10 Questions with ... Jenny & Tyler

1. Brief history/synopsis

"I was born in Jamestown, NY to a military family. My dad was a pilot in the Air Force for 25 years and retired a couple of years after I graduated from college. We moved every three years. I was able to live on the east coast, in the deep south, the midwest, and even Japan. Tyler was born in Wilmington, DE and lived in the same house his whole life! In some ways we couldn't be any more different. We met at the University of Delaware and were married right out of college, nine years ago. We moved to Nashville eight years ago and have two daughters, Jane and Sara."

2. What does a normal day at home look like for you?

"We try to wake up an hour before our girls every morning and drink coffee and tea together. We take that time to talk about our plans for the day and pray for our daughters. Our girls wake up and we all have breakfast together. I mostly act like a stay at home mom when we're not on the road. We go to parks, color, do things that little girls like to do. There are way too many princess things in our home right now. Tyler spends the morning taking care of music business things, mostly emails and marketing. Sometimes he has meetings or co-writes. For the past three months, he's been building a studio in our garage. I get two mornings a week to focus on music and writing. The girls head to nap after lunch and we try to work on music things together, and I also take care of the house. We really value eating dinner as a family every night. I'm not a great cook but I try! We have guests for dinner two or three times a week. Then it's time for the girls bedtime routine, after which we collapse on the couch."

3. What's the song that you just can't get out of your head right now?

"We're on a Judah and the Lion kick in our house right now. We love the song 'Take It All Back' from their record Folk Hop and Roll. 'Take It All Back' is about focusing on the important things in life even when success comes. Honestly, it's just really fun music. We listen to a lot of emotional singer-songwriters (we are those ourselves!), so it's really nice to just have a break from that and get a dance party going in our living room."

4. How much do you travel, what are the challenges? How do you juggle life on the road with wanting to be home with your two young daughters?

"We travel a lot but we have cut back a bit since the birth of our second daughter, Sara. We actually bring them with us on the road most of the time. We pile into our huge Sprinter van with a nanny and just embrace the craziness. It's really intense and hard but keeping our family together is really important to us. I don't think we'd keep doing this if we couldn't bring them along most of the time. We lose a lot of sleep having them on the road but I think it's worth it."

5. What Artist or Pastor has had the greatest impact on you?

"An artist who has had a great impact on me is the Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard. Glen released a record almost five years ago that resonated with me very deeply. I think that a song from that record called, 'Song of Good Hope,' has impacted me more than any song. The chorus is, 'Take your time babe, it's not as bad as it seems; you'll be fine babe, just some rivers and streams in between you and where you want to be. Watch the signs now, you'll know what they mean. You'll be fine now, just stay close to me and may good hope walk with you through everything.' To my knowledge, Glen isn't a believer, but to me that song feels like it was written from God's perspective by offering hope to a believer who feels lost or down trodden. This song came into my life at a perfect time. It's also played a powerful role in several of my life experiences. When I was in labor with our eldest daughter, Jane, I listened to a lot of music. The labor was long and painful and I often felt like giving up. Towards the end, this song came on right when I needed it and it helped me persevere. I sang it to Jane when she was a baby and it would calm her and often put her to sleep. I was diagnosed with epilepsy 12 years ago. My seizures are largely under control but every once and a while I have one. After having a grand mal seizure, I enter what they call the post-ictal state. I'm confused, usually afraid, unable to recognize my loved ones. I usually don't remember it. After my last seizure, during this extreme confusion, Tyler was able to get me to sleep by singing 'Song of Good Hope.'"

6. What's the last book you read?

"We recently read through Donald Miller's, 'Scary Close,' with some friends. It's difficult to sum up, but a lot of it is about addressing the issue of shame and how it affects one's life, along with playing a role in determining the person one portrays to the world. There is a chapter in which Miller talks about recalling the moment he first felt shame and how it affected the rest of his life. It made me think a lot about when I first remember feeling shame. I have struggled with acne from an early age and still do at 30 years old. I remember being at a dermatologist when I was about 10 to get my first prescription to treat my acne. The dermatologist said to me, 'Just because you have acne, that does not make you dirty.' The thought had never occurred to me that I might be dirty. I remember sitting in her office holding back tears, and wondering if all of my classmates had been thinking this all along. That moment set into motion a life time of body image issues. I think that taking myself back to that moment helped me understand that the lies I'd been believing about myself for such a long time were just that, lies. It was liberating."

7. Funniest or most embarrassing moment on the road?

"One of the strangest moments we've had on the road happened very recently. We had just finished a show in Peoria, IL and were driving that night after the show to get a head start to St. Paul, MN. Our goal was to get to a hotel in Waterloo, IA around 2:30 a.m., sleep until 7:30 a.m. and hit the road at 8 a.m. so that we could get to St. Paul on time to tour a pregnancy resource facility. Unfortunately, we got a later start after the show than we anticipated, so we showed up to the hotel at 3:30 a.m. When we arrived, the night manager was wandering around outside, as she'd locked herself out of the hotel. Her manager wasn't picking up and she didn't want to call the police. We waited around for about 20 minutes. We realized that even if we went to another hotel we wouldn't be getting to bed until nearly 4:30 a.m. so we just decided to drive through. We made it to St. Paul around 7:30 a.m., got some coffee and bagels and laughed at the whole thing. It was just bizarre. Our girls were incredible."

8. What organization/service group are you affiliated with?

"We are affiliated with an anti-trafficking organization called International Justice Mission, or IJM for short. IJM is doing incredible work rescuing slaves and prosecuting offenders. In the past 16 years, they've set over 25,000 people free and put 1100 perpetrators behind bars. They work with local governments to root out corruption in judicial and law enforcement systems. Slavery is pretty much illegal everywhere, but in many countries the poor are subject to violence and oppression simply because there isn't anyone to stand up for them and tell their oppressors that their actions are not okay and that there will be consequences. IJM stands up for the poor and the enslaved. We believe that human trafficking and slavery is one of the greatest evils of our time. We're honored to partner with IJM. A few years ago we released a covers EP called 'For Freedom.' All of the proceeds benefit IJM."

9. Person you'd most like to have a discussion with, living or dead...Deities are excused from this question

"Charlotte Bronte is one of my favorite authors and her novel,' Jane Eyre,' is my favorite. The protagonist, Jane is incredibly strong, resilient, and loyal. Her childhood friend, Helen, is one of the truest friends I've seen portrayed in literature. Our daughter Jane is named in part for Jane Eyre. I'd love to meet Charlotte Bronte and talk about the inspiration for her characters and just life in general."

10. Favorite Bible Verse..life verse?

"One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:4. 'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!' There are so many moments when I don't feel like being thankful or trusting the Lord, and this reminds me that I can rejoice in all things."

1. How & When did you become a believer?

"I became a believer when I was 15. I grew up in a Christian home, but really didn't make my faith my own until then. It was the night before we were moving from Delaware to Mississippi and I was afraid. I remember lying in bed, unable to sleep, praying. It was the first time I felt like someone was listening while I prayed. I ask the Lord to take my life because I knew I wasn't strong enough to make this move on my own."

2. What's the biggest "God moment" you've ever experienced?

"The most powerful 'God moments' I've ever experienced were the births of my daughters. There is nothing like watching a baby come into the world. It is truly miraculous."