I titled last summer The Summer of Miracles.  At the point of our greatest need, we saw God’s provision for us in really tangible form.  We should not have been able to pay our bills or buy gas or groceries, but at the exact moment of our need, God always brought someone or something in our life to help us.  Once when we were at the gas station and didn’t have enough money in the bank to make it to a show, we “happened” to bump into someone who owed us $100 at the next pump.  The day before our power was going to be cut off, someone came by our house and said they just felt led to give us $300.  Someone offered us a swingset for our girls, and someone else surprised us and delivered it to our backyard.  No charge.  One morning I sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness” at the church where my father pastors, and that evening a man from the church that I knew only by name called and said he wanted to give Randy and me a station wagon.  These are just a few of the things that happened for us.

As I sit down to write this, I am overwhelmed by what has taken place in our lives over the last few months.   A week ago, our indiegogo campaign officially ended.  Through support online, checks in the mail, and fundraising concerts, we raised $3486.68 for The Seven Year Scratch.  These contributions were made by friends, family, fans, and complete strangers.  I cannot tell you how this money has already changed our lives.

We have been praying for a way to get our songs recorded for as long as we have known each other.  Together, we probably have about 50 songs that we would like to record in the near future.  Time in the studio is so expensive, especially when you give such meticulous attention to detail as Randy.  Since we have been married, we have always lived really frugally, opting for school/jobs that afford us to keep our creativity alive.  We have rarely turned down an invitation to perform our songs, as we believe it is the one thing in life that only we can do.   We have always known that music/songwriting/performing is really a major part of our purpose in life.  That said, it has been so frustrating to have these songs inside and not have a way to share them the way we hear them in our heads.

Toward the end of the summer, we had a show at Sweetwater Coffeehouse in Sautee, Ga.  After an evening of perfect coffee and an extremely attentive audience, we talked with a few people who seemed genuinely interested in our needs as musicians.  There seemed to be so many–I remember feeling overwhelmed by all the things we lacked to get our home studio up and running.  The thought of spending even $200 on a decent mic was unthinkable.  Everything we made was already spoken for–meeting the needs of our family.  But I was hopeful that this small group of people was interested in our music and felt that our music was making an impact and should be heard.

A few weeks later, we played a concert at Java Joe’s in Clarkesville (home of the best pancakes in the whole world…), and at the end of the show we were counting up our tip money.  My jaw suddenly dropped when I saw a check from someone I barely knew for $700.  She had written a note that said this money was for music-related expenses, that she believed in what we were doing and wanted to bless and help us.  This gift was the catalyst for great change in our life.  Through the invaluable help of an old friend of Randy’s, we made some decisions about the right recording software and a few studio essentials and began recording our first song at home, Pitter Patter.

Several months later, a dear friend of mine sent me a link to indiegogo, saying that it might be something we could take advantage of to let people know our needs.  I hesitated.  I didn’t want people to think we were begging.  I waited a couple of months, wondering if it was the right thing to do, and finally just decided I had nothing to lose in trying.  So here we are, $3500 later, getting ready for a summer of recording these songs.  Even though we didn’t reach our entire goal for the summer, we have raised enough to build a working studio and to get a good start, which would have been impossible for us without the support of so many people.  I cannot tell you how much of a miracle this is for us.  What seemed unthinkable only a year ago is now a reality for us.  And we now have the tools to record all the songs that are inside of us.

Recording our own music feels so right.  I have seen Randy’s creativity come alive in a way that I’ve never known it before.  He hears music so fully in his head, and his ability to put it all together amazes me.  I can only imagine how he will bring our songs to life.  We are so excited to be doing what we feel is really the exact thing we should be doing in life.  This summer, we will be concentrating on raising a family and recording our story–a story that only we, of all the people in the whole world, can tell.

Although the indiegogo campaign is officially over, if you would still like to make a donation, you can do that here.  All contributions are greatly appreciated and will go directly to The Seven Year Scratch.

Thank you for your support.  This post is a poor representation of the gratitude that we feel to each of you for making this a reality for us.  And for making this summer The Second Summer of Miracles.