Our first blog post is the story behind our farm. When Chester and I started dating in 2008, our first dates were spent baling hay and harvesting spinach. It was in the fields of southern New Jersey where we fell in love and dreamed of owning our own farm. We married in 2012 and our dream of owning a farm became more prominent as the years went on and we welcomed our two children, Courtney and Kent, into the world. We always wanted to give our children the same experience Chester had growing up and one that I had always dreamed of.
Our first home was beautifully situated in Chester's hometown of Aldine. We never planned on moving because we absolutely loved the town and our neighbors. We had always hoped to remain in our beloved first house that we spent years completely renovating. However, after almost 10 years, we sadly realized we would never be able to purchase more land around our home.
While exploring options of privately purchasing land around us to stay where we were, we also began searching for a farm in the area. We casually began our search in 2016 when our son was just a few months old but then seriously ramped up our search in 2018. We considered many different farms throughout Salem County with the help of our realtor, Andrew Ware. However, when we found and toured our new property, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Although the property is not the conventional, open field format that many people think of when they hear the word “farm”, it has endless possibilities for our out-of-the-box thinking and the lifestyle we have always wanted to live as a family. It has miles of trails, abundant wildlife, and so many possibilities for our future!
We were very lucky to find not only an amazing property but also wonderful people to buy from. We worked together to make both of our big life transitions as smooth as possible. We are forever grateful to Henry and Susan for their friendship and giving our family the opportunity to purchase such a unique estate.
