Hi. I’m Katelyn.

I’m 27 years old and live in Rexburg, Idaho, with my husband and our two boys. Although Rexburg is home now, I was born and raised in Idaho Falls. In July of 2019, I packed up my life and moved north with plans to attend Brigham Young University Idaho. If you had asked me back then what I thought my life would look like today, I can promise you this isn’t the story I would have imagined.

Then again, life has always had a way of surprising me.

Looking back, I think everyone knew I was a little different from a very young age. I was energetic, impulsive, and my attention span seemed to last about as long as a microwave timer. Sitting still felt impossible, and focusing on one thing for very long was an even bigger challenge.

To be fair… not much has changed.

The only difference is that nowadays my version of “wild” is staying up until 10:00 PM after a movie night with popcorn and a dirty soda.

School was especially difficult for me growing up. It wasn’t because I couldn’t understand the material. Most of the time I actually did really well on tests. Homework, though? Homework was my kryptonite. I tried everything: sticky notes, planners, reminders, writing it on my hand… nothing seemed to work. It was like the assignment disappeared from my brain the second I walked out of the classroom. More often than not, I wouldn’t remember it even existed until the teacher asked everyone to turn it in the next day.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized there were reasons behind many of those struggles. I’ll share more about that in another post.

I also grew up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While it shaped many parts of my childhood, I no longer attend. That decision came after a lot of life experiences, questions, and personal growth, and it’s something I’ll write about in much more detail another time.

When I was 19 years old, I got married for the first time.

We were young. Very young.

If I’m being completely honest, neither of us truly understood what marriage required. About two and a half years later, we divorced.

Would I change it if I could?

Not for a second.

Because that chapter of my life gave me the greatest gift I have ever received: my oldest son, Braxtyn.

Braxtyn is five years old and will turn six this fall. He has changed the way I see the world in more ways than I could ever put into words.

When he was three, he was diagnosed with ADHD, a speech delay, and a motor delay. When he was four, after a long battle advocating with providers who continually dismissed our concerns, he was finally diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1.

That same year, our world changed again.

Braxtyn was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Since then, we’ve spent more time in hospitals than I ever thought possible. We’ve traveled countless miles, met incredible doctors, experienced heartbreaking setbacks, celebrated tiny victories that felt enormous, and watched our little boy endure far more than any child ever should.

Today, at just five years old, he has undergone brain surgery and has a Vagus Nerve Stimulator to help control his seizures.

He is one of the bravest people I know.

But somewhere in the middle of all that chaos…

Life surprised me again.

In November of 2021, I met a guy through Facebook Dating of all places. As a single mom, dating was… interesting. Every date required finding a babysitter, which usually meant calling my parents. It wasn’t glamorous.

Some of our favorite dates were simply driving around town looking at Christmas lights while talking for hours.

Looking back now, those simple nights became some of my favorite memories.

A few months later, we got engaged, and in July of 2022 we were married.

This year we celebrated four years together, and I honestly couldn’t imagine walking through this life with anyone else.

Then, in September of 2023, our youngest son, Declyn, joined our family.

Declyn is exactly what you’d expect from the youngest child. He’s full of personality, endlessly happy, knows he’s adorable, and absolutely uses that to his advantage.

Watching my boys together is one of my greatest joys.

Whenever Braxtyn goes to spend time with his dad, Declyn constantly asks where his big brother is because he wants someone to play with. Their bond is something I hope lasts their entire lives.

So… why this blog?

Because I’ve always loved writing.

As a kid, I spent hours in my room creating stories. Somewhere along the way, writing became more than just something I enjoyed. It became how I process life.

Now that I’m attending Utah Valley University and studying psychology, I find myself reflecting on experiences with a completely different perspective. Writing helps me sort through emotions that sometimes feel impossible to explain out loud.

There have been so many moments throughout my life when I have felt completely alone.

Not because I didn’t have people who loved me.

But because it felt like no one truly understood what was happening inside my head or inside my life.

If you’ve ever cared for a medically complex child…
If you’ve struggled with your mental health…
If you’ve questioned your faith…
If you’ve lived with epilepsy…
If you’ve wondered whether you’re doing enough as a parent…
If you’ve ever felt like you were barely keeping your head above water…

I hope you find something here that reminds you you aren’t walking this road by yourself.

This blog isn’t about pretending life is perfect.

It’s about the beautiful, exhausting, heartbreaking, joyful chaos that makes us who we are.

Some posts will make you laugh.

Some will probably make you cry.

Some will simply be me trying to make sense of a difficult season.

But all of them will be honest.

So whether you’re here because someone shared this blog, because you stumbled across it by accident, or because one of my stories somehow found you…

I’m really glad you’re here.

Welcome to The Quiet Strength Project.

I hope you’ll stay awhile.