First Night in California

Wow, I can't believe we have been California residents for a whole week already! It has flown by. Some of you may not have heard about my first night here...

So Dad, Kisbey, and I got into Chula Vista later in the afternoon last Friday and Chris and Mike + Beth were there to help us unload the truck while Lyndsey took Kisbey to the dog park to play (btw, thank you guys so much for helping!). We got the truck unloaded, had dinner and then it was just Kisbey + me alone with the box-filled apartment since Katie + Josiah were not set to arrive until the next morning. My plan (since I don't sleep very well when Katie is not there) was to stay up for as long as I could getting as much of a head start on unpacking boxes and arranging furniture as I could. I had been working for about 20 minutes when I realized that I should probably put felt pads on the bottom of the legs of the furniture so the wood floors wouldn't get scratched while I was moving them around. I went out to the garage and came back to find that I locked myself out of the apartment...with Kisbey trapped inside...and with my cell phone dying of course. Evidently the handle locks and I had just left my keys inside cause I was just making a short run out to the garage. I was just about to panic, being that I was on the edge of exhaustion, when I was able to pull myself together and go over to a Mary's, a neighbor that I had met during move-in, to see if there was an emergency number to call...there was not. I called Chris just so someone would know that I was trapped outside and that if he hadn't heard from me in a half hour to come and get me. After many phone calls and talking to a few more neighbors, we finally figured out that the only thing to do if you get locked out during non-business hours is to call a locksmith. I did not want to do that. I had thought that climbing onto the balcony would be a good option except that I had just locked that door right before heading to the garage because...get this, I didn't want someone to be able to get in that way! I did however, open the window to the kitchen to let in some fresh air. I decided that I would rather pay to replace the screen on the kitchen window than pay to replace the locks. So I walked up the sloped landscaping, ripped the screen and climbed through the window onto my kitchen counter. Kisbey was very happy to see me!

Updates coming

hey everyone...i know its been a few days since the last post, but i will get them up soon. things are finally slowing down just a little but i am heading to bed from our home in chula vista, california...still hasn't sunk in quite yet

On the Road to Cali :: Flat Tire Update

Crisis averted...Next stop, California!

On the Road to Cali :: starting off Day 4 a little flat

We woke up before 6am to get an early start this morning only to find that we have picked up a screw in the rear passenger side tire on the trailer (you can see it in the picture where the yellow arrow is pointing). The tire is pretty flat so we are waiting for someone to come change it. I wanted to just drop the trailer where it is and have Penske just come pick it up but they werent cool with that. Hopefully we can get on the road soon. More to come....

On the Road to Cali :: Day 3

This post is coming to you from Casa Grande, Arizona (about 1 hour south of Phoenix). Today was another solid day of driving and was by far the most scenic day we've had yet...which is why it was so unfortunate that the battery of our camera was completely drained! So I snapped a couple of pics with my cell phone. We started off the day missing the turn to get on the Interstate which would take us through Albuquerque and on to Flagstaff, Arizona. It ended up being a great surprise...let me back up. We have this great photograph of Albuquerque taken in 1969 that we got from IKEA several years ago. I really like this photo a lot (its pictured here). Anyway, back to this morning... we took a detour through town on a side street called Center. As we were driving, I saw a hotel with a really retro sign that had circles stacked on top of each other. It looked familiar to me, but I didn't know why until I saw Carlisle Street...it was the exact section of Center Street pictured in that photograph (you can see the Carlisle Street sign right above the KFC on the right side of the photograph)!!! I can't even tell you how exciting that was!...Katie knows what I'm talking about! Anyway...New Mexico was beautiful. I don't think I ever thought that it was anything more than desert, but it was such a nice drive. Arizona was really nice too, especially Flagstaff. However, as you traveled south, it got very hot. It was about what you would expect from a desert...lots of hills, cactus, sharp rocks, sand, and oven-like heat. I honestly don't understand why anyone lives in southern Arizona...for an Illinois guy it was draining. I am so thrilled to only be a short drive away from our destination! I have really enjoyed the cross-country trip with my Dad + my dog, but I am so excited to finally begin getting settled in California + prepare for the arrival of my wife + son. Love to everyone back home in Illinois...I miss you all already.

On the Road to Cali :: Day 2

I am writing this entry from our hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico after just enjoying some Panda Express. This morning started off a little rough. Oklahoma struck again. Even though we were staying the night on a main Interstate, my cell phone spent the whole night searching for signal + was completely dead by morning which wouldn't have been a problem except that I had it set as our alarm clock! We ended up waking up at 7:45am...not too bad, but a later start than we wanted to get. I had originally had the goal to get to Albuquerque by the end of day 2. This seemed like a stretch given our late start. The day went much better than day 1 except for being sunny + very hot all through Texas. Dad + I both felt a lot less exhausted by the time we stopped for the night. Kisbey even did better, getting used to the routine of being on the road for 10 hours. Coming into New Mexico and seeing mountains and trees, it was such a nice change of scenery from the flat, hot, middle-of-nowhere desert. Tomorrow we will be heading west through New Mexico into Arizona with the goal of getting as close to the California border as possible...Yuma, Arizona would be nice, but that might be a stretch. Guess you'll have to check in for the day 3 post. Good night from Albuquerque.

On the Road to Cali :: Day 1

I am writing this from Okemah, Oklahoma. I would love to comment on Oklahoma but as my mom always told me, "if you can't say something nice about a state, don't say anything at all." Wow, what a long day. We got a little head start last night + put in a full day today. Kisbey did really well riding on the floor of the truck, but at one point jumped into my lap and refused to leave. I think she was missing me after we went into a Walmart without her. It's hard to believe we have 3 more days ahead of us, but we are just going to take it one day at a time. Well I am signing off from my kinda scary hotel room in the middle of nowhere (but hey, at least it has wi-fi)...good night

Road to Cali

If you are familiar with the story of Crash, then you will see that these stories intersect. The same week that Katie got in a car accident and found out that she was pregnant, our friend Chris asked us to pray about helping him and his wife Lyndsey start a brand new church. We were excited until he told us where it was going to be...Chula Vista, California....Chula Whatsa? Had it been St. Louis, Indy, Chicago...I don't even know if we would have given it much thought or prayer, but when we heard California, our hearts sunk a little cause that's like another world away. Plus we had just bought a house only 2 years ago + I had just gotten a great job at the University of Illinois + we were going to have a baby + much of our family is in Champaign...the timing just wasn't great to pack up everything and leave for a place that is far away from loved ones and is over-the-top expensive. We really had to struggle + wrestle with God over this. One day as I was praying early in the morning, I felt like I heard God say, "It's no coincidence that these happened in the same week. You trusted me to give you a child even though the odds were stacked against you + I showed myself to be faithful...now I want you to trust me with this California Church Planting thing and watch how I provide even though it makes no sense through the lense of traditional wisdom." Wow...I heard so clearly that we were being called out to the people of southern California, but Katie was still very unsettled + didn't have a peace about it. For that reason I didn't share with her my feelings about it because I didn't want her feeling any pressure. I knew that God would either call both of us to go, or call both of us to stay and I told him that if we were supposed to go that he would have to get Katie on board. We talked about it one Saturday night just to feel each other out on what we were thinking about it. Katie said that she still had a lot of anxiety about it and didn't have a peace about it, so I just reciprocated the same feeling (as to not let on that I had heard from God). The very next morning, Katie came down stairs and said, "I can't believe I am about to say this, but...I have a total peace about it. I think we are supposed to go to California!" We went to church that morning + there was a guest speaker from another church talking about how church planting is the primary vehicle of the Gospel to go to the world. God confirmed it to us + to our friends and family that this was definitely His leading. All along the way, God has shown us that He is in control despite circumstances. The U of I told me that they would like to keep me in my current position...from Chula Vista, California!? What? No just wait....Then our house sells in a bad market after only owning it for a little over 2 years for our full asking price with a closing date of the end of the month, so we won't even owe another mortgage payment. Finally, the only thing that we had left to do was find homes for our bunnies, Abbey + Helah. If not, then they would just have to be dropped off at the Humane Society and if a home could not be found, they would be put to sleep. Katie prayed, "God you have taken care of everything else + I know you care about even this. Why wouldn't you find homes for them too?" The very next day she got an email from a couple at church who was excited to take both bunnies! God is so faithful + he has cleared the way for us to follow his calling. So we are just putting our feet on the path that God is leading us on and we know that for this season of our lives, we will be living with + loving the people of Southern California + telling them about Jesus. Thanks to everyone who is supporting us in love, in prayer, through financial means (including Starbucks + Jamba giftcards...thanks Mom!) back in Illinois. We love you all so much!

Yard Sale Give-Away

As we prepared to move to California, we found that we have way too much stuff. We talked about doing a garage sale...well we don't really have a garage so I guess technically it would be a driveway/yard sale. We realized how much of the stuff had been given to us by other people and thought, "why don't we just give all of it away, regardless of how much we could get by selling it." We really just wanted to use it as a way to show the free love of God to people in the community. It was absolutely pouring sheets of rain for the first hour of the give-away (btw, garage-salers are nuts) so rather than move all of the items off of the sun porch, we just put a tarp down on the floor and let people come inside. The only bad thing about this, other than the cramped quarters, was that the stuff we normally have out on the sun porch...you know, stuff we wanted to keep...was mingled in with the stuff we were giving away. We had to scramble just to make sure that the stuff we wanted to keep made its way inside the house and not out the door...almost lost my brand new running shoes! It was so successful despite the monsoon-like weather! We were left with just a small box of a few books, cds and a couple of sweaters. I did have multiple offers for the purchase of my son (which was kinda funny at first and then just creepy), but none enticing enough to part with him. I finally put one of the "Not for Sale" signs on him that Brittany had made to keep people from running off with our sun room furniture. HUGE thanks to Brittany Putman...what an amazing garage sale organizer/runner! If you are having a garage sale anytime soon, you should hire her to run it...you won't be sorry! Also, thanks to Putty for being the official barista of the Hart Yard Sale Give-Away!

Katie's 27th Birthday Scavenger Hunt

I'm 27! Wow, I can't believe that.... So this is my last time to celebrate my birthday while living in Champaign and Brad wanted to do something really special for me. It took quite a lot of planning and preparation, he even took a day off from work to set up the details, well and go to the dentist and go get his hair cut. Brad took me through a journey of childhood memories in the form of a scavenger hunt. Through the hunt, I had to remember (or be reminded) of funny childhood moments in order to get the next clue. Some memories include shoveling sand into the ac unit at the home we lived in on First Street, being a bell in a musical at church, calling a wall-mounted moose head a goat, and more. It all started with a video on the laptop of Brad giving me the instructions for the scavenger hunt. (that's the picture to the side here) He brought me all around C-U from our home to our church, to Dairy Queen, to Taco Bell (that was the bell clue) to what used to be Jumer's, to the bookstore I grew up in, to the park I used to live near and played at often, to TGI Friday's (because I was born on a Friday) and once we ended up at the restaurant, he had filled it with lots of family and friends for dinner! It was a really wonderful evening, and I even got to chat with my piano teacher I had from about 2nd grade through sophmore year! I'm pretty sure that I have the most wonderful husband in the world! He said that he so enjoyed getting together with my mom and hearing all of the stories about me growing up. Oh, and we got to enjoy the Nate the Great kids books again, that was a blast for me!

Thank you to everyone that was able to make it to the restaurant for the dinner and cake time! It is so fantastic to have the wonderful friends that I do. Also, thanks to family for your participation and the gifts. It was fun to see grandma as a clue giver! Thanks to all clue givers (Heather, Carolyn, Mom, Gabe, Tara, Brittany, Grandma, Steve, Jeff & Linda, and Dad) both on phone and in person. I think this is up there for one of the best birthdays ever!
Here are the pics.

Hart Family Photo

Blanket Buddies

We have been trying to make sure that Josiah gets consistent "tummy time." We laid down a very soft blanket that Great Grandma Stone (thanks!) made for Josiah and put him down on it. Seconds later Kisbey walked over and laid down right next to him...it was soooo cute! Of course I had to grab my camera. Make sure you check out the one of Josiah with Kisbey resting her head on his chest. I think it may be my new favorite.

Check out the album here.

Josiah meets cousin Nolan

Now here are a couple of good looking kiddos!

click here to view album


also check out Gary, Melissa + Nolan's blog

Slough Visit

Hey everyone! Sorry its been so long since the last post. Since we brought Josiah home, we have had lots of out of town family come visit (as well as the frequent visits by in town family). Grandpa Slough, AKA Katie's Dad came to visit + then Grandma Kosi, Great Grandma Slough and Auntie Audrey + Auntie Hannah shortly after. We had such a great time which included such classic moments as digging a very large hole in our backyard, jumping off of Krannet Performing Arts Center, and changing a diaper on the quad! Ah, so many memories...

click here for pics

Crib Time

I had put Josiah down for a nap in his crib. When I came back in he was wide awake + the lighting was so great, I had to run get the camera. These are some of my favorites thus far. What a photogenic kid!


click here to view the newest album

First Bath

I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't had kids yet, but I will just say that bathing an infant is awesome! Plus you get a chance to style their hair.

click here for bath pics

Going Home

Click here for more photos of Josiah's transition home

Josiah :: Day 2

We got some great sleeping pics of Josiah + parents (because we did a lot of that) as well as some great shots of Josiah + grandparents!
View complete album from Day 2

Josiah's First Day

(One of our favorite pics of Josiah so far may be this one of him giving the okay sign)


Wow! What an amazing first day! Katie did AWESOME in labor + delivery! She focused + made it through the entire 21 hours of laboring + pushed little Josiah out with no pain medication other than some local anesthetic for the episiotomy. She was inspiring to watch and even the doctor was impressed. A very special thanks to Mom (Linda), Mom (Becky), Brittany, Steph, and Amy who were vital in getting Katie through a tough delivery!


Josiah is such a great kiddo already! He has been feeding + sleeping really well. When he is awake, he is very alert, looking around with bright, wide eyes. We are so thankful to the many people who came to visit us + little Josiah and to everyone who has been helping us with food and taking care of pets and anything else that we need. We love you all very much and are so thankful for you! If you would still like to visit we are at Carle in room 1104 of Labor + Delivery.


Click here for the complete picture collection of Josiah's first day

Labor + Delivery :: Highlights From Last Night

Click here for the complete photo collection of Katie's labor + delivery