These may be some of the least polished photos I’ve posted here, but they are also among the most meaningful. Let me explain why.
Every now and then a blogger gets pulled away from the usual projects — the vases transformed with a quick spray paint, monthly peek-at-my-bakers-rack updates, furniture makeovers and thrifted treasures. Those familiar posts are what many home bloggers do: they refresh and transform things around the house, and I love that. But life sometimes interrupts the neat little projects I plan on completing.
At my house, projects often stall. I try to start them, but real life steps in and the fun stuff gets put on hold. Case in point: I have drums in my living room.
If you’re new here, a quick bit of background: alongside blogging, I’m a pastor’s wife. Two years ago we made a huge move to Washington to start a church called Voyage. We started from scratch in a new area where we knew almost no one, trying to build a community and find people who wanted to join us. It’s been an intense, faith-fueled adventure.
We left our dream house, our friends and family. Our son changed schools. Our Portland house took nine months to sell. My daughters moved closer to help us — giving up entire weekends and taking hour-long ferries to be here, helping with everything from setup and teardown each week to childcare, music, organization and even grocery shopping. My oldest just graduated from college two weeks ago, and I couldn’t be prouder.
The last two years have been emotional, physically exhausting, financially challenging and also exhilarating — in good ways. We live on a schedule and in a pace that would overwhelm most people. I suppose you have to be a bit fearless — or a little crazy — to be both a church planter and a full-time blogger.
I’m not sharing this to boast or complain, but to offer honest context about why I sometimes feel scattered. We bloggers are real people with busy, imperfect lives. I wouldn’t trade this life; it’s an honor to serve in ways bigger than my own home. This work has stretched me in meaningful ways and keeps me from becoming obsessed with only my house projects. Balancing both has its rewards.
Four more bathrooms to update — at this rate I’ll be redoing bathrooms well into my golden years!
Occasionally, my two worlds collide, and that’s always a joy. When what you love aligns with serving others, it’s energizing. After a year and a half meeting in a school, we’re moving our young church into a leased 7,500-square-foot building. Suddenly we have a place to call home and many more opportunities to reach our community — and that’s where the next creative challenge comes in.
In addition to finishing my home bathroom, I’m now wondering how on earth to renovate a large building with virtually no budget.
The nursery. Before.
This week the immediate question is: how will we fix up a 300-square-foot nursery?
We want this nursery to provide safe, affordable childcare for the many military families nearby so parents can enjoy date nights or a moms’ morning out. I want it to be comfortable and welcoming for young families and particularly for moms whose spouses may be deployed for months at a time.
>Right now we’re hoping for a flooring donation so we can replace stained, old carpet with something clean, durable and easy to maintain. If anyone connected to a flooring company is willing to help, we’d be truly grateful.
So far our church volunteers have painted the nursery a modern neutral and plan to add bright accents, playful patterns and art to give the room a fresh, youthful feel — more modern than the typical church nursery. We’re aiming for a relaxed, vintage-modern coffee shop vibe throughout the building.
Fortunately I have an interior design student as a daughter, another daughter who recently graduated and a helpful 10-year-old son, plus generous volunteers who are ready to invest creativity and sweat equity to make this happen on a shoestring budget.
We hope this space will feel inviting to young people who might want to hang out here on a Friday night — and maybe stick around for the message too. These kinds of projects are good distractions: they keep me up late and delay my own home renovations, but they’re for a meaningful purpose.
Chances are you have your own exhausting but rewarding distractions. What are you balancing in your life right now? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
PS. Tomorrow I’ll start a mini-series on a home office makeover that’s in progress — I’m excited to share it!
UPDATE: Here is an update on our progress!