Chapter One - A Place to Call Home

April 2006 - May 2008
It all started with a hope and a dream the Spring of 2006. We had just had our precious baby girl and we realized that our house that we had moved into just a short year earlier, was soon to be outgrown. We prayed, discussed, prayed, rediscussed and came to the conclusion that, rather than just buying another house in the city where we planned to live just a few short years, we should start looking for land in which to build a permanent home. And so, the journey started.

About once a month we would drive the county roads of Prosper, Celina, Gunter, McKinney, Aubrey, and nearly every town North of Dallas looking for the perfect piece of property. We began talking with our friends, Mark and Kay Pope about our adventure. They decided to join us on our journey and it soon became a car of 5 driving the small country roads. For nearly a year, we searched high and low for property. About this time, the Popes decided to talk with their children, Danny and Amanda about joining in on the purchase. And, it became very clear that Casey and I could not move that far North and still keep Lexi with my sister as a sitter. That relationship was very important to me, so I began to put the bug in my sister, Brandy's, ear about moving with us. At first she was NOT moving to the country (she has lived in Arlington all of her life), but the thought grew with her and her husband, Mike. We talked with other friends about moving and had a grand plan of it being a "little" community of friends and family.

We continued to look for land for another year or so when we decided we needed to bring in the aid of a realtor to make it happen. The four families were on board 100% at this time and we were serious about moving. I found a realtor in Celina, Mary McCauley, that helped with our search of 2-3 acres lots for each of us. Within a month, she found property that was everything we were looking for and more - 20 acres on Wallace Road in Gunter, TX. At first, it was more than what we bargained for - but after praying again, discussing a lot, and praying some more - we realized this was just the place for our future homes.