Featured Friend: Friday

1. Tell us about yourself and your family. 

Our little family started just 3 years ago in 2010 when Nick and I got married.  Then a year ago, Judah was born and has added the most incredible dynamic to who we are.  Nick works at Premier Marketing and is a photo wizard.  Seriously incredible.  He also has a photo company called SCOUT visual, so he stays busy with that as well.  I am an art teacher at an urban school that is grades K-5.  Judah stays with family and good friends while we work and saves lots of energy for fun with us at night and on the weekends!

2. You are the coolest art teacher, but what else do you do? 

Along with teaching art, I stay busy with a few little "hobbies".  I sell vintage clothing and other little treasures at a place called 600 Central here in Kansas City.  It's such a cool store with 4 floors of incredible vintage furniture and goodies.  Judah has gotten really great at helping me explore the city for great vintage finds.

I also do hair for weddings and other special events on the weekends (mostly in the Summer when I'm on Summer break.  (www.loveyourbobbypins.wordpress.com).  I enjoy getting to know all the sweet brides and being a part of such a special day in their lives.  I love having several artistic outlets to keep me busy!

3. Will you share some stories from the classroom? (Katie does THE best impressions.)

I love getting to be a part of my students lives on a daily basis.  It's so amazing to be a part of encouraging them and growing them into the incredible people they will be.  They already possess so many qualities that I am constantly envious of.  They are alive, free and unbelievably creative.  They are amazing.

 

I absolutely love hearing my kids talk about life and such.... They say hilarious things.  A few of my favorites off the top of my head:

"Mrs. Welch, all deez people be coffin (copying) offa me cuz minez be lookin crispy." (crispy means good)

"Welch, I straight up saw yo double ganger dis mornin.  Seriously. Same face. Same body." (doppleganger)

"Mrs. Welch, I wish I was deaf or Austin was mute because I am SO sick of hearing him talk.  Like...I seriously feel ill!"

"I done dug deep in ma heart for dis drawin, Ms. Welch.  I be rockin too thick here on dis drawin like da dude on Twilight.  Ya know?  He a'int got no shirt on cuz he a star.  Den down here I drew a buncha top hearts with top hats on"

I mean... they're brilliant, right?  Seriously.  They are hilarious and their creative minds constantly give me ideas and challenge me, and they're hearts do as well.  I am so blessed to get to do life with them everyday.

I do however, keep a stash of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Dr. Pepper for rough days. Most days are prefaced with prayer and asking God to make me like Him in His grace and love, because lets be honest... after about 145 questions about....nothing... I start to lose my mind. :)

4. Why is being a wife to Nick and a mom to Judah so awesome?

 Being a wife to Nick is the best.  He is the most laid back, patient man I've ever met. He loves well and is constantly serving me and teaching me how to be a better person.  He loves God with his whole heart and just lives it so humbly.  Watching him be a dad to Jude has been one of my favorite things about our marriage... it's such an amazing connection.  Judah has both of our hearts entirely.  He is just the epitome of life and joy.  I am constantly thanking God for who Judah is and that I get to be his mommy.... I can't even believe it. I have wanted to be a mom since I was about 5 years old.  I seriously carried around a life size doll until I was 12... ha!  Judah is everything I've ever dreamed of in a son.  I couldn't be more in love with him.  

5. Thinking of adding on to your family?

When we got pregnant with Judah we were sort of in the process of finding out about adoption.  We felt doors closing in a lot of different directions with adoption and when we found out we had a little nugget growing in my belly, we decided to put adoption on hold.  One of our first conversations when Nick and I met was about adoption and how it was a make or break deal with whoever we married because adoption was so heavy on both of our hearts.  We are thinking one more biological babe then adoption after that.  My heart beats a little faster even thinking about it.

6. Describe your dream house? 

Oh dream house, when will we ever find you?  We like a good mix of old and modern.  Nick loves clean lines and white everything and my heart falls for the history of a place and the stories that happened there.  I think the dream home would be an old fire house or building turned into a modern mix.  High ceilings, lots of brick, wood floors and white walls.  It would have to have a big back yard for our 120 lb. Weimaraner, Moses.  Maybe someday the dream home will come along, but our tiny bungalow is the place for now. :)

7. Judah Bear is just over one. What are some of your best moments with him so far?

I have life changing moments with Judah everyday, it seems. He teaches me so much about life and my own heart.  I would say some of my best moments with him have actually just been normal times at home, talking.  When he said, "MaMa" for the first time, I melted straight onto the floor and cried.  It was the best.  Also, bedtime every night is so sweet.  I love reading to him and when Nick and I surround him and kiss his head a million times before he goes to sleep, it's just one of those life moments where you feel like everything is right with the world.  I'm so grateful that I get to have that moment every night.  He's  a blessing.

 

Featured Friend: Friday

Hello there. I am so excited for you to meet my buddy 'ol pal, Shanna!  I've gotten to know Shanna really well through an early morning prayer group of women and our Sunday Supper Club. She is awesome. Adorable, honest, upbeat, kind, funny, and someone everyone wants to be around. Whenever they are around, Hensley is tied to Shanna's hip and Tegegne's trying to wrestle Alan down. Thanks for being a dear friend to our family, Sweet Shanna. 

1. Hi Shanna, tell us a bit about yourself and your family.

 I'm an Ohio gal that came to Kansas City via Chicago. When I first showed up in Kansas City I didn't expect to like it, but I fell in love with the city, the culture, and the community. Jesus Christ is present in this place! About six weeks after moving to KC I met Alan at a coffee shop. He was the barista who made me a four berry smoothie. It was love at first sight for both of us and we've been together ever since; six years later, we're three years into our marriage and loving it. I'm a writer by trade--marketing and public relations was my career for over five years--but somewhere along the line I became fascinated by food and nutrition, so now I'm pursuing that personally and professionally. Alan is a brilliant ICU nurse at KU Med. He cares for people during some of the darkest times of their life, showing them compassion and giving their families hope and love. So far our family is just the two of us, but we hope to have many children someday. I grew up in a family of five so the desire for a large flock is in my blood, but we're just not quite ready yet. We also have a little terrier pup named Olly.

2. Will you share some of your favorite moments from your most recent island adventure?

On January 1, 2013 Alan and I took off for a six week adventure. We drove west, stopping in the Rockies, Arches National Park, the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and Fullerton, California. From there we flew around the world, first laying over in China and making our final stop in New Zealand. We spent four weeks traveling the north and south islands and seeing as much of that incredible country as we possibly could.

I'm a house cat and Alan is a Labrador retriever.  He is quite adventurous and his spirit challenges me. He has so much energy and wants to get out and go, go, go. My favorite moments from our trip are the ones that were difficult for me in the moment, but I look back at them with pride. We spent three days backpacking in Abel Tasman park, which has some of the most breathtaking and pristine beaches in the world. It was remote; we had to pack in all of our food and gear and carry all of it around the entire time. I struggled physically and mentally during the whole hike, but now I'm so glad we did it. We also tackled the Tongariro crossing, which is famous for being "Mt. Doom" in the Lord of the Rings movies.

We also enjoyed the fresh seafood that's readily available in New Zealand, laid around on white sand beaches and drank Flat Whites. It was so cool to be with Alan 24/7 for six weeks, with barely any separation. I learned a lot about him and about our relationship. Once we got back to the US we drove from Los Angeles to San Fransisco, and then back to Kansas City through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska. I hope we can do something like that again in our life together!

3. After that adventure you started a new job. A unique one. Will you tell us about that? 

In March Alan and I moved an hour outside of Kansas City to LaCygne, Kansas. We are living on a large piece of land that is owned by YouthFront ministry, a local youth ministry located in Kansas City. There is a small community of people here who are committed to prayer, hospitality and Christian service, and together we run a high school camp in the summer and events and retreats year round. My main role is to plan, order and prepare meals for anyone who happens to be here on any given day. Through out 2012 my prayer was that God would use my love of food in service to Him, and in November 2012 our dear friend Micah Thomas offered this opportunity to us. God's Spirit was definitely instrumental in bringing us to LaCygne, and I rest in that truth when times get tough. I miss the energy and pace of city life, and I miss my great friends like you and all of the other people I love. But I'm learning how to drive a truck, shovel manure, and cook for 50+ people, and those are unique experiences that I believe God will use in the future. 

4. I love your cooking! Any tips or tricks you've learned when cooking for big groups? (Even though you've gotta make more of the dish, you have been so creative with your recipes.) 

When it comes to cooking, I feel like I've gotta fake it till I make it. I have no professional experience in the kitchen, everything I know I either learned from my mom, read in a book or just have an intuition for. I hope I can slowly change people's minds about the types of food they think they like and dislike. For example, I don't think that every meal needs to feature some kind of meat as the main dish. I like making a meal that has lentils or polenta at the center, and watching as people initially approach it suspiciously and end up digging in. I've "tricked" voracious meat-eaters into enjoying vegetarian meals! I want to continue encouraging people to set down the bag of Cheetos and pick up a carrot. Carrots are good. I promise they'll love it.

5. If you were asked to write a book, what would you write about? What are your top 5 books?

I love to read. When I was 10, 11 and 12 books were literally magic to me. I would read for hours a day,   great young adult fiction novels like The Westing Game or The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and just get tingles, they were so special and wonderful.  There is something about that developmental stage that allows a child to get completely immersed in another universe. I learned a lot about people and the world from the books I read when I was a kid. So if I ever have the wherewithal to write a book I'd love to write something for that age group. Maybe something your kiddos will read!

I don't think I could name a top 5 for books, because almost every single book I read becomes my new favorite. But some books I've read lately that I've liked are A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, Life Together by Detrich Bonhoffer, My Life in France by Julia Child, and Reaching Out by Henri Nowen.

6. What are some of your favorite things to do?

I love distance running and I especially love it when Alan and I train for a race together. My absolutely favorite thing is to plan parties and get-togethers for my friends, and to spend all day cooking and preparing for them. I love it when I can get made up and dressed up and go out for drinks and dinner with Alan. I like sitting on my couch in my pjs and watching a show on Hulu or Netflix. I like grocery shopping in giant, fancy stores like the Whole Foods in Chicago or Denver. I think I'm really going to love heaven because I imagine we'll all have a giant feast together at a really long table and we'll all spend ages laughing, talking, swapping seats and trying bites of each others' meals. I also love to take really scalding hot baths in the winter months, and sometimes I'll have a glass of wine when I'm in there, I'll paint my nails, read a book, look at my Instagram feed or watch part of a documentary. I can really spend hours in a hot bathtub when it's cold outside! 

7. Anything else you'd like to say? 

Thank you, Kristyn, for keeping such a lovely record of your life in your blog, and for letting me be a part of your blog and of your life! We are so blessed by our community of friends in Kansas City!

(All of these photos were taken by Alan and Shanna on their great island adventure.)

Featured Friend: Friday

Enjoying your Friday? Let me introduce you to my dear friend, Mimi. I first met her when we started going to Jacob's Well Church like six years ago. Michael and I helped with the grade school kids program, which Mimi led. She is a genuine spirit, and I've always looked to her for wisdom. Since back home from New Zealand she and I have had fun design meetings, collaborating on revamping kid spaces at church. I just love hanging out with Mimi. Her friendship is such a blessing. Here are her answers to some of my questions. 

1. First off, will you introduce yourself and your family to us?

Hi. I am Mimi Keel. Tim is my partner in life. We met in Journalism class at Shawnee Mission East High School a few years ago. Mabry (19), Annie (16), and Blaise (11) are our three great kids. They continually teach us and enrich our lives. We connect around the dinner table, playing Settlers of Catan, and watching Lord of The Rings & Jayhawk basketball.

2. Mimi, you've spent the past several years in New Zealand with your family. Will you tell us why that was so great for your family? Any special memories you'd like to share about your time there?

Moving to New Zealand was a great adventure that knit our family together in special ways! Everything was new- location, house, school, people, friends, food, ocean :), accents, driving, cars, church….Being away from all things familiar caused us to rely more on each other and on God. 

I found the people of NZ to be refreshingly happy and humble. Kiwis are very hospitable, enjoying tea time 3-4 times a day. They don't ever seem to be in a hurry, always having time to chat over a cup of tea. I learned a lot from their positive and unhurried posture in life. It always brought a smile to my face when the grocery clerk would end our interaction at the check out with "Thanks, Love." 

3. What did you notice that was different about parenting in New Zealand versus parenting in the U.S.? 

Whenever I went grocery shopping, I was struck by the way parents spoke to their children. I don't think I ever heard a parent speak in a cross tone. I sensed a deep respect and joy for children. It was always, "Good onya' Imogene" or "That was gorgeous, Love." And even when a child was a bit unruly, I'd hear, "Oh, Love, let's settle a wee bit."

3. You have much wisdom when it comes to spiritual formation in children. Is there a practical idea or two you could share with us that we can do with our children at home?

Practice and pursue our own personal lives in God first. Know that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the life(lives) of our children. Let the Holy Spirit lead us as we live out our faith with our children. Ask a lot of questions. Learn together.

Read, act out, and play in the stories of God as told in the scriptures. Share conversation, ask questions, and share reflections as you play. Two primary questions- 1)What is God like? How does He show Himself in this story? Or in your day? (Is He strong? Patient? Loving?) 

2) What about the other people in the story? Have you felt that way before?

God Sightings- God is at work all around us. At the beginning of the day, invite everyone in your family to God-Sighting, where everyone looks for God's creativity or love in their day. Come back at dinner and share one place where you saw or felt God's work or presence.

4. What else are you passionate about?

I love to exercise. It's great for my emotional health. I like classes at the YMCA- kick boxing, yoga, spin, boot camp.

I like to bike and enjoyed jogs along the coast by our house in Auckland.

5. Where do you go to have some r & r?

Each season, I enjoy joining the sisters in Clyde, Missouri at their monastery for retreat. I am renewed by praying and singing the psalms with them during their prayer times. And it's a beautiful place out in the country... 

6. Any books or movies you'd like to recommend?

Book - The Gift of An Ordinary Day, by Katrina Kenison

Movie -  Chasing Mavericks Movie- We saw it as a family and everyone loved it.  Probably for 7 year old and up….

Thanks for sharing with us, Mimi! 

Enjoy your pre-Christmas weekend everyone! May God's peace be with us as we anticipate Jesus!

Featured Friend: Friday

Meet Taryn. She has been a dear friend of mine since college, and now her friendship (plus Micah and Hazels) extends to each member of our family. She lived with us when we first brought Tegegne home in our Westwood bungalow and now lives in our upstairs apartment with her husband and daughter. I am spoiled by her friendship, and love our life giving conversations. Love you, T. Thanks for listening to the good and the bad and being a friend through it all. 

Tell us about your family.

Micah and I were married September 2011 and our daughter, Hazel Elece, was born 9.5 months later.  Although we weren't exactly planning to add to our family so quickly, we were very excited to find out that were going to have a baby....and now we are loving our time with our little Hazel Basil.  We love living with our dear friends in our cozy 3rd floor apartment of the Joneses residence,

 

You honeymooned to Spain, what was your favorite spot and why?

I have so many great memories from our time in Madrid and Barcelona, but I would have to say that our time in Tarifa was particularly special.  Tarifa is Spain's most southern coastal town just a short ferry ride from Tangier, Morroco.  We stayed in a dreamy "casita" that we found through the British website, Owner's Direct (www.ownersdirect.co.uk).  The casita was on the property of the retired Swiss/Swedish owners, Erika and Inglis, who were the most gracious hosts.  They welcomed us with a bottle of champagne, invited us to their home for a night cap and great conversation and gave us a wedding present at the end of our stay. They also gave us wonderful dining recommendations which accounted for three of the best meals of our lives.  Our last night there we enjoyed an incredible dinner of Chateaubriand and red wine at an old hotel on the beach and walked along the windy coast gushing with thankfulness for being in this beautiful place. 

 

Micah loves to cook. What is the most delicious food he's made for you?

That's tough but I always really enjoy when he makes a special birthday meal.  Last year for my birthday he made a big dinner topped off by a delicious Banana Cream Pie (from the trusty Cooks Illustrated cookbook) and breakfast the next morning which included homemade blueberry scones.  He always puts so much time and effort into these meals and I love getting to hear about the process and then share the (always yummy) food together. (Kristyn chiming in here...Micah just got a smoker and makes the best pulled pork with this homemade spicy mustard. And then there's his chili, oh man. His pancakes. That roasted chicken and veggies. The curried stew. Those crepes with cream sauce. I mean, seriously Micah, you are right up there with those tv chefs. Cook on, my friend!)

 

Can you describe your idea of living in community and in the country?

When Micah and I started talkong about getting married, we would talk about our hopes for our life together.  The more we talked about it, it became apparent that we were both really excited by the idea of living in a rural setting and offering a space for individuals and communities to come to get away from the city for solitude, prayer, discernment, relaxation, play, etc.  We would love to have a big garden and a welcoming guest space.  We're in no hurry to leave the city though.  We have learned the importance of community and we have a great one here.   

 

What is the best part of being a mom so far?

I really love our mornings together.  Now that my maternity leave is over, Micah goes to work in the morning and I go to work in the afternoon and we each get to spend the other half of the day at home with her.  I love going into her room when she wakes up in the morning and seeing her sweet smile.  We sings lots of songs and dance around the apartment.  We also love our visits with our housemates downstairs.  I love how Hensley says her name repeatedly and how Tegegne likes it when I pretend I know what she's thinking (i.e." Hazel says 'I wonder if I'll ever be as fast at Tegegne?'")  He assured me that she will not:)  It is a such a gift to live with dear friends. 

We love you guys!

Kristyn

Featured Friend: Friday

So I've decided to do a Featured Friend Friday! Today I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Ashleigh. We met at Mizzou in 2002, and I have always wished we lived closer since. When we are together real conversation and laughter fill our time. She and her awesome husband Ryan live in southern Illinois with their beautiful children, Elle, Cece, and Parker. She answered some questions for me below.

1. What are you passionate about? 

My children! Someone once told me that the one job you would do for free is what you should do. I LOVE my "job" as a stay at home mom. My kids light up my world!

Orphans I also love orphans and often think about how we should care for the least of these. I got to help with orphan sunday this past week at my church. I love helping with different organizations and hope to one day be able to adopt a child of my own! 

Crafting: I love making crafts from pinterest...especially when they turn out..I give myself a 50 percent success rate ;)

Reading:  I'm also passionate about reading and love getting lost in a good book! "Same kind of different as me" is my all time fave read! 

Good Cuisine: And lastly I'm passionate about good food...I can't imagine life without enjoying great food! 

2. Tell us about your adorable family.

My husband is Ryan. May will be our ten year anniversary! He's my best friend and knows me better than anyone. I have twin girls that just turned four in October..CeCe and Elle. They are best friends and we are the three musketeers! We always talk about the "girl trips" we are going to plan when they get bigger! And our newest addition John "Parker" just turned one in September. He adds so much life to our day I am not sure what we did without him! 

3. Ryan's a bit obsessed with hunting, right? What is his most prized possession/best hunting trip? (Hasn't he, like, killed a bear?)

Oh yea, if its "brown its down" is his motto! He hunts all types of things...but deer hunting consumes him...I look forward to the glorious day of January 12th every year when bow season is over. During hunting season he's so busy taking "non scent showers" and soaking his camo in dirt wafers and sprinkling doe pee everywhere he walks that the quality time gets cut back a bit...and no i'm not kidding..LOL

Do you have a favorite quote or scripture that has stuck with you?

Up until this year my favorite passage is one my mom would comfort me with as a kid..Matthew 6:25-34 on worry. But this year the Lord has matured me some. I have had the awesome privilege of having a godly Sunday school teacher that is training our class how to "fight" in this fallen world. Our struggle in this life is against so much more than what we see..BUT we are NOT helpless for God gives us power to change circumstances through him!  Have faith for it can protect us...know the word so we can be on the offense..This is what I am trying to apply to my life right now! 

Ephesians 6:10-18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Thanks for sharing with us, Ashleigh! 

Love ya!

Kristyn