Amber J.

Don’t settle for safe 💭 Time and time again I’ve found that “playing it safe” was never something I was ever interested in or wanted to pursue. Why play it safe? When God is trying to stretch & grow your faith. Sure, safe equates to “stable” in society. But to me it sounds unappealing. And to be frank, quite boring. I never use the term “boring,” but I’ll make an exception for this moment 😆 I’ve had people question my goals & dreams of working in broadcast / digital media back in university. Questioning whether I’d “make” it, “advising” me to apply for a government job or laughing at my face as I shared my aspirations. Some people thought Charlie and I were crazy for having a long distance relationship & engagement. Which could result in a long distance marriage for a bit due to our job situations. Some people questioned if we should reevaluate moving to Europe after going back & forth at the LAX airport for 5 days straight back in May (after decluttering & packing away most of our things in a storage unit from AZ to LA county). Every single time I’ve learned — There is provision in every vision. When you wholeheartedly know your purpose. When your heart & passions are aligned with honoring the Divine. When you are truly discerning and know what you’re pursuing is bigger than yourself. He always provides in His perfect timing. I’m grateful to have countless prayers come to fruition. I worked, learned, had opportunities with dream companies & partnerships in the media. We thrived + learned a lot through our long distance season — our jobs were understanding and flexible. We finally arrived in Europe & are enjoying every moment of learning about a new culture, language, and volunteering + serving the community here. I say these things not as a “look at me,” but as a testament that when you have unconventional goals, there will always be skeptics & critics. Those people are simply projecting their insecurities. What they see in you or what you’re doing, they see what they lack. So keep doing you girl! Big risk, big reward. Nothing will ever be too big or impossible for our mighty king. He prevails. Every. Single. Time. 🤍

Caring more about what YOU think about yourself > caring what others think of you 🗯 This is one of the mindsets that has kept me going throughout the years. People may talk negatively about you. People may make misconceptions about you. People may try to bring down your character or paint you as someone you’re not. People may call you names and hurl insults behind your back or to your face. People may judge your career choice. People may judge the choices you make in life. People may think you’re not deserving. But I say, YOU HAVE & WILL ALWAYS BE WORTHY! You are worthy of making all your big, beautiful, seemingly “unconventional” dreams a reality. Those people who’ve hurt you with their words and actions? They are MISERABLE, broken-hearted people. It has nothing to do with you and everythingggg to do with their insecurities. Ever notice how a GENUINELY happy person will never bring down another person? They’re too busy relishing in their joy & blessings, that all they do is celebrate others. Genuinely happy people find joy in celebrating others. Miserable people find joy in gossiping and bringing others down to their face & behind their backs. So today — Let’s push past the limiting beliefs caused by other people (sometimes by family & friends). Let’s push past the limiting beliefs caused by broken people trying to bring you down with them. Let’s push past the limiting beliefs that are self-induced by all the pain & hurt. When negative, limiting thoughts arise we won’t shrink back in fear. We’ll move forward with full faith that our Creator is able to make the impossible POSSIBLE. So no person, no circumstance, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. We are what we believe we are. And I believe you are destined for greatness. You can and WILL make it happen girl🤍

A great relationship is about appreciating the similarities & respecting the differences 💫 They say opposites attract, but in our case, similarities attract. From the moment & weekend we met in San Francisco we realized how similar we are! From our enthusiastic energy, joy & zest for life, career goals in the media, compassion to connect with others, love for family, and our passion for our faith. The first time I met Charlie’s family in Michigan was the first time I visited Michigan. It was the beginning of our long distance relationship. His mom said, “Amber is the girl version of Charlie!” We couldn’t think of a more truer statement or best short & sweet summary to describe our relationship. 😂 So our personalities are VERY similar & we love sharing the same heart for everything! When we tied the knot & began living together is when the differences were revealed. (Cue dun dun dun DUNNNN music 🙈) From the way we handle conflict, organize items in our home, to our sleeping schedules. Thankfully we prioritized dating with intention & invested in our relationship + engagement. So we were prepared for differences to arise & know it’s normal + necessary for growth! One of the intentional moves we made was reading 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈’𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐦𝐚𝐧 while engaged. It was a GAME CHANGER. We also attended two marriage classes & a marriage conference during our first year of marriage. We were able to have a greater understanding of how family background & culture affects the way we respond to certain situations. And we made sure to allocate roles beforehand — who will take care of the budget, cook, do laundry, clean the toilet, etc. Our marriage certainly ISN’T perfect at all. But we’re committed to daily investments. We believe investing in your marriage begins in the dating & engagement stage. As well as daily life while married. It has nothing to do with preparing for a wedding. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again, a wedding is only one day, a marriage is for a lifetime. 🤍

Gentle reminder: If you saw the size of the blessing coming, you would understand the magnitude of the battles you’re fighting 🤍 Dear friend, Right now in this moment you may feel trampled down by all the recent circumstances and challenges that have been thrown your way. I feel for you and my heart goes out to you. As new things arise, I know you will rise above with bravery & courage. You are an overcomer. So if you’ve been looking for a sign, let this be your sign. Don’t give up. Keep trusting. Keep going. Your life has purpose. He has a great plan for you. 💕

Gentle reminder: You deserve someone that appreciates every detail about you & will stay with you through every storm🤍 As you may or may not know, we’re moving internationally + going on a mission trip, WHOO! 🌍 To commemorate this new season, we wanted to capture memories in our beloved Downtown Phoenix apartment. We just celebrated 3.5 years of marriage & have lived in 3 apartments together. We had a long distance relationship & engagement (LA to Detroit), so we’ve always been on the move — constantly movin’ & groovin’. The first apartment was in West Hollywood (Charlie began living w/ me when we got married & joined me in WH, after spending 1 year working at a news station in Arkansas). The second was in Biltmore Phoenix. The third was in Downtown. Downtown PHX truly has a special place in our hearts — our favorite living experience. We renewed our lease & spent 2 years there. Relishing in countless, joyful memories & learning moments. I loved DT PHX because we were in the Arts & Culture district — two of my favorite things ever mixed into one?! Arts AND culture! It’s a yes for me😍 Whenever we travel, those are important elements I want to learn about + experience. So living in the epicenter of that was a dream come true! We shared many wonderful memories rollerskating & walking to the art museum, library, local parks, arts district, restaurants, coffee shops, farmer’s markets & more. This was where we were able to find community as a married couple (as you know it’s hard making genuine friends as an adult & same goes for marriage haha). So we’re grateful for the kind friends we connected with! It was very difficult to say goodbye to this beautiful AZ community & treasured home. Many smiles + tears in the process🥺 Our hearts are filled w/ gratitude for this chapter! A HUGE thank you to Sav & Louis, the incredible creative duo for capturing & sharing these moments w/ us! They were soooo kind, loving &encouraging. The true definition of beautiful souls. At the end of the session they prayed for us &we shared joyful tears together. It was such a special session that we’ll cherish forever. We are eternally grateful for you both! 💖

It’s not about having the perfect marriage. It’s about teaming up with someone who matches you, wholeheartedly loves you, and is willing to go through everything without giving up 🤍 Have you heard of the 5 Love Languages? Just like there are love languages, there are also apology languages! “Apology what??” You may say. Yes girl, it’s an actual thing haha. It may not sound as cutesy as a love language, but it’s JUST as important! The Five Languages of Apology is written by the same author of The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman! Just like you feel and prefer love a certain way, the same goes for your preferences when it comes to hearing certain words or expressions during an apology. I found it so fascinating, because the topic of apology was not something my family ever really talked about. And I never thought to examine different ways to apologize. So just like it’s helpful and intriguing to know you & your partner’s love language, I highly recommend learning you & your boo’s APOLOGY language too! Here are the 5 apology languages — 1️⃣ Request forgiveness 2️⃣ Genuinely repent 3️⃣ Make restitution 4️⃣ Accept responsibility 5️⃣ Expressing regret I took the quiz twice, once a couple of years ago and another recently and got “expressing regret” both times! “ ‘Expressing Regret’ is understood as a sincere commitment to repair and rebuild the relationship. The ‘Expressing Regret’ Apology Language speaks most clearly when the person offering the apology reflects sincerity not only verbally, but also through body language.” This absolutely makes sense, because BEING GENUINE about what you say and what you do is a really important value of mine! Aka I can’t stand fake people & insincere words. 🤣 What do you think your apology language is? 💕 There is a quiz on — https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/apology-quiz/ The book is fantastic too! A HUGE shout out to the sweetest souls and photography team of The Jeno Collective! We had the most delightful, joyous experience + session with them & the many other incredible, kind photographers! Seriously was an unforgettable day that we’ll treasure forever. Soooo grateful for the marvelous Madi! 🥰

Gentle reminder: Go to the throne, before you go to your phone 🤍 THRONE > phone Your alarm goes off. You wake up & press snooze. It goes off again & press snooze or you turn it off, then continue to lay in bed as you open up Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or even your emails & texts. You check your notifications or check the news & begin to go down a black hole of mindless scrolling & tapping. If you’ve filtered your feed to accounts that share wholesome, valuable content, then it seems harmless, right? I’ve had seasons where I did exactly that. At first it felt harmless, but it gave an empty feeling. From reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer & Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport — I’ve learned about the “attention economy” & how tech companies have board meetings discussing how they can get you to spend as much time as possible on their app. They want your attention & time, because it means more money for them. But we say NOT TODAY! We’re taking back our precious time. Social media, emails & texts can wait. Now my morning routine is a non-negotiable & that includes phone-less mornings! One method I’ve found helpful to ensure I don’t fall down the trap of infinite scrolling or going through emails — ⏺ After turning off my alarm, I immediately set the timer for 1 hour. And leave it charging in another room. This timer helps me keep accountable to not touch my phone, even if notifications may pop up. If I have an urge to open up an app, this timer signals to my brain — “Girllll stop! You better spend time with God & do your routine!” Whatever it takes y’know? 😆 I find tons of joy from my morning routine — devo time, doing yoga / working out, journaling, reading, etc — that I get into the zone. So much so that I’m phone-free for 2+ hours & it’s truly refreshing! I encourage you to reclaim your time to be focused on what truly matters & brings you TRUE joy. Rather than exchanging it for screen time. One hour a day enjoying the Divine does WONDERS for the mind, body, soul 💖

A good marriage isn’t something you find, it’s something you MAKE, and you have to keep on making it 🤍 The greatest marriages are built on teamwork. A mutual respect, a healthy dose of admiration, and unconditional, unending love and grace. And ooo girl, a whole lot of grace! Hubs & I always like to say we have the greatest coach of all time. Just like an athlete, we’ve dedicated our team to training, learning, and growing together. It takes daily work to prioritize and grow individually first, in order to flourish together. We share a whole lot of laughter & sweetness! And sometimes there are days where there is sweat and tears from working + healing + praying through moments together. But it’s the tough situations and conversations that strengthen our mental & heart muscles. We aim to overcome all challenges and win championships together. That includes being intentional about doing activities that bring us joy + feed our souls aka adventuring & exploring new places and connecting with new faces! The past few weeks we’ve been in explore mode and have visited a new national park each week — • Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ • Sequoia Canyon National Park in Central CA • Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, CA From the desert, forest, to the ocean! Nothing beats unlocking new, beautiful landscapes filled with history and wonder with your forever adventure partner & teammate 🥰 @toyotausa #ToyotaPartner

We loooove a good challenge 👊 Especially when it comes to couple challenges! Hi to all the new beautiful friends! Thought this would be a fun way for you all to get to know us and our personalities more 😝🤍

You are a warrior AND overcomer! Those who put God’s hands in everything will eventually see God’s hands in everything. 🤍

Gentle reminder: Keep fighting the good fight 🤍 As you navigate each day, every time you take a step in the right direction, the enemy will try to make you take a step back. Whether it be by distracting you with social media and mindless scrolling to lose your focus, toying at your emotions when toxic people show up unannounced, when unhealed people try to spew their negative emotions at (or belittle) you, or even something as little as spilled coffee all over your shirt before a meeting, hitting all the red lights + having to wait for the train when you’re running late to an important event. Ever notice that these type of things happen when you’re progressing in life? When you’ve chosen to level up your habits and take steps towards making your goals / dream a reality? Don’t be surprised when these things happen. The enemy sees you as a threat and will do anything to throw you off course. So continue to stay ready girl! Keep persisting. Keep persevering. Keep the prayers up. You got this! 🤍

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES ARE GOOD FOR THE SOUL! 🌵🤍 ✨ 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖 ✨ Happy Earth Month, friend!! My heart is sooooo full & I’m incredibly grateful to be partnering with @toyotausa for #EarthDayEveryDay!! 🌎💚 This is truly a full circle moment. Fun facts: 🌿 Ever since I was a baby, my mom always drove a Toyota — for the longest time it was a Corolla, then Camry, then back to a Corolla. So I’ve always had an affinity for Toyota cars! 🌿 I passed my driver’s test and got my license in a Corolla about 11 years ago! And today I get drive a 2021 Toyota Corolla HYBRID for a week?! WHAAAAT?! Toyota announced the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 in October 2015 — to reach a goal of zero CO2 emissions and a net positive environmental impact! So in honor of Earth Month, here are some small, meaningful changes in your daily routine that can greatly impact the planet for the better — 🌱 Walk or bike short distances whenever possible. 🌱 Minimizing & optimizing water usage — using a timer to keep showers short is a great way to hold yourself accountable! 🌱 Increase the use of reusable items and decrease the use of single-use items. 🌱 Picking up litter at a local park or beach and/or volunteering with a non-profit to help keep your community clean! Now for the sustainable kit 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘! The kit includes a National Park pass, Stasher Go Bag, zero waste items for earth-friendly adventures (utensils, sunscreen & more!) Look out for my stories to see some of the items later today 🥰 👍 Like this photo ♻️Follow me & @toyotausa 🌎 Share a sustainable lifestyle habit you’re making everyday. 🌿 For more entries, tag as many friends as you like! 💚 Giveaway ends tomorrow at 7 pm PST & one winner will be picked at random! #ToyotaPartner

Gentle reminder: prioritize your inner peace 🤍 Whether it be creating a joyful morning routine by NOT touching your phone and scrolling on social media for the first 1-2 hours of your day. Or setting healthy boundaries for yourself or with family and friends. Or identifying what causes your emotional triggers and healing through them. Or taking care of your overall mental health. Or taking time to intentionally move your body through ways that bring you genuine joy. Or replacing negative thoughts of unworthiness with the truth that aligns with the Word that says you’re more than worthy. You have a beautiful, big heart girl! In the midst of caring for others, remember that taking care of yourself IS healthy, productive & absolutely essential. 💕 Feeling so grateful for a full circle moment! My love for yoga began when we moved to Arizona three years ago— I had a season where I went to the yoga studio 2-3 times a day. Starting with a 5:30 am or 6 am class. And the workout sets I had on heavyyyy rotation were from @fabletics! So I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to work with them 🥺🙏 My yogi heart is SO full!! #fableticspartner #moveinfabletics

Hubs & I tried nature’s cereal! Def recommend adding mango 🥭😋 Have you tried nature’s cereal?! @lizzobeeating & @natures_food on TT

You are SO strong. Just ‘cause God seems silent, doesn’t mean He’s absent. He’s working on your behalf daily! 🤍