The more and more time we’re spending at the land lately, the more we’re realizing the fresh air, space, and (most of all) clarity we feel when we’re out there, is exactly what we want right now, and perhaps, exactly what we need.

When we first laid eyes on this property almost two years ago, we knew it would be the perfect piece of land to start a venue on. The views are spectacular, there’s plenty of space to expand if it ever came to that (we can dream!), and there’s a sense of magic when you’re there that’s indescribable. It’s hard to explain unless you’re out there, but when it’s just you and the land, taking in huge gulps of fresh air with nothing but greenery all around you, it’s easy to feel it. All at once you’re in the south of France in the country somewhere with rolling hills, and maybe there’s a vineyard just beyond the trees. Not that we’ve ever been to the countryside in France, but that’s the feeling we get when we’re roaming the land. We’ve said it before, but it feels like nothing is impossible out there; like there are endless possibilities and dreams just waiting to come true.

When we first laid eyes on this property, we saw it as very much a commercial space, one that would thrive with enough determination and hard work. Now, with the pandemic shutting down virtually everything (though there are talks that parts of the U.S. are opening back up for business, and we don’t agree with that mentality in the least), we don’t think it would be smart to start a brand new business centered around the idea of large groups of people gathering together to celebrate. So, while it never occurred to us before to turn the big metal building that came with our land into a house, one day it suddenly made sense. We can’t even remember how the conversation started, but it was like we were both reading the same book, on the same page, and were both turning that page to the next chapter at the same time. It just felt right.

We know how extremely fortunate we are to have land like this during this time, to have a place to escape to and let the kiddos (and ourselves) get some much needed space. We know so many people don’t have the option to leave their homes and go somewhere safe, even if for a few hours. Our land was never meant to be a refuge for us like it’s become, and we couldn’t have imagined a year ago that we would be spending as much time out here as we have been. It was always meant to be shared with others. Now, we know that won’t be happening anytime soon, so PJ’s 10+ year dream of running an event space will have to be put on hold for the time being.

We’ve been mowing and clearing a lot of the brush around the building and the pavilion for the past week or so. The grass was almost getting too high to mow and had we waited a little longer, it would have probably required a bush hog. It’s wild how the feel of the building and the land has completely changed just by mowing. It’s like night and day. We were out there the other day and we had just finished cutting the grass and the kiddos were running around playing and all of the sudden it felt real, like, “Oh, this could actually work for us. We could be happy out here.” It felt less like a big, cold metal building and more like a place we could come to relax, unwind, and (here’s that word again) escape.

Speaking of the kiddos, they LOVE it out there. They always get so excited when we mention we’re going to the land, and the second we park the car and open their doors, they bolt out and start running around. They love the big back yard (our yard in town is teeny tiny) and have set up shop on some old tires that came with the land. They lovingly and affectionately refer to them as their playground haha. How cute is that? Proof that you can buy kids the newest, most expensive toy, but at the end of the day, most times they’d be just as happy with a few tires and some sticks.

Little brother has been having the time of his life finding “Mashed Potato Heads” everywhere, which are just little brown rocks shaped like potatoes. He wants to bring every single one home. PJ began to build a dam in the backyard the other day in an effort to keep the natural spring runoff contained to start a little pond back there. The way we’re designing the house, our side porch pavilion would overlook the pond and hopefully create a peaceful place to relax. When everything is quiet, you can hear the water trickling and it’s so soothing.

Having this land to escape to when we feel overwhelmed or stressed has been so welcomed during this time. We couldn’t have imagined we would be getting this much use out of it when we purchased it last year. There were a lot of big dreams for this place, and even though they’ve shifted in the last month, they’re still very much important to us. PJ has been drawing up floor plans for a few weeks now, often not putting the pencil down until almost midnight. This space has consumed us and is allowing us to stretch our creativity in a way that we feel we’ve needed for a while. We get so much enjoyment and fulfillment designing and renovating spaces and when the pandemic first started, we (much like the rest of the world) felt an immediate sense of fear and hopelessness take over. Over the last few weeks, since this has become our new normal and we’ve began to adjust to it, it feels good to get started on something else to take our mind off everything and (bonus) be beneficial for our family.

We will continue to document our plans and renovations here, on our Instagram, and our YouTube channel. It’s always so fun to look back later on and see the progress and how far we’ve come and how much things have changed. We’re counting our blessings more than ever before and, despite everything, we feel immensely grateful during this confusing and scary time.

As always: sending you light and love, friends. xx