Hello, I'm Jenni

The other half of this optimistic duo

I grew up in a large family on a farm in Idaho, USA. It was mostly a beef farm, but we also grew and sold corn, raspberries, and mushrooms at various times. And of course we had a massive family garden–which my parents still maintain today, even though most of the farmland has since been sold. It was a whole family enterprise. I left that home when I married at the ripe old age of 19. Over the next two decades, I called Utah and Washington my home while raising two daughters. In that time, I had the opportunity to buy and renovate several homes and do a bit of gardening, though not to the same scale as when I was a child. 

While the girls were young, I tried my hand at a few small business ventures, including one in graphic design and one in vintage furniture and home decor, along with occasional photography gigs on the side. Like Kaine, I’m a bit of a jill-of-all-trades. My interests are wide and varied. I picked up sewing and cooking from my mother and gardening and a love of reading from my father. I tend to hyperfixate on one hobby at a time, then move on to the next. I like to call them my rotating hobbies, because they all circle back around. 

Eventually, I went back to school and became a language arts teacher. Teaching, while satisfying in its own ways, seriously cut back on my time for said hobbies.

Around the time my oldest went off to university I experienced a number of other big life changes. Those included selling the home I’d raised my girls in and choosing adventure. My youngest and I shipped off to Australia. The short version of that story: I stayed. 

Which brings us to the present.

What started out as a desire to buy a house with a garden near our friends, sprouted into a dream of finding enough space to put down roots and try out more of the sustainability practices we believe in. Beyond reducing plastic use and trying to eat locally/in season, we wanted to get closer to the source: grow our own food, reduce our energy use while renovating our home, and be part of a community where we can make a positive impact.

The added benefit of this plan is I get to incorporate so many of my hobbies! And I get to do them with my best friend. I’m also bound to create new hobbies. But be warned, this isn’t a place to learn from an expert; it's a place to learn along with us as we experience trial and error. I expect there will be a lot of learning what not to do! With that in mind, we welcome your tips. We’re so glad you're here.