present

~ about ~

i’m chelan, great to meet ya! from oregon, but just moved to austin in ‘07. to meet new friends & to keep my peeps in the beautiful northwest updated, i started journaling back in oct. ‘07.

you’ll find posts on a myriad of things like…all kinds of lessons i’m learning in trusting God as i become a thriving musician/artist, mommy & wife; random confessions; meaningful scriptures; & tidbits on stewardship ~ learning how the time & money i’ve been given here on earth can be spent to glorify my Creator & bless people (i.e: posts about dave ramsey, Christian PenPals and Compassion International).

…

some more stuff you might find here: exciting experiences, quirky comments, interesting youtube vids, fun firsts, prayers & frustrations…but i’ll try & keep things on the up-beat.

the russ family:

  • ricky (a fabulously handsome grpahic artist & man of God, 32),
  • chelan (me - also 32, family gal, musician, writer),
  • braylon (born 8/8/02: a caring, brave, & adorable, scooby-doo & rock-n-roll lovin’, sponge-brained creative & energetic boy) &
  • angel (born 12/4/06: our wee, sweet-pea one, our giggly mop-head who loves to dance & discover).

authentic ° personal ° intimate

.

a sidenote ~ music bio:

i’m gettin’ into the groove of the city here in austin. absolutely love live shows w/songs done differently, with heart & definitely soul, a little blues, a lot of rhythm, hopeful yet real, thoughtful lyrics. those are my goals as well. i like performing live, but also love just singing & dancing around the house, and writing songs for my kids. also love recording in a studio ~ tedious but really fun & interesting. Christian music - mostly acoustic, folky & funky is the best. worship done well, from the heart is what gets me all stirred up inside…but anything done in excellence is worth a listenin’ to. examples of artists & styles i appreciate:

instrumental: andy mckee, jim brickman, george winston, enigma

secular: joss stone, marc broussard, maroon 5, harry connic jr., alicia keys, christina aguilara, jack johnson, amos lee, sting, susan tedeschi, colbie caillat, tyrone wells

country: vince gill, martina mcbride, faith hill, collin raye, carrie underwood

Christian: shane & shane, hillsong united, darlene zschech, jonny lang, third day, nichole nordeman, sarah groves, tommy walker, mws, newsong, crystal lewis, israel & new breed