teach us incredible things, even when it doesn’t last the way we hoped. And I believe some of our hardest seasons can introduce us to versions of ourselves we never would have met otherwise.

Most importantly, I’m learning that I don’t have to have everything figured out before I allow myself to live, create, speak, or begin something new.

And this blog is something new.

The Unspoken Conversations Within

I chose the Unspoken Conversations Within as the title of my first post because it represents exactly what I want this blog to be about.

We all have an internal world that other people never fully see.

There are conversations we have with ourselves while driving home from work. Thoughts that show up after everyone else has gone to sleep. Questions we’re afraid to ask because we’re not sure we’re ready for the answer. Memories that randomly appear when we hear a certain song. Things we wish we could tell someone. Things we wish we could tell our younger selves. Things we wish someone had told us

Sometimes our minds are carrying entire conversations while the world around us has absolutely no idea.

Those conversations deserve somewhere to exist.

Maybe some of mine will become posts here.

Maybe you’ll read one and think, “I’ve felt that too.”

I don’t know exactly where Between the Words will go from here. I don’t have every future post planned, and I’m not trying to create some perfectly curated version of my life. I simply want somewhere to write honestly, explore things that matter to me, share what I’m learning, and maybe create conversations about the things we actually keep inside.

So if you’ve somehow found yourself here, welcome.

Welcome to the thoughts that keep me awake.

Welcome to the questions I’m still answering.

Welcome to the lessons I’m still learning.

Welcome to motherhood, psychology, relationships, growth, faith, grief, love, laughter, difficult conversations, random thoughts, and everything else that finds its way onto these pages.

Welcome to the parts of my life that don’t always get said out loud.

Welcome to Between the Words.

My story is still being written.

And maybe yours is too.