Life Update: We Broke Ground!

For a long time, I thought building a home would follow a straight line. You buy land. You draw plans. You build. You move in. Our story didn’t unfold that way. Instead, it stretched across six years, multiple lots, two spec homes, job changes, and a season where the dream wasn’t gone — just on hold. And somehow, that winding path led us exactly where we were meant to be.

st. george, ut (2023)

: WHEN EVERYTHING WAS READY, BUT WE WEREN’T

In 2020, we were convinced we were building our forever home in the Salt Lake area. We bought a lot. We hired a designer. We finalized plans. We secured permits. We were standing at the edge of breaking ground when something shifted. While everything looked right on paper, it didn’t feel right in our hearts. After a lot of conversations and reflection, Joe + I made the difficult decision to walk away. We sold the lot. It felt confusing at the time — choosing to pause when we had worked so hard to get there — but it was the first time we learned to trust timing over momentum.

salt lake lot (2020)

: ALMOST AGAIN

Not long after, we put an offer in on a second lot. We were set to close on the land when my husband received a job offer back in our hometown of St. George — the very place we had once thought we’d end up long-term. The timing was too significant to ignore. So we walked away again. Two lots. Two moments of almost-building. Two decisions that felt heavy but necessary.

moving to st. george

: PUTTING THE DREAM ON HOLD

When we moved back to our hometown, we bought a small spec home, fully expecting it to be temporary while we prepared to build. Then life happened. A hiccup in my husband’s job meant the building timeline shifted yet again. What we thought would be a short pause became an indefinite one, and we had to be honest with ourselves: this wasn’t happening anytime soon. So we made a practical decision and bought a second spec home across the street that better fit our family, believing we’d be there for years. Not because we gave up on the dream — but because we needed stability while we waited.

: WHEN “LATER” BECAME “SOONER”

Somewhere along the way, things began to change. The job situation settled. Doors opened. Conversations shifted. And slowly, what once felt far away began to feel possible again. We realized we could start sooner than we ever expected. Three years ago, we purchased the lot we’re building on now — this time with a quieter confidence. Less urgency. More peace. We moved forward carefully, knowing that forcing the timeline had never worked for us before.

: WHY THIS TIME FEELS DIFFERENT

Now, six years after we first thought we’d build, there’s dirt moving on our land. And this time, it doesn’t feel rushed or forced. It feels steady. The waiting didn’t change our family — it changed our perspective. It taught us patience, flexibility, and how to hold plans with open hands. What we thought we needed in a home shifted as life unfolded, and the house we’re building now reflects who we are today, not who we were rushing to be years ago.

our st. george lot

: THE HOUSE THAT WAITED

I don’t believe closed doors mean the wrong dream. Sometimes they simply mean the right dream at the wrong time. This home has been imagined, released, revisited, and delayed more times than I can count. But looking back, I wouldn’t change the path that brought us here. Because this house didn’t just appear when we wanted it to — it waited until everything else aligned. And now, we’re finally building.

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Thank you for joining us on this crazy ride! We couldn’t do it without the support from all of you.