Nashville Newbies.

Guitar Drop

Moving out of state truly was leaving home for us. We left family, friends, mentors, accountability...our whole support system. Still being in our first year of marriage, we desperately long for community as we know it is absolutely vital in our lives. But despite our hesitations and hang-ups, we more desperately seek God's will for our lives and want so badly to be used to our utmost wherever and whenever He leads. With heavy hearts and tear-filled eyes, we set out on the road to Tennessee....knowing we'd face sure adversity, but anxious to see what we would learn. We packed up our car with all we could fit and trusted God....in the midst of unanswered questions its all we could do.


New Year. New Everything.
We brought in this new year as Nashville Newbies. Having lived in Nashville less than a week, we decided to check out downtown and listen to music while welcoming 2011. Last year's New Years we spent in NYC eating pizza before going downtown for the ball drop in Times Square.... and getting engaged! Since that is such a fond memory, we decided to make it a tradition to chow down on some NY style pizza before joining the festivities. Nashville is charmingly referred to by most as "Music City," but we soon came to realize that it is mot popular for the Christian and Country music industries (which go hand in hand). Surrounded by cowboy hats at the New Years "guitar drop," we worried that we would have a hard time finding ethnic people and indie music....but not to worry, we found both later! 

Our Precious Godson

Missing family. Building Family.
We have grown to love a thing called webcams!!!!! We make it a priority to talk to my family several times a week and love that we actually get to see their faces....Thank you technology! They miss us too but probably not as much as we do them ;-) My mom said it best like this, "Miss you both so much, it feels like both of our arms have been cut off. We will live, but definitely not the same quality of life." Perfectly put. From this point forward, it will be impossible to tell our story without including the names of our Nashville besties/family: Alan, Brycie & Avery-Jade Powell. What an incredible blessing and truly a godsend they have been to our lives. We are not sure we would've survived our Nashville move without them. Not only did they open their home to us our first week there until we found a place of our own, but they truly have opened their arms and hearts to us. We cant say enough good words about them, honestly. Another major perk of living in Tennessee is having our sweet godson Tatum and his lovely mommy Brittany only 45 min away! Tatum will be 4 in April and we are loving getting to see what an amazing lil man he is growing up to be. And more exciting news: Brittany is getting married to Clint in June... I am so excited to get to be part of the wedding preparations and cant wait to be celebrating with her as a proud bridesmaid so soon!!! We have also enjoyed being within a 3 hour drive of Pedro's family (dad, stepmom &brother) who live in Birmingham, AL. We are sooooooo thankful to them for bringing up Pedro's furniture and helping make our house a home. It has been such an exciting new experience for us  to have his family living close by and definitely brought us closer in heart too! 


Finding Community.
Our very first Sunday in Nashville we decided to try a church by the name of Journey Church. We had three, totally unrelated, sources all suggest the same church for us to try. Without question, we knew we had to at least check it out. It was very clear during that first service, that we were home! We absolutely fell in love with Journey church. We loved the worship style, giving style, artistic forms of worship, the pastor and leadership and most importantly, the people! We quickly got plugged into a village (home group) and began building relationships that we wouldnt trade for the world. Pastor Jamie George, his wife Angie, and 4 children are amazing!!!! Sundays and Tuesdays have become new highlights of our week; Sunday mornings because of our church gathering and Tuesday nights because of our village time at their home. Our village consists of married couples, dating couples, engaged, singles and a variety of ages and backgrounds....Just the way we like it! We have so loved hearing everyone's stories and getting to share our own. Its true what they say, you never can tell a book by its cover. Note to self: If you are ever feeling as though you dont truly know someone or connect with them, take turns telling stories, you will be surprised how much you have in common and how much you didnt know about them. Its never too early or too late to swap stories either, even if you have grown up with someone, you will be shocked to hear details that molded who they are that you never knew occurred; and furthermore, you may just be altogether challenged by seeing through their perspective. All in all, best way to truly connect with people...you will laugh and cry together and forever have conversation starters from that point forward. We have so loved getting to live life with this random group of he's and she's....we are like a never ending puzzle where everyone has a place, no two pieces just alike, and where adding new pieces makes the picture more beautiful. Needless to say, the leadership and people who make up Journey church have spiritually motivated and captivated us.

Random.
There are a few randoms things to add about our Nashville experience. For one, we saw puppies be born for the first time ever at one of our new friends house...so cool! We have also reconnected with the Shicks family in Nashville, they are the family that many of you may know who started the Bridge youth center in Fort Myers. Their new son-in-law has done a bunch of collaborating on music with Pedro...they are great friends to us. Oh and did I mention that we almost died in the snow?!? Our car slid down a hill and almost off a cliff while trying to get home from work. I jumped out of the car and Pedro pulled the e-brake, leaving our car there overnight. Good news is that we got snowed in from work the next day and got in some quality time! We have noticed that American Idol ex-candidates seem to be everywhere in Nashville and we have met several. We have experienced many "worlds colliding" moments, especially when we became good friends with some of Nae Nae's best friends from college down in Fl...small world! One fabulous find for us was finding a sushi place in West End Nashville that also serves burgers.... very random! We also tried fried pickles and cookie dough egg rolls for the first time...yum! I'm sure there are many more but those are just a few random firsts for us.

Supporting Alan's band on tour

The Industry Life.
Nashville's music industry circles are not quite the same as those we have experienced in New York and California.They are alike in that it is all about networking and who you know, but different because it seems like in Nashville, everyone knows everyone! The music community in Nashville seems to be a smaller, family style group. Likewise, Nashville has a big city feel but is still homey enough to raise a family. As for Pedro's job specifically, it was not exactly what we had in mind or expected. Pedro accepted the job at a management company (that will remain nameless) managing one christian artist, doing all of his day in and day out booking. We quickly found out that he was also doing work for 5 other large artists! Having to learn so much on his own, with no leadership or instruction, Pedro did an amazing job of keeping his head in some very trying situations. Already working crazy hours, his work never stopped coming in and his boss would email him all day and night long. At that point, he had to put his foot down to preserve our time and not bring work home with him. Long story short, it was not what he bargained for! Things were renegotiated and although it was a pay decrease, he agreed to stay on with the original terms in place and getting to work from home. I am so proud of his wisdom and discernment.

It seems like everyone in Nashville is in some way involved in the music industry....musicians, managers, singers, producers, you name it! We are so thankful that we have been able to build a strong friendship with Alan & Brycie during this time, as it seems we are in very similar places in life! Alan is in a band called Anthem Lights that is signed to the christian label, Provident. He has been touring and has had to be away from his wife and precious new baby girl. We have been thrilled to get to help with the baby and be family to them. We have so loved keeping Brycie and baby AJ busy while he's out ministering through music. The music industry life may not be a normal lifestyle but it makes it so much easier when you are surrounded by people who love you and understand. We are so proud of them for how amazing they have done through this transitional time in their lives and have been honored to be a part of it. We only have a 1 bedroom apartment in Nashville right now but we have had people stay with us quite a bit. Our friend George Moss is on Winter jam tour with KJ52 and stays with us when in Nashville. Brycie and the baby have stayed with us some weekends while Alan is gone too. We love opening our home to people we love... just wish we had the rest of our furniture so they didnt have to sleep on our couch or air mattress! One really unique lesson we have learned is: when we seem to have the least, we have the most to give!

When it Rains, It Pours.
Just about the time where Pedro decided to make some changes at work, rough waters came our way elsewhere. I came down with strep throat, paid a ton of money  on doctors fees and meds and then had to take a week off work! Just as I started feeling better and was able to return to work, we started having trouble getting in touch with the girl who was subleasing our condo in Fl from us. We started getting worried because she seemed to disappear and she was renting our place fully furnished! In a nutshell, we were devastated that she moved out without giving us any notice and without paying! It just goes to prove, You REALLY should never to business with "friends." So sad. Still trying to make sense of how to salvage that situation, we then realized we were experiencing identity theft and money was being stolen from our accounts!!!! Talk about an attack... we were just trying to remain positive and not have a mental breakdown at that point. All of that literally lead up until last week as we prepared for our trip to FL. We were so ready for a break and definitely couldnt wait to just get some sun(Vitamin D really does make make us happier)! Maintaining 2 places and paying added bills has definitely not been easy, but all in all we are somehow surviving! Hardships seem to only make us closer as a couple and that is more than enough for us.

Pedro's way of showing me love while sick

Decisions, Decisions.
So here we are.....clueless but ready, worried but willing. We are here in Fl for a DJ Morph and Dro music video shoot, to see family/friends of course and pack up our condo to make the permanent move to Nashville.We have yet to take a break and truly enjoy this weather because we have been too busy trying to make decisions, knocking on doors, and waiting to see what opens up. But we are resting in the comfort and intimacy that comes only from seeking Christ. One immediate need we have is finding good jobs. To be honest, we are very unsure about what our next step is, and whether or not we will be able to make this move permanently. At this point, we are fervently praying that we will be sensitive to God's voice and selflessly be obedient to its  direction. We are still holding steadfast to the promise that God never will leave us or forsake us. We know that where ever He leads us, He will certainly provide for us. Most importantly, we are confident that He will continue to stretch us, grow us and draw us closer unto Himself. We desperately long to not just live, but thrive. We long to be used to our full potential in relationship, our love for music, and being hope in motion to as many who need to hear and see. 

That brings you up to date with us. Now that we are caught up, I promise my entries wont be so extensive! We hope you enjoy keeping up with us and thank you for being part of our story as it is being written!

2O1O Recap.

How do we even begin to sum up 2O1O? So much to say... this will be a biggie blog. It was by far the most monumental year in our lives, full of highs and lows...but mainly highs! Photos will help tell our story of 2O1O.

2O1O proved to be off to the best start, even in its very first moments! Not only were we in our favorite place in the country, New York City, but we were having the time of our lives! As the clock struck midnight bringing in the new year, Pedro got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife! Check out these videos, courtesy of Kevin James Digital Arts, that tell our engagement story. 

               Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3l34vxAp8Y

               Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsFwrCiqu5w

Bliss...

In January, we hit the ground running on making wedding plans. I found the perfect dress only a week after getting engaged, at the very first shop we went to! We went looking for venues next and Pedro picked the perfect one! It was so gorgeous and just our style! Our biggest obstacle was picking our wedding date. We had always talked about a nice Spring wedding, in April, but that just seemed too quick. By this time it was already February and my Grandma Vega's illness had landed her in the hospital, leaving us unsure of how she would fare without a miracle. At that point, Pedro and I were ready to throw together our wedding within weeks just to make sure and have her there. Thankfully, our miracle came by way of an amazing doctor's hands at Healthpark. He did a surgery that most would not have, removing part of my grandmothers liver and thus elongating her life. With her recovering, we went on to plan the wedding, deciding to have it in the summer, July 18, 2O1O.

Busy times are the best times...

As the big day approached, we stayed more than busy! Time seemed to fly by.... Pedro worked his dream job as program director at a non-profit organization and I worked as a wedding planner (ironic I know). Pedro was also on the road a lot playing all over the country with KJ52. The most fulfilling moments we had were the days where we traveled with Hope In Motion. Hope In Motion is a program Pedro founded as an outreach tool, and I had the honor of being part of. Pedro took a team, consisting of a band, dancers, a photographer/videographer, counselors, etc into public middle and high schools, bringing them a message of hope. Pedro spoke to thousands of teenagers every month about bullying and suicide, saving lives everyday.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to the joy of being used by God to change lives. There is no other way we would've rather spent our time. It was great to bond as a couple, as a team, while laying a foundation for our upcoming marriage.

Summer loving, had me a blast...

Before we knew it the pre-wedding festivities had begun and we were getting really excited of how close the wedding was getting! We absolutely loved the process of engagement and were so excited to plan our new home together. Apparently I did not inherit typical bride traits, instead of dieting I found room in my daily intake for milkshakes...and left all the worrying to my mom! We were surrounded by people we love and had a whopping 4 showers  thrown in our honor.... wow! Marital counseling was our favorite part, Jeff and Stacey Leatherman are priceless mentors. We both worked right up onto our wedding weekend and then let loose to celebrate! Sunday, July 18, 2O1O far exceeded what we could imagine or expect!!! Our day may have been long awaited, but sssssssssssooooooooooooo worth the wait! 2OO+ of our closest friends and family members cried tears of joy with us during our emotional, unique ceremony.We had some amazing live music, a sentimental foot-washing and not to mention our beautiful decor! And that was only the ceremony! We were whisked away in a vintage Rolls Royce and delivered to our breath-taking reception where we partied the night away! DJ Morph kept everyone dancing while Brownstudy hosted the night. Did I mention that we seriously chowed down on the tasty food? Highlights for me where giving the gifts to my dad and Pedro...I wrote a song for my dad and had a custom drum kit made for Pedro.

We concluded July on our honeymoon in Jamaica where we got some much needed rest. We stayed at an unbelievable all-inclusive resort, where celebrites apparently stay too! We ran into Chris Brown, Usher and Shaggy just to name a few! When we werent sun bathing or calling room service, we snorkeled, ate at the 8 on-site restaurants, went on bike tours, climbed the Dunns River Falls, met new friends, listened to music and toured the Montego Bay and Negril beaches! It could not have been better.

Back to Reality.....

We got settled in back home and our place really started to look just perfect! I turned out to be quite the domestic wife, cooking every night! We loved getting into somewhat of a routine and especially enjoyed having my parents over for dinner once a week to return their years of favors. Work was busy, but we couldnt have been happier..... we even found time to go running and work out everyday! We had it all, friends, family, and quality time together. But for whatever reason, we felt a move coming, God preparing us for change.

The calm before the storm... 

Fall is usually my favorite time of year, but unfortunately this past year it proved to be the toughest. October, just 3 short months after getting married, we found ourselves shaken by news that Pedro's job would soon expire. His position was created for him, based on a grant being given for the funding. We knew that funding was scarce due to the economy and that this could happen. Still we were heartbroken. With only a few short weeks left in his contract, we were confident that God would open new doors as He is always faithful to do. Long story short, we got a call to come check out a position in Sacramento, California at a mega church as campus ministry/youth pastors. We were being considered due to the effectiveness of the Hope In Motion team. Desiring to explore every opportunity, we agreed to  accept the invitation and they booked travel plans for us to visit mid November. I met with my boss to tell him of the travel plans, expecting him to be excited for us since he was once a youth pastor in CA. To our disappointment he told me that if I went, I would forfeit my employment. By this time, we were on our way to Savannah, GA for Pedro's sisters wedding. We returned to news that Grandma Vega was being hospitalized for pneumonia. With her recovering, we had to head out of the country for a family reunion cruise, with my Greek side. As we docked back in Miami and returned to cell range, we got a call that Pedro's dad was going into emergency open-heart surgery. This was completely out of the blue since he had never had heart problems before. Needless to say, we spent the 2 hour drive home changing and booking flights. With only minutes left to catch our flight, we emptied our suitcases and repacked for  48 hours in Alabama and then on to our trip to California. That evening we arrived in Alabama....the day we started in Miami. After spending our limited 48 hours in the hospital, we left to go interview in California. We loved seeing old friends and meeting some new amazing ones. From there we flew into Orlando, where Pedro had a few shows. We celebrated my birthday on the go over several days, which I loved. 

Home to Hurt....

After about a month of not sleeping in our own home, we returned from Orlando and went straight to the hospital. All this time, my sweet little grandma was still in the hospital, worsening everyday. Her lungs continued to fill with fluid, and matters were made even worse when a doctor carelessly nicked her heart while scoping her chest. Having Hep C, her failing liver was ever present and the combination was grim. With all the traveling, we had maintained busy enough to where I didnt allow myself to stop and realize the state she was in. I was in denial. Pedro and I got the honor of staying over night with her and listening as she worshipped in her sleep. She loved when I did her hair and make up, so I did just that, even as she laid in her hospital bed. I witnessed some of the most intimate moments between a husband and wife as my grandparents shared their last moments and memories together. Heaven couldnt wait another moment to have her with them and on Black Friday after Thanksgiving, she joined the throne room. Oh boy, is heaven a lucky place... she was the heart beat and glue of our amazing family. She drew us all closer even in her passing. I could write a whole blog just about her! I can only hope that I have half the heart and love for God and people that she had. She was no ordinary grandma... there was a lot of power packed in that tiny woman.

A December to Remember...

Having celebrated my grandmother's life in the most unbelievable way, Pedro and I spent lots of time with the family reminiscing. I often get called "Lil Mickey" implying that I am like my grandma. One trait I certainly inherited from her is my craftiness! So you can imagine my delight that I was chosen to inherit her sewing kit, a priceless possession to her! Pedro and I were still in limbo at this point as to what we were going to do next as our first holiday season as a married couple approached. We had a blast picking out our first Christmas tree and decorating our place to look festive. We may have gotten too into the spirit by eating too many Christmas cookies and treats! It wasnt long before Pedro got a job offer to manage KJ52.... a job that would require us to move to Nashville. After praying about it, we decided to accept the position on a trial basis of 2 months before making the commitment to relocate there permanently. We were asked to be there for him to start in just 8 days!!!! So we rallied our friends to spend time and say goodbyes and left the day after Christmas! 

It was craziness for sure, but of all the things 2O1O taught us, we learned to trust God's leading. So here we are....following. Please pray that we will continue to be sensitive to where God is taking us next as we know his plans are better than our own. Our story is not close to being finished so stay tuned for more.