My husband Nick and I have carved out a slice of heaven for ourselves in Bentonville, Arkansas. Yes, you read that correctly. Heaven on earth...in Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas, to be more specific. We have a house in the woods that we share with our 3 furbabies: Libby, Lucy, and Snoop. 

(Skip the nonsense and look at my doggos.)

Nick and I are both percussionists and band directors. We legit met at band camp. *insert awwww or giggling here* We were on the staff and paired up to teach together, and the rest is history! We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in March of 2021.

Life Update!

I resigned from teaching at the end of May 2022...with no plan! *gulp* It was terrifying and liberating and exactly what I needed. I recognize the privilege in being able to "pull off" such a move and fully realize that things wouldn't have happened that way if we had children. A time of grieving began after realizing that I had left the only career I had ever wanted or planned to have - music education.

As fate would have it, the perfect job posting was brought to my attention that summer, and I'm so proud, honored, and thankful to say that I landed it. I am now the Education Director for the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas! The position is primarily remote and currently part-time, so I have been afforded the gift of being able to really invest more time and energy into my glass business, while still very much having my hands in the music education world. Serendipity!

Also, we've expanded our family, but this time instead of more fur, we've added feathers! Now upstairs we have a glass studio, a music room, and an aviary/office. In order of their adoption Into our family, we have Chet Beaker, a green/yellow parakeet; Benny Goodbird, a blue parakeet; and Archimedes (Archie) Bongo Conure, a Green Cheek Conure. Slip right on over here to see these handsome gents.

In addition to stained glass, my hobbies include: 

spending time with any of the animals in our zoo, dreaming up reasons to start my 

own podcast, re-watching Ted Lasso, & wishing I were a stand-up comedian. 

I also used to be involved in tap dancing & kickboxing and will return to those soon!

Curious, are you?

"How does one become a stained glass artist?" It's a question burning in the hearts and minds of millions across the globe some people.

I've always been a "maker," considered myself crafty, enjoyed trying new things. I signed up for a class with a lovely married couple in the town just north of us, and asked my mom to join me. Mom came home with a few Christmas ornaments, and I came home with this hummingbird.

Instantly. Obsessed.

That class was early December of 2019. I received a beginner kit to get started in the craft from Nick's grandmother for Christmas later that month and immediately immersed myself. My first project was a cardinal for Nick's grandmother as a token of gratitude for her very generous gift, that literally changed my life. I concurrently made a Santa for my mom to complete her Christmas set.

As everyone alive on this earth knows and will always know, the world came to a screeching halt in March 2020. As a school teacher at the time, this meant being at home 24/7 through the remainder of that school year. That translated into the gift of time to hone my glass skills. I opened my Etsy shop on July 6, 2020. When I got the notification on my phone that I had made my first sale - TO A STRANGER, might I add - I just couldn't believe it.

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who supports my dreams and my creations - whether you've made a purchase, "liked" a social media post of mine, followed my accounts...it all makes a difference & adds to my success. I pinch myself almost daily because I can't believe this is my life!