leaving trunk

In September of 2007, 4 friends moved into 49 York Street in Kingston, Ontario. Without much of a clue as to what we were doing, we wanted to live our faith in the way we had dreamed about. We wanted to show hospitality to the poor, we wanted to take Jesus at his word, we wanted to grow in the knowledge of ourselves, each other, and God. We wanted to see the Word come to life. We wanted our faith to influence everything we said and did. We wanted to put our money where our mouths were.

Now it is 2 and a half years later. People have come and gone. We've had fights, we've partied, we've prayed, we've tried our best. And now the The House Famous as we have known it will be coming to an end. This was not a decision we came to easily, or without any regrets. But things have changed, and this is simply the direction things are going. We have all changed and grown in many ways and it seems that we are being called to move on.

I'm not sure what to say here, or how to sum up everything we've done and accomplished. I know for sure that this blog can only explain so much, and it doesn't seem fair at all to try and do this community justice with just a few paragraphs. But in light of that...

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and followed this blog. Thanks to everyone who visited us, who slept on our couches and ate with us. Thanks for challenging us and for putting up with us. Thanks to Chris, Ian, Ben, Taylor, and Liz for committing to this wacky community and for believing in what we tried to do.

We will miss this place and what has been to us and done for us. But now is the time to face what's next, and wait for the next part of the journey God has planned for us.

Much love,

The House Famous
(Brendan, Andrew, Shannon, Todd, Chelsea, Noah, Jason, Victoria)

Calling all (possible) interns!

Hi Internet Party People,

The House Famous will have an opening in the new year. And we want YOU to move in and become one of our world-famous and world-class interns. If this is something that interests you, feel free to contact us.

There is a link to our internship document and commitments to the right ----->

The Movie of the Decade.

Hello ev'ryone.

If you weren't one of the privileged attendees of The House Famous Movie premier, you can now watch it in the comfort of your own home. Or possibly on an iPhone or something in some exotic locale...such as Westport...or East Saint Louis.

Anyway, enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/8121609

*The House Famous is nor responsible for any of the laugh-related injuries you are sure to experience during the watching of this film.

More of the newest House Famous member...

Here are a few more shots of Noah; he is growing well and getting used to life outside the womb. So far, Noah has just a few modes: sleep mode, awake-concerned mode, and awake-grumpy mode. But we have caught him smiling a few times, so we think he's secretly having a good time.

The newest edition to the House Famous...

Noah Patrick Stelmach
Born: Wednesday October 21st, 2009
At 4:40am
At KGH in Kingston, with the most Awesome Midwives ever (thank you Donna, Leesha and Terri)! After 27 hours of labour and a little help from a vacuum, Noah came into the world! He had a little trouble with breathing, so the lovely KGH staff got him cleared up, and within no time he was a happy camper. We are now at home and settling into life with a newborn, but Noah seems very easy and co-operative so far. Everyone is happy and excited!

And the Winner Is...

Well friends, family, loved ones and all those who attended, the premiere of "House Famous Movie Film" was a hit. We hope you all enjoyed the beverages, company and especially the hosts.
Okay, let's not forget about the film either. As promised the results.

Quick Note: The nominees are comprised of all those who received at least one vote in their category, the winner is the one with the most votes.

Best Actor Nominees.
Brendan
All
Black shirted Mormon
Todd
Jason

And the Winner is... Brendan!!!

Best Actress Nominees.
Victoria
Liz
All
Chelsea
Shannon

And the Winner is... Chelsea!!!

Best Scene Nominees.
Welcome, Intern (Intern shunning at dinner)
Cookies + Friends (Andrew wanting to bake with Brendan)
Fun and Games (Interviews about monopoly)
Kitchen to Go (Liz making a huge mess)
Respect Your Elders (a fight with mormons)

And the Winner is... Welcome, Intern!!!

Best Cameo Nominees
Liz
Mormons
Andrew
Van
Bunny

And the Winner is... Mormons!!!

Best Costume Nominees.
Brendan's Beard
Jason (without a shirt)
A sleepless goat shirt
a shirt
shannon (at breakfast)
Mormon
Van
Blankets
Todd's Beard
All beards
Andrew (as a chef)

And the Winner is... Jason (without a shirt)

Best Set Design Nominees
Pile of Blankets
Van
Kitchen
Monopoly
Dumpster

And the Winner is... The Dumpster

A Note. In the category "Best Score" there seemed to be some confusion, not only from the voting members but also the panel of judges who deal with such issues. In light of this matter, the Award for Best Score has gone to Hans Zimmer for The Dark Knight. Thank You

Finally we asked you the audience to tell us which descriptor you felt best suited the film. Some of you felt moved by it, many of you felt that it was appropriate to title the film "funniest we have ever seen, in our whole lives, ever!"
We thank you.
But more than any other word to be associated with the House Famous Movie Film, you the viewers elected the film be described as

Classic.

We couldn't agree more.

So there you have it, a list of the bests of House Famous Movie Film. The creators of the film would like to thank you all for your support and participation.

A Bountiful Harvest

Even though this past summer was not a super-ideal growing season, what with the cool temperatures and many days of rain; yet God provided us with so much food out of our little back yard garden. Here we are harvesting and dealing with the basil plants, which we turned into about 5 litres of pesto (mmmm, delicious fresh pesto will be so tasty in February!).

We were also blessed with MANY pounds of green and purple beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kohlrabi, onions, snowpeas, zuchinni, lettuce, spinach and more cucumbers than you could shake a stick at.

As most of the plants are dying off now, we will spend part of this weekend putting the garden to bed for the winter. Although growing vegetables and herbs is a very normal and simple thing to do, it never ceases to amaze us how God takes the lifeless, seemlingly inactive little seeds and turns them into such a beautiful abundance. It's just one more illustration of what he's doing in the world: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

We hope to be people involved in this mysterious growing of God's kingdom... In the meantime, we will dig in the dirt and plant the seeds we're given, waiting for further instructions.