Where we began

To understand how we got to March 19, we’ll go back a few years until we can take this journey forward. My wife and I met in Boston where we spent nearly a decade building our careers, getting married and making lasting friendships. We loved the city, and still do, and credit our time in Boston for partially shaping where we are today. 

I’m a country kid and my wife is more of a city girl, but in 2003 I hit my breaking point with the hustle of a big city and was ready to move back to a more rural and quiet life that a country home can offer. This decision led us to our first home, a country cottage about 10 miles outside of the nearest village nestled on a 6 acre wooded lot. We went from an apartment just outside of Boston surrounded by noise, neighbors and gridlock – to serene quiet, utter darkness at night, and our closest neighbor over a 1/4 mile away. It was an adjustment to a new way of life, more self reliant, chopping our own wood, maintaining our own property and adjusting to a different lifestyle and pace all together. We embraced the way of change and loved the feeling of peace you can have when nestled in at night by the fireplace with nothing but the sound of night. We became a family in our cottage in the woods, we adopted our first rescue dog, gave birth to our daughter and enjoyed the small town atmosphere. We also learned we are a family of movement and experiences and our work and love of travel always have kept us busy. 

Then seven years ago I was offered a new role in NYC, and while the decision was difficult, the opportunity the move offered the entire family out-weighed the staying nestled in our cottage. We knew living in the city wasn’t going to provide the balance we needed as a family, so we decided to relocate to NJ where we currently live – about 20 miles outside Manhattan. We found a great community here and though everything is completely different from where we were, the benefits for our daughter and family have been well worth the move. This brings us to where we are today…when we made the move to the city we also said we could go back to find a place and build a new cottage in the woods. We’ve wanted to have a legacy for our family and a place that takes us back to the solitude and beauty of the country and our hope is these 73 acres of land can be the start of that. We are a long way from making this parcel a home, but we can’t wait to share the process and learnings as we journey forward.