Hey! So Glad You're Here.

My name is Marlee Jean Ruark Preston. I am from Bostwick, GA, and I am twenty-four years old. I have a Bachelor's degree in English with a minor in Christian Studies from Brewton-Parker College, and I graduated with a Master's in English from Georgia College and State University in 2023! My husband, Tanner, and I got married on June 10, 2023. We have two dogs- a yellow lab named Marmar (it's actually Marley- Tanner got her and named her before we started dating lol), and we adopted a bernedoodle named Mattis! I teach English Composition for Athens Technical College, and I have the privilege of teaching middle and high school Bible classes for the Social Circle Christian Learning Center. I help coach the girls's soccer team at Social Circle High School, help lead worship at Gibbs Memorial Baptist Church, and love spending time with my family and friends.

In my semester off of school between undergrad and grad school in 2021, I wanted to keep busy while pursuing things I love; hence, "by mj" was born!

I am passionate about many things in life. I love to read and write, create art, listen to and create music, coach and watch soccer... but before I describe or identify myself as an author, artist, musician, or athlete, I find my identity in Christ. I strive to pursue the Lord over everything else (even though I sin and fail daily)! I want to use this website as a creative outlet and share my passions to hopefully inspire, enlighten, and bring joy to others. With my blog posts, I hope to share my insight and perspective of concepts and of the Bible while bringing Jesus into the conversation no matter the original topic. With my art, I am aim to recreate images of places and pets that people cherish, and I strive to display God's promises and scripture in a way that others enjoy. With my music, I want to create relatable songs and stories that can resonate with others, and I want to cover some songs that have spoken to me personally.

I hope I can inspire you to pursue what you love!