Meet Shalane
A while back our family was driving on a back road after church, and I remember feeling this stirring from the Lord. I began praying, and I felt him asking me, “How are you bringing Glory to me? How is your life sharing me to those around you?” My husband and I had four very small children at the time, and we lived in a small town neighborhood in Crestwood, KY. I remember thinking to myself, "I so badly desire to share Jesus through my story, or through whatever platform He would want to use me." But this seemed so unrealistic with the current season of my life, being a stay-at-home mother to four children under the age of 5.
However, my husband and I dreamed of renovating an old 1800s home and building a legacy there. We've always longed to own lots of land, and wanted our home to be a place where our kiddos always wanted to be, and eventually a safe place they always wanted to come back to when they were grown. So, we started this 2 year journey of looking for that "perfect place." I had thought that the Lord maybe wanted me to tell my story in a book, through a blog, or something of that sort. Never did flowers or a farm cross my mind until we hit the road blocks. We soon realized the difficulty of finding a historical home on property with land. We had a couple of properties that we tried to purchase over those 2 years, and it was roadblock after roadblock, always falling through. In the midst of the obstacles, my husband and I both sought out ways that our land could "work for us" and produce income.
Soon, the idea of a fresh-cut flower farm was birthed. Neither of us had an ounce of knowledge of how or where to begin, but we started dreaming. A year later we discovered a dreamy white 1800s farmhouse on 36 acres, and the Lord began to turn our dream into reality. He opened all the doors that had previously been shut, and in April 2017 we moved in to our new farm. With trays and trays of little plants in tow, we got our first acre field tilled by the middle of May!
Meet Travis
There has never been a harder worker, bigger dreamer or more supportive cheerleader that I could have beside me than Travis! Travis is not only an incredible husband to me and father to our kiddos, but also the one who trusts that God can do big things through seemingly idealistic dreams. He is the brute labor force who will work all day to run and support his construction business that he runs with his brother and step dad, only to then come home and till up land, cut landscape fabric, and sow row upon row of seeds. He is the muscle behind the farm and my biggest fan.
“...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated for generations.”
Isaiah 61