Welcome friends, family, and strangers alike!
This WILL, for sure, be my longest blog ever. SO MUCH has happened since the last time I checked in. Lauren and I traveled all over the place, bought a house, got married, went on our honeymoon, AND MORE! It's been a wild (yet fulfilling) 6 months!
If I was better at keeping up on this blog they wouldn't be AS long... but even still... I do like to write and be very thorough... so they would probably be relatively long. Anyways.. on to the excitement! :) As always, the blog will be broken down into many different sections (this time not so much chronological)
(All wedding professional photography done by Tara Lawrence Photography. She is beyond phenomenal in both her approach/energy and her actual photography!) Link: Tara Lawrence
Philosophy:
As we inch closer and closer to Christmas, I believe that it is important to remember to live into each season. Right now in our household, that means living into the Christmas Season- but please feel free to insert whatever season/holiday is fitting for your household or self. No matter what time of year it is, or what you are celebrating, it's important to find a way to ground yourself and center yourself in that time. Because "time" is so elusive and often passes by us or escapes us- it is easy to find ourselves becoming a victim of monotony or a "wishing of the past." How often have you heard "oh, it's the same old same old." Or, "these things just aren't as special anymore." Monotony and a "wishing of the past" disconnect us from the embodiment of now. They sever our ability to see, with clarity, the blessings and fullness of life that rest right in front of our eyes. An easy way to mark time, embody our cultures, ground ourselves, and soak in our identities and linage is through celebrating the seasons of our lives and the traditions that come with them. Build traditions, find a reason to celebrate today, make a nice dinner, give to someone less fortunate than yourself, keep a gratitude book, reflect on what makes you happy and filled with joy, and dig a little deeper into this time that you have now. Lauren and I have begun building our traditions and I just made a sheet of each month that has what we typically do in that month. We have times where we are celebrating our anniversaries, or special events that we love to go to throughout the year. Every Thursday that we can, I make a big fancy dinner and pair it with a wine for us. We take time every night to talk through our days and spend some quality time together where we disconnect from everything. And right now we are listening to Christmas music, decorating, watching Christmas movies and finding the joy in this season and all that comes with it. It's so important to ground yourself in time... don't let it escape you, let it fill you. It will pass all the same, but it's so much better to be present in the time than to let it slip away.
Work:
Work at Hope Lutheran Church has been going so well. I can't say it enough... I am BEYOND blessed to work there! And this year was a GIANT year for our music ministry!
1: Our praise band released AN ALBUM! All of this music is written by me, and everyone on the album did SO WELL! Check it out by clicking "Praise Band Album" and share with your friends :)
^^^ We had the awesome opportunity to play a full set for our "Fall Kick Off" at the church! It ROCKED! I love these cats.
2: Our Christmas Cantata went SO WELL! Below you will find the link to that. Our choir has grown in both quality and quantity and it REALLY shows in this Cantata. (All music is written by me!)
3: I wrote an Advent Service for Hope! If you're interested, take a listen!
Working at Hope is a true blessing! Check out our website if you're interested in attending any services!
House:
WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! It was time to leave our old house so we went on the hunt for a new home to begin our marriage in, and we sure lucked out! We had Ryan Bibza (the world's most impressive realtor) help us, and seriously... if you're looking to move----- CALL HIM! Here is his page
RYAN BIBZA
This is our old house. We did a lot this house. New roof, painted the interior and exterior, decorated the entire place, put in new blinds. It's always good to leave wherever you are better than it was when you arrived. We lived a lot of beautiful memories in this place, and now it's time to live somewhere else <3
1 of 2 UHAULS that we rented. It was just Ben, myself, and Lauren's dad. It was a busy 4 hours that morning! HAHA!
Me and my best dude, Ben. Couldn't imagine life without my best friend. He is one of the most selfless people that I have ever met... always there when you need him. People like that are so rare... if you have someone like that, treasure them.
Of course it rained all day!!! My new FATHER IN LAW! Again, another selfless person. He is always thinking of others, acting in their best interest, and sacrificing his personal interests, time, and resources to make someone else's life better. THAT's what a dad does. Lucky to have TWO selfless Dads now :) I am one lucky person, truly.
Many people came by that day (depending on their schedules)! Lauren and I are surrounded by big beautiful hearts all around. Our family and friends <3 Not pictured (Deb- my new mother in law! She couldn't come until a little later!) :)
The house has A LOT that needs done...but it's already on it's way. It had everything that we wanted- including POTENTIAL. That was extremely important to us. Life isn't cookie cutter. It's always in transition, always growing, and never perfect.
Our friend, Jay, made us a pie for moving in because he is the most wholesome man you'll ever meet. We enjoyed that pie so much because it was delicious and because it was made out of love in the spirit of giving!
The view in the morning...
The view at night...
Got on the roof and did some DIY work :)
Decorating the sunroom :) New windows coming soon! :)
A new fridge courtesy of Nana and Pap. Again, we are blessed. And yes, the 70's wallpaper will be coming down. Lauren has already started to paint the house hahahaha!
Enjoying some coffee in our new house with our new mugs from Valliant's Diner! :)
Wedding:
Alright... I know this is ACTUALLY what everyone came here for ;)
Only two weeks after buying our house, WE GOT MARRIED. The rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, the reception, and the honeymoon were all perfect. We wouldn't change a single thing <3 We were surrounded by our favorite people in this lifetime and had a BLAST talking, eating, dancing, and soaking in all of the moments <3
Ever since I first met Lauren, I told everyone that I was going to marry her. Of course in pure Chase fashion, I came on a little strong and I had a lot of ambitious energy... but, I knew. I knew I was supposed to be with her. And, the day finally came... I got to marry my best friend.
We don't have all of our photos yet- but we do have our sneak peaks which are INCREDIBLE. Also, I linked the song that I wrote for Lauren and played at our wedding- here:
Hold on to This
After we rehearsed :) For all of the weddings that I have played... and rehearsals that I have sat through... it was surreal to be in MY OWN?!!? Also... look at how beautiful Lauren is. Stunning.
Some of our favorite people of all time. Each person in this photo holds a very special place in our hearts. They are genuine, loving, caring, selfless, hilarious, unique, and fun people. The words don't exist to describe this group.
Love these people. <3
Men's breakfast before the wedding! GREAT time with these fellas.
My dude. Nothing like getting ready in a small bathroom HAHAHA
10 minutes until it was time!!!
Here are some of the professional photos from the day! :)
Doug wasn't the only one crying at this moment HAHAHA
This is when we were listening to the song <3
Our first kiss as husband and wife <3
Two beautiful families becoming one! <3
The traditional high kick :)
Honeymoon:
A giant thank you to everyone who had a part in our wedding and who supported us going on our honeymoon as well. We had a BLAST and did SO MANY fun things and got to experience a lot that we never have before! Please enjoy these pictures from our trip!!!!!!!!
The beautiful scenery :)
Touchdown in San Fran!!! :)
This actually was NOT part of our itinerary hahaha! But, Lauren and I are always down for some spontaneity and we found a pull off and started adventuring! We went on a nice long hike (we needed to kill some time anyways before we could check in, in Napa!)
A stunning collision of many things... beach, humanity, a flower, and behind all of this a forrest. So many things intersecting in one place. A good reminder that we exist in constant collision with other things- each having their own beauty, and each deserving their own space and respect.
Got free bubbles when we arrived! :) I also got to play their piano in the lobby. WOOT!
Our first winery! Chateux Montelena... a WORLD FAMOUS WINERY! This is one of the wineries that put Napa Valley (and the United States) on the map due to the Judgement of Paris. We got to see one of the bottles from 1976!
^^^ This was our line up for the tasting! :) It was called a "Library tasting" which is typically when the winery pours wine from the past. We got to try their Cabernet Sauvignon from 2000 (on the right) My favorite was the 2011 and then the 2006. This tasting was extremely informative but it got even better at the end! As we got to talking with the two other couples there, we started talking about being musicians and they asked us to perform (HAHA OF COURSE) So, Lauren sang my piece "De Toi" which I wrote for her. She was on the balcony and it was perfect... <3
After that winery, we found our way to another winery! Again, impromptu! This was Castello Di Amorosa. The castle was cool, the wine was pretty good, but it was our waitress that made our experience so cool! She was from France and is here on a work Visa. I gave her "De Toi" to look over and make sure it was grammatically correct in its French- and she actually started crying. It was so moving. One of my favorite moments from our honeymoon.
We took some time to hike :) Mount Saint Helena, the tallest peak around Napa Valley!
The view from up top was beautiful. We could see all of Napa Valley. The best part, we had all the time up and down to have beautiful conversations about life moving forward and where we have been so far.
After a sweaty hike, we got all dressed up and went to what would be our favorite restaurant during the entire trip: RH. It was everything and more...
RH is all about design, and they did not disappoint.
Our dinners... :) DELICIOUS!
The other winery that put Napa on the map during the Judgement of Paris was STAG'S LEAP! Different from Stags' Leap... which is RIGHT near this one, but is NOT the winner of the Judgement of Paris.
We got to tour their underground cellar!
And enjoy a tasting experience with a nice pairing made by their chef! INCREDIBLE! A lot of the wine we tried is far outside of our budget, so it was nice to try it there!!!
One more tasting :) Trefethen! One very special part about visiting this winery is that I used their wine to ask for Lauren's parent's blessing to marry her :) We made sure to make it here and celebrate that!
We also met some folks who lived in the North Hills! SMALL WORLD HUH?!?!
This night we got dinner at Los Agaves but then ended up getting dessert at another place. When we got there, we ordered dessert and I got a Port (dessert wine.) WHICH I HATED! HAHAHA So, after only having one sip each, I decided to offer it to the table behind me, since Port is typically VERY loved. It was a table of 4 who were enjoying their own wine and they brought the waitress over and asked her to pour us some wine from their decanter in the back! They were SO NICE! We ended up joining up tables and drinking with them. His name was Sanjay and he was the coolest dude. After learning that we were on our honeymoon he bought the table a really nice champagne as well! HAHA They were so gracious! After leaving, we learned that the red wine that they shared with us was a 300.00 bottle- CRAZY hahaha It was a wild experience!
Our day in San Fransisco!!!! We started at the Palace of Fine Arts!
Sat on the Wave Organ :)
Made it over to Ghirardelli! YUM!
Of course we had to get the Sundae! :)
We the tourist thing and went to the Fisherman's Wharf.
Had a GREAT lunch at Scoma's! AND we got to see some Sealions!!!!
We also got to ride on the Trolly Car!!!!!!!! ON THE SIDE OF IT!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!
To end the evening, we got to go to a Jazz club- Mr. Tipples! Great DIM SUM and great JAZZ! Highly recommend!
Oysters and Champagne. This was our first time paring the two :) This was at OxBow which is a big market in Napa- again... highly recommend!
Dinner at the Waterfront Grill!
We were sat next to a couple with two kids. We got to talking to them and found out that they lived in Harrisburg before they moved to California. The husband actually went to YSU! They left a little before us, and we found out later that they paid for our meals since it was our honeymoon. Again- we are WAY too blessed and they were so gracious. These are the kinds of acts that restore my faith in humanity again.
OxBow again. Some of the BEST sushi I've ever had.
CLOS DU VAL! Here we had another Library tasting. We were SO excited for this one, and when we started tasting we couldn't have been more happy. The wines were OUT OF THIS WORLD. This is where we got our only bottle of wine to take home. It's going to be our anniversary wine that we open next year :) 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. Think about that.... 19 years..... that is MOST of our lives! We got to taste the time of our lives!
Robert Mondavi tasting :)
Now listen... SO MUCH more happened... but there is WAY too much to write. We tasted, we hiked, we drove around, we ate great food, we played cards, we talked, we relaxed in our hotel, we met some amazing people, we read by the fire, we lived it up :) It was amazing and we can't wait to go back someday.
ALL THE TRIPS THIS SUMMER:
Just catching up from all of the adventures that happened since the last time I wrote! We got to go to Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Fingerlakes in New York!
I had an incredible opportunity to teach at the Interlochen Academy of the Arts in Michigan. I got to teach many students throughout the week and explore Michigan in the evenings! Unfortunately, due to safety, I am not permitted to post pictures of the lessons because there are kiddos in there. BUT THEY WERE LOTS OF FUN! Lots of movement and music- and a lot of growth for me as an educator!
The Sand Dunes! You can't really tell from the photo... but these were EXTREMELY steep. They were actually so steep that there was a sign at the top that warns that if you get stuck it will be a $3000.00 fine. It took us a couple minutes to get down by jumping, but almost 45 minutes to get back up with MANY stops because you would get tired within 30 seconds. It was TOUGH! BUT BEAUTIFUL!
Made our way to Rove Winery :) Cute little winery in the town that we crossed through.
We got to try some real cherries! DELICIOUS!
One day after I had a tough day of teaching (lessons didn't go well) I wanted to disconnect from all of it. We got dinner and brought it to this little beach up north and watched the sun go down. It was exactly what we both needed. The next day I felt so much more connected to my lesson and my students and from there the lessons were SO much better. I did get very sick at the end of the week and had to leave early :( It sucked- the gunk was going around the kids and made it to some of the adults as well.
Kentucky
Later in the year, Lauren and I got to go on our personal vacation. We went down south to see my family and tour the Bourbon trail. Our first stop was a surprise for Lauren- she didn't know that I booked us at the Kentucky Castle, and even better I booked their outside tent. :) We were going GLAMPING HAHA!
The sounds at night and in the morning were beautiful and soothing.
After dinner we got an Old Fashioned. Nothing like a classic, especially when it is smoked! The bartender was great- funny and informative!
I also special ordered us some strawberries with rose pedals :) I love surprising Lauren :)
^^^^^^ WE GOT TO SEE MY FAMILY DOWN SOUTH!!!!!! Pictured above is Grandma and Aunt Ruby! <3 This was their first time meeting Lauren. We are excited to get back down there to see them again soon. LOVE Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Made it to see the Grand Ole Opry!
Listened to music all night in TN! Broadway was bumping with great music and great drinks!
Then we went to many distilleries! This picture is from the tour of Willet.
Our first annual Sib-Trip! Fingerlakes NY! We all LOVE the Fingerlakes.
Fall:
Fall is our favorite season! :) We got to celebrate some of our favorite activities and I got to start some more fun activities!
PICKLEBALL!!!!!!!!!!! Started playing Pickleball! Great game :)
Celebrating our first time meeting in person at SRU :)
APPLEFEST in Franklin :) Another tradition!
And some horseback riding in Cook Forrest! (Which I always thought was CookS Forrest...) Apparently not...
We went to Lutherlyn as well. It was very special for Lauren especially because she grew up going there as a camper. I am working on a project with Lutherlyn to share my original Christian music with them to use with their campers- it was a great honor to be there!
Memories with friends :)
Weddings :)
Now:
What have we been up to now?
Well... we have been singing, prepping for the holidays, cooking, and working on the house! (and of course... playing some cards. Last night I got CRUSHED in Hand and Foot!)
Bruschetta :) And a GREAT Spanish wine
German dinner :)
Christmas Pup :) <3
Well folks... there are A LOT more photos, memories, words, and everything else... but very little time. I think I will stop there for my sanity and the sanity of all who are reading!!! I am so lucky to be a married man to the most wonderful woman, Lauren Upchurch. I am blessed in my work, blessed by my family and friends, and I am so lucky to be living this life.
I will leave you with this:
"Fast, and quicker yet."
Take some time to slow down, center yourself, and live in this moment.
Thank you for being a witness to my journey!
-Chase
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