Why Our Family Moved to Ave Maria

A few months ago, our family packed up our lives in the Pacific Northwest and moved across the country to a small town in Southwest Florida called Ave Maria.

When people hear that we moved with four young children — ages seven, four, two, and eight months — the first question is usually:

“Why Ave Maria?”

The answer really began over two years ago.

Searching for a Place to Raise Our Family

My husband and I both grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Our extended families are still there, and Oregon will always hold a special place in our hearts. It’s where we met, where we went to college together, and where we began our life as a young married couple.

But as our family grew, we started asking deeper questions about the kind of environment we wanted to raise our children in.

We wanted a place where faith wasn’t something that had to stay hidden or quietly practiced. We wanted our children to grow up surrounded by families who shared our values — families who believed in faith, family life, and the importance of community.

So we started researching strong Catholic communities around the country.

Again and again, one name kept coming up.

Ave Maria.

Discovering Ave Maria

At first it almost felt too good to be true — a town intentionally built around the Catholic faith, centered around a beautiful church, where families were raising children with a shared commitment to faith and community.

But the more we researched, the more intrigued we became.

For over two years we talked about it, prayed about it, and wondered if such a big move was really possible for our family.

Moving across the country is never a small decision. It meant leaving our extended family behind in Oregon, stepping away from everything familiar, and starting over somewhere completely new.

But as our fourth child arrived and the cultural climate around us continued to change, the desire to raise our children in a place like Ave Maria grew stronger and stronger.

Eventually we realized something.

If we truly believed this was the kind of place we wanted to raise our children… we had to be willing to take the leap.

So we did.

A Leap of Faith

Moving across the country with four young children was not exactly a quiet or peaceful process.

Our house was filled with boxes, toys, baby gear, and a level of chaos that only families with small children truly understand.

But underneath all of that chaos was a deep sense of peace that we were making the right decision for our family.

When we finally arrived in Ave Maria, it felt like the beginning of a completely new chapter.

Life in Ave Maria

We’ve only been here a few months, but already we’ve noticed something special about this community.

Families here genuinely care about one another.

Children fill the parks and sidewalks.

Faith isn’t something that happens only on Sundays — it’s woven into everyday life.

Our family has also begun a new adventure: homeschooling.

We’re still very new to it, but I’m already seeing something beautiful happening in our home. The relationships between our children are growing stronger. Our days feel more intentional. And we’re finding ways to weave prayer and the Gospels naturally into daily life.

Of course, motherhood with four young children is rarely calm or quiet.

Most days I feel like I’m being pulled in four directions at once. Someone needs help with schoolwork, someone else needs a snack, the toddler wants to be outside, and the baby is ready for a nap.

It’s a beautiful chaos.

But in the middle of it all, I’m deeply grateful that our children are growing up in a place where faith, family, and community are valued.

A Life Rooted in Faith and Family

As a family, we try to live intentionally around the rhythms of our faith.

We pray together.
We read Scripture together, often focusing on the Gospels.
We celebrate feast days and the lives of the saints.

We’ve also made a conscious decision to keep our home mostly tech-free. Instead, we spend a lot of time outdoors — enjoying the Florida sunshine, exploring, and simply being together.

These are the moments that make up childhood.

And they are the moments we want our children to remember.

Building Something to Serve Families

Our experience traveling with children — especially flying back and forth to visit family in Oregon — also inspired something new for our family.

Traveling with babies and young children often means packing what feels like half your house.

Cribs, strollers, high chairs, baby monitors… the list never seems to end.

That experience is part of what inspired us to start Her Mantle Baby Co. — a small local service here in Ave Maria that helps families prepare when grandchildren or visiting relatives come to town.

It’s our small way of serving the community we’re so grateful to now be a part of.

A New Chapter

Leaving Oregon wasn’t easy.

Our families are still there, and we miss them often.

But we also believe deeply that God sometimes calls families into new seasons — seasons that require courage, trust, and a willingness to step into the unknown.

For our family, Ave Maria feels like the beginning of that new chapter.

And we’re excited to see what God has in store for our family here.