The Shattucks

leahandsteven.com

stevenandleah — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:25:14 +0000

Is now up and running! Same blogs and info, better-looking site (and domain name!). Go now

Christmas Card 2009 Update

stevenandleah — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:26:03 +0000

Hi everyone! This post is in replacement of a Christmas letter that we were thinking we would include with our cool card.

The photos on the card were taken at the Joy’s House 10^th Annual Black Tie Gala in October (yes, in an old-fashioned photo booth!). Leah became Outreach Coordinator at Joy’s House in May, a not-for-profit adult day service that provides care for adults living with physical and mental challenges while providing respite for caregivers. She absolutely loves her new position, and gets to dabble in graphic design, marketing and event planning!

Steven is continually producing successful short videos for organizations and local businesses at CMC Media Group. He has made many great relationships with churches, small businesses and hospitals this past year. We are both very blessed to work for such wonderful companies filled with amazing people!

Leah is still singing on the praise team at Castleton Christian Church, and Steven has helped develop the web site and coordinate technical aspects of the Sunday service.

This fall we’ve had the opportunity to house Leah’s cousin, Chris Ashbaugh (son of Keith & Dee), while he enters his first semester of grad school in music composition at Butler University. Leah has gotten used to have all boys in the house (including the animals!) – and it’s been fun to listen to his pieces of work come together into a beautiful arrangement.

Jake, the Italian Greyhound, turns 4 this month. He is still getting used to having a brother, Desmond (aka Jack, aka “Kitty”), a 12-year-old white medium hair cat we adopted in February. They argue over who gets whose lap to snuggle in.

This has been a growing year in many aspects. We have met many new, wonderful people in 2009, and it’s exciting to see our relationships grow and form. God has provided for us in ways we cannot begin to appropriately thank Him for!

We hope all is well with you, and please continue to come back to our blog to check for updates in 2010. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Block party

stevenandleah — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:41:15 +0000

Last night we attended our first neighborhood block party. Our new neighbor across the street coordinated the whole thing, and she’s only lived there for 3 months! A gal on our street is a police woman, so she set up a permit and alerted the city of our barricaded bonfire in the street – however, we still had complaints from enough folks to send out a pair of troopers to check it all out. They were so impressed that a gathering of neighbors were hanging out.

I love this neighborhood, and it was wonderful to place names with faces.

A month in 200 words

stevenandleah — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:16:39 +0000

October came and went. It was a good month, a busy month and a learning month. We have put a handful of miles on our little Aveo, we’ve met some new people, we’ve celebrated and we’ve grown in our current relationships.

I made it through my very first Joy’s House black tie gala, and we raised nearly $90,000! I’m getting more confident in this event planning field, and I know next year will be great and grand with my head held high. Steven even bought a tux for the occasion, which he will get use out of again this week for his Miami Valley Hospital award ceremony dinner video.

John and Julia got married in Goshen earlier this month. Such a fun wedding surrounded by so many wonderful family members and friends! They went with us yesterday to IKEA and loaded their new Rio5 (bought that morning!) with bedroom and kitchen furnishings for their house. It’s been such a blessing to have good friends live just a few blocks away from us. God has his timing perfect.

After reconnecting with a longtime church friend at a chance encounter at Starbucks last year, we’ve been introduced to a group of people that are in the same stages of life as we currently are. Again, God’s timing… perfect.

We closed out the month in style as Team Zissou for Halloween.

November starts with World Series Game 4.

Thursday

stevenandleah — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:26:35 +0000

Sitting in the basement, watching the Steelers/Titans game, surrounded by friends. It’s a good night.

Da, da, da, daaa

stevenandleah — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:30:43 +0000

…yes, that’s me singing along to Steven’s video games. I’m a very good game “watcher.” He actually plays the RPG; I figure out the puzzles and where to go in the dungeons. It’s a very good system.

I got bored with that, so I happened to stumble upon my old livejournal account from college, and quickly entertained myself again. Very dramatic entries - some boyfriend trauma, some class discrepancy and a few artsy poems and prose.

During the semesters without my best friend and roommate, Rachel, I apparently wrote several “missing her” pieces. Here are a couple of my favorites:

09.16.02
She sits there
Playing harmonica or
Pondering life’s questions.
Broadened smiles make
Me laugh.
She sits there
Knowing little how much
She is loved and
Appreciated.
My roommate, my friend, my Rachel.

****
08.01.03
Mummifed Burlap ring a bell?
Yeah, whatever, it’s just as well,
Not the divas of Hollywood,
But you will notice if you could

We feel like Siamese
Twins
Always hooked together
We feel like Siamese
Twins
Never do we bore each other

From way back in second grade
Jealousy was it that made
Our friendship rise up to fame
People say we’re quite insane

But we think we’re mighty fine
And you know we would be lyin’
If we told you otherwise.
We’ve had our share of loser guys.

We should be Siamese
Twins
Always hooked together
We should be Siamese
Twins
Never do we bore each other

You may have seen us on tv
Or in a movie more likely.
We are young and beautiful.
We could outbelch you in full.

Not Mary Kate or Miss Ashley
But we perform more talently
Laughing smiling all the time,
No one knew that we could rhyme.

We are like Siamese
Twins
Always hooked together
We are like Siamese
Twins
Never do we bore each other

The “zoomies”

stevenandleah — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:32:17 +0000

Jake, our 3.5-year-old Italian Greyhound, has retraced his youthful steps tonight. When he was a puppy, he would have bursts of sporadic energy and run like crazy around the coffee table, down the hallway, and repeat. We called these times the zoomies. Usually they would happen two or three times before bedtime. Though is a “mini” greyhound, he can still top 35 mph. And on hard wood floors, WATCH OUT.

Tonight the summer air has taken hold of him. We went on a walk, and he could hardly contain himself. Look at that oil spot over there! What about that telephone pole! I smell garbage! Holy COW!

Maybe it’s because I watched Marley & Me over the weekend, but I got a little sentimental. We roamed the basement floors and growled at each other like the good ole puppy days.

It’s definitely a wonderful summer in the making. Even Jake thinks so. (He’s pooped and sleeping next to me on the couch.)

Wii are fit to be had

stevenandleah — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:14:17 +0000

So my birthday was yesterday (yes, also Mother’s Day), and I’ve decided that I want to spend my birthday earnings on a Wii Fit. I’ve scoured ebay, half.com and craigslist for the past couple days and it’s a ridiculous commodity! People are wanting your own arm and leg for USED pieces of equipment!

New (and in-store), the game and board is about $89, but some of these listings are way above and beyond $100. And then, of course, they are “slightly used.”

I keep hoping I’ll find a good deal for about $60 or so, but it’s not really a hopeful thought. It’s amazing to me that the game – and even the Wii consule itself! – is still so highly sought after, even a year into the beginning retail sales. I’m a terrible ebay-er, so I guess I’ll have to just put my name on a waiting list at my local Best Buy…

In other news, Steven and I went to paint pottery with the folks at Joy’s House. I had a great time painting a water pitcher and conversing with my new fellow employees. I’ve loving every aspect of my new job right now, and apparently it shows. Steven laughs at my beaming personality these days.

Houses, houses, everywhere!

stevenandleah — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:50:45 +0000

1) It’s cool to live in a developing district of town. 2) It’s not so cool when there are TONS of great, old houses that I’ve fallen in love with. We’ve been here two years, and we’ve seen the downward spiral of the housing market affect our area. Unfortunately some of the big, beautiful historic houses we couldn’t afford when we were buyers are now within our original house-hunting budget. And I’m dumb enough to watch the Web sites…

I (Leah) do like our house, but it pains me that the market has changed so much in just a couple years. We both would’ve loved to live in a house with 12′ ceilings!

At least we have been able to refinance. And we ARE a part of the lovely community – and our dream of living in the very heart of Irvington isn’t too far away. Ten, fifteen years?

Spring blooms

stevenandleah — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:58:33 +0000

Leah is now Outreach Coordinator at Joy’s House in Broadripple, Indianapolis. I am responsible for marketing/design and event planning for several major fundraising events throughout the year. I’m thrilled to be part of the non-profit world, and the organization for adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s is wonderful and highly uplifting. They have touched so many lives in the 10 years of its founding.

Similarly, Steven has been nominated to be on the marketing and communications board for CICOA. He is happily and successfully producing quality videos for large and national as well as small and local businesses with CMC Media Group. His new endeavour includes affordable web site video production through VideoVisit.biz.

We are very blessed to be working in fields in which we love and have great concern.