How We Landed at the Farm
When Josh and I met in 2012, we had no idea what our future held for us. We certainly didn’t know it was owning the farmhouse of our dreams! Josh and I first fell in love with the idea of having property and a farmhouse after renting an old farmhouse during the first half of our relationship.
We spruced up the land and painted an old chicken coop his Dad had brought us, complete with a dead chicken. We raised our hens, planted our first garden and regularly rescued the farm animals that escaped from our neighbor’s farm.
That farmhouse led to our love of all things farmhouse, and the desire to own acreage and have our own “farmette.”
After marrying in 2015, Josh began his job in Virginia with the FAA, we moved in with his parents, and began saving up to buy a home. Josh found our property, 38 acres near the West Virginia/Virginia line, and we fell in love with it immediately. The land previously had cattle on in, and came with an existing pole barn and a well. Half of the property was wooded, while the rest was pasture. Through the trees, you could see the mountains.
The first name we threw out for our land was “Nola Acres,” after our beloved goldendoodle, Nola, and for some reason, we couldn’t shake it. Nothing else seemed to fit. The day we closed on our land, Josh’s parents gave us a sign they had made which said “Nola Acres” and it sealed the deal. That sign now greets us hanging from a tree as we pull through our gate.
We broke ground in November of 2016. We spent hours researching farmhouse plans, and slowly our “modern farmhouse” design with classic farmhouse elements came together. The construction progress was beyond exciting, but also a true test of our patience as we couldn’t wait to be in. We had fallen in love with the property, often staying out there in our RV before the house was done, and couldn’t wait to live there permanently.
We moved in Memorial Day weekend of 2017 and threw a party, complete with 5 RVs, 75 guests, inches of mud and a pack of 8 dogs. Its safe to say, it was quite a weekend, considering we were only just moving in!
Two years later, it still seems like a dream. Home is truly our happy place, and it only continues to get better. We have completed numerous DIY projects, hosted more get-togethers and look forward to doing more of the same. We look forward to continuing to share our progress with you, and hope you enjoy following along!
Nicole & Josh – Our Story
Our story began when I moved to West Virginia from Florida for a job, not knowing a soul except for the goldendoodle puppy, Nola, that I had picked up along the way. All I knew about West Virginia were the myths, (not all true, but my new clients did like to tell me what nice teeth I had) and that it was a great job.
One of my new co-workers offered to introduce me to her Marine brother in law, who she said was a “great guy, as long as you like the bearded type.” I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, but told her she could give him my information because I desperately needed a friend. A few awkward Facebook messages later, we decided to meet.
Our first date included meeting in a hospital parking lot, going to an empty bar and his brother’s fireman bonanza during which I met his parents and danced with his Dad, and also discovered his Mom and I had the same love for Dr. Pepper chap stick. Not your typical first date, and not quite how he had planned it, (again, just a little awkward) but never the less, I granted the poor guy a second date.
Other dates included taking Nola for ice cream and a drive in the mountains where she threw up everywhere, Josh trying to impress me by fording a creek which nearly drowned his new F350, and him attending a work talent show that I performed at, during which he accidently grunted out loud as I walked on stage. It’s amazing we ended up together, really.
I think the moment I knew I truly liked him though, was when my grandparents came for a weekend visit and invited him over for dinner, and he had my grandma in stitches laughing all while flattering her cooking. He eventually moved into my town house, and later, we moved into an old farm house around the corner from his parents.
Josh proposed in a day of epic proportion (that story deserves its own post) and we were married in June of 2015. A month later, he was accepted into the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller, which completely changed our lives. We moved into his parent’s basement and began saving for a home. He stumbled upon what is now our 38 acres, and the rest, is history.
Though it’s been an interesting 7 years with more than our fair share of craziness, I wouldn’t change a thing. We speak often of how everything happens for a reason and the little things that led us to one another when we look back upon our lives. It’s amazing how looking back, the path to one another is so clear, and how the events early in our relationship shaped what is now our present.
We’re fortunate, Nola and I, and now our German Shepherd, Goby, to have met such an incredible man who loves us without fail and would move the heaven and the stars for us if he could. Love isn’t always a fairytale my friends, nor is it easy, but true love is worth every moment, good and bad, even if your future husband almost sinks his truck and takes you and your new puppy for a swim while trying to impress you.
Nola Acres 