South Dakota

At the end of August we hit the road for 5 weeks.  Our first stop was South Dakota, so we split up that drive...

We actually packed sandwich stuff so Oliver got to eat like this.  It was pretty much the greatest day for him.

Snuggle time in the hotel.

The first place we played was Northridge Baptist in Mitchell, SD.  We led worship and shared some songs for both services and these people were so kind.    

We will definitely be making it a regular stop!

We left after church and drove to Red Owl, SD to stay with family.  They live on a ranch and Oliver loved watching the cows eat and watching the tractor bale hay.  And riding the 4-wheeler.  (Once Mama agreed that it was okay.)

Our family took us to see the sights.  Mount Rushmore is breathtaking.  Seriously amazing.

 *note: I was 10 weeks pregnant and already showing a little and when I saw this I was like, "well, people are going to be wondering!"  Sure enough, my sister was!

We drove through the Black Hills and saw some buffalo.  They do not smell very good.

You just have to let them get out of the way on their own!

Then, Crazy Horse.  

We were in the area the whole week, so we were able to see more family!  They also have a ranch and Trent hopped up on that horse.  I said, "please do not break your arm.  I cannot play guitar."

Oliver was not a fan, but we made him ride the horse.  Solid patenting right there.  He ended up liking it a little (ha!) but was really more interested in all the rocks.

On Wednesday, we made the short trip to Rapid City to play at Big Life Church.  They put us up in a historic hotel, The Alex Johnson, and it was really neat.  It apparently is haunted.  So you better believe we got all prayed up before bed.  We experienced zero paranormal activity, thank you Jesus.

The show was a great one!  Packed house and a responsive crowd.  

Jamie put the show together and she was fantastic.  She's the program director at KSLT in Rapid City and we love her.

Leaving the next morning.  I just love this.  It looks like he's hailing a cab!

On our way out of town, we stopped at Story Book Island.  It is incredible.  And FREE!  It was really hot, so we didn't stay long.  

That night, we had a show at Union Center Baptist in Union Center, SD.  It was a last minute thing, thrown together by family and was amazing.  Another packed house with a fun crowd!  

All of Ginny's "sister-cousins."

And their families.  The blonde upfront is who Oliver would not leave alone.  

We had such a good time with family, some we had never met.  Good people up there =)

Next stop was Sioux Falls for The LifeLight Festival.  Oliver was with a sweet sitter all day.  I found her through mutual friends on Facebook and it was so nice to not have to chase him all over the festival grounds.  Kind of a date day =)

The first stage we played was a low-key coffee shop vibe.  It was a great turnout and people really liked it!  (Yay for new fans!)  And I found a Baylor mom!

Our next time slot was at a bigger stage which we were super excited about.  Also exciting?  Seeing Jon Foreman perform.   Bummer was we had to follow him, which meant a lot of the crowd left.  Boo.  Still a fun time, though! 

And then when we were finished with our set, I almost tripped on the cajon mic.  So, that was fun.

We left LifeLight and drove to Yankton.  We led worship and shared music with Discovery Church.  Another great SD stop!  Sweet people and the pastor wants us to bring our golf clubs next time!

We cannot get over how awesome South Dakota was.  The people, the scenery, the shows.  Such a blessing.

Our next stops were in Missouri and Arkansas and Texas (stay tuned)... but until then, I'll leave you with these sweet ones.

Helper.

My Hippie Confession

You guys.  If you've been following this blog or are my friend on social media, you might know about my tendencies to lean a little on the hippie side.  Things have changed and I feel, out of fairness to myself and the hippie/granola community, I need to confess.

photo source

I no longer make my own laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent.

*GASP*

I know.  I never saw it coming.  I was cruising through life enjoying the high and the rush that comes with doing things naturally and saving money and, pardon my french, Damning it to the Man.  But then I joined a Facebook group about laundry and all things cleaning and I was appalled.

The soap used in homemade laundry detergent is not made for clothes and actually traps the dirt on the garments.  Plus, it creates buildup in the machine.  

*GASP*

I had been living a lie for years.  YEARS!

We've actually kept real detergent on hand for our towels for a long time because they just smelled all the time.  Imagine that.  You can even "strip" your clothes using a mixture of detergent and boosters and you should see the dirt that comes out of those clothes.  

So, I've seen there error of my ways and I apologize for leading any of you astray.  Let's unite in cleanliness ;-)

(And then I realized I had had enough of all the film on our dishes and just bought the real stuff.)

BUT, I still make and use my homemade deodorant and make Oliver's bath wash so the hippies can't kick my out yet.  

Studio, haircuts, and "sky"

We were able to be home a lot in August which is always nice.  The month started out with us FINISHING OUR CHRISTMAS EP!!!  (It's available 11/2/15, so mark those calendars.)  It's never too early for Christmas music, right? 

We did have one show in Russellville, AL.  It's just down the road a bit and packing one back is both easy and weird.  We led worship and had an evening concert at Calvary Baptist.  

It was great!  Plus, Oliver had a BLAST in the nursery because their car selection was the largest we've seen.  At one point, the pastor's wife came to let me know he was still happy in the nursery and said he had about 25 cars lined up.  Ha!  He wasn't a fan when we had to leave.

We came home and got a little crafting done.  For about $5 or so.

We had another online concert and Oliver helped set up, as he does.  (These are the moments I don't want to forget.)

This big boy got a new back pack to take the diaper bag's place.  

He also got a haircut.  I mean, he needed to.  (We got one, too, but we're not near as cute.)  

We had an afternoon date consisting of pizza, thrifting, and cupcakes, thanks to our friends.

And Oliver discovered his daddy is strong and wonderful and a new game called "sky."

JUUUULLLLYYYYY!!!!!

You guys.  It's October, so naturally, it's time to tell you all about July.  (Seriously…I'm nothing if not on top of things.)

We left Nashville on July 11th and drove all the way to St. Marys, GA.  It really is a beautiful part of the country and we hadn't been in quite some time!

Oliver enjoyed digging in the dirt at The Lighthouse FM and his bath water was extra nasty that night.  

Our friends hooked us up with a great place to stay and this iPhone photo does not do the view justice.  Lovely.  (Although, I kept my distance.  Ain't nobody got time for no alligators.)

The next morning (Sunday) we led worship at Ignite Church and then did a full concert that night.  It was a fun day and we'll for sure go back!  

We had Monday off, so to the beach we went!  

We hadn't been to the beach since Oliver was just sitting in the Bumbo, so we were super excited to see how he'd like it.  Trent and I are beach bums which means if our children aren't…there could be a problem. 

We bought new toys for the beach, including a bucket and shovel.  New cars and plastic army men.  We had visions of us sitting under an umbrella, having a cold beverage, and watching our boy play in the sand with delight.   YEAH RIGHT.  I don't know what we were thinking.  That child ran around and talked to people and chased seagulls and ran into the water (with supervision) the whole day.  It was a BLAST!   And the cutest.  

Lunch at a beach restaurant!  Yay for not having to get too clean before eating =)  

Tuesday, we played at The Rock Youth at The Lighthouse.  They are always such a great group of kids and volunteers.  It makes for a very enjoyable evening!  

I call this one "I promise I wasn't pooping."

And Oliver had fun with the OliVolunteers…

Our friends gave us passes to an amazing water park in town and we did not hesitate to use them!  

Oliver's favorite was to see the bucket get filled and spill.  

Is there anything better than snacks after swimming?  I don't think so.  Also, tie dye muscle shirt for the win.

More beach time!!!

Doin' it.  Doin' it well.

Blake (my nephew) and Jason (my bro-in-law) were in Fernandina Beach visiting Shash and Barley (Jason's parents, Blake's grandparents and my sister's in-laws…you get the idea) so we planned a dinner visit!  Blake is getting so big and duck-facey!  And my photography skills are always so on point.

The next Sunday, we led worship at FBC Middleburg in FL.  It was our first time to go there and we will for sure go back!  Everyone was so kind and enjoyed what we did, so it's a win/win.

And we love gift baskets =)

"He-woh?"  

After church, they were doing a lake baptism at Camp Blanding and we provided the tunes.  But first, we checked out some old military tanks and whatnot.

So, Oliver was NOT having it.  Meaning:  not gonna be away from mama.  It was a low key thing and the only option was plop him up on stage with us.  

We left and made our way to the Atlanta area to stay at our friends' guest house.  It's amazing and they always let us crash when we have a few days to kill.  So thankful.  

Now, since we made it Facebook/Instagram official, we found out we were expecting while there. =)

Our next stop was Chattanooga to play for the youth from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Ruston, LA.  It was a living room type show and the youth were awesome!  So cute and fun.  

Then, we went back to Florida (I know, crazy routing) and we stayed with our sweet friends in Largo.  We had a couple days off, which was nice, AND got to have a date, thanks to Mama Madeline.  

Sunday, we had a 3:00 PM concert at Christ UMC.  At first we thought that was an odd time, but it was great!  The church was beautiful and was built in the 50s and clearly I know how to accurately capture architecture.

WHEW!  I actually had to look back at our calendar to remember all the stops.  And now, since I'm feeling a little better (oh, the joy of all day morning sickness), I'm hoping to blog more than once every couple months.  

Thanks for traveling with us!