It was 2009. We were dating, nearly engaged, and on our way back from a trip to visit my family in Springfield when the conversation happened. You know, the big one about dreams and 10 year plans and God’s will for our lives. If you could do anything, have anything, go anywhere, what would it be? We were musicians and creatives with hearts wide open to all of the possibilities set before us. We were young, but not too naive to the world and all it brought with it. And still, that rainy Tuesday afternoon, as we opened up to one another, we spoke almost simultaneously of deeply rooted dreams to cultivate creative communities, to help others share their stories, to own our own studio, to spend our days investing in something that we could call fully ours and to do together. And we believed it. 

    But life doesn’t always go as expected. Plans change, your world gets uprooted, you have a baby (or two) sooner than you expected, dreams shift, schedules rearrange, and years later you find yourself in a very different season of life, wondering if that rainy day conversation will ever come to fruition. For the dreamer in us, this place has been weary. It’s been full of growing pains, of new lessons, of questions we never thought we’d be asking. But it’s also been full of joy + newness. There is a great reward in the struggle of an upward climb. There are days when you feel like you can’t catch your breath, but as you near the top, you realize that what lies ahead is truly breathtaking. 

    When we met at our church eight years ago, I knew that Smitty was in his dream job. It was all that he ever wanted to do – mix audio, play music, and serve Jesus. He is the hardest working man I’ve ever met and everything he does carries an elevated level of excellence. It is at the core of his being to do things right and well from the start. If we’re being honest though, this often comes with a great deal of sacrifice. His commitment to his work and the nature of working at a large church means that he often works long days, has many sleepless nights, and has a schedule that keeps him from home most nights of the week. It’s not just him though – the entire team has made the commitment to pursue excellence together and do what it takes to make it happen. The guys behind the scenes are so servant-hearted and hard-working, and they are some of Smitty’s dearest friends in the world. Which is what makes this next part so bittersweet…

   In a few days, Smitty will be stepping down from his full-time position as Audio Director at Grace Church. Yes, for those who know him, let the shock set in for a second. This is a decision we have prayerfully considered for over a year and a half and one that we believe the Lord has led us to now, for this new season. For the past seven years, that car-ride conversation remained a secret dream in our heart. We would whisper of it within our home and stay up late imagining what it would be like to really pursue it together, but we wouldn’t dare speak it out to anyone. It seemed too lofty, too impossible, too scary to even mention. So we kept praying. And we kept seeking. And doors kept opening. So, we set a date and took the leap.

   Kairos has grown more than I could have ever asked or planned for, and we are so incredibly thankful for each one of you that has supported us over the past few years. Truly, you are the key to making these dreams come true. On June 1st, we will officially be an all-in husband and wife team. And oh, are we so excited! We have no idea what everything will look like, and that’s slightly terrifying, but we’re eager to see what comes next! There will be a transition season at Grace where he continues to do some work a couple of days a week to help with training, finishing out projects he was already working on, etc., but for the weekends, he will be freed up to work with me! And we will still be actively involved in the worship arts side of things as well, as we’ll both still be playing and songwriting with the team. We’re not totally leaving, just shifting a few things around for now. For our Kairos clients, this means you now have even more of our attention. If you haven’t had a chance to work with Smit yet, I promise you’re going to love him. I know I do. 

    As we’ve started to pursue this journey, new dreams and avenues have arisen and we can’t wait to share those with you as well!! Some things we’ve been doing under the radar for awhile and others are brand new, but both get our hearts all a-flutter with possibility! One of those things is wedding videography. We’ve been quietly shooting wedding videos over the past year, offering it to existing clients, but I’m thrilled to finally be able to share that work with you today! I’ll be sharing more on social media this week, but thought I’d let you see our most recent wedding video for Frank + Lindsey here!

   Beyond wedding videos though, we have something even bigger and more exciting in the works! Something I can’t share quite yet, but I can tell you that it brings together all of our loves – music, audio, visual storytelling, supporting fellow creatives – and we cannot wait to launch it! We will unveil all of it so very soon – I promise!!

   Friends, this is big. Taking this step has truly shifted our reliance on our God. There are so many unknowns, but we’ve seen His faithfulness and provision in our life time and time again, so we will continue to press in + trust with all that we are. If you see me or we’re Facebook friends and you want to know more about how this crazy story has evolved (because there are so many incredible parts I just don’t have time to share here), please ask me and I’d be thrilled to tell you. We are so excited to begin this new journey together and are unspeakably grateful for everyone who’s played a role in this path thus far and for those who will continue to support us on the road ahead. From these two dreamers over here, you mean the world to us and we can’t wait to see what unfolds in the coming months! Stay tuned with us! So much more to come!