Us

Way back when I first started the blog (last October), I promised, among other things, a proper intro to who "we" are.

The best place to start is who "I" am, aside from the info on my profile page. My name is Jason, and I will be responsible (and to blame) for all of the posts here, though I must immediately credit my wife, Sarah, and our daughters, D & T, for most if not all of the photos.

Sarah & I grew up in central Illinois about 45 minutes apart, but we didn't meet until coming to school at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale in the mid 90's. Her father has been a farmer since college, and mine was a factory worker until they shut down his plant earlier this decade. Both of our mothers are/were (until retirement) educators at the schools we attended.

After graduating with an English degree, I started a landscaping company that is still my main source of income, working mostly in Carbondale, about 15 miles from home.

Sarah graduated with a degree in Fiber Arts, and has been growing her art business since. Her work is currently featured in a dozen or so galleries in the Midwest, and we try to attend 5-8 weekend art festivals a year.

Until recently, however, this was more of a side job for her. She home-schooled our daughters through grades 4 & 1, respectively, until they enrolled in school near our home this past fall. It was a wonderful, if not exhausting, experience for us (especially her, as I was able to "escape" to work.)

For those of you who have considered home-schooling, let me say that it is possible to raise normal, bright, well-adjusted,& inspired (and inspiring) children in this way. We never mastered the challenge of meeting the complete "standard" curriculum, but there were things gained by each of us learning together in this way. The girls are now in 5th and 2nd grades, finding their place in their own worlds.

We love to travel together, and were lucky enough to do so often when our schedules allowed more freedom. The girls favorites have been camping in Door Co., WI, & Land Between The Lakes, KY, as well as a beach trip to Cape San Blas, FL, all with some of our best friends from upstate. (And T would be upset if I didn't mention our annual trip to Holiday World water & amusement park in Indiana.)

I hope this glimpse into our lives gives you a small idea of who we are.
We welcome you to follow us here, as you will certainly learn as much about us through the experiences and anecdotes posted as you have in these few paragraphs.