Every story needs a prologue. An explanation or introduction.
Why Santa Ynez?
This is a question we have received multiple times since announcing our move. To some, it seems quite extreme. One day we are living in Orange County, the next we are moving to Santa Ynez.
So why?
Santa Ynez was our “how amazing would it be to live there” place. You know those places you chat about moving to over a glass of wine on a Friday night when your wanderlust for adventure kicks in? Some say Europe. For others, it is a tropical island. For us, Santa Ynez was our place.
We began visiting the valley a number of years ago and as each year passed, the frequency of our visits and love for the area grew. Soon it was “someday we will move here” or “maybe we can buy some land and retire there” or “once the kids move out, we should relocate”. It was our long term plan. Once the hustle of raising a family and working was over, Loren and I would end up in Santa Ynez.
And then the conversation began to change. We would visit and imagine how amazing it would be to raise our children, who have only called Orange County home, in an environment like Santa Ynez, right now. Small town, small schools, and perhaps, a little slower pace. Now, let me say right now, we absolutely love Orange County and see nothing wrong with it. It has been a wonderful place to raise our children. I don’t want anyone thinking we feel otherwise. We simply feel that children grow in new ways when experiencing different places, environments and ways of living. Change is so good and I think we were craving something different for our entire family. We started praying about it and actually almost pulled the trigger two years ago but nothing seemed to work out. We both started to think that perhaps God was saying Santa Ynez just wasn’t for us.
And yet, here we are. The reality is, we wouldn’t be doing this if my husband wasn’t let go from his job. Isn’t that funny? We talk about dreams, and someday chasing them, but sometimes the life we set up for ourselves actually keeps us from living those dreams. We began to see that this situation wasn’t something negative but a part of a plan put in place by God to help us get to our dream. So to what many would view as a handful of lemons was actually our lemonade, and we jumped right into the pitcher.
So that is why Santa Ynez. A prayer that we perhaps thought would stay unanswered but in fact, He taught us that He is listening, we just need some patience. So the first lesson of this journey has already been learned and we are not even there yet; “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you” – Matthew 7:7
This Little Country Road 
Such a beautiful story! Love Santa Ynez, keep my horse there in college it will always be one of my favorite quaint towns. Just a special place. Sounds like a perfect adventure and good for your guys! God Bless y’all!!!
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Thank you Monica! It is such a great little town and we are so excited to be a part of it. Thank you for all your support!
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What a beautiful story of faith, hope, love and patience. I got choked up reading it Sarah because I’m the gal who keeps thinking I’m in charge. Then I’m reminded to settle down and settle in. He has a plan. A plan for me. “God, step into my story and script your perfect plan for my life.” -Alicia Bruxvoort
God bless your family on this wonderful new journey! XO
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Oh I love this quote MaryAlyce! Thank you so much for your kind words and all your support. I means a ton.
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Hi Sarah! I am just getting caught up with you. I visited JIH and wondered how things were on your end. It all sounds amazing. Call me sometime. I would love to catch up.
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I would love to catch up too! Let me get settled here and we can set up some time to chat!
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Do Sarah, I am so happy for you and the family, follow every dream and make each day count!
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Doing our best to not take this life for granted! Thank you so much!
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Joe & I couldn’t be happier for you all & hope to join you there someday soon, I’m also glad you’ve taken to blogging again as I always enjoyed reading your posts. This post brought both joy & hope to my heart! Jenn
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We would love to see your faces up here soon! Thank you for following along and all the support. Your kind words mean a ton and please let me know if you are ever in the valley!
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So exciting! Your kids will love it and all it has to offer!
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I’m already loving reading your story. My husband and I are actually trying to decide where we want to buy a house and set down roots for our family. We are also thinking of a more country setting but I sometimes worry about missing the conveniences of a nearby Whole Foods or workout studio, sounds silly when I type that out though. I’m a stay at home mom and I don’t want to feel isolated. Were you worried about that at all? Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thank you so much for all the support! I appreciate you visiting and following along. Your worries about missing the local conveniences are not silly at all! It is something I have thought a lot about. To visit Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods will be a 25 minute drive to Santa Barbara for us, along with not having Amazon Prime (it comes but not as quickly). What I have been surprised with is how much is actually available. I thought for a while I would have to drive for everything but I have found a local yoga place, shops, markets and even a doctor to make things more convenient. I have also worried about being isolated but it is amazing how quickly you meet people at the school and through sports. I am only a few days in though so I will speak to that as I experience it. With all those worries in my head, watching my children experience this life outside of Orange County has already been invaluable. It puts a smile on my face every morning and is worth any hardships so far. I hope that helps!
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