Little House on the Cherry

903 Cherry. This is our new house!  We bought the house in December 08 and took a good month or so to fix it all up.  It was quite a learning process for the both of us- it was also a lot of fun! Jeff learned how to install replacement windows, I am so proud of him =)  We had a new roof put on the house that was just completed this month; we also had the wood floors re-finished.  We painted everything! Things yet to do are: finish the bathroom (just painting) and work on the curb appeal by adding some landscaping in front and back yard.

So here are some recent pictures of our first little home.

little front porch, can't wait to use it!

Come on in!

"we rule this place"

dining area

arch entry to the hallway

retro kitchen!

thanks Mom, for the trip to Ikea

window cabinets

breakfast nook

our room, photo on wall by annie

spare room, music room, office

yah! we really like our house =)

Fire Pit!!

For years, seriously, years, Jeff has been saying, "Can we have a fire pit some day?" And I am like "sure". But I had no idea how serious he was about this fire pit! Since moving into our new house, he has mentioned it on many occasions and looks at them when we are out shopping. Well, last night he could wait no longer and TA-DA: we made our first fire in the backyard!!

We salvaged some rubble from the basement to serve as a barrier to not set the whole yard on fire. We have a lot of tree limbs and sticks from the ice storm and just an unkempt yard, so they will come in handy. So, needless to say Jeff was a very happy man last night!

We enjoyed the fire for about an hour and even roasted some mallows =) We look forward to using it a lot more and having friends and fam enjoy it too!

The Better Halves

Dana Maynard (wife of AJ, guitar for Sinclair), Sarah Caley (wife of Amos, singer for Attaboy), Shell Snyder (wife of Mike, drummer for Sinclair), Me (wife of Jeff, guitar for Attaboy)

We have been traveling with the band Sinclair for the past three weekends and it has been great! The band is from Columbus, Ohio. Three of the four members are married (singer Shell and drummer Mike are married to each other). We really can relate to the members of this band: they are in their mid-twenties and married, pursuing their calling to reach people through music. I have personally been inspired by their ministry.

I had the gift of sharing together with the lovely ladies above. We all have unique situations and perspectives that effect our view on this crazy life that we signed up for. It is encouraging to share with each other and realize that we are not alone; similar struggles, worries, hopes. Marriage is hard work, let alone with our unconventional lifestyle and schedule. I have learned so much about my identity and roles since being married. Mind if I share?

Throughout life you are asked: "What are you going to be when you grow up?" "What are you going to major in?" "What are you going to do after graduation?" Well, I guess I am grown up now. But who am I? A career? A degree? Not really. I have spent so much time and energy on what I am going to DO when I wish I could have spent more time on who i AM on the inside. It has been: Livelihood first, Life second. I thought that I would be teaching at this point in my life, and I sometimes get sad that I am not. I have been stripped of my so-called "identity" and it's scary what is left. Just me. It's hard and I am still working it all out, but I am grateful for being forced to find my identity in nothing other than Christ.

Kitties!

Just wanted to show off our pride and joy(s). We adopted Chet the fall of '07 and Scarlet the spring of '08. We loved Chet so much, we just had to save his little sister.

Our first son, Mr. Chet Wellington.... what a gentleman
Chet's expression when we brought home his little sister from the shelter.
He was not a happy camper!
Little sister, Miss Scarlet Wellington aka "Sissy"
Sleepy little girl
Now they are friends=)

On Tour

The Spring is a touring season for us. This tour schedule has been more relaxed than previous ones. This past weekend we spent Thursday through Saturday out on the road with shows in Illinois and Missouri. We are headed to Michigan and Ohio for the long weekend ahead. March is mainly weekend shows, leaving us home for the weekdays.

Jeff typically spends his weekdays staying busy with band duties. He can fill a work day quite easily (calling promoters to arrange details, post office, bank, updating a hand-full of websites). I spend my weekdays substitute teaching as much as I can. We try and stay connected with friends here in Huntington as much as possible. One obstacle of this lifestyle is having an opposite schedule from the rest of the world! On weekends we are working and traveling to shows, while most friends are getting together for social events, church, relaxing. It takes effort to have a social life, but I guess that is the case for lots of people!

Attaboy has recorded 6 new songs- they are great! If you come to a show, you can hear a few, but they are not for sale yet. It is exciting to watch them improve and grow as a band. I have had a front row seat in this process pretty much from day one. This is Jeff's dream job, getting paid to do what he loves is a blessing. And I get to be with the one I love, that is even more of a blessing.