01/11/2023
Hello everyone and welcome to your Wednesday Ted Talk, with yours truly…self proclaimed manager of this crazy farm and venue.
I am sitting alone in the house (never happens) and in my office I look up at the only sign I’ve got hung up. I start to get teary eyed because I bought this 3 years ago. It just felt like one of those “good motivators” for my life and business. Little did I know, that in under a year our dream would blossom into something that no one was ready for. But God. Listen, if y’all don’t like Jesus talks, you might want to scroll past this post 😉
For years, and I mean years, we battled as a family with what to do with our little (read:big) dream on the property next door. I remember countless quarrels between my parents of “let’s just tear it down then!” “It’s way too big!” “When is this going to be done?” And I was there for 90% of those arguments and felt each word so deeply. I didn’t quite comprehend what they’ve sacrificed or worked for until I got a bit older, but either way I knew that it was a dream that only God could sprout in their hearts and bring to fruition. The timing was the one thing that no one wanted to deal with. It felt like it was taking too long. Ben, myself and the girls have now lived with my parents going on 9 years. Those early few years were crazy tough. Adjustments all around and this big, vacant building that would one day bring a smile on so many faces, was looming in the background. 2019 was a pivotal year for us. We hosted our first farm event and while everything wasn’t completed, the response felt good and things were moving in the right direction. Enter 2020. The year everyone wants to forget. But this year was one where great strides were made on the building and in our hearts. 2021 rolls around and we knew we were on the cusp of being able to host farm to table events…but how? It seemed like there was so much that still needed to be finished, so many items needing acquired before we “arrived”. But God. We had a “fake wedding” with dear friends of ours that spring in hopes that maybe this would provide the vision that we had in our hearts and minds to potential clients. And boy, did it. (Cont’d in comments)