Shortly after our first child was born in 1997 my wife Melissa and I began dreaming of open spaces and a simpler way of living. We lived just 7 miles outside of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. It seemed that every day we drove to and from our daily activities a new gas station, cell phone store or fast food restaurant was in the process of being built. We didn't understand how the endless supply of consumerism would be able to be sustained.
Both of us grew up in more rural environments. My wife spent many years of her childhood living in a small home on a gravel road in Russell Springs, KY with her 5 brothers and 2 sisters. And I grew up in a small neighborhood in Withamsville, OH that was surrounded by thousands of acres of woods, just a short walk from our home, which afforded my older brother, sister and I endless hours of enjoyment. Additionally, my father grew up near Flemingsburg, KY and we often took the two+ hour drive to visit my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins which gave me an appreciation for the slower pace of a more rural, and in some ways more genuine lifestyle.
Shortly after the birth of our first child my wife and I began to spend most weekends researching, driving to or attempting to locate our dream property. Looking in Northern Kentucky, Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana we were on a mission to find the place that checked as many items off of the list as possible. It needed to have a house with character, a creek for exploring, a pond for fishing, some woods and some pasture, privacy, nice neighbors, be located within 1 hour of Cincinnati, at least 20 acres, good schools, etc. A pretty tall order. We continued to push the limits of our 1 hour drive as it seemed that every piece of land within 30-35 miles of Cincinnati was either out of our price range (competing with industry or developers), soon to be surrounded by houses on .17 acre lots or sit within 15 miles from Cincinnati while still requiring a 1 hour drive to work (due to the traffic created by the dense population in our preferred areas of town).
Finally, in the summer of 2010 we were about ready to give up and settle on a 12 acre lot without a home (it did have a creek and a pond) to build on when we decided to scour the online listings one last time. Well, as luck would have it, our dream property had just been listed the week before. It boasted 37 acres, a creek, a pond, a barn for horses with adjoining pastures, a barn for equipment, a two car detached garage (for classic cars and a wood shop of course), and a private setting (the road dead ands into our farm which backs up to other farms with acreage).
The stories and insights to follow are merely presented to document our families journey. Sharing with and learning from others is a fundamental part of the human experience. We're humbled by the opportunities and challenges we have faced in life and thankful for each day we are blessed with to spend time with our family and our friends. Thanks for taking some time to experience it with us!