The power of connections! Michele and Donna reached out for a landscape design in the late spring of 2021. Like all of my other clients, they inquired virtually through my online process and scheduled their zoom meeting to chat through the specifics of their project. Once the call began and I heard their hearts and stories behind their vision, I knew this would be a one-of-a-kind project.
Let’s back up to Christmas of 2020, where the story really begins. Heather’s sister-in-law, Donnica, purchased a 2021 Lawn + Landscape Wall Calendar (2022 version coming out soon!) and gave it to her mother-in-law, Donna, for Christmas. While the monthly list of the calendar was exactly what she needed, once Donna read the back of the calendar, she was captivated. She knew she needed to reach out and connect with us.
Donna is one of those people who has a gift for connecting people, and she’s been connected to Willow Falls for decades. It’s a wedding venue nestled in the mountains of Hendersonville, NC and is owned by Donna’s dear friend, Michele. Michele’s story from riches to rags — wealth to welfare — and raising her 5 children as a single mother on this property is nothing short of captivating. The heartache experienced, the grit that was built, and the faith that it took to keep going are what has connected us here today. Then the place of survival is now a place that unites families and restores souls and they want to share it with us! It’s truly a breathtaking property but learning the story and the hearts behind it just takes everything to the next level.
During our consultation, Michele and Donna had offered to bring the whole team to come and explore the property and get our creative juices flowing. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant. Usually things that seem too good to be true are just that. The internet is an easy way to make empty promises and I have been on the receiving end of some of them before. With caution, I took time to process and responded with an email to outline what we had discussed and layout any expectations from all parties. I wanted to be clear. I didn’t want to get in too far over my head.
Deep down, I knew this was God.
Heather and I have expressed over and over and over again and will continue to express the importance of our team. We truly believe that teamwork makes the dream work and without our team, we wouldn’t be where we are as a business today! Our team of women give so much each and everyday and we will forever be grateful for their willingness to go above and beyond! To say thank you, we wanted to gather our team together and treat them to a relaxing weekend at Willow. On September 10, 2021, we arrived on the property of Willow Falls. We were about two hours from Hickory but we were instantly in heaven. The calming sound of water falling from the 70-foot long waterfall had us all in awe. Even better was the fact that it was literally right next to the house we were staying in!
The first night of our retreat, Michele, Donna, and Miriam gave us a tour of the property, expressing the need for a more uniform design of the property. There had been a lot of ideas implemented by a lot of different people, and they simply didn’t flow together. With the woods growing up strong around them too, a need for proper maintenance was going to be in the plan as well. As we walked the property, Michele told us the rich history of her family in this space and how she was truly blessed to be able to share it with us and pour into our team. Her words spoken over us saying that his property was given to her in a time of need and that they want this place to be our canvas and make it what we want it to be. She repeatedly said how she believes in the work we’re doing, not just physically but internally to show women what it looks like to crush stereotypes and step into your own unique calling, and the impact it will have on so many others. With a design in the works and preparations for cleanup to begin this fall, we will be installing the design in phases every spring until the entire vision is complete. This is not a one-and-done project; we’ll have deeply planted roots in Willow Falls for many years to come!
As a team, we laughed, we cried, we danced, we slept, we relaxed, we worked, we planned, and we invested into one another during our time at Willow. We connected in-person for the very first time with our virtual team member, Jessalyn, who drove from Georgia just to join us for this experience. We dove deep into each person’s working genius results to better understand ourselves and each other. It was very insightful and deepened our relationships!
I still feel like someone should pinch me. How is this possible?
God; it’s the only way we can explain it.
