Day 110

Life is full of simple pleasures. Waking up to the call of birds. Exercising with a little walk through nature. Chatting with loved ones. Reenergizing with a tasty snack or beverage. Sitting around and doing literally nothing. We were excited to have the ability to do all of these things right in our own backyard. But we didn’t want to do them alone.

We had visions of our house having an open door feel to friends and family. We wanted to create a fun and inviting atmosphere that promoted connectedness with others and nature. We felt our new dream could offer so much to others. Wildlife watching. Nature walks. Vegetable and native plant garden. Nature playground. Maybe even a beer garden. There's not much we enjoy more than spending time in nature and unwinding with a nice cold beverage. My wife and I are huge craft beer connoisseurs. Though we have our favorites, we are flexible and will give everything a chance. Now, I don't quite understand why IPA’s are so popular, but I am adjusting my taste buds appropriately. 

We decided to jumpstart this vision by hosting my elementary school’s end of the year party. With a nice patch of lawn in front of the barn, parking was not an issue. With generous food and drink donations from the staff, neither was having enough to eat and drink. Even though the first floor was not yet remodeled and our outdoor projects were either in transition or not yet started, having people over to enjoy our space was invigorating. We knew we loved what our property would become and we hoped others would too. 

The party was a success, but we knew we wanted our social gatherings to be more than a once a year event. Whether it was family holidays, birthday parties, play dates, or just opportunities to relax, we looked forward to hosting many more soirees over the years.

We hoped people would want to join us for these get-togethers. 

As inviting and friendly as we are, we felt confident we could throw some pretty cool shindigs. However, we quickly found out many people wanted to visit us for an entirely different reason.