Welcome to Prayers, Pizza, and PTO: A Slice of Grace
Hey, friend. I’m a small-town Ohio girl who ran
away to Las Vegas chasing dreams of flair bartending glory, only to find that
God had much bigger, better plans than the ones I cooked up for myself.
My life has been one long balancing act of faith, family,
PTO meetings, pizza-slinging, and learning how to follow Jesus with a heart
that tends to hyperfocus on the shiny things… until it doesn’t. If you’ve ever
felt like you’re juggling a hundred roles while wondering what on earth God is
up to—you’re in the right place.
From Small Town Ohio to the Vegas Strip (Adjacent)
I grew up in Ohio—bored, restless, engaged to the wrong guy,
and working at a biker/metal club that was supposed to be a cool karaoke
hangout but spiraled into something louder, wilder, and way less wholesome. I
loved the adrenaline, the music, the chaos—and okay, the money was really good.
Then my grandma, the one person who truly had my best
interests at heart, passed away. She left me just enough money to quit the club
and hit reset. Around that time, a girls’ trip to Las Vegas cracked something
open in me. I came home thinking the shot girls were the coolest people alive
and convinced myself I could totally stand on the bar in leather boots and pour
drinks into people’s mouths like some rockstar bartender.
Except… in Ohio, pouring from an unmarked bottle is illegal.
My boss yanked me off that bar so fast it made my head spin.
That was the beginning of the end. If I couldn’t bring Vegas
to Ohio, I decided I’d just have to move to Vegas.
What I didn’t know then was that God wasn’t done with me
yet. And He was about to write a story way better than the one I was chasing.
The Unexpected Detour
When we packed up for Las Vegas, we got caught with an ounce
of weed in Iowa—this was long before legalization—and my brother ended up
facing felony charges. It was a mess. The very first Sunday after we landed in
Nevada, all I could think was: I need to find a church.
That church? It became the place where my kids went to
preschool. Where my husband and I got married. Where I met the women who would
change my life.
God knew exactly what He was doing.
Life Right Now: Prayers, Pizza, and PTO
Today, I wear a lot of hats:
- Women’s
Ministry Leader – I love orchestrating all the moving parts that make
women feel seen, known, and encouraged. My days are full of social media
posts, Bible studies, and our “Motherhood” group, which is kind of like
MOPS with a little extra coffee and chaos.
- PTO Mom & Classroom Volunteer – Las Vegas public schools are a wild place, but I love being in the thick of it: the field trips, the fundraisers, the teachers who need cheering on. I will gladly take any shift in the art room or library.
- On most days I walk the local trail by our school with other moms, we encourage eachother and bounce ideas off of one another before the rest of the world is ready for them. Wednesdays though, we sit and pray over the kids and staff at our schools. A lot of
these kids don’t have anyone praying for them, and it feels like something extra we can give them, and give ourselves. This scheduled prayer time keeps me rooted. even when I'm mad at God, or too depressed to admit my short comings on my own, the commitment to my sisters keeps me present.
- Pizza-Slinger
– For 15 years, I’ve worked at one of Vegas’s busiest pizza spots. I’ve
served rehearsal dinners, baby showers, post-funeral gatherings, and the
occasional table on the night their house burned down, pizza is a celebration food- but it's also there when you just need something comforting to fill up your belly. It’s a front-row seat to
people’s lives: the celebrations, the sorrows, the ordinary nights out. My
faith keeps me loving people even when they’re not very lovable.
Home Life
I have three kids—a 5th grade girl, a 1st grade boy, and a
preschool tornado. Mornings start early with prayer time, alarms, breakfast
deadlines, and enough clocks to keep our ADHD family on track. It’s loud. It’s
messy. But it’s holy ground.
Why Prayers, Pizza, and PTO?
I love alliteration. My byline is A Slice of Grace
because that’s what I need every day: a slice of God’s grace for the chaos, the
busy seasons, the pizza-stained uniforms, the ministry moments, and everything
in between.
This blog is mostly lighthearted because life is heavy
enough. But I’m also leaving room for God to take it wherever He wants.
A Verse to Live By
Right now, Hebrews 10:24-25 sums it up best:
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love
and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but
encouraging one another.”
That’s what I hope this space becomes—encouragement for
anyone trying to balance family, faith, and the everyday stuff of life without
losing sight of what matters most.
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