We had always dreamed of finding a piece of property to move to for retirement once our three children, Christian, Gabe and Brie, had grown. In 2020, earlier than expected, we found that property in the southwestern mountains of Virginia. Our plan was to visit on the weekends from our home in Raleigh, N.C., but we ended up loving being here so much that in 2021 we decided to leave the city life behind and move the family to the ranch full time.

​

With no shelter on the property, we quickly constructed a yurt to temporarily live in while we built a log home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using white pine logs we harvested from the land, we spent the next year and a half building our dream log home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​​

Our desire to live a sustainable life and raise happy, healthy, antibiotic- and hormone-free animals became a reality when we added pigs, chickens, sheep, and Hereford cattle. We have also welcomed four horses, 5 goats and three cats to our family, which already included two German Shepherds.

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

We now have a desire to share the beauty of our surroundings with others. In 2023 we founded our non-profit The Refuge at Freedom Ranch, which creates a therapeutic environment for at-risk youth from the surrounding counties of southwest Virginia by pairing them with horses and other farm animals.

​