Brenda Nixon's Blog, page 2

What Happened to My Life as Amish

Jesey has had an exciting, tumultuous journey unlike any other person I know. Here's her story in her own words . . .

"Do I ever regret my experience? No.
Does it sometimes feel like it was a surreal dream and other times more real than my life today? Most assuredly.
Would I recommend it? Only to a very, very select few.
I am the oldest of 10 in a Catholic family from upstate NY. When I was about 11 we started the journey to becoming Amish. We met a newlywed Old Order Amish couple (Dan a...

Curiosities, Confessions, and FREE e-book

Whether it's a speaking venue, media interview, or booksigning, I'm frequently asked these common questions.Where do you live? Are you married? Do you have a family?
We live in Ohio – home to the largest number of Amish settlements nationwide. My husband and I have raised two daughters but, along through the years, God has asked me to temporarily “parent” other children.

For a year, we took in a homeless twelve-year-old and helped her feel safe and secure, while tending to her formal ed...

Speaking the first half of 2016

IT'S FUN, UNEXPECTED and WELCOMED. . .

I'm asked to write guest blogs, sign my book, and answer questions in media interviews.


Last year I was blown away with the number of invitations to speak on my personal experiences. I ended up going out nearly each week throughout beautiful Ohio sharing with audiences antsy with questions.
But, during these long, cold winter days, it's slow  due to weather -- it's unpredictable especially here in Ohio. Things pick up in the Spring.

Soon I'll be travelin...

Suspendergate = Amish Rules on Suspender Use

Amazing! Did you know about Suspendergate?

There are different rules on suspender-use among the Amish, just as there are rules on hats, shoes, and ladies' bonnets.

This post provides you some insight into the varied and complex Amish world. One cannot say, "All Amish" do this or that. 

My learning curve about the culture and its confines began in 2009 when the "Ex-Men" [a group of former Swartzentrubers] graced my life. Then Mosie, our first "adopted" ex-Amish son moved into our home.

T...

Unbelievable Update on Marvin - Chapter 7 of my book

He left his PA Old Order Amish settlement. Then he went back. Left again.

The second time he left his Amish life, the ex-Amish guy who picked him up in a car and brought him to Ohio, stopped in our home and introduced us to Marvin. At 18-years-young, he looked so naive. He'd left behind his Amish appearance -- English clothes, clean-shaven, short hair.

I wrote in detail about our relationship with Marvin, his near-death car accident and making me his medical POA during the delicate body repair...

Update on ex-Amish Verna - Chapter 6 of my book

Chapter 6 of Beyond Buggies and Bonnets: Seven true stories of former Amish  describes an Old Order Amish girl. Her upbringing and family life was NOT what you'd read in any Amish fiction book.

But it was her truth.

Verna grew up in Ohio - home to the largest number of Amish settlements nationwide. She left the Amish at a young age, later met and married Dave. He also had left the Amish. They began building a life together.

Most of chapter 6 takes place in Dave and Verna's home, where she nu...

Monroe - Chapter 5 of my book - Update

Monroe was tall, slender, blue-eyed, and oh so young when we first met. He was Amish. And our initial meeting was at his married sister's home when I was trying to help her get a birth certificate. A year later, his cousin called to tell us that Monroe and his sister left the Amish and needed a place to stay. In Beyond Buggies and Bonnets: Seven true stories of former Amish, I share about our meeting at Walmart the night Monroe left. He was only 17-years-old. He lived with us until his 18th bi...

Dramatic Update on Sarah - Chapter 4 of my book

She chose to leave her Swartzenuber Order late one Thursday night.

No transportation, job, or birth certificate.

Little cash.
A small sack of English clothes.
Hopes of finding a home for the night.

We became that home.

I wrote about picking her up at WalMart, how I helped Sarah launch her new life in our "forbidden" world, and her first steps on the journey in being ex-Amish. Sarah is Chapter 4 of Beyond Buggies and Bonnets.

As a Swartzentruber female she was forbidden from shaving any body hair - r...

Update on Josh - Chapter 3 of my book

Amish Jonas, Chap 3 in my bookHe's come a long way from his Swartzentruber Amish days, where Jonas was the settlement's buggy repairman.

And since writing my Beyond Buggies and Bonnets book, ex-Amish Jonas (now known as Josh) has experienced several more changes! He...
moved out of his apartmentmarried Sarah (she's Chapter 4)started a new businesslearned to run Power Point at his church andplans to move to Colorado this month!We "adopted" Josh as our nephew because he's the cousin of our son-i...

Why do Amish leave? Ex-Amish answers

In my last post I answered a common question, "Why do Amish leave?"

As promised then, here are answers culled from "the horses' mouth" - the ex-Amish themselves. Some may surprise you.

Male - it may be because of the non-stop rules to conform . . . or be shunned by the community. For me it was because of a disagreement about doctrine. I was asked to take a hike, but not all were in agreement about that, I found out later.From one who was Old Order, then New Order, and finally Beachy Order befor...