Each day at work I help clients write the next chapter of their financial lives. Behind the scenes, my husband Michael and I are scribbling away on our next chapter, too.
Starting With More Than a Blank Canvas
A brief recap: We bought property in the Florida panhandle in 2021 and paid it off in 2023. Since then, we’ve worked to get to the point where we could comfortably spend a few days at a time there.
I’d say we started with a blank canvas, but what a lie that would be. A blank canvas is what, looking back, dreams are made of. What we began with was some of the thickest, thorn-infested, vine-riddled woods we had ever seen. The only clearing was a spot we could pull in and do a 5-point turn to get back out again.
Clearing the Way, One Step at a Time
I got over my tree-hugging tendencies and we cleared some land. Then we took part in a state forestry mulching program to clear debris left from Hurricane Michael to mitigate fire hazards. That helped clear more land to reveal beautiful rolling hills on the property. We added a power pole and drilled a well. We bought a better tent for camping and added an outdoor shower. We bought a cargo container for storage so we didn’t have to haul tools back and forth, and a tractor so we could stay ahead of all the things that come to life once the trees are removed and daylight can reach the soil again. We built a barn.
Finding Blessings in the Slower Pace
Almost nothing happened as quickly as we had hoped, but pleasant surprises appeared along the way thanks to the slower pace. We were on a four-week waiting list for the well. Six days after getting on the list, the well drillers showed up at the property. Their job down the road got postponed. Because we were only a few miles away, they came to our place instead.
A builder put up the pole barn but went radio silent when we reached out to discuss enclosing it. We spun our wheels for two months waiting to see if he would resurface.
We were reminded that everything happens for a reason when we circled back to a carpenter friend and he agreed to enclose the barn for us. Our request came at a great time for him. Work elsewhere had slowed, and our project enabled him to keep his workers employed. Their work exceeded our expectations.
Another stroke of good fortune came from a friend who recently started a land clearing business and had rented a bulldozer for the week to complete a job elsewhere. He finished early and had time left on his rental. He took a shot and asked if we needed any dozer work done on the property. ALWAYS. There is always work that can be done on the property! We got a great deal on some driveway improvements, additional tree removal and more ground leveling.
Measure Twice, Saw Once
Michael and I are fans of the “measure twice, saw once” approach, so being forced to slow down has resulted in more well-planned decisions. It’s also ensured that we continued to cash flow our projects. I hope to never be in debt again.
A huge benefit throughout our project has been my ability to continuously plug updated information into our financial planning software here at Allen & Company. This isn’t something that I only do for myself, either. The offer is open for my clients to reach out when they’re embarking on big ticket goals. I’m happy to add the information to their plan to help make sure they remain on track financially.
Gratitude for Old Florida
Most visits to our property involve an enormous amount of work. The “To Do” list typically is longer than we have time or energy to complete, but we give it our best. When we’re there, I am filled with gratitude for being able to spend time in this part of Old Florida, far from the tourist traps and traffic congestion.
Wishing Daddy Could Have Seen It
Wishing Daddy Could Have Seen ItFor all the accomplishments we’ve made on this property, sometimes looking at it is incredibly bittersweet. It makes me wish my daddy could’ve seen it. I might have convinced him to leave home for a couple days to hunt with us. He would have loved this place.
How I would’ve loved to ride this property with him and show him the cypress trees and the creek. How I wish he could’ve had a beer and talked politics with our neighbor, Eddie. He would’ve appreciated the kind, polite children that our neighbors the Millers are raising. He would’ve gotten a big kick out of Peach, our pumpkin-headed bulldog waddling around in the barn, following our every move when she wasn’t taking one of her two-hour naps.
He would’ve congratulated us in our presence and probably told my mom behind our backs how nuts we were for taking on a project this big at our ages. But I believe he also would have been proud of us. I am proud of us.
July 2026
