The Property: Beneath the Trees

Back in 2012 Jeff and I spent 4 1/2 months backpacking Southeast Asia.  There were endless bus rides and hours of downtime.  It was within this time that our dreams started to formulate.  I will never forget when Jeff drew our first home together on some grid paper on a long bus ride through Thailand.  From that moment on we started dreaming, drawing, talking, and manifesting our space with anyone who would listen.  We spent years doing this. Jeff spent years looking at homes all over the world and the States.  (Unfortunately for my Canadian husband, my Miami blood needed to live somewhere that wasn't terribly cold., so Canada wasn't ideal- although I LOVE it there).  

Fast forward to 2018-2019 and Jeff I still hadn't found a place.  It was then we decided to convert a Ford E250 Extended Van, create a traveling home, and embark on a journey to find a place to settle down.   Lots of small moments led to this video. 

Our first attempt to see the house fell through because we weren't in town long enough.  And then the house went off the market all together...for months! But then, one day in San Diego, after a bit of frisbee, Jeff checked his email... his immigration interview was set and we had a date.  Then, just by chance, he checked the real estate website and the house was back on the market!! WHAT?!?

So we drove north, had an interview, and then came to Talent, Oregon to take a look at the house....

Before we even knew if Jeff was allowed to stay in the country we put down an offer.  It fulfilled every single dream we had, even the ones we never expected to obtain. 

The next day they accepted.  It wasn't long after that Jeff was accepted into this country.

This is the very first moment we walked into our dream. 

We have come along way!

 Although I moved here knowing no one, I met an amazing friend who introduced me to a great group of women.  We met once a week to engage in bootcamp... on my front deck!  With limited equipment and limited space, we made it work.  Although it didn't last very long, it was a glimpse into future possibilities.  I remember thinking this still felt like a big deal.. And it was a big deal. Because it dared me to dream.  It  was one of the many steps that all added up.  Im so grateful to the women who showed up to a random person's house with the desire to get a little stronger! 

Quarantine came and the world shut down, but our world was about to get VERY busy.  WIth a little help from friends, Jeff and I spent hours upon hours  transforming the garage into my dream gym.  I envisioned a space inside that would still leave you feeling connected to the beauty of nature.  The day we finally wrapped up building I couldn't even believe it.  So much time, effort, tears, fears, hopes, and dreams went into this space.  The song accompanying the video was written by Jeff and his former Sky Chief band mate Anthony, when we were living in Taiwan. (PS- thats Jeff singing the song!!)  If you listen to the lyrics, you will find we always dreamt of this.. we always dreamt of "building our life and building our home."

I can not even begin to talk about this transformation without thanking Jeff! I am so grateful for his vision, for his dedication to learning, for his fearlessness in going for it, for his push and support and belief, for his skills, and for looking good while doing it!! :) 

We had a goal to do everything ourselves, reuse left over materials, and find resources from our own land.  And with Jeffs dedication and my ability to take direction and move material, we were able to recreate our space in just a couple years.  Looking back at those early pictures, when we had nothing but space and an idea, are truly surreal.  Again, all we ever wanted was to create a space where others can find peace. I think we may have done just that! 

Music from: Jeff Crease and Anthony Chesterman of Sky Chief.